AP Top 25: Texas back at No. 1, Texas A&M returns after big Week 6

It's been a week of turmoil in The Associated Press college football poll, with Texas returning to No. 1 on Sunday after a week-long absence following Vanderbilt's monumental upset of Alabama.

The Commodores' victory as underdogs by more than three touchdowns resulted in the Tide falling from No. 1 to No. 7. The last top team to fall so far was Ohio State, which plummeted to No. 11 after an October 2010 loss to Wisconsin.

Texas, which still had an open date, received 52 of 61 first-place votes and became the first team in two years to consistently finish first in three polls. The Longhorns also became just the third team since 2008 to be picked No. 1 after not playing the previous day.

Ohio State defeated Iowa for its fourth straight easy win, receiving nine first-place votes and moving up one spot to No. 2.

Oregon and Penn State each moved up three spots, with the Ducks moving up to No. 3 and the Nittany Lions moving up to No. 4. Georgia remained No. 5.

Miami (Florida), which came back from a 25-point second-half deficit to beat Cal 39-38, moved up two spots to No. 6.

The chaos wasn't just limited to Alabama.

Six of the 18 AP Top 25 teams that played lost to unranked opponents (33%), the most since losing six of 16 (38%) in the first week of October 2020.

The Tide was among four teams in the top 11 to lose to unranked opponents, the first time since October 2017.

Tennessee lost to Arkansas and rose from No. 4 to No. 8. Michigan lost to Washington and rose from No. 10 to No. 24. USC lost to Minnesota and rose from No. 11 to No. 25. The Trojans were first among teams also voting receive.

Texas A&M soundly defeated Missouri at home in the only Top 25 matchup. That earned the Aggies a move up from No. 25 to No. 15 and the Tigers a demotion from No. 9 to No. 21.

The Big Ten dominates the top five, but the SEC maintains its grip on the top 10. No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 Penn State are occupied by Texas and Georgia of the SEC. The SEC also has Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss in the top 10.

Double-digit declines at Missouri, Michigan and USC mark the first time since Nov. 13, 2016 that three teams fell 10 or more spots in the same poll. This week it happened to Auburn (8-18), Texas A&M (10-23) and North Carolina (15-18).

The biggest upticks were Texas A&M (25 to 15), Clemson (15 to 10) and Iowa State (16 to 11).

SMU (5-1) was rewarded for beating Louisville on the road and enters the rankings at No. 25. The Mustangs have been ranked in the top 25 for all but one season (2022) since 2019. Louisville (3-2) lost two of three and was eliminated.

Pittsburgh went 5-0 in North Carolina for the first time since 1991 and climbs to No. 22 in the rankings for the first time in two years.

USC (3-2) lost two of its first three Big Ten games and was eliminated, as was UNLV, whose first-ever Top 25 appearance was spoiled by an overtime home loss to Syracuse.

SEC: 9 (Nos. 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, T-18, 21).

Big Ten: 6 (Nos. 2, 3, 4, T-18, 23, 24).

Big 12: 4 (Nos. T-11, 14, 16, T-18).

ACC: 4 (Nos. 6, 10, 22, 25).

Mountain West: 1 (No. 17).

Independent: 1 (No. 11).

Here are the full top 25:

1. Texas
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Penn State
5. Georgia
6. Miami (Florida)
7. Alabama
8. Tennessee
9. Ole Miss
10. Clemson
T-11. Iowa State
T-11. Notre Dame
13. LSU
14. BYU
15. Texas A&M
16. Utah
17. Boise State
T-18. Kansas State
T-18. Indiana
T-18. Oklahoma
21. Missouri
22. Pittsburgh
23. Illinois
24. Michigan
25. SMU

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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