The Latest: Big 12 teams reach a season-high representation in the AP Top 25

The top six college football teams in the AP Top 25 remained unchanged this week, but not all was quiet in the rankings: The Big 12 has five teams in the poll for the first time this season, Vanderbilt earned its highest ranking in 88 years and LSU dropped out.

BYU leads the Big 12 at No. 10, a one-spot promotion, followed by No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 17 Cincinnati, No. 22 Houston and No. 24 Utah. It’s Houston’s first time in the Top 25 since 2022.

No. 9 Vanderbilt and No. 10 Miami — which is tied with BYU — swapped spots, thanks to Vanderbilt’s 17-10 win over then-No. 15 Missouri. It marked the Commodores’ third regular-season win over a Top 25 opponent, a program record.

LSU’s defeat at the hands of Texas A&M dropped the Tigers out of the rankings despite once polling as high as No. 3 and most recently at No. 20. Road losses to Mississippi and Vanderbilt and the 24-point home loss to the Aggies left the Tigers on the outside looking in.

No. 1 Ohio State is again followed by Indiana, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia and Oregon, though the Hoosiers got six more first-place votes than last week.

Here’s the latest:

The Big 12 reaches a season high of five ranked teams

No. 10 BYU leads the Big 12 pack. Texas Tech improved from No. 14 to No. 13 and Cincinnati rose to No. 17. No. 22 Houston and No. 24 Utah are new to the rankings this week.

It’s Houston’s first appearance in the AP Top 25 this season, a spot earned after a 24-16 victory over conference foe Arizona State.

The Cougars’ last ranking was in 2022, when the program reached No. 24 as a member of the American Conference.

AP Top 25 poll rankings

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Oregon 7. Ole Miss 8. Georgia Tech 9. Vanderbilt 10. Miami (Fla.) 10. BYU 12. Notre Dame 13. Texas Tech 14. Tennessee 15. Virginia 16. Louisville 17. Cincinnati 18. Oklahoma 19. Missouri 20. Texas 21. Michigan 22. Houston 23. USC 24. Utah 25. Memphis

Hear from a voter: Can Memphis hang on? And will Army-Navy affect the playoff?

By MATT MURSCHEL

Memphis has a legitimate shot at the AAC title this season, but the Tigers will have to avoid letdowns against Tulane and Navy. If not, that opens the door for Navy to make its case.

Personally, I would love to see the Army-Navy game carry significant weight in the CFP race. That rivalry is one of the best in college football, and to add an extra dimension would make it even more special. It would make things interesting that’s for sure.

Matt Murschel is a college football writer for The Orlando Sentinel and has been an AP Top 25 voter for over five years. You can follow him on X: @osmattmurschel.

Hear from a voter: When it comes to parity, is anything different this season?

By MATT MURSCHEL

There has been a lot of parity, especially in the top 10.

Some of that can be attributed to the transfer portal. Schools are becoming more aggressive in attracting talent. Many of those players were No. 2 or No. 3 at places like Ohio State or Alabama, but now are getting chances to start elsewhere.

Plus, these programs are putting more resources into their programs and it’s starting to pay off. Indiana is a prime example of that with the hiring and retaining of Curt Cignetti. That’s really helped shift the power at the top.

Hear from a voter: How did your top 10 shake out this week?

By MATT MURSCHEL

My top 5 didn’t change much this week with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia.

The toughest spot was at No. 6 with Ole Miss. The Rebels had a great road win at Oklahoma, pushing them ahead of Oregon and Georgia Tech.

I had Vanderbilt leapfrogging over Miami to round out the top 10. The Commodores are one of the hottest teams in the nation right now.

Knocking on the door

Houston improved to 7-1 on Saturday night with a 24-16 win against No. 24 Arizona State.

The Cougars have been knocking on the door for weeks, receiving 34 votes in last week’s poll. Winning against the ranked Sun Devils could do the trick.

Memphis could return to the rankings after rallying in the fourth quarter to beat No. 18 South Florida, potentially offsetting the Tigers’ upset loss to UAB last week.

Navy remained unbeaten with a 42-32 win over Florida Atlantic, improving to 8-0 on the season.

Who might rise and fall this week

Stock up: BYU, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Cincinnati.

Stock down: LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Florida.

Top 10 teams all hold strong in Week 9

Week 9 unfolded mostly as expected after four top 10 teams lost in Week 8.

Indiana, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and Miami cruised past opponents. Alabama held off South Carolina and Vanderbilt edged Missouri in a last-minute thriller.

Oregon knocked off Wisconsin and Ole Miss returned to the win column with a victory over Oklahoma.

Ohio State and Georgia had the week off.

Who votes in the poll, and how does it work?

No organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than The Associated Press, since 1936.

AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters comprise around 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets. The goal is to have every state with a Football Bowl Subdivision school represented by at least one voter.

There is a 1-to-25 point system, with a team voted No. 1 receiving 25 points down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote. After that, it’s simple: The poll lists the teams with the most points from 1 to 25, and others receiving votes are also noted.

Voting is done online, and the tabulation is automated.