AP Top 25: Indiana gives Big Ten 4 of top 5 as Georgia’s top-10 streak ends

Ohio State moved up to No. 2 behind Oregon in the AP Top 25 on Sunday, and the Big Ten captured four of the top five spots, with Penn State moving to No. 4 and Indiana to No. 5. According to the AP, it’s the first time the Big Ten has had four of the top five.

It is the first time the Big Ten has occupied the top two spots in the rankings since 2015, and it is Indiana’s highest ranking since 1967. Space was created by two losses in the top five, when Georgia fell to second place after losing dropped to eleventh place. against Ole Miss and Miami fell from fourth place to No. 12 after losing at Georgia Tech. It’s Georgia’s lowest ranking in the poll since 2020, ending a 60-week streak of top-10 performances.

The top-ranked Ducks are the unanimous No. 1 seed for the second week in a row, making them the first team to be the unanimous No. 1 seed for multiple weeks of a regular season since Georgia did it eight times in 2021.

The Big Ten is in the top two for the first time since Ohio State and Michigan State topped the poll on September 27, 2015. That was the second of consecutive weeks with the Buckeyes and Spartans at Nos. 1 and 2.

Others receiving votes: Iowa State 92, Arizona State 35, Pittsburgh 18, Louisiana 14, UNLV 10

Dropping Georgia gives Ohio State the longest streak of top 10 performances at age 55, although that could actually be considered an 80-week range. The Buckeyes were ineligible to participate in the poll at the start of the pandemic-altered 2020 season while the Big Ten was not playing. Georgia fell to No. 13 in 2020 and spent most of the second half of that season outside the top 10 before finishing seventh. Georgia hasn’t ranked lower than sixth in the last three seasons and entered 2024 as preseason No. 1 for the second straight year.

The only non-Big Ten team in the top five is No. 3 Texas. Tennessee is one spot higher than No. 6, and No. 7 BYU and No. 8 Notre Dame each moved up two spots.

Alabama is No. 9 after blowing out LSU, and Ole Miss moved up six spots to No. 10.

Is Penn State Ranked Correctly?

No. 4 Penn State is shaping up to be one of the most polarizing teams in the country due to its ranking in both the AP and Coaches Polls and by the College Football Playoff selection committee, especially for those rooting for undefeated Indiana and BYU.

Is that fair?

The argument goes that as a big-name school, Penn State gets a helmet over less traditional powers, especially Big Ten conferencemate Indiana. It’s a fair call: Penn State has no wins against ranked teams and a seven-point loss at home to Ohio State.

Indiana has drawn a lot of criticism for its less-than-formidable schedule, as it tore through its opponents with nothing but double-digit wins until Saturday against Michigan. The Hoosiers’ schedule still lags behind the rest of the top-ranked teams.

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The better case might be BYU, which went undefeated in dramatic fashion against Utah and posted a pair of wins against ranked teams in Big 12 rival No. 20 Kansas State and No. 14 SMU, the first-place team in the ACC.

It’s fair to say that one or both of the Hoosiers and Cougars should have the edge over Penn State — and maybe even Texas and/or Tennessee.

But allow me to play devil’s advocate: If the difference between Penn State, Indiana and BYU is that one of these teams played Ohio State and the other two did not, is it really so egregious that the Nittany Lions are on the highest place? Penn State isn’t the only team affected by this, but there is a tendency to divide all teams into two categories: ranked teams and bad teams, essentially putting everyone outside the Top 25 in the same group. It’s a bad evaluation. There are 134 FBS schools and another 129 in FCS, and each has a value.

It’s also not just who you played, but how you played, and while Indiana has gotten a lot of attention for running roughshod over its opponents, Penn State has also posted six wins by at least 14 points, following the 35-6 victory on Saturday. Washington.

This isn’t so much a plea for Penn State as it is for a more thoughtful approach than everyone stinks. – Ralph Russo, national college football writer

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In and out

After a second straight defeat, this time at home to Virginia, Pitt falls out of the rankings for the first time in six weeks. The Panthers started the season 7-0, but didn’t quite have the staying power of Indiana and BYU’s turnaround. Iowa State faced a similar fate, going from undefeated and ranked to out of the polls after back-to-back losses. The Cyclones lost to Kansas on Saturday.

Vanderbilt also slipped out of the Top 25 again after losing to SEC rival South Carolina, which makes its season debut at No. 23. The Gamecocks (6-3) are ranked for the first time since 2022 and have one of the top players of the country. what-could-have-been seasons. Losses to Alabama and LSU by a combined five points, along with a blowout loss to Ole Miss, kept the Gamecocks out of the SEC Championship and the playoffs. The LSU game was especially painful because of a blindside block penalty that wiped out a pick six.

No. 24 Missouri (7-2) returned to the rankings after the Tigers remained in the “Playoff hunt,” according to coach Eli Drinkwitz. The SEC has nine teams in the rankings this week, one fewer than the record of 10 it set at the start of the 2015 season.

No. No. 25 Tulane (8-2) is ranked for the first time this season, joining No. 13 Boise State and No. 16 Army as ranked Group of 5 conference teams in the hunt for an automatic Playoff -bid.

How Matt voted

• I’ve been lower than most Ole Miss voters all season, but suddenly the Rebels’ resume looks a lot better. The loss to Kentucky still stings and LSU is getting worse, but the Rebels dominated Georgia 28-10 for their most lopsided win against an AP top-10 team since 1969. Add to that the increased value of their 24 win points against South Carolina and the fact that they lead the FBS in yards per play margin, and that the Rebels finally feel like they’ve earned their top-10 billing. I didn’t hesitate to put them at number 9 on my ballot – actually a spot ahead of where they are in the poll.

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• Am I too high on Indiana? Possibly, but who would have thought we’d be dissecting a Hoosiers win over Michigan for being too unimpressive? No, the Hoosiers haven’t played a ranked team yet, but they are 10-0 and have dominated each of their first nine opponents. I have them at No. 3, ahead of one-loss teams like Texas (no ranked wins), Tennessee (lost to Arkansas), and Penn State (no ranked wins), and they have been more impressive week to week than another surprise undefeated BYU. Ultimately, the margin from No. 1 to No. 15 feels very tight – perhaps the tightest since I became a voter in 2017 – and that’s why I have no problem rewarding the teams that keep winning… and being quick to punishing a loss, as Miami drops to 13th after falling to Georgia Tech.

• Only 30 teams received votes this week, with Tulane climbing to the rankings at No. 25. The Green Wave was my runner-up for the last spot, while I chose Arizona State, which was a surprising – and quiet – 7-2, but will get a chance to prove himself against Kansas State and BYU over the next two weeks. – Matt Brown, college sports editor and AP Top 25 voter

How week 12 will affect the rankings

This Saturday there are two ranked matchups, both in the SEC:

• No. 6 Tennessee at No. 11 Georgia: The Vols have a chance to do the unthinkable and all but eliminate Georgia in the 12-team Playoff. But since 2016, they haven’t stayed within single digits or scored more than 21 points against the Bulldogs.

• No. 24 Missouri at No. 23 South Carolina. Nine of the sixteen SEC teams are ranked, although the loser here will likely drop out.

The top four will all consist of heavy road favorites – No. 1 Oregon at Wisconsin, No. 2 Ohio State at Northwestern, No. 3 Texas at Arkansas and No. 4 Penn State at Purdue – while No. 5 Indiana earlier gone is his showdown with the Buckeyes.

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(Photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)