AP Top 25 college football rankings name Notre Dame as the first ranked 0-2 team since 1988
By Canadian Press on September 14, 2025.
Ohio State, Penn State and LSU are still the top three teams in Week 4 of the AP Top 25 poll. Miami moved up to No. 4 after crushing USF and Georgia reached No. 5, despite needing overtime to beat Tennessee.
Texas A&M made a big jump into the top 10 after its dramatic win at Notre Dame, while the Irish became the first team since 1988 to stay in the Top 25 with an 0-2 record.
Oregon slipped two spots to No. 6 despite a 20-point road win against Northwestern and was followed by Florida State, Texas, Illinois and the Aggies.
Here’s the latest:
Thoughts on Penn State’s offense?
Andy Kotelnicki is one of the top OC’s in the nation. Penn State has arguably the best RB duo in the country. Drew Allar is solid. Penn State is one of the most talented teams in the country.
It’s hard to get a good read on the offense.
By opening with three tomato cans, James Franklin is not going to open up the entire playbook. I’m sure he’s saving a lot for Oregon in two weeks. I’d give Penn State an incomplete right now.
We won’t really now if this is “the year” or not until the Oregon game.
SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 face Top 25 matchups to headline Week 4
The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 each have matchups between ranked opponents to look forward to next week.
The action kicks off at noon with a Big 12 game likely to impact the playoff picture: No. 17 Texas Tech travels to No. 16 Utah. Both teams moved up four spots this week with 3-0 records.
SEC competition begins in the afternoon when No. 22 Auburn takes on No. 11 Oklahoma. The Sooners earned their first SEC win last September against Auburn, sailing ahead 27-21 after an impressive fourth-quarter comeback.
The Big Ten rounds out the weekend with a Saturday night showdown featuring No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana.
Utah continues to climb the ranks
Utah made a statement right from the beginning this season, breaking into the Top 25 after a 43-10 win over UCLA in Week 1.
A promising start continued in Week 2 with a dominant 63-9 win over Cal Poly. The Utes kept momentum alive this week with a 31-6 win over Wyoming, climbing to No. 16 as a result.
Utah now approaches its biggest test yet against a Big 12 contender, No. 17 Texas Tech – a matchup that could shake up the playoff race.
Why did my Ducks slip to 6th?
It all goes back to strength of competition.
The Ducks have met expectations this season, but they haven’t had a chance to exceed them. Wins against Northwestern, Oklahoma State and Montana State were all expected of a talented Oregon team.
A win against Penn State in two weeks? Now that would certainly stir things up and give the Ducks a very strong chance at the top three.
As for this week, Georgia and Miami’s wins against ranked teams impressed voters more than Oregon’s win over Northwestern.
USC earns its first ranking of the season
A 33-17 win on the road against Purdue earned USC its first ranking of the season, coming in at No. 25.
The Trojans improved to 3-0 and have outscored opponents by wide margins, forcing voters to take notice. The Trojans are now tasked with a series of Big Ten challenges ahead.
Their sole nonconference test comes Oct. 18 against independent Notre Dame, a matchup that will carry heavy playoff implications for a USC squad on the rise and a declining Irish team.
Let’s get real about Georgia’s win
You’re right. You got me. I’ve been exposed. What am I thinking?
Georgia puts up 500 yards of offense in one of the most hostile environments in college football, rallies from deficits three times, benefits from a missed FG and then wins in OT in Neyland, where Tennessee has not lost a home game (to a team other than Georgia) in the past three years, including wins vs. four Top 15 ranked teams. Gunner Stockton threw for more than 300 yards, but that was a fluke.
I guess I should have dropped Georgia out of the Top 10? My bad. I’ll try to do better next week.
Can Notre Dame still make it to the playoffs?
I don’t want to rule out Notre Dame entirely, but it’s going to be very hard moving forward.
The Irish were knocked off by their two toughest opponents this season – No. 4 Miami and No. 10 Texas A&M. No. 25 USC is the sole ranked opponent left on Notre Dame’s schedule.
To make matters more challenging, the Irish are independent and require an at-large bid. The path to the college football playoffs now likely requires winning out, and that still might not be enough.
Miami and Georgia move up, Oregon drops out of top 5
Miami moved up to its highest rank of the season, No. 4, after a dominant 49-12 win over South Florida.
It marked the end of a magical run for USF, which knocked off two Top 25 opponents in back-to-back weeks.
Voters valued Georgia’s overtime win against Tennessee over Oregon’s 34-14 win over Northwestern. Oregon moved down to No. 6 and Georgia moved up to round out the top five.
What would the rankings look like if Tennessee pulled off the win over Georgia?
They’d likely look quite different this week.
It’s reasonable to think the Vols would have jumped into the top 10 after knocking off a top-six team on a big stage. Georgia would have tumbled several spots as a result. That would’ve been a big shakeup!
Alabama jumps five spots after its 38-14 win vs. Wisconsin
Alabama is gradually bouncing back from a tough Week 1 loss to Florida State.
The Crimson Tide followed up a 73-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe with a 38-14 victory against Wisconsin on Saturday. Quarterback Ty Simpson had the best performance of his career, completing 24 of 29 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns. Receiver Ryan Williams accounted for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tide moved up to No. 14, their highest ranking since the preseason.
Why is a winless Notre Dame ranked?
Notre Dame nearly fell out of the Top 25 this week after losing 41-40 to Texas A&M. Both of Notre Dame’s losses this season were by a field goal or less and came down to the final moments of the game.
Voters sometimes value a down-to-the-wire loss against a top opponent rather than a win against a lower ranked one. But the Irish are on thin ice moving forward with little room for error.
Conference breakdown
The SEC leads the AP Top 25 for another week with 11 teams earning rankings: LSU (3), Georgia (5), Texas (8), Texas A&M (10), Oklahoma (11), Ole Miss (12), Alabama (14), Tennessee (15), Vanderbilt (20), Auburn (22) and Missouri (23).
The Big 10 has seven teams, one more than last week after USC came in at No. 25. The rest are: Ohio State (1), Penn State (2), Oregon (6), Illinois (9), Indiana (19) and Michigan (21).
The ACC has three teams in the Top 25 after Georgia Tech took Clemson’s place: Miami (4), Florida State (7), Georgia Tech (18).
The Big 12 has three teams in the mix: Iowa State (12), Utah (16) and Texas Tech (17).
Notre Dame (24) is independent.
Vanderbilt knocks South Carolina out, ascends from unranked to No. 20
Vanderbilt put on a show against South Carolina, beating the Gamecocks 31-7 on Saturday night.
Momentum shifted when South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers went down with a concussion right before halftime. Vanderbilt opened the third quarter with a 44-yard rushing touchdown from Jamezell Lassiter, extending the lead to 21-7.
The Commodores kept piling on and South Carolina failed to respond with backup second-string Luke Doty at the helm. A once top 10-ranked South Carolina team now falls into unranked territory.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt cracks into the Top 25, coming in at No. 20
Notre Dame falls from No. 8 to No. 24 after loss to Texas A&M
The Irish fell to 0-2 on Saturday night as their home opener against Texas A&M didn’t go quite as planned.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love ran the ball 12 yards into the end zone to break a tie with 2:53 remaining and put the Irish ahead 40-34.
Texas A&M responded with an impressive 13-play, 74-yard final drive ending with an 11-yard touchdown by Nate Boerkircher, solidifying a 41-40 win.
The game brought major changes in the Top 25. Notre Dame fell from No. 8 to No. 24, and the Aggies jumped from No. 16 to No. 10.
Georgia Tech breaks into the Top 25
Georgia Tech’s 24-21 upset victory over Clemson did the trick: the Yellowjackets have officially broken into the Top 25 after weeks of knocking on the door.
Georgia Tech put on a strong performance against Clemson on Saturday, setting the tone from start to finish. The Tigers tied it up at 21 apiece with 3:26 on the clock.
Quarterback Haynes King led a 10-play, 38-yard drive, setting up kicker Aidan Birr for a game-winning 55-yard field goal.
Ohio State, Penn State, LSU retain top three spots
No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Penn State and No. 3 LSU sit comfortably at one, two and three for another week.
Ohio State’s slow start against Ohio didn’t shake voters, as the Buckeyes built steam in the second half to win 37-9. Penn State beat in-state foe Villanova 52-6, and LSU outscored SEC opponent Florida 20-10.
AP Top 25 college football poll rankings
1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. LSU
4. Miami
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Florida State
8. Texas
9. Illinois
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma
12. Iowa State
13. Ole Miss
14. Alabama
15. Tennessee
16. Utah
17. Texas Tech
18. Georgia Tech
19. Indiana
20. Vanderbilt
21. Michigan
22. Auburn
23. Missouri
24. Notre Dame
25. USC
Are we ready to start showing Miami some respect?
Who is we?
I had Miami No. 9 on my preseason ballot. I have UM No. 4 this week. I have been high on the Canes for the past two years. I was at the Notre Dame win and wrote about Mario Cristobal’s commitment to restoring his alma mater to the glory days.
Which teams are contenders to win it all?
I’ll give you two stats that can help you determine the champ.
The preseason No. 1-ranked AP team has failed to win the national title in 19 of the last 21 years. So eliminate Texas.
Also, in 17 of the last 19 years, the national champ was ranked in the top 7 of the preseason poll. So that bodes well for Penn State, Ohio State, Georgia and Oregon. Clemson and Notre Dame were also in top seven, but they’re not looking so great right now.
What metrics do you use to compare blowout wins and tight matches?
I try to look at the “inside-the-box score,” if you will.
I just don’t look at final scores, because those can be very deceiving. An example, Illinois beat Duke 45-19 last week. Blowout right? Not really. Duke actually outgained Illinois, but lost five turnovers.
So for that game, I’ll give Illinois credit for the win, but it wasn’t a 26-point margin. It was closer to a toss-up.
I’ll also try to compare common opponents. Everyone does it differently, but just keep in mind, it’s a beauty pageant. It’s just someone’s opinion.
They could be right. Or wrong.
How far down will Clemson tumble, and how far up will Georgia Tech reach?
If you’re a Tom Petty fan, you know the song: Free Falling.
I don’t know how far Clemson will drop, but I believe it will be significant. Yes, they have a couple of close losses, but Clemson barely survived at home against Troy.
And Georgia Tech absolutely needs to be ranked among the top 20 teams.
USF’s hot streak ends in Miami
South Florida’s first two games couldn’t have gone better, overthrowing preseason No. 25 Boise State in Week 1 and delivering an 18-16 upset over Florida the following week.
The Bulls’ hot streak ended on Saturday, when they lost 49-12 to Miami. South Florida’s immediate future in the Top 25 appears bleak, while Miami looked every bit a top 5 team.
The Hurricanes’ Florida tour continues over the next two weeks as they host the Gators on Saturday night and travel to Florida State on Oct. 4.
Hear from a voter: Is Miami’s win more impressive than Georgia’s?
I valued Georgia’s win at Tennessee better than Miami’s home win against Notre Dame.
Tennessee may or may not be better than Notre Dame (we’ll find out eventually), but winning in that atmosphere for Georgia was more impressive to me.
Hear from a voter: Biggest surprises and disappointments so far?
Biggest surprise: Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt.
QB Diego Pavia talked a lot … before the season, but the Commodores are backing it up. Florida State has also been impressive. That Alabama win will look better and better as the season continues. Can’t wait for Miami-FSU in three weeks.
Biggest disappointment: Clemson was a trendy national title pick by a lot of folks (not me), and now the Tigers will have to somehow win the ACC to get into the playoff.
Can you say Pop-Tarts Bowl?
Hear from a voter: Which teams did you move around this week?
Among changes on my AP ballot this week — besides ranking Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech — were dropping Penn State and Texas slightly.
Penn State has played arguably the weakest opening schedule. The Nittany Lions have won comfortably, but I’ve been more impressed by the wins from Ohio State, Georgia and LSU. Texas has looked average the last two weeks so, for now, the Longhorns are barely hanging in my Top 10.
Clemson, South Carolina, Notre Dame stumble
Clemson, South Carolina and Notre Dame each suffered upsets on Saturday, putting each at risk of losing Top 25 status.
An unranked Georgia Tech team outplayed No. 12 Clemson and solidified the upset victory with a buzzer-beating 55-yard field goal.
Georgia Tech likely swayed voters with its compelling performance and the Tigers’ loss is sure to impact votes as well.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s home opener didn’t go as planned. The Irish took a gamble with a two-point attempt and fell short. Texas A&M answered with a charge downfield in the final minutes of the game, scoring the go-ahead touchdown to win 41-40.
South Carolina didn’t come close against Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks were outplayed in all aspects, especially after losing quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the second quarter with a concussion. The 31-7 loss puts South Carolina in serious danger of falling out of the Top 25.
Heisman race takes a turn
Most preseason Heisman conversations focused on three quarterbacks: Arch Manning (Texas), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) and Cade Klubnik (Clemson).
Three weeks into the season, those conversations sound quite different.
Preseason No. 4 Clemson is at serious risk of stumbling out of the Top 25 after losing to Georgia Tech on Saturday. Preseason No. 1 Texas underwhelmed in a 27-10 win over UTEP with an inconsistent passing game, while Nussmeier remains a favorite after leading LSU to a 3-0 start.
But John Mateer (Oklahoma) and Carson Beck (Miami) have replaced Klubnik and Manning in the top tier.
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 1-25 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.
Maura Carey, The Associated Press
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