College Football Polls

The Georgia Bulldogs were still the consensus No. 1 college football team in the country when the Associated Press Top 25 poll for Week 8 was released Sunday.

Georgia remains undefeated, moving to 7-0 with a convincing 30-13 victory Saturday over the then-No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats.

Here is a full rundown of the Top 25, courtesy of the AP (with the previous week's ranking in parentheses):

1. Georgia (1)

2. Cincinnati (3)

3. Oklahoma (4)

4. Alabama (5)

5. Ohio State (6)

6. Michigan (8)

7. Penn State (7)

8. Oklahoma State (12)

9. Michigan State (10)

10. Oregon (9)

11. Iowa (2)

12. Ole Miss (13)

13. Notre Dame (14)

14. Coastal Carolina (15)

15. Kentucky (11)

16. Wake Forest (16)

17. Texas A&M (21)

18. NC State (22)

19. Auburn (NR)

20. Baylor (NR)

21. SMU (23)

22. San Diego State (24)

23. Pittsburgh (NR)

24. UTSA (NR)

25. Purdue (NR)

The Bulldogs are now the only undefeated team remaining in the SEC and one of only six Power Five conference teams without a loss.

Journeyman senior quarterback Stetson Bennett was solid once again in place of injured starter JT Daniels with three touchdown passes, but it was the Bulldogs defense that continued to lead the way.

Georgia shut down running back Chris Rodriguez, who was the SEC's leading rusher going into the game. Blayne Gilmer of UGASports.com noted how remarkably the Georgia front seven played against Kentucky:

Holding Kentucky to 51 rushing yards is one of the more impressive feats in college football this season! What a front 7 Georgia has

— Blayne Gilmer (@BGilmer18) October 17, 2021

ESPN's Peter Burns expressed his belief that Georgia is the clear favorite to win the national championship as well:

Feels like we’ve reached the point from saying that Georgia could win the title this year to….it would be pretty shocking if they didn’t.

Banged up and still playing absolutely dominating football.

Impressive.

— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) October 16, 2021

In seven games, the Dawgs have not allowed more than 13 points in a single one, and their defense is surrendering just 6.5 points per contest.

While there is no real argument to be made against Georgia being the best team in the nation, things are far less certain behind the Bulldogs.

Iowa entered Week 8 with a perfect 6-0 record and the No. 2 ranking, but the Hawkeyes had no answer for Purdue wide receiver David Bell on Saturday.

Bell carved Iowa up for 240 receiving yards in a 24-7 win, resulting in the Hawkeyes dropping from second to No. 11 in the rankings.

Iowa's loss opened the door for several other teams to move up the rankings, including Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Alabama.

The Bearcats remained undefeated with a 56-21 win over UCF, and quarterback Desmond Ridder kept himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation.

If Cincy runs the table, it has a strong chance to become the first team from outside a Power Five conference—besides independent Notre Dame—to reach the College Football Playoff.

Oklahoma also continues to be unbeaten, as the Sooners cruised past TCU by a 52-31 score.

True freshman Caleb Williams got his first start at quarterback over Spencer Rattler and likely did plenty to keep the job, as he accounted for 361 total yards and five total touchdowns.

Former Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer expressed his belief that Williams could find himself in the Heisman race despite beginning the year as a backup:

Caleb Williams keeps playing like he has in the first quarter Oklahoma versus TCU he will become the Heisman favorite midseason!!@OU_Football

— Barry Switzer (@Barry_Switzer) October 17, 2021

While no longer undefeated, Alabama earned its way back into the Top Four on Saturday with a 49-9 trouncing of Mississippi State on the road.

It marked a solid bounce-back performance for a Crimson Tide team that was shocked 41-38 by Texas A&M one week earlier.

While the loss to the Aggies put a damper on the season for Bama, it remains one of the most explosive offensive teams in college football history, as evidenced by this stat courtesy of SEC Network:

.@AlabamaFTBL has scored 30+ points in 33 straight games.

The longest streak in major college football history. pic.twitter.com/eEM4XsN03L

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 17, 2021

In addition to Georgia, Cincinnati and Oklahoma, other undefeated teams in the Top 25 include Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Coastal Carolina, Wake Forest, SMU and San Diego State.

Of those teams, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and San Diego State were all victorious while the rest were idle.

In terms of schools besides Iowa that experienced a drop due to a loss, Kentucky fell from 11th to 15th as Arkansas, Arizona State, BYU, Florida and Texas all fell out of the Top 25.

New entries into the AP Top 25 include Auburn, Baylor, Pittsburgh, UTSA and Purdue.

There was a change near the top of the AFCA Coaches Poll for Week 8 of the 2021 season. 

Georgia, fresh off an easy 30-13 win over Kentucky on Saturday, remained in the No. 1 spot and received all 65 first-place votes. Iowa fell nine spots to No. 11 after its 24-7 loss to Purdue at home.      

The Hawkeyes' misfortune opened the door for Oklahoma to move up one spot in the rankings to No. 2 overall. Cincinnati, Alabama and Ohio State round out the Top Five. 

Coaches Poll Top 25 (Week of Oct. 17-23)

1. Georgia Bulldogs (7-0)

2. Oklahoma Sooners (7-0)

3. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-0)

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1)

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1)

6. Michigan Wolverines (6-0)

7. Michigan State Spartans (7-0)

8. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1)

9. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-0)

10. Oregon Ducks (5-1)

11. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-1)

12. Mississippi Rebels (5-1)

13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1)

14. Kentucky Wildcats (6-1)

15. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-0)

16. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (6-0)

17. Texas A&M Aggies (5-2)

18. North Carolina State Wolfpack (5-1)

19. SMU Mustangs (6-0)

20. Baylor Bears (6-1)

21. San Diego State Aztecs (6-0)

22. Auburn Tigers (5-2)

23. Pittsburgh Panthers (5-1)

24. Clemson Tigers (4-2)

25. Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners (7-0)

Saturday marked the third consecutive game for the Bulldogs against an SEC opponent that was ranked in the Top 20 at kickoff time. They have defeated Arkansas, Auburn and Kentucky by a combined score of 101-23. 

Georgia has next week off before taking on Florida on Oct. 30. The Gators won the last meeting between the two schools 44-28 on Nov. 7, 2020. The Bulldogs have rattled off 11 straight wins since that day in Jacksonville. 

Next week's game did lose some of its luster with Florida falling 49-42 to LSU on Saturday. The Gators have already lost three games this season and are unranked in the Coaches Poll for the first time since Sept. 2018. 

Staying in the SEC, Alabama looked much better this week coming off its loss to Texas A&M. Head coach Nick Saban's squad took it to Mississippi State in a 49-9 win. The Crimson Tide had a 543-299 advantage in yards and forced Will Rogers to throw three interceptions. 

Alabama blowing out Mississippi State 👀 pic.twitter.com/kXe965NToG

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 17, 2021

Alabama does have a favorable schedule to run the table for the rest of the season. It doesn't have any games remaining against teams currently ranked in the Top 25. 

Outside of the SEC, Oklahoma State improved to 6-0 with a 32-24 win over Texas. This marks the program's best start since 2015 (10-0). The Cowboys will be hoping for a better finish this time around, as that team lost three straight to end the year. 

One encouraging sign is how well Oklahoma State's defense fared in the second half of Saturday's win:

Oklahoma State's D owned this second half. Final 6 drives for the Horns:

17 plays
14 yards pic.twitter.com/d1F8JFgh5S

— Max Olson (@max_olson) October 16, 2021

Baylor returned to the Top 25 this week thanks to an impressive 38-24 victory over BYU. The Cougars' once-promising season has taken a turn for the worse with back-to-back losses after a 5-0 start. 

Another team that has been flirting with disaster recently are the Oregon Ducks. They lost their first game of the season one week ago on the road against Stanford. Head coach Mario Cristobal's squad was able to avoid another upset on Friday with a 24-17 victory over Cal. 

No. 9 OREGON SURVIVES 🙌

A last-second goal line stand seals the deal for the Ducks over Cal. pic.twitter.com/dYodZZX68l

— ESPN (@espn) October 16, 2021

Next week's schedule is light on head-to-head matchups featuring Top 25 programs. Oregon does have a potentially difficult game at UCLA. Oklahoma State will play its second consecutive road game, this one against Iowa State. 

The race for the top spot in the Big Ten East will remain a hotly-contested battle between four teams. Michigan State will remain in the top spot by virtue of having a bye week. Michigan (vs. Northwestern), Ohio State (at Indiana) and Penn State (vs. Illinois) have winnable games to keep pace with the Spartans. 

What. A. Saturday.

Oklahoma and Texas combined for 103 points in one of the most memorable editions of the Red River Rivalry, and it wasn't even close to the biggest development of the college football weekend.

That honor belonged to Texas A&M's shocking upset of the defending champions.

Seth Small's chip-shot field goal as time expired propelled the Aggies to a stunning 41-38 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide and further shook up the early College Football Playoff picture. Elsewhere, Iowa outscored Penn State 10-0 in the fourth quarter to earn a Top 10 win and cement its place among the Big Ten's many contenders.

There were naturally some changes in the Associated Press Top 25, which was announced Sunday.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

2. Iowa Hawkeyes

3. Cincinnati Bearcats

4. Oklahoma Sooners

5. Alabama Crimson Tide

6. Ohio State Buckeyes

7. Penn State Nittany Lions

8. Michigan Wolverines

9. Oregon Ducks

10. Michigan State Spartans

11. Kentucky Wildcats

12. Oklahoma State Cowboys

13. Ole Miss Rebels

14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

15. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

16. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

17. Arkansas Razorbacks

18. Arizona State Sun Devils

19. BYU Cougars

20. Florida Gators

21. Texas A&M Aggies

22. NC State Wolfpack

23. SMU Mustangs

24. San Diego State Aztecs

25. Texas Longhorns

Here is a brief rundown of the most notable results from an epic Saturday of football:

• Zach Calzada, who started the season as Texas A&M's backup quarterback, fought off an apparent injury and spearheaded a 41-point effort to upset the previously top-ranked Crimson Tide.
• Iowa benefited from quarterback Sean Clifford's injury and overcame a 14-point deficit to beat Penn State and potentially pave the way for an eventual undefeated appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game.
• Oklahoma scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to outlast Texas in a thrilling 55-48 win, with Kennedy Brooks scoring the final touchdown with three seconds remaining.
• Ole Miss and Arkansas went back and forth in a high-scoring affair until the Rebels stopped the Razorbacks' two-point conversion on the final play of the game to clinch a 52-51 win.
• Michigan and Notre Dame escaped challenges from Nebraska and Virginia Tech, respectively, with late field goals.
• Boise State upset previously undefeated BYU and ended the Cougars' chances of crashing the College Football Playoff.
• Georgia steamrolled Auburn to further make a case for being the best team in the country.
• Wake Forest prevailed over Syracuse in overtime to keep its dreams of an undefeated season alive. Kentucky also remained undefeated with a blowout win over LSU.
• Ohio State and Michigan State remained in the CFP picture in the Big Ten with painless wins over Maryland and Rutgers.

There will be plenty of twists and turns in the race to the four-team playoff, but it no longer seems like a complete lock that two SEC teams will be in the field.

It appeared as if Alabama and Georgia were each going to cruise to an undefeated showdown in the conference title game, creating a situation in which even the loser would have likely been included in the CFP.

Instead, the Crimson Tide cannot afford another loss if they hope to defend their crown.

There are also five realistic playoff contenders in the Big Ten, with Iowa leading the way, but Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State are still in the picture. The Hawkeyes are the only team among that quintet in the West Division, so they will likely await the one that emerges from the loaded East Division in a potential Top Five showdown to clinch a playoff spot.

Elsewhere, Cincinnati has a realistic chance to become the first Group of Five conference team to play its way into the CFP. It has a marquee win at Notre Dame and looked dominant in Friday's 52-3 dismantling of Temple.

While the Bearcats' resume will not feature as many quality victories as those in Power Five conferences, they will be the primary benefactor as teams from the daunting SEC and Big Ten start to hand each other multiple losses.

Perhaps none of which will be as shocking as Alabama's loss to Texas A&M.

Each of the nation's top 10 teams were victorious Saturday, but that doesn't mean the Associated Press Top 25 poll was stagnant.

Alabama and Georgia remain the nation's top two teams, with Oregon sliding up to No. 3 after Oklahoma's less-than-stellar showing against Nebraska. Penn State moved up four spots to No. 6 after an impressive win over Auburn, while Clemson slid down three spots to No. 9 despite winning this week.

Here is a look at how the entire Top 25 played out.

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Oregon
4. Oklahoma
5. Iowa
6. Penn State
7. Texas A&M
8. Cincinnati
9. Clemson
10. Ohio State
11. Florida
12. Notre Dame
13. Ole Miss
14. Iowa State
15. BYU
16. Arkansas
17. Coastal Carolina
18. Wisconsin
19. Michigan
20. Michigan State
21. North Carolina
22. Fresno State
23. Auburn
24. UCLA
25. Kansas State

Alabama escaped Gainesville with a 31-29 win over Florida that left Nick Saban knowing his team has its work cut out if the Crimson Tide want to repeat as national champions. Bryce Young continued to perform at a Heisman-level pace with 240 yards and three touchdowns through the air, but the Tide managed just 91 yards on 28 carries on the ground.

The Alabama defense also allowed Florida to rush for 245 yards and four touchdowns, with Malik Davis and Emory Jones leading the way.

"I think the offense did a great job of answering the bell in the game," Saban told reporters. "But our team needs to learn to maintain intensity throughout the game. ... We've got a lot of good players. We've just got to get them to play a little better."

Alabama led 21-3 at the end of the first quarter but was outscored 26-10 the rest of the way.

Penn State escaped a nail-biter of its own, beating Auburn 28-20 for its second win over a ranked opponent in three weeks. Sean Clifford threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, while the Lions secondary thwarted Bo Nix through the air. Penn State even overcame a major refereeing snafu in the second quarter that led to them being forced to punt what should have been third down.

"I think we have a really good mentality on defense," Penn State coach James Franklin said. "I think our leadership is really good. I think we're a mentally tough football team. I think we're a physically tough football team."

The biggest upset of the week saw Chip Kelly's stellar start to the 2021 season come crashing down at UCLA, with the Bruins losing a 40-37 barnburner to Fresno State. Kelly's team had opened with wins over Hawai'i and LSU in the most promising start of his tenure.

UCLA dropped to No. 24 after the loss.

Virginia Tech also suffered its first defeat of the season, falling 27-21 to West Virginia. The Hokies dropped out of the Top 25. 

No. 20 Michigan State, No. 22 Fresno State and No. 25 Kansas State are the three new teams in the polling. 

Heisman Trophy contender Bryce Young and top-ranked Alabama survived a tough SEC test from Florida on Saturday to remain atop the USA Today American Football Coaches Association Coaches Poll for Week 4.

There weren't any massive upsets in Week 3 as nine of the top 10 teams in the Coaches Poll picked up victories, with the lone exception being the No. 9 Gators. So the top of the poll remained mostly steady once again in what's been a pretty chalk start to the college football season.

Here's a look at the complete Top 25 released Sunday:

1. Alabama (64 first-place votes)

2. Georgia (1)

3. Oklahoma

4. Oregon

5. Texas A&M

6. Iowa

7. Clemson

8. Penn State

9. Cincinnati

10. Notre Dame

11. Florida

12. Ohio State

13. Ole Miss

14. Iowa State

15. Wisconsin

16. BYU

17. Coastal Carolina

18. Arkansas

19. Michigan

20. North Carolina

21. Michigan State

22. Oklahoma State

23. Auburn

24. UCLA

25. Fresno State

---

Alabama looked poised for another blowout of a ranked opponent as it stormed out to a 21-3 lead after the first quarter. Florida fought back in the second half and had a chance to tie the game after a touchdown by Dameon Pierce with just over three minutes remaining, but it failed on the two-point conversation as the Crimson Tide held on for the 31-29 win.

"I think the offense did a great job of answering the bell in the game," Bama head coach Nick Saban told reporters. "But our team needs to learn to maintain intensity throughout the game. ... We've got a lot of good players. We've just got to get them to play a little better."

Young continued to impress by completing 22 of his 35 passes for 240 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for the Tide.

Alabama wasn't the only Top 10 team who faced a challenge in Week 3.

Oklahoma's high-powered offense was kept in check by Nebraska for much of the day, and the Sooners needed to come up with a defensive stop on the final drive to hold off the Cornhuskers, 23-16.

Clemson only mustered 284 total yards of offense and committed eight penalties, but the Tigers defense rose to the occasion by holding Georgia Tech to 3-of-15 on third-down conversions in a 14-8 win. Will Shipley ran in both touchdowns for Dabo Swinney's squad.

Cincinnati fell behind Indiana 14-0 and still trailed 24-23 entering the fourth quarter, but Desmond Ridder threw one touchdown to Alec Pierce and ran in another in the final period to help the Bearcats escape the upset bid, 38-24.

Meanwhile, Penn State won Week 3's other marquee matchup with three defensive stops in the fourth quarter to hold off Auburn, 28-20, in front of a raucous crowd for the Nittany Lions' annual White Out game. PSU entered the week No. 12 in the Coaches Poll, while Auburn was No. 20.

Aside from Florida, the highest-ranked team in the Coaches Poll to lose Saturday was No. 13 UCLA, which fell 40-37 to Fresno State on a touchdown pass from Jake Haener to Jalen Cropper with 14 seconds left.

Looking ahead, some of the top matchups on tap for Week 4 include Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin, Texas A&M vs. Arkansas, Iowa State vs. Baylor and Tennessee vs. Florida.

Alabama and Georgia remain the nation's top teams in the latest Associated Press poll, but there's a new team sitting at No. 3.

Oklahoma ascended to the third spot after Ohio State's 35-28 loss to Oregon on Saturday, with Oregon and Iowa sliding into the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.

Here is a look at the entire Top 25:

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Oklahoma
4. Oregon
5. Iowa
6. Clemson
7. Texas A&M
8. Cincinnati
9. Ohio State
10. Penn State
11. Florida
12. Notre Dame
13. UCLA
14. Iowa State
15. Virginia Tech
16. Coastal Carolina
17. Ole Miss
18. Wisconsin
19. Arizona State
20. Arkansas
21.  North Carolina
22. Auburn
23. BYU
24. Miami
25. Michigan

Ohio State fell six spots to No. 9 after dropping the home nailbiter to Oregon. CJ Verdell rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 34 yards and a score as a pass-catcher to put himself firmly in the Heisman conversation.

"We saw the Minnesota running back was having a good game, and we wanted to do the same thing," Verdell told reporters after the game.

The Big Ten was the victor in Week 2's other battle between Top 10 teams, with Iowa turning in a dominant defensive effort in a 27-17 win over rival Iowa State. The Hawkeyes forced four turnovers, including a six-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Jack Campbell. Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy threw three interceptions before being replaced by Hunter Dekkers in the fourth quarter.

"Somewhere along the line, I have failed this team to be prepared for this moment," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell told reporters. "I think the lack of execution really falls on my shoulders."

The biggest upsets of the week saw former national powerhouses USC and Texas continue on their respective roads to relative irrelevance.

USC came out flat and trailed 42-13 before losing 42-28 to Stanford, which was coming off an ugly loss to Kansas State. Texas got a hard preview of what's to come in the SEC with a 40-21 loss to Arkansas in which the Razorbacks ran for 333 yards.

"This was not a performance I was anticipating," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters. "But we'll find out about ourselves and what we're made of because I really believe this one game's not going to define us. But we've got work to do, that's for sure."

Arkansas moved into the Top 25 at No. 20, one of three new teams joining the rankings. No. 23 BYU and No. 25 Michigan also joined the Top 25. 

An upset-filled weekend led to a shakeup of the Amway Coaches Poll heading into Week 3 of the college football season.

Alabama and Georgia cruised to victories over much weaker opponents, but Ohio State suffered a rare regular-season loss to Oregon on Saturday, while Iowa topped Iowa State in a top-10 rivalry matchup.

---

Coaches Poll

1. Alabama

2. Georgia

3. Oklahoma

4. Oregon

5. Texas A&M

6. Clemson

7. Iowa

8. Cincinnati

9. Florida

10. Notre Dame

11. Ohio State

12. Penn State

13. UCLA

14. Iowa State

15. Virginia Tech

16. Mississippi

17. Wisconsin

18. Coastal Carolina

19. North Carolina

20. Auburn

21. Arizona State

22. Oklahoma State

23. BYU

24. Arkansas

25. Michigan

---

No game played a bigger factor in the rankings than Ohio State against Oregon.

The Buckeyes have been cruising through to the postseason in recent years, with the last regular-season loss coming in 2018, when Urban Meyer was still the head coach. Oregon changed that with a 35-28 road upset in Columbus.

Running back CJ Verdell was the biggest star of the game with a three-touchdown effort for the Ducks:

CJ Verdell breaks loose for his second TD of the day 💨

(via @CFBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/Wf9itLmzag

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 11, 2021

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1436756074166632456

CJ Stroud totaled 484 passing yards for Ohio State, but a late interception helped seal the loss as the Buckeyes dropped from No. 3 to No. 11 in the latest ranking.

Oregon moved up seven spots to No. 4.

Iowa was also a big riser to No. 7 after a 27-17 win over Iowa State. The Hawkeyes had only 173 yards of total offense but won the turnover battle 4-0.

"First and foremost, I'll give credit to Iowa, especially defensively," Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said after the game. "Made some great plays on the ball, which you saw even last week from them. And those were debilitating to us in terms of really what we wanted to do and tried to do in the football game."

Notre Dame dropped to 10th in the poll after a second straight narrow victory. The Fighting Irish escaped an upset bid from Toledo, winning 32-29 as Jack Coan threw a game-winning touchdown with just 1:09 left on the clock.

With two games decided by just three points apiece, Notre Dame is fortunate to be 2-0 to start the season.

USC and Texas weren't able to avoid upsets Saturday as both lost by double digits.

Arkansas earned a 40-21 win over Texas, trolling the future SEC member afterward:

Welcome to the league. pic.twitter.com/kQX4b1sPWG

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) September 12, 2021

Stanford knocked off USC with a 42-28 victory behind a three-touchdown effort (two passing, one rushing) from quarterback Tanner McKee.

BYU also impressed with a 26-17 win over Utah, knocking the Utes out of the Top 25 in the process. 

The AP Top 25 poll, released every college football preseason and incorporating the weekly votes of a panel of 62 sports writers and broadcasters from around the country, is now the United States' longest-running college football poll. 

Its close cousin, the USA Today coaches poll, was released last week, and while there weren't many surprises in the Top Four (which were, in order, Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State), there were some fresh names further down the list, such as the Cincinnati Bearcats at No. 10 and Indiana Hoosiers, making their first-ever appearance in that poll, at No. 17. 

In the first AP poll of the preseason, there were similarly few surprises at the top. The top four of Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State is identical to the coaches poll. 

In the AP poll, Cincinnati moved up to No. 8 overall, and North Carolina landed the No. 10 spot. 

The full AP Top 25 is below, followed by a roundup of notable expert reactions to the early rankings. 

     

Full AP Top 25 Poll

1. Alabama

2. Oklahoma

3. Clemson

4. Ohio State

5. Georgia

6. Texas A&M

7. Iowa State

8. Cincinnati 

9. Notre Dame

10. North Carolina

11. Oregon

12. Wisconsin

13. Florida

14. Miami 

15. USC

16. LSU

17. Indiana

18. Iowa

19. Penn State

20. Washington 

21. Texas 

22. Coastal Carolina

23. Louisiana-Lafayette

24. Utah

25. Arizona State

Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 107, Ole Miss 106, TCU 40, Liberty 36, Auburn 32, North Carolina State 14, Michigan 12, Northwestern 8, Boise State 7, Nevada 7, Brigham Young 6, Ball State 6, Houston 5, Boston College 5, UCF 5, West Virginia 3, UAB 2, Army 2, UCLA 2

     

Expert Reactions

One of the most obvious differences between last week's coaches poll and the AP Top 25 is that Arizona State just made it into the latter but was left off the former. 

ESPN's Peter Burns had the bold take that not only should Arizona State have been left off the AP poll, as well...but that Kentucky, a program many regard as strong yet which received no votes among the panel of AP poll voters, should have come in at No. 25.

1st AP Poll feels about right except they should have flipped the following teams:

Bama & Georgia
Florida & LSU
Louisiana & Texas
Arizona State & Kentucky https://t.co/l956vA1n8N

— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) August 16, 2021

Iowa State's ranking of No. 8 in the coaches poll was its highest position on the list since 1991. On the AP poll, it sits at No. 7, indisputably a Top 10 program, as Ben Visser of the Cedar Rapids Gazette noted. 

Iowa State checks in at No. 7 in the AP Poll. The Cyclones are undisputedly a preseason top-10 team (they were No. 8 in the coaches poll) . https://t.co/VPx9MmP4pX

— Ben Visser (@BenVisser43) August 16, 2021

As Pete Byrne, a sports director for CBS and Fox in South Bend, Indiana, pointed out, Notre Dame has a difficult schedule this season; four of its opponents are in the Top 15. 

#NotreDame starts the season ranked 9th in the AP Poll.

ND opponents Cincinnati(8), North Carolina (10), Wisconsin (12) &USC (15) all in the Top 15. Indiana begins 17th. Full poll here:https://t.co/iWrPNXuEqq

— Pete Byrne WSBT (@PeteByrneSports) August 16, 2021

With the caveat that the AP poll is "largely meaningless," Bryan Ives nevertheless noted that Clemson is ranked in the AP Top Five for the 57th straight week, which approaches a record:

Remember, AP Polls are largely meaningless. However, a note or two on the three ranked ACC teams.

No. 3 Clemson is ranked in the AP top-5 for the 57th straight week.

That is 39 weeks longer than any other active streak (Alabama, 18) and 11 shy of the record (Alabama, 68)

(1/3)

— Bryan Ives (@awaytoworthy) August 16, 2021

The sports writers and broadcasters who vote in the AP poll were cooler on UCF than the coaches who vote in the coaches poll; the program received 29 votes in the latter but just five in the former. 

Like the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, #UCF is receiving votes in the 2021 preseason AP Top 25 Poll. After receiving 29 votes in the Coaches Poll, the Knights only get 5 votes in the AP Poll. The full poll: https://t.co/ra66nv0yaM pic.twitter.com/c7mRlU9xsi

— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) August 16, 2021

In all, the balance of power seemed to be less obvious to the voters of the AP poll than to the coaches. As The Athletic's Chris Vannini pointed out, five teams received first-place votes in the AP: Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia. (Alabama, of course, had far and away the most, with 47. The next highest were Oklahoma and Clemson, tied with six.)

In the coaches poll, only two teams received first-place votes. 

The AP Poll is out. Five teams receiving first-place votes compared to two in the Coaches Poll.https://t.co/oX8DziVNhU pic.twitter.com/AL6JNXPBfI

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) August 16, 2021

Even though power is shifting in NCAA football, and even though some worry that Alabama's high-profile departures could weaken the team, the Crimson Tide is used to being on top. As Chris Fallica noted, this marks the 100th week under Nick Saban that the Tide has been No. 1 in the AP poll.

If, as expected, Alabama is No. 1 in the Preseason AP Poll, it will mark the 100th week under Nick Saban that the Tide has been ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll.

— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) August 13, 2021

The top five of the AP poll will be delightful to watch ebb and flow during this college football season. 

Another mass exodus of NFL talent and another coordinator taking a head coaching job. As long as Alabama has Nick Saban and a cabal of 5-star talent, it doesn't matter.  

The Crimson Tide are once again the nation's top-ranked team in the first Associated Press poll of the 2021 season that was released Monday. This is the first time Alabama has been the preseason No. 1 since 2018, after Clemson held the mantle the last two years. It's also the 100th week Alabama has held the top spot since Nick Saban joined the Crimson Tide in 2007, per Chris Fallica of ESPN.

Alabama or Clemson has topped the preseason poll each of the last six seasons. The Tigers dropped to No. 3 this season, one spot behind Oklahoma, with Ohio State and Georgia rounding out the top five. 

Here is a look at how the remainder of the Top 25 played out.

1. Alabama

2. Oklahoma

3. Clemson

4. Ohio State

5. Georgia

6. Texas A&M

7. Iowa State

8. Cincinnati

9. Notre Dame

10. North Carolina

11. Oregon

12. Wisconsin

13. Florida

14. Miami

15. USC

16. LSU

17. Indiana

18. Iowa

19. Penn State

20. Washington

21. Texa

22. Coastal Carolina

23. Louisiana-Lafayette

24. Utah

25. Arizona State

Alabama is coming off its sixth national championship of the Saban era but will again be reshuffling talent on both sides of the ball. The team produced six first-round picks and eight players who were taken in the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL draft.

Gone are Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and Najee Harris, leaving Alabama with none of its top offensive contributors from last season. 

The Tide are amid several position battles they hope will dictate the next era of dominance. Bryce Young is expected to take over for Jones under center, while John Metchie III seems destined to take over the spotlight as Young's top target. Running back is a bit of a question mark, but Brian Robinson is a fifth-year senior who will bring steadiness to the position if he wins the job.

Clemson is also heading into a new era with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne now teammates for the Jacksonville Jaguars. DJ Uiagalelei appears to be the favorite to win the starting quarterback job, with Lyn-J Dixon slated to take over at running back.  

Oklahoma will be steadier this season with Spencer Rattler returning as quarterback and hopefully more consistency at the running back and receiver positions after a frustrating 2020.