Miami’s first loss opened the door for Georgia to ascend to the top of the newest Associated Press Top 25 Poll, while Ohio State’s second straight loss sent the Buckeyes tumbling down to No. 21, their lowest ranking since 2014.
The Bulldogs (8-1) routed Ole Miss on its home field 42-7, elevating Georgia back to the top spot that it previously held prior to an Oct. 17 loss to Auburn.
The Hurricanes (8-1) dropped to No. 5 following a 31-24 loss to 8-1 Notre Dame, which moved up to No. 3.
Rounding out the top five are a pair of undefeated power-conference teams, No. 2 Utah (9-0) and No. 4 UCLA (9-0). Utah defeated previous top-10 team BYU 28-20 in the Holy War, while UCLA topped Minnesota 34-20.
The 2014 version of Ohio State bottomed out at No. 23 in September following a 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech before rallying to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.
These Buckeyes (6-3) are in a more perilous position, trying to find a winning formula without injured quarterback Julian Sayin and on the verge of playoff elimination after Saturday’s 41-28 loss to Oregon.
The rest of the top 10 includes No. 6 Indiana (8-1), No. 7 Alabama (7-2), No. 8 Texas (7-2), No. 9 Tennessee (7-2) and No. 10 Texas Tech (8-1).
Other big movers this week included No. 18 Oregon (up from unranked) and No. 24 LSU, down nine spots after Alabama’s 31-13 win.
AP Top 25
1. Georgia (8-1)
2. Utah (9-0)
3. Notre Dame (8-1)
4. UCLA (9-0)
5. Miami (8-1)
6, Indiana (8-1)
7. Alabama (7-2)
8. Texas (7-2)
9. Tennessee (7-2)
10. Texas Tech (8-1)
11. Wake Forest (8-1)
12. BYU (7-2)
13. Kentucky (7-2)
14. Houston (7-2)
15. Southern California (7-2)
16. Iowa (7-2)
17. Boise State (8-1)
18. Oregon (6-3)
19. Ole Miss (6-3)
20. South Carolina (6-3)
21. Ohio State (6-3)
22. Arizona (7-2)
23. New Mexico (8-1)
24. LSU (6-3)
25. SMU (7-2)