AP Top 25 Shake-Up: Ohio State, Miami, Clemson Fall as Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Georgia Chase Oregon

In a thrilling reshuffle of the rankings, Oregon retains the top position in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the seventh consecutive week. This shift follows a dramatic weekend that saw Ohio State, Miami, and Clemson falling significantly due to their unexpected losses.

As eight of the current top 10 teams ascended one spot, the implications are clear for the upcoming conference championship games. Oregon, currently the only unbeaten team in the nation, prepares to face No. 3 Penn State in the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. Meanwhile, No. 2 Texas is set to clash with No. 5 Georgia in Atlanta, a much-anticipated rematch after their earlier encounter this season.

Notre Dame remains at No. 4 with an impressive record of 11-1, but the Fighting Irish will not compete again until the College Football Playoff selections are unveiled. Conversely, Ohio State, after succumbing to Michigan for the fourth consecutive time, has dropped to No. 7, now trailing Tennessee.

SMU claims the No. 8 position, while Indiana and Boise State follow suit. Notably, Boise State makes its return to the top 10 for the first time since 2011 and stands as the highest-ranked Group of Five team. If successful in the Mountain West title game, they may secure a quarterfinals bye in the upcoming CFP rankings.

Miami’s recent defeat at Syracuse has not only knocked them out of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship contention but also caused them to plummet six places to No. 14. Meanwhile, Clemson’s loss against South Carolina sees them fall to No. 18 as they prepare to face SMU in the ACC showdown.

South Carolina’s surge continues, now at No. 13 after six consecutive wins, four against ranked teams. The Gamecocks’ rise is significant, marking the first time in a decade that they outpace in-state rival Clemson in the rankings.

Syracuse reenters the rankings at No. 23, achieving its highest win total since 2018 under first-year coach Fran Brown, including a historic victory over Miami. Memphis rounds out the rankings at No. 25, achieving their first ranking since October 2020 after defeating Tulane.

In terms of conference representation, the SEC leads with seven teams, followed by the Big Ten with five, the ACC with four, and the Big 12 also contributing four members to this week’s rankings.

As the championship games draw closer, fans eagerly await high-stakes matchups:

– No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 3 Penn State, Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis.

– No. 2 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia, Southeastern Conference Championship in Atlanta.

– No. 8 SMU vs. No. 18 Clemson, Atlantic Coast Conference Championship in Charlotte.

– No. 10 Boise State vs. No. 19 UNLV, Mountain West Championship in Boise.

– No. 12 Arizona State vs. No. 16 Iowa State, Big 12 Championship in Arlington.