Ohio State Drops to 11th as UCLA and New Mexico Make History

Ohio State fell out of the AP Top 10 for the first time since 2021 after losing 30-18 at Southern California. The Buckeyes dropped nine places to No. 11, while USC returned to the poll at No. 18. Ohio State’s defeat also marked the fourth straight week that a No. 1 or No. 2 team lost to an unranked opponent.

Miami stayed No. 1 after edging North Carolina 38-35, receiving 62 of 70 first-place votes. Georgia climbed to No. 2 after beating Florida 27-8, and Utah moved to third. Notre Dame was fourth, followed by UCLA, which reached No. 5 for its highest ranking since 2001. The Bruins are 8-0 under first-year coach Bob Chesney after shutting out Nevada 27-0.

New Mexico entered the rankings at No. 22 for the first time in program history, after claiming a 21-16 victory at San Jose State. The Lobos are 7-1 and alone among Mountain West teams without a conference loss. Iowa returned at No. 21 after a 30-0 win over Wisconsin, which fell out of the poll. Florida landed at No. 25, while SMU dropped out after losing 30-27 at Syracuse. Next week’s top matchups include No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 7 BYU at No. 3 Utah.