NEW YORK — Ohio State dropped out of the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday for the first time in five years, UCLA entered the top five for the first time in 25 years and New Mexico earned the first ranking in program history.
The Buckeyes plummeted from No. 2 to No. 11 following their 30-18 loss at USC, making it four weeks in a row the No. 1 or 2 team has lost to an unranked opponent.
Miami was No. 1 for the third straight week after escaping North Carolina with a 38-35 victory. Georgia moved up a spot to No. 2 and was followed by Utah, Notre Dame and UCLA.
The Hurricanes, who visit Notre Dame on Saturday for their much-anticipated top-five matchup, received 62 of 70 first-place votes from the media voting panel. Georgia got seven first-place votes and Utah got one.
Indiana slipped two rungs to No. 6 after a 23-16 overtime win over Minnesota. BYU, Kentucky, Alabama and Texas rounded out the top 10.
Ohio State hadn’t been out of the top 10 since Sept. 26, 2021. The Buckeyes slipped to No. 11 after beating Akron by 52 points and were back in the top 10 the next week after a 39-point win over Rutgers and stayed there for 86 consecutive polls.
UCLA is 8-0 for the first time since 2005 under first-year coach Bob Chesney. The Bruins stepped out of conference play and shut out Nevada 27-0. At No. 5, UCLA has its highest ranking since it was No. 4 following a 6-0 start in 2001.
New Mexico, which has been playing football since 1892, cracked the AP rankings for the first time at No. 22 following a 21-16 win at San José State. The breakthrough comes in Jason Eck’s second season and after the Lobos’ first 7-1 start since 1982.
In and out
In: No. 18 USC’s win over Ohio State was the biggest in Lincoln Riley’s five seasons and put the Trojans right back into the playoff hunt.
In: No. 21 Iowa continued its recent domination of Wisconsin with a 30-0 victory and is back in the poll after a one-week absence.
In: No. 22 New Mexico is the only Mountain West team unbeaten in conference play and is a serious contender for the Group of Six playoff spot.
In: No. 23 South Carolina’s season and Shane Beamer’s tenure with the Gamecocks were all but written off a month ago, but now they’ve won three straight and are ranked for the first time since September 2025.
Out: SMU’s playoff hopes, barring an ACC championship, are fizzling with its 30-27 last-minute loss at Syracuse.
Out: Northwestern led into the fourth quarter but couldn’t finish the job at Oregon.
Out: Oklahoma State gave Iowa State a short field for a walk-off field goal because of unsportsmanlike conduct and lost a 51-49 shootout in Ames.
Out: Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell, who got a one-week reprieve with a dominant win over USC, is back on the hot seat following the humiliating loss at Iowa.
Full top 25 poll:
1. Miami (Fla.)
2. Georgia
3. Utah
4. Notre Dame
5. UCLA
6. Indiana
7. BYU
8. Kentucky
9. Alabama
10. Texas
11. Ohio State
12. Ole Miss
13. Texas Tech
14. Wake Forest
15. LSU
16. Tennessee
17. Houston
18. USC
19. Missouri
20. Boise State
21. Iowa
22. New Mexico
23. South Carolina
24. Arizona
25. Florida
Others receiving votes: Northwestern 79, Oregon 55, UTSA 43, SMU 27, Virginia Tech 12, Duke 10, Minnesota 8, Liberty 4, Oklahoma State 3, Louisville 1
Olson writes for the Associated Press.
