Alabama rises to No. 6 in AP Top 25 College Football Poll

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LACE UP SPORTS (WAKA) – Alabama has risen one spot to No. 6 in the latest AP Top 25 College Football Poll as the Crimson Tide prepares to host No. 2 Georgia in one of the most anticipated SEC battles of the season.

Alabama dominated No. 16 Mississippi State in Starkville yesterday, winning 56-23. The loss dropped the Bulldogs one place to No. 17.

Elsewhere in the SEC, Missouri made a big jump to No. 14 following its rout of Florida, while the Gators dropped eight spots to No. 16 and were replaced by LSU in the top 10.

Texas will go into Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma as the No. 1 team for the fourth straight week. The rest of the top five stood pat with Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State following the Longhorns.

Texas received 61 of the 70 first-place votes from the media voting panel, one less than last week. Georgia, whose 24-point win over Vanderbilt was its closest of the season, got six first-place votes. Miami, which beat Clemson by four touchdowns on the road, got two.

No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Indiana flip-flopped, with the Hoosiers receiving the remaining first-place vote. BYU moved up two rungs to No. 8, Ole Miss remained No. 9 and LSU went up one spot to No. 10.

Missouri’s 11-spot promotion from No. 25 was the second-biggest jump by a team this season following Florida’s 13-spot rise last week. The Tigers sent the Gators plummeting with their 45-17 win in Columbia, Missouri, and have their highest ranking since Oct. 5, 2025.

Iowa fell six spots to No. 20 after a 17-point home loss to Ohio State and SMU slipped three to No. 24 after an uninspired home win over Boston College.

Pittsburgh made its season debut in the poll at No. 25 and Kentucky, No. 24 last week, dropped out.

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

  1. Texas (61)
  2. Georgia (6)
  3. Notre Dame
  4. Miami (2)
  5. Ohio State
  6. Alabama
  7. Indiana (1)
  8. BYU
  9. Ole Miss
  10. LSU
  11. Texas Tech
  12. Utah
  13. Oregon
  14. Missouri
  15. Tennessee
  16. Florida
  17. Mississippi State
  18. Oklahoma State
  19. USC
  20. Iowa
  21. UCLA
  22. Houston
  23. Boise State
  24. SMU
  25. Pittsburgh

Others receiving votes: Kentucky 160, Wake Forest 142, Wisconsin 88, Duke 83, Northwestern 59, Nebraska 48, Minnesota 19, Arizona 19, James Madison 12, North Dakota State 7

In and out

Pittsburgh is 5-0 for the second time in three seasons and ranked for the first time since last November after holding off Virginia Tech 35-33. The bad news is that the Panthers will go forward without quarterback Mason Heintschel, who tore his ACL on Friday and will miss the rest of the season.

Kentucky, which won 35-34 in overtime at South Carolina after erasing a 17-0 deficit, is the unranked team receiving the most votes, two points behind Pittsburgh.

Ranked vs. ranked games coming up this weekend

No. 2 Georgia at No. 6 Alabama: The two Southeastern Conference powers split two games in 2025. The Bulldogs haven’t been tested yet and Crimson Tide haven’t scored fewer than 45 points in a game so far this season.

No. 21 UCLA at No. 13 Oregon: Last met in a Top 25 matchup in 2022. The Bruins, who have lost five straight to Ducks, get their biggest test after four impressive wins.

(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

 

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