The Latest: Big shakeups in store for the college football top 10 of the AP Top 25 coming soon
Struggles by several top 10 teams in Week 7 of college football should send shockwaves through the latest AP Top 25 rankings.
No. 3 Oregon suffered its first loss of the season, delivered by No. 7 Indiana in a 30-20 road win. No. 4 Ole Miss pulled out a 24-21 victory over Washington State in a game that shouldn’t have been close. And No. 6 Oklahoma was outperformed by the Texas Longhorns, whose stint as an unranked team will likely be short-lived after a convincing 23-6 win.
So how will the top of the poll shake out? Follow live updates from The Associated Press below for poll projections, game recaps, analysis and voters answering fan questions, all in one place.
Here’s the latest:
Stock down
No. 3 Oregon is set to slip out of the top five after falling to No. 7 Indiana at home. The Ducks ranked in the top three for the past two weeks after beating Penn State.
No. 4 Ole Miss could fall in the poll after unexpectedly struggling against Washington State. The Rebels pulled out a 24-21 win, but could see a slight drop off in the rankings after the uninspiring outing.
No. 6 Oklahoma could drop out of the top 10 for the first time in weeks after losing to an unranked Texas team on Saturday.
Saturday results pave the way for a top 10 shakeup
Two top 10 teams lost on Saturday, paving the way for movement in Sunday’s poll.
No. 3 Oregon hopes to hang on to its top 10 status after a loss to No. 7 Indiana. And No. 6 Oklahoma has a substantial fall at stake after losing to Texas in a matchup that wasn’t particularly close.
No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 8 Alabama and No. 9 Texas Tech each racked up a win Saturday and could benefit from losses by Oklahoma and Oregon.
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, which has been doing it since 1936.
AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters are about 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.
Voting is a straight points system: A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote is worth 24 points, down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote.
Then it’s just a summary of which teams are 1-25 based on the totals. Others receiving votes are also noted.