This weekend’s college football games have shaken up the AP Top 25 rankings, especially among the top 10 teams.
In a surprising turn of events, No. 8 Georgia Tech suffered its first loss of the season to North Carolina State, leaving only four teams in the Bowl Subdivision with undefeated records, as Navy also faced defeat.
The playoff dreams of a few teams may have been dashed as well. No. 9 Vanderbilt narrowly lost to No. 20 Texas, and No. 10 Miami succumbed to SMU in an overtime thriller.
Meanwhile, the top 5 rankings are expected to remain stable. No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana both secured victories, while No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama enjoyed a bye week. This means No. 5 Georgia, despite a win, is unlikely to advance due to their previous loss to Alabama.
With successful performances this weekend, teams such as No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 15 Virginia, No. 18 Oklahoma, and No. 20 Texas could see upward movement in the rankings.
The question remains: how high will these teams climb?
Follow live updates from The Associated Press below for poll projections, game recaps and voter answers to fan questions, all in one place.
Manning impresses with Texas’ win vs. Vanderbilt
Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws before an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Arch Manning earned his highest passer rating of the season (189.2) in the Longhorns’ 34-31 win against Vanderbilt.
Manning looked sharp after spending much of the week in concussion protocol. He completed 25 of 33 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns.
Saturday’s win marked the fourth straight SEC victory for the Longhorns and improved their record to 7-2 on the season, poising them to jump in this week’s rankings.
Top five likely to hold steady
No. 1 Ohio State’s defense rose to the occasion during the second half against Penn State. The Buckeyes kept the Nittany Lions scoreless in the third and fourth quarters, while putting up 21 points of their own to win it 38-14.
No. 2 Indiana improved to 9-0 on the season after cruising past Maryland in a 55-10 rout.
No. 5 Georgia narrowly came out on top in a historic rivalry game against Florida. No. 4 Alabama was idle this week, and has a head-to-head win against Georgia already in the books, likely keeping the Bulldogs at No. 5 for another week.
No. 3 Texas A&M had the week off.
How the top 10 fared
Four top 10 teams came out on top of their matchups this week, but three lost games.
Ohio State (1), Indiana (2), Georgia (5) and Ole Miss (7) notched conference wins on Saturday.
The remaining top 10 teams weren’t as fortunate. NC State outscored No. 8 Georgia Tech 48-36, handing the Yellow Jackets their first loss of the season. No. 9 Vanderbilt dropped 34-31 to No. 20 Texas. And No. 10 Miami suffered its second defeat in the past three games, falling 26-20 to SMU in overtime.
Texas (3), Alabama (4), Oregon (6) and BYU (T-10) were idle.
Who votes in the poll and how does it work?
No organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than The Associated Press, which has done the job since 1936.
AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters comprise around 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets. The goal is to have every state with a Football Bowl Subdivision school represented by at least one voter.
Voting is a straight points system: A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote is worth 24 points, down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote.
Then it’s just a summary of which teams are 1-25 based on the totals. Others receiving votes are also noted.
Voting is done online, and the tabulation is automated.
