TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — Georgia’s 20-17 win over Alabama on Saturday night should move the Bulldogs into the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll when it comes out on Sunday.
It will be the first time since Week 2 of the 2024 season that Coach Kirby Smart’s Georgia football team has been ranked No. 1. The Bulldogs lost the top spot that week after a tight, 13-12 road win at Kentucky.
Ironically enough, the team that replaced Georgia that week in 2024 was Texas, who the Bulldogs should be replacing this week.
The previously unbeaten Longhorns suffered a 27-24 loss to unranked Oklahoma on a last-second field goal in the Red River Rivalry Game at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday.
It was a day of upsets in college football, and particularly in the SEC where Kentucky —which dropped out of the AP Top 25 last week despite a win over South Carolina — scored a 35-34 win over LSU in overtime.
The upset alarm bells were going off early in the day when South Carolina coach Shane Beamer led the Gamecocks to a stunning 38-19 win over then-No. 16 Florida at The Swamp.
The victory ended South Carolina’s eight-game losing streak in SEC action which dated back to a 2024 campaign that saw the Gamecocks narrowly miss making the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
It was the second loss in a row for first-year coach Jon Sumrall, who since knocking off an unbeaten, top-five Ole Miss team three weeks ago has seen his Gators outscored 83-36, having lost 45-17 at Missouri last Saturday.
The Rebels, with a 52-17 route at Vanderbilt, are back in the top 10 and looking dangerous with preseason All-American tailback Kewan Lacy over his shoulder injury and back in the lineup.
UCLA, under first-year coach Bob Chesney, should make the biggest jump in the poll after upsetting No. 13 Oregon in Eugene as a double-digit underdog, 17-15.
The previously No. 21-ranked Bruins have opened the season 5-0 for the first time since 2022, when Chip Kelly was their head coach.
Defending national champion Indiana came from 10 down to beat Nebraska, setting up a top 10 showdown with Ohio State next Saturday.
Here’s how Mike Griffith plans to vote (late games pending) and thinks the AP Top 25 should look:
1. Georgia (6-0)
Won at Alabama, 20-17
2. Miami (5-0)
Was idle
3. Notre Dame (6-0)
Beat Stanford, 58-7
4. Alabama (5-1)
Lost to Georgia, 20-17
5. Ohio State (5-1)
Beat Maryland, 45-16
6. Indiana (6-0)
Won at Nebraska, 20-17
7. Texas (4-1)
Lost to Oklahoma, 27-24
8. UCLA (5-0)
Won at Oregon, 17-15
9. Ole Miss (4-1)
Won at Vanderbilt, 52-17
10. Utah (5-0)
Beat Kansas, 41-24
11. Texas Tech (5-0)
Was idle
12. Missouri (5-1)
Beat Texas A&M, 27-6
13. BYU (5-0)
Beat Iowa State, 24-10
14. Tennessee (5-1)
Won at Arkansas, 24-17
15. USC (6-1)
Won at Penn State, 31-23
16. Kentucky (4-1)
Beat LSU, 35-34 (OT)
17. Boise State (4-1)
At Fresno State (late)
18. Mississippi State (4-1)
Was idle
19. Iowa (5-1)
Won at Washington, 41-24
20. Houston (5-1)
Won at Kansas State, 35-16
21. SMU (4-1)
Was idle
22. Wake Forest (5-1)
Beat NC State, 38-14
23. Wisconsin (4-1)
Was idle
24. LSU (4-2)
Lost at Kentucky, 35-24 (OT)
25. Nebraska (5-1)
Lost to Indiana, 20-17
