Michigan State, Michigan neck-and-neck in Associated Press Top 25 college football poll
Michigan State dropped in the Associated Press Top 25, but it remains ahead of its in-state rival.
Michigan State dropped three spots to No. 8 in the updated poll released Sunday, followed by Michigan, which held steady at No. 9.
Michigan State (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten) dropped following its first loss of the season, 40-29, to Purdue on Saturday. Michigan, meanwhile, bounced back from the loss to Michigan State with a 29-7 drubbing of Indiana, though its ranking remained unchanged.
Cincinnati held on to the No. 2 ranking by just four points over No. 3 Alabama, and Oregon passed Ohio State to move up to No. 5.
Georgia is a unanimous No. 1 for the fifth straight week. The teams closest to the Bulldogs are more tightly packed after another weekend of upsets and close calls.
The Bearcats received 1,440 points from the media panel after beating Tulsa 28-20, and the Crimson Tide had 1,336 following a 20-14 victory against LSU.
Cincinnati has been ranked No. 2, best in school history, for four straight weeks.
Oklahoma, which had an open date this past weekend, stayed at No. 4.
Oregon moved up two spots to No. 5 after beating Washington 26-16. The Ducks jumped Ohio State at No. 6, taking advantage of Michigan State’s first loss of the season.
The Buckeyes won 26-17 at Nebraska. The Ducks were as high as No. 3 in the country early in the season after beating Ohio State in Week 2, but had slipped behind the Buckeyes while taking a loss.
Notre Dame moved up a spot to No. 7. Oklahoma State moved up one to No. 10.
Wake Forest’s first appearance in the top 10 lasted a week. The Demon Deacons lost for the first time this season Saturday, falling at North Carolina.
Purdue remained unranked after its second upset of a team ranked in the top five at the time. Purdue was first among other teams receiving votes Sunday.
Poll points
Seven more ranked teams lost this past weekend, upping the total to 68 on the season, including 42 to unranked teams.
The number of ranked teams to lose to unranked teams is the most through 10 weeks of a college football season, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
In
The three teams to move into the Top 25 this week have all been there before.
► No. 20 Wisconsin is back in the rankings after more than a month out. The Badgers have won five straight games since a 1-3 start.
► No. 21 North Carolina State returned to the Top 25 after its second straight victory. The Wolfpack had a three-week run in the rankings in October.
► No. 25 Pittsburgh moved back in after a loss knocked the Panthers out for a week.
Out
► Kentucky lost for the third straight week to fall out of the rankings after a five-week run in the Top 25.
► SMU’s second straight loss cost the Mustangs their ranking after four weeks in the Top 25.
► Fresno State is out again, a week after it jumped back in at No. 25. The Bulldogs lost at home to Boise State.
Associated Press Top 25
1. Georgia (63 first-place votes), 9-0, 1575 points (last week: 1)
2. Cincinnati, 9-0, 1440 (2)
3. Alabama, 8-1, 1436 (3)
4. Oklahoma, 9-0, 1406 (4)
5. Oregon, 8-1, 1319 (7)
6. Ohio State, 8-1, 1293 (6)
7. Notre Dame, 8-1, 1139 (8)
8. Michigan State, 8-1, 1096 (5)
9. Michigan, 8-1, 1072 (9)
10. Oklahoma State, 8-1, 1038 (11)
11. Texas A&M, 7-2, 1006 (13)
12. Mississippi, 7-2, 837 (15)
13. Wake Forest, 8-1, 763 (10)
14. BYU, 8-2, 636 (17)
15. UTSA, 9-0, 606 (16)
16. Auburn, 6-3, 478 (12)
17. Houston, 8-1, 467 (20)
18. Baylor, 7-2, 464 (14)
19. Iowa, 7-2, 437 (19)
20. Wisconsin, 6-3, 286 (NR)
21. NC State, 7-2, 268 (NR)
22. Coastal Carolina, 8-1, 264 (21)
23. Penn State, 6-3, 245 (22)
24. Louisiana-Lafayette, 8-1, 208 (24)
25. Pittsburgh, 7-2, 194 (NR)
Others receiving votes: Purdue 174, Arkansas 139, San Diego State 84, Utah 32, Iowa State 26, Kentucky 22, Appalachian St. 20, SMU 4, Mississippi State 1.