AP Top 25 football poll sees major shakeup after losses by eight ranked teams
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Eight ranked losses force AP poll reshuffle and open spots for reentries
- Texas, USC and Utah delivered signature wins that should return them to polls
- Upsets by unranked teams and conference slips push Florida State and Iowa State down
Eight of the 21 active teams in the Associated Press Top 25 lost this week, sending college football and the upcoming rankings into chaos. In previous weeks, the competitive maelstrom took place at the top of the rankings but Week 7 featured upsets toward the bottom.
Five of the losing teams were ranked in No. 14 or below, and three were No. 20 or lower. Five teams fell to unranked opponents.
Of the eight, five — Michigan, Illinois, Iowa State, Arizona State and Florida State — were unranked in the Week 8 update.
One of the biggest upsets took place in Dallas. Texas (4-2) reentered Top 25 at No. 21 after its stellar second-half performance to defeat then-No. 5 Oklahoma (5-1), 23-6, in the Red River Rivalry after trailing 6-3 at halftime. The Longhorns outworked the Sooners in every phase of the game to likely earn their spot back in the poll.
John Mateer made his return at QB for the Sooners 17 days after hand surgery, but he threw three interceptions without a touchdown. Meanwhile, Arch Manning went 21 of 27 for 166 and one touchdown.
The Texas defense held Oklahoma to 48 rushing yards, while its own offense ran for 136. Its special teams squad also came up big, recording a 75-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Longhorns finished right outside the Top 25 last week after their loss to Florida in Gainesville. Oklahoma plummeted eight spots, the largest drop this week, to No. 14.
Southern Cal re-enters poll after win
Southern California ran over No. 15 Michigan (4-2), 31-13, thanks to a walk-on running back. Freshman King Miller ran for 158 yards and one touchdown in the bounceback win, while Jayden Maiava passed for 265 yards and found the end zone twice. Miller replaced star tailback Waymond Jordan who left the game with an injury.
The Wolverines forced three red zone turnovers, stopping the Trojans (5-1) from running up the score. USC was ranked before its 34-32 loss to Illinois, and came in at No. 20 in the most-recent update. Michigan dropped out.
Pitt stuns Florida State
Say goodbye to Florida State (3-3) in the Top 25. After their hot start to the season, the Seminoles lost their third straight game and have yet to pick up an ACC win after falling to Pittsburgh (4-2), 34-31, at home.
The Panthers relied on true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel — who was third on the Pitt depth chart until last week. Heintschel completed 20 of 29 passes for 321 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in his second career game. Running back Desmond Reid, who hadn’t played in almost a month, ran for 155 yards and two scores.
FSU allowed the Panthers to score first, giving up three fourth down conversions on the opening drive. The teams traded points for three quarters but three unanswered scoring drives in the fourth gave Pitt the win.
The Seminoles have lost eight straight ACC games, with their last conference victory coming on Sept. 21, 2024, against California.
Utah rolls past Arizona State
No. 21 Arizona State, which also spent time this season unranked, and saw itself drop the outside of the Top 25 once again after Utah (5-1) dismantled the Sun Devils, 42-10.
ASU was without starting quarterback Sam Leavitt, giving backup Jeff Sims the start. He finished 18 for 38 with 124 yards passing. Utah QB Devon Dampier went 7 of 12 for 104 yards.
The Utes were most successful on the ground, rushing for 276 yards and six touchdowns and scoring on all but one of their possessions. Prior to the game, ASU was averaging 78.2 rushing yards allowed per game.
Utah was ranked in the Top 25 earlier this season and made their way back into it, landing at No. 23.
Other Week 7 CFB results
Indiana (6-0) extended its winning streak with an impressive 30-20 road victory over Oregon (5-1). The Ducks, who snapped an 18-game home winning streak, tied the game at 20 early in the fourth quarter after picking off Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Indiana, however, responded with a touchdown and field goal to secure the victory.
The Hoosiers are now 3-0 in Big Ten play and 6-0 overall for the second season under Curt Cignetti. They jumped to No. 3, while Oregon dropped five spots to No. 8.
Indiana was not the team with the largest jump, though. Voters bumped South Florida (5-1), which regained its status as a ranked team last week, from No. 24 to No. 19. The Bulls pulled off a 63-36 road win over then-undefeated North Texas to jump in the standings.
It’s time to put some respect on Texas A&M. The Aggies moved to 6-0 for the first time since 2016 after beating Florida (2-4), 34-17. They found the end zone on their first three drives, but allowed the Gators to hang around.
Texas A&M out-scored the Gators, 13-3, in the second half. It used a well-rounded performance from the offense and defense, including a forced fumble that led to the game-sealing field goal.
Marcel Reed completed 16 of 26 passes for 234 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Aggies racked up the offense on the ground, too, finishing with 183 rushing yards.
Florida is now 0-14 against ranked teams under Billy Napier. With Oregon’s loss, the Aggies moved up one spot to No. 4.
Kirby Smart earned his 110th win at Georgia (5-1) with the team’s 20-10 victory at Auburn (3-3). The Tigers controlled the game for the first half, but the Dawgs scored 17 unanswered points after the break to earn their ninth straight win in the series. It came in at No. 9 after spending a week at No. 10.
No. 21 Iowa State (5-2) dropped out of the poll for the second time this season after losing, 24-17, to an unranked Colorado (3-4). The Cyclones led by three at halftime but a pair of third quarter touchdowns and a late field goal lifted the Buffs to their second ranked with during Deion Sanders’ tenure.
No. 1 Ohio State (6-0) defeated No. 17 Illinois (5-2), 34-16. The Buckeyes controlled the entire game, scoring in every quarter. They remained at the top, while the Illini ended up unranked. They were the first team out after receiving 113 votes.
There were a handful of other close games that could impact the rankings slightly.
No. 8 Alabama defeated No. 14 Missouri in a tough, 27-24, matchup in Columbia. The Crimson Tide (5-1) and Tigers (5-1) went back and forth all afternoon, but Alabama’s 10-point second quarter put it over the top. The Tide is now No. 6 and the Tigers fell to No. 16.
Ole Miss (6-0) dropped one spot to No. 5 after beating Washington State (3-3), 24-21, in a game that shouldn’t have been close.
Tennessee (5-1) squeaked out a 34-31 win over unranked Arkansas (2-4) but still jumped from No. 12 to No. 11.
Lastly, BYU moved to 6-0 after a 33-27 overtime win over Arizona. The Cougars’ LJ Martin ran for 162 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier added 89 rushing yards and two TDs. BYU rose to No. 16, two spots higher, after its gritty win.
New entrants to the poll
After being left out of the poll for weeks, Cincinnati and Nebraska finally found themselves ranked. The Bearcats (5-1) defeated Central Florida, 20-11, to earn the No. 24 ranking. The Cornhuskers (5-1) also cracked the Top 25, earning the final spot. They beat Maryland, 34-31, to make their first appearance of the season.
Week 8 AP Top 25 poll
This story was originally published October 12, 2025 at 11:32 AM.
