Historic Rankings in AP Top 25 College Football Poll Include Six Traditional Basketball Powerhouses

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In a recent turn of events, Oklahoma ascended to the fifth position in The Big Big News college football poll. Meanwhile, Miami’s near blunder in the closing moments almost caused the team, which is currently ranked 25th, to lose its spot. Adding an unusual twist to the narrative, six schools traditionally strong in basketball have made unprecedented marks on the college football landscape.

Georgia, which currently holds the number one position and is coming off a decisive victory over Kentucky, has regained some of its lost first-place votes in the AP Top 25. Last week, a late comeback was necessary to preserve their undefeated streak against Auburn. The Bulldogs garnered 50 first-place votes this week, compared to 35 in the preceding week. Michigan, also unbeaten and ranked second, received 11 first-place votes. Ohio State and Florida State, ranked third and fourth respectively, each moved up one position and received a single first-place vote.

Oklahoma made a significant leap to enter the top 10, moving seven spots after defeating Texas last Saturday. This marks their first time back in the top 10 since they began a decline toward a 6-7 season in mid-September of the previous year. The Texas Longhorns dropped to ninth place, sliding six positions down.

Penn State retained its sixth place, and Washington and Oregon held steady at seventh and eighth, respectively, setting the stage for their upcoming Pac-12 confrontation. USC fell to tenth place after a nail-biting three-overtime win against Arizona, marking the third consecutive week of decline for the team, despite remaining undefeated.

Miami just managed to stay in the rankings, plummeting eight spots after experiencing their first loss of the current season against Georgia Tech, a loss that could arguably be one of the most devastating in the program’s history.

Hoop Dreams Translate to Gridiron Success

Historic basketball schools such as Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA, and Louisville have achieved a noteworthy milestone. For the first time in the 87-year history of the AP football poll, all six schools are ranked simultaneously: North Carolina at 12th, Louisville at 14th, Duke at 17th, UCLA at 18th, Kansas at 23rd, and Kentucky at 24th. Louisville notably surged 11 spots after defeating Notre Dame and remaining undefeated. Meanwhile, Notre Dame dropped to the 21st position following their second loss in three weeks to an undefeated team.

Points on the Poll

Georgia’s streak of holding the top position for 17 consecutive weeks is now tied with Florida State’s record set in 1999. The Bulldogs appear well-situated to challenge for the second-longest streak, with USC’s 18-week streak from 1972-73 next in line, followed by Miami’s 21 consecutive weeks from 2001-02. The all-time record set by USC, with 33 consecutive weeks at the top from late 2003 to the end of the 2005 season, seems out of reach for this year.

In and Out of the Rankings

Seven previously undefeated teams suffered losses last Saturday, causing two to exit the AP Top 25. Fresno State and Missouri both lost key matches and were removed from the rankings. Conversely, UCLA and Kansas re-entered the rankings after victories, placed at 18th and 23rd respectively.

Conference Highlights

Seven Pac-12 teams are ranked, followed by six from the SEC, five from the ACC, three each from the Big Ten and Big 12, and one independent team.

Upcoming Key Matchups

The stage is set for several ranked vs. ranked confrontations: No. 8 Oregon will face No. 7 Washington in their 103rd meeting, marking the first top-10 matchup between the two. USC and Notre Dame, both ranked, will meet for the first time since the 2005-06 seasons with both teams in the top 25. Miami and North Carolina are set for their second-ever ranked meeting. Lastly, UCLA and Oregon State will clash in their first ranked meeting since 2001.

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