Alabama remains No. 10 in AP Top 25 College Football Poll, heading into critical Iron Bowl showdown against Auburn

Alabama remains No. 10 in the AP Top 25 College Football Poll following its 56-0 victory over Eastern Illinois, with a critically-important Iron Bowl coming up.

All Iron Bowl games are historic between Alabama and Auburn, but Alabama needs a victory to make the College Football Playoffs. Auburn, which is currently 5-6 after defeating Mercer 62-17, needs a win over its cross-state rival to become bowl eligible. The game will be held at night at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Elsewhere in the poll, Oregon returned to the top five in the latest poll, five Atlantic Coast Conference teams were ranked for the second time this season and Georgia Tech took the biggest fall after its second loss in three games.

Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M remained the top three teams for a sixth straight week, and Georgia was No. 4 for the second week in a row.

Oregon jumped over idle Ole Miss to No. 5, its highest ranking since it was No. 3 in the Oct. 5 poll. The Ducks strengthened their College Football Playoff resume with a 15-point victory over then-No. 16 Southern California, extending their winning streak to five games.

Ole Miss was followed by Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama.

Ohio State is No. 1 for a 13th straight week going into its game at No. 15 Michigan. The Buckeyes received 58 first-place votes and were 53 points ahead of Indiana, which was listed first on seven voters’ ballots. Texas A&M got the remaining first-place vote.

Miami, which beat Virginia Tech by 17 points on the road, moved up a spot to No. 13 and was the highest-ranked of five ACC teams. Virginia climbed two spots to No. 17. Georgia Tech, beaten 42-28 at home by Pittsburgh, dropped eight rungs to No. 23.

Pittsburgh, which has three losses, was one spot behind the two-loss Yellow Jackets. No. 25 SMU re-entered the poll for the first time since Sept. 2.

Think you know who belongs in the Top 25? Now it’s your turn to vote with the AP Top 25 fan poll.

No. 20 James Madison of the Sun Belt Conference remained the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the AP poll. The Dukes, up one spot from a week ago, came from behind to beat Washington State 24-20.

No. 21 North Texas of the American Conference was one spot ahead of Tulane. The Green Wave were the only Group of Five team in the CFP selection committee’s rankings last week, at No. 24.

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

1. 1. Ohio State (58)
   2. Indiana (7)
   3. Texas A&M (1)
   4. Georgia
   5. Oregon
   6. Ole Miss
   7. Texas Tech
   8. Oklahoma
   9. Notre Dame
   10. Alabama
   11. BYU
   12. Vanderbilt
   13. Miami
   14. Utah
   15. Michigan
   16. Texas
   17. Virginia
   18. Tennessee
   19. USC
   20. James Madison
   21. North Texas
   22. Tulane
   23. Georgia Tech
   24. Pittsburgh
   25. SMU

Others receiving votes: Arizona St. 77, Navy 44, Missouri 23, Arizona 20, San Diego St. 19, Washington 16, Iowa 10, UNLV 7, South Florida 4, UConn 3, Wake Forest 2, Illinois 1.

In and out

— No. 24 Pittsburgh bounced back from its 22-point home loss to Notre Dame and returned after a one-week absence.

— No. 25 SMU beat Louisville by 32 points for its third straight win and can return to the ACC championship game with a win at California.

Missouri (No. 23) and Houston (No. 25) dropped out.

Upcoming games involving ranked vs. ranked teams

No. 1 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 1 CFP) at No. 15 Michigan (9-2, 7-1, No. 18), Saturday: Buckeyes have lost four straight to Michigan. They haven’t dropped five in a row to their archrival since they lost six straight from 1922-27.

No. 3 Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0 SEC, No. 3 CFP) at No. 16 Texas (8-3, 5-2, No. 17), Friday: Aggies lock up spot in SEC title game with a win; they would need lots of help to get to Atlanta if they lose. Arch Manning’s six-touchdown day against Arkansas gives the Longhorns mojo for this rivalry game.

No. 4 Georgia (10-1, No. 4 CFP) at No. 23 Georgia Tech (9-2, No. 16), Friday: Bulldogs have won seven straight in the series and haven’t lost to Yellow Jackets in Atlanta since 1999.

No. 12 Vanderbilt (9-2, 5-2 SEC, No. 14 CFP) at No. 18 Tennessee (8-3, 4-3, No. 20), Saturday: Commodores are going for a 10th win for first time in program history. They’re 12-41-2 all-time in Knoxville, and only four of those wins have come in the last 50 years.

No. 13 Miami (9-2, 5-2, No. 13 CFP) at No. 24 Pittsburgh (8-3, 6-1), Saturday: Both teams still have narrow paths to the ACC title game. Miami clinging to playoff hopes. Pitt trying to land best possible bowl.

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