UCLA cracks AP top 5, Ohio State to 11th ahead of first CFP release — SkimNews
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- Ohio State fell from No. 2 to No. 11 — its first exit from the AP top 10 in five years — after a 30-18 loss at USC.
- UCLA climbed into the top five for the first time in 25 years at No. 5, sitting 8-0 under first-year coach Bob Chesney after a 27-0 shutout of Nevada.
- New Mexico earned the first ranking in program history at No. 22 after a 21-16 win at San Jose State and a 7-1 start, its first since 1982, and is the only Mountain West team unbeaten in conference play.
- Miami held No. 1 for a third straight week with 62 of 70 first-place votes after a 38-35 escape from North Carolina, with Georgia taking seven votes and Utah one.
- College Football Playoff selection committee releases its first rankings of the season Tuesday, with this AP poll the last before them; for the fourth straight week the No. 1 or 2 team lost to an unranked opponent.
- USC's 30-18 win over Ohio State was the biggest in Lincoln Riley's five seasons and put the No. 18 Trojans right back into the playoff hunt, while No. 21 Iowa's 30-0 win over Wisconsin returned the Hawkeyes to the poll.
- SEC teams hold 10 of the 25 ranked slots, ahead of the Big 12 and Big Ten with five each, with No. 2 Georgia, No. 8 Kentucky, No. 9 Alabama and No. 10 Texas leading the conference.
Why it matters: Miami's No. 1 spot rests on 62 of 70 first-place media votes, yet the board churns: the No. 2 team has lost three straight weeks for the first time since 2007, and top two have bowed to unranked opponents four weeks running. Ohio State drops nine spots and UCLA reaches the top five for the first time in 25 years.
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