Election Day isn’t the only big event coming up on Tuesday. The AP Top twenty five put the Crimson Tide at number eleven, but may put Alabama within striking distance of a slot in the first twelve team playoff group, depending on what the CFP Committee says.
Oregon was the unanimous choice for number one The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday. That strengthens its bid for the top spot in the College Football Playoff selection committee's first rankings of the season.
The Ducks are number one in the AP Top 25 for the third straight week, and unanimous for the first time, following its 21-point road win against Michigan. Georgia, which received one number one vote last week, remained at number two after overcoming Carson Beck's three interceptions and pulling away late to beat Florida. Ohio State earned a one-spot promotion to number three No. 3 with its win at Penn State, the Buckeyes' eighth in a row in the series.
Number four Miami, which beat Duke, and number five Texas, which was idle, each moved up a spot. Penn State, which had been in the top five in the previous four polls, slipped to number six. The CFP's expansion to twelve teams this season means losses by top teams to other top teams aren't a certain disqualifier in the race for the national championship. The CFP's first rankings of the season will be released Tuesday and updated weekly until the bracket is announced December eighth.
Tennessee held its place at number seven despite scuffling well into the fourth quarter against three-win Kentucky and winning 28-18. Indiana jumped five spots to number eight, its highest ranking since it was number seven in 2020 — and best in a non-pandemic season since the Hoosiers were number four during their 1967 Rose Bowl season. The Hoosiers rolled past Michigan State 47-10 on the road to go 9-0 for the first time in program history; every win this season has been by double digits. Number nine BYU and number ten Notre Dame were idle.
SMU's 48-25 win over Pittsburgh earned the Mustangs a promotion from number twenty to number thirteen, the biggest upward movement this week. They haven't been ranked so high since they were No. 3 on Oct. 1, 1985, two years before the NCAA levied the "death penalty" that shut down the program in 1987 for egregious rules violations. The school also chose not to field a team in 1988.
