Georgia moved up to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday, Oct. 12, following its win at Alabama, according to a report published Oct. 12. The Bulldogs, who had held the No. 2 spot for five consecutive polls while securing five straight lopsided wins, earned 66 first-place votes from a 70-member media panel.
The Bulldogs' 20-17 victory in Tuscaloosa marked their first win at that location since 2014. This win also marks the first time Georgia has ascended to the top of the poll since Sept. 8, 2024.
Notre Dame moved up one spot to No. 2 after a 58-7 victory over Stanford. This follows a matchup scheduled for this week against BYU. The Fighting Irish received one first-place vote, marking their highest ranking since the final poll of the 2024 season.
In other ranking shifts, Texas dropped six spots to No. 7 following a loss to rival Oklahoma. Oregon was unranked for the first time in four years after a 17-15 home loss to UCLA. This was the Ducks' second loss in the past month.
Kentucky and Northwestern saw significant movement, with Kentucky jumping from unranked to No. 15 after a 35-34 overtime win against LSU. Northwestern earned its first ranking under fourth-year coach David Braun. Meanwhile, Florida fell from No. 8 to No. 16 and then out of the rankings entirely following a 38-19 loss to South Carolina.
The current Top 10 includes Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State, Indiana, Alabama, Texas, BYU, Ole Miss, and Texas Tech. Other notable teams in the Top 25 include Utah at No. 11, UCLA at No. 12, and Missouri at No. 13.
Historically, the current rankings reflect a rare occurrence where three or more No. 1 teams have appeared in the first six polls. Georgia, Texas, and Alabama took turns holding the top spot in the first six polls in 2024. The only other time in the Top 25 era that three teams held the No. 1 spot at this point in a season was in 1990.
Upcoming matchups include No. 4 Ohio State playing No. 5 Indiana and No. 2 Notre Dame visiting No. 8 BYU. The latter marks the first-ever top-10 matchup at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
