Texas A&M remained No. 3, while picking up additional first-place votes, and Texas Tech moved up a spot in the latest Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday after each team earned Top 25 wins over the weekend.
The Aggies (9-0) won at previous No. 19 Missouri 38-17, while the Red Raiders (9-1) shut down previously undefeated No. 8 BYU 29-7 in a high-profile game in the Big 12. Those results gained the Aggies three additional first-place votes (now up to four) to help them gain ground on No. 2 Indiana and allowed the Red Raiders to move up a spot to No. 8.
The state of Texas loomed particularly large in the polls this week, as preseason No. 1 Texas (7-2) made its return to the Top 10, jumping three spots during its bye week.
Indiana (10-0) averted disaster with a dramatic, last-minute comeback victory at struggling Penn State, winning 27-24. The Hoosiers lost five first-place votes after the result, yet remained No. 2 behind first-place Ohio State (9-0), which downed Purdue 34-10.
Oregon was similarly punished for a win, after the Ducks (8-1) rallied for an 18-16 road victory over Iowa. Oregon fell to No. 7 behind 9-1 Ole Miss, the new No. 6 after the Rebels’ 49-0 win over The Citadel.
No. 4 Alabama (8-1) and No. 5 Georgia (8-1) were unaffected following one-sided wins, while Notre Dame (7-2) moved up to No. 9 after blasting Navy 49-10.
Along with BYU, which dropped to No. 12, the biggest falls this week came from No. 19 Louisville (previously No. 14) and No. 20 Virginia (from No. 12). Both were both upset in ACC play, creating a logjam of five teams at the top of the league standings with a single loss.
New additions to the poll this week were No. 23 Pittsburgh (7-2), No. 24 James Madison (8-1) and No. 25 South Florida (7-2).
Dropping out following losses were Missouri, Memphis and Washington.
Associated Press Top 25
1. Ohio State (9-0)
2. Indiana (10-0)
3. Texas A&M (9-0)
4. Alabama (8-1)
5. Georgia (8-1)
6. Ole Miss (9-1)
7. Oregon (8-1)
8. Texas Tech (9-1)
9. Notre Dame (7-2)
10. Texas (7-2)
11. Oklahoma (7-2)
12. BYU (8-1)
13. Vanderbilt (8-2)
14. Georgia Tech (8-1)
15. Utah (7-2)
16. Miami (7-2)
17. USC (7-2)
18. Michigan (7-2)
19. Louisville (7-2)
20. Virginia (8-2)
21. Tennessee (6-3)
22. Cincinnati (7-2)
23. Pittsburgh (7-2)
24. James Madison (8-1)
25. South Florida (7-2)
