Alabama plunges to No. 10 in AP Top 25 College Football Poll following loss to Oklahoma

Alabama has fallen six spots to No. 10 in the latest AP Top 25 College Football poll following its 23-21 loss to Oklahoma at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The loss snapped Alabama’s 17-game home winning streak, which had been the longest in the FBS. Alabama is now 8-2 overall, with this loss its only defeat in the SEC, where it is 6-1. The upcoming Iron Bowl game at unranked Auburn is now a must-win for the Crimson Tide if it wants to keep its SEC championship and playoff hopes alive.

With Oklahoma’s victory, it has risen three places to No. 8. The Sooners are the top-ranked 8-2 team, followed by 8-2 Notre Dame and the 8-2 Alabama.

Elsewhere, Georgia moved up one spot to No. 4 after its win over Texas, and North Texas, ranked for the first time since 1959, is among three Group of Five teams in the Top 25.

Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M are the top three teams for the fifth straight week. Georgia earned its highest ranking since the first week of September and Ole Miss was back in the top five after spending three weeks there at midseason.

Ohio State, which rolled past UCLA to improve to 10-0 for the fourth time in seven seasons, received 57 of 66 first-place votes. Indiana, which beat Wisconsin to go 11-0 for the first time, got eight first-place votes. Texas A&M, whose comeback from a 27-point deficit to beat South Carolina was its largest ever, got one first-place vote, three less than last week.

Georgia’s 35-10 win over Texas was its sixth straight and second over a top-10 opponent. Ole Miss, which lost at Georgia a month ago, defeated Florida and is more than 100 points behind the Bulldogs at No. 5.

The Group of Five hadn’t had three teams in the Top 25 since four appeared in last season’s final poll.

The Sun Belt Conference’s James Madison blew out Appalachian State and moved up three spots to No. 21. North Texas is next at No. 22. The Mean Green of the American Conference clobbered UAB 53-24 on the road and have matched their best start in program history.

The last time UNT was 9-1 was in 1959, when the team then known as the Eagles was ranked two straight weeks in November, reaching No. 16. That team lost to New Mexico State in the Sun Bowl to finish 9-2. This year’s UNT team already is eligible for a second straight bowl game and is in the thick of the race for the Group of Five’s automatic CFP bid.

In and out

— No. 22 North Texas’ first appearance in the poll in 66 years ends the longest drought by a Bowl Subdivision team.

— No. 23 Missouri returned after a one-week absence following a win over Mississippi State in which Ahmad Hardy became the first player since 2022 to rush for 300 yards.

— No. 24 Tulane has won two straight since losing to UTSA and is ranked for the first time this season.

— No. 25 Houston, fifth among teams also receiving votes last week and idle, were ranked for one week in October.

Louisville (19), Cincinnati (22), Pittsburgh (23) and South Florida (25) dropped out.

AP Top 25 College Football Poll (first-place votes in parentheses; SEC teams in bold):

1. 1. Ohio State (57)
   2. Indiana (8)
   3. Texas A&M (1)
   4. Georgia
   5. Ole Miss
   6. Texas Tech
   7. Oregon
   8. Oklahoma
   9. Notre Dame
   10. Alabama
   11. BYU
   12. Vanderbilt
   13. Utah
   14. Miami
   15. Georgia Tech
   16. USC
   17. Texas
   18. Michigan
   19. Virginia
   20. Tennessee
   21. James Madison
   22. North Texas
   23. Missouri
   24. Tulane
   25. Houston

Others receiving votes: Navy 61, Illinois 31, SMU 28, Arizona State 19, Louisville 17, Iowa 14, Pittsburgh 12, San Diego State 12, Arizona 9, UNLV 9, Washington 8, South Florida 6, East Carolina 4, UConn 1.

Ranked vs. ranked games coming up this weekend:

No. 16 Southern California (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 17 CFP) at No. 6 Oregon (9-1, 6-1, No. 8 CFP): Winner strengthens its position for a CFP at-large bid and keeps alive slim hopes of sneaking into the Big Ten championship game.

No. 23 Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC) at No. 8 Oklahoma (8-2, 4-2, No. 11 CFP): Sooners did wonders for their playoff resume by knocking off Alabama on the road and now go for a fifth win over a Top 25 opponent.

(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)