News

Ohio State is No. 1 in AP Top 25; LSU, Miami into top 5, Florida State is back and Alabama plummets

Ohio State is No. 1 in AP Top 25; LSU, Miami into top 5, Florida State is back and Alabama plummets

Ohio State players run on to the field for their NCAA college football game against Texas, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete) Photo: Associated Press


By ERIC OLSON AP College Football Writer
Ohio State climbed to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll on Tuesday, LSU and Miami moved into the top five, and Florida State jumped back into the rankings at the expense of Alabama, which plummeted to its lowest spot in 17 seasons.
The defending national champion Buckeyes received 55 of 66 first-place votes to move up two spots after their win over preseason No. 1 Texas. Ohio State is at the top of a regular-season Top 25 for the first time since November 2015.
Texas dropped to No. 7 as the media voters shuffled the rankings following a topsy-turvy Labor Day weekend. It was only the second time, and first since 1972, that two top-five teams lost in Week 1 and the first time four top-10 teams lost. Only three teams in the Top 25 are in the same spot they were in the preseason poll.
Penn State got seven first-place votes and remained No. 2. LSU, which received three first first-place votes, was followed by Georgia and Miami to round out the top five.
Oregon got the other first-place vote and was followed by Texas, Clemson, Notre Dame and South Carolina.
LSU jumped six spots after winning at Clemson and Miami got a five-rung promotion for its victory over Notre Dame.
The biggest movers in the poll were Florida State and Alabama after the Seminoles’ 31-17 victory in their head-to-head matchup: Florida State, 15 spots outside the Top 25 in the preseason, is now No. 14. Alabama dropped all the way from No. 8 to No. 21 — its lowest ranking since it was No. 24 in the 2008 preseason poll. That was the second of Nick Saban’s 17 teams in Tuscaloosa.
It’s been quite a turnabout for Florida State. The Seminoles were No. 10 in the 2024 preseason, lost their first two games, finished 2-10 and weren’t ranked again until now.
In and out
Utah, at No. 25, joins Florida State as the only newcomers this week.
The Utes had received the second-most points, behind BYU, among teams outside the preseason Top 25. Utah got more credit for beating UCLA 43-10 on the road than BYU got for hammering FCS foe Portland State. The Utes are ranked for the first time since last October, when they were at the front end of a seven-game losing streak.
Boise State, which had been No. 25, received no votes following its 34-7 loss at South Florida. The Broncos had appeared in 14 straight polls. The other team to drop out of the poll was No. 17 Kansas State, which followed up its season-opening loss to Iowa State with a last-minute home win over FCS team North Dakota.
Poll points
— Ohio State is the first team to take over the top spot in the first regular-season poll since Alabama in 2012. It was the biggest jump to No. 1 in the first regular-season poll since Southern California was promoted from No. 3 in 2008.
— Texas’ fall was the biggest for a preseason No. 1 since Auburn dropped to No. 8 in the first regular-season poll of 1984.
— LSU has its highest ranking after Week 1 since it was No. 3 in 2012, and Miami has its highest ranking after Week 1 since it was No. 5 in 2004.
— South Carolina is in the top 10 in the regular season for the first time since it was No. 8 in December 2013.
Conference call
SEC — 10 ranked teams (Nos. 3, 4, 7, 10, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
Big Ten — 6 (Nos. 1, 2, 6, 11, 15, 23)
ACC — 4 (Nos. 5, 8, 14, 17)
Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 12, 16, 24, 25)
Independent — 1 (No. 9)
Ranked vs. ranked
No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma: This weekend’s game will be the first meeting since Oklahoma beat the Wolverines in the Orange Bowl to win the 1975 national championship. Wolverines freshman QB Bryce Underwood gets put to the test in his second start.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

News

22 hours ago in Lifestyle

Lice concerns rise as children return to school. Here’s what parents can do

Children have returned to school and are bringing home stories about the things they learned and the friends they made. But some parents are concerned they could also be bringing home a tiny nuisance — lice.

2 days ago in Lifestyle

One path to kick-starting a healthier lifestyle: Start small

Wellness advice seems to be everywhere these days, but change can be hard. How do you start a journey toward better health that you can stick with, and not be overwhelmed?

2 days ago in National

Camp Mystic plans to reopen in Texas next summer, a year after floods killed 27

The owners of Camp Mystic say they plan to partially reopen next summer the all-girls camp where 27 campers and counselors were killed during catastrophic floods that swept through the Texas Hill Country in July.

2 days ago in Entertainment

Emotional Jimmy Kimmel says in late-night return he never intended to make light of Kirk’s killing

Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night television Tuesday after a nearly weeklong suspension and, in an emotional monologue where he appeared close to tears, said that he wasn't trying to joke about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

2 days ago in National

3 people shot at immigration facility in Dallas and the shooter is dead, official says

Three people have been shot at an Immigration and U.S. Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas and the shooter is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the agency's director said.

3 days ago in National

Man who represented himself is found guilty of trying to assassinate Trump at Florida golf course

The man who was charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course last year tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen shortly after being found guilty of all counts on Tuesday.

4 days ago in Entertainment, Trending

ABC ends Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension and his show will return Tuesday

ABC will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel's late night show in the wake of criticism over his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials with the network said Monday.

4 days ago in National

Trump ramps up retribution campaign with push for Bondi to pursue cases against his foes

Eight months into his second term, President Donald Trump's long-standing pledge to take on those he perceives as his political enemies has prompted debates over free speech, media censorship and political prosecutions.

4 days ago in Entertainment

Christopher Nolan to lead Directors Guild of America

Christopher Nolan has been elected to lead the Directors Guild of America, the organization said late Saturday. The Oscar-winning "Oppenheimer" filmmaker said in a statement that it is, "one of the greatest honors of my career."

4 days ago in National, Trending

4.3 magnitude earthquake jolts the San Francisco Bay Area and people report feeling a sharp shake

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3 rocked the San Francisco Bay Area early Monday, waking up many people, with more 22,000 saying they felt it, according to the United States Geological Survey.