What happened in this Sports story?

Alabama is projected to vault from No. 7 to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 after a Week 5 rout at Mississippi State, setting up a top-five showdown with No. 2 Georgia in Tuscaloosa next weekend.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Alabama** is projected to jump from No. 7 to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 after a road win over No. 16 Mississippi State, the Tide having started 2026 at No. 11 — their lowest preseason AP ranking since 2008.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Georgia** holds at No. 2 after a 38-14 win over Vanderbilt and allows just 14.7 points per game in SEC play through three conference games, setting up a Week 6 showdown with Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

📎 SkimNews has covered Georgia 15+ times · see the file →

Tomorrow's Top 25 Today: Alabama joins top five in college football rankings as Georgia showdown looms — SkimNews

By CBS Sports · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-10-04

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Alabama is projected to jump from No. 7 to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 after a road win over No. 16 Mississippi State, the Tide having started 2026 at No. 11 — their lowest preseason AP ranking since 2008.
Georgia holds at No. 2 after a 38-14 win over Vanderbilt and allows just 14.7 points per game in SEC play through three conference games, setting up a Week 6 showdown with Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Missouri is projected to surge up the rankings after a blowout win over then-top-10 Florida, having been left off the ballot by 39 of the AP voters just one week earlier.
Florida is projected to drop from No. 8 to No. 13 after the loss at Missouri, with the Gators' resume weakening despite their earlier head-to-head win over Ole Miss.
Notre Dame holds at No. 3 after rushing for a season-high 241 yards on 45 carries in a rainy win at North Carolina — the fifth straight game with increased rushing output.
Tennessee stays at No. 17 as running back Desean Bishop ran 34 times for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Auburn after freshman QB Faizon Brandon was benched.
Ohio State drops from No. 5 to No. 6 behind Alabama despite a 31-17 win at Iowa, the Buckeyes' loss column giving the undefeated Tide the tiebreaker for the final top-five spot.

Why it matters: Alabama's leap from a No. 11 preseason projection — the program's lowest since 2008 — to a top-five lock shifts the College Football Playoff conversation squarely onto the Tide, and next week's Georgia–Alabama game in Tuscaloosa becomes the referendum on whether either team deserves the No. 1 spot over idle Texas.