AP top 25 poll: Texas A&M, Michigan fall in latest college football rankings

Where things stand in the new AP top 25 college football rankings after Saturday's action and looking ahead to a very consequential Championship Week.

Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

One titanic loss near the top of the poll forced voters into some potentially major decisions when casting their ballots for the new AP top 25 college football rankings coming out of Rivalry Week and moving into Championship Saturday.

Mostly in the SEC, where undefeated Texas A&M tumbled from its third-place ranking after a stunning loss against rival Texas, paving the way for Georgia and Alabama to profit off their own season finale wins to advance to the SEC Championship Game instead.

Where does that leave everything in the updated top 25 college football rankings heading into the 2025 postseason?

Let’s take a look at what teams moved up, and down, and who stayed put moving into Championship Saturday, according to AP top 25 voters.

AP top 25 rankings for Championship Week

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Ohio State (61)
2. Indiana (5)
3. Georgia
4. Oregon
5. Texas Tech
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama
11. BYU
12. Miami
13. Vanderbilt
14. Texas
15. Utah
16. Virginia
17. USC
18. Michigan
19. James Madison
20. North Texas
21. Tulane
22. Arizona
23. Navy
24. Georgia Tech
25. Missouri

How did we do? Our prediction for the AP top 25 rankings

AP top 25 biggest movers

Georgia (Up 1). The reigning SEC champs now have a chance to make it two straight after the combination of beating Georgia Tech and Texas A&M losing to Texas, and are in line to contend for a first-round bye in the playoff as a result.

Texas A&M (Down 4). That chance at an SEC championship is gone after the Aggies picked the worst time to lose their first game, and now they await what the selection committee thinks of it all with no more ability to affect their decisions.

Texas (Up 2). Arch Manning picked the right time to have one of his best games by taking out the Aggies, but it still may not be enough to convince the playoff pickers, given those other three losses.

Michigan (Down 3). A bid to make it five-straight against the Buckeyes failed in the face of the best defense in college football, keeping Ohio State undefeated, and drops the Wolverines out of what remaining playoff consideration they had going into that game.

Other teams receiving votes

These teams got votes on AP top 25 ballots, but not enough to be included in the rankings this week

Tennessee 71, Houston 57, Iowa 51, UNLV 33, New Mexico 20, South Florida 11, SMU 8, Iowa State 4, Arizona St. 3, Louisville 3, UConn 3, North Dakota St. 3, Illinois 2, Washington 1, Pittsburgh 1, San Diego State 1.