AUSTIN (KXAN) — Behind the strength of a 41-34 win over Georgia, the Alabama Crimson Tide jumped the Texas Longhorns for No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 college football rankings.
Alabama rose three spots to claim the top ranking with Texas settling in at No. 2. Alabama received 40 first-place votes and 1,549 points overall while the Longhorns received 19 first-place votes and 1,525 points. In the USA Today coaches poll, Texas rose to the top spot and Alabama was right behind in second.
The Longhorns took a while to get it going against Mississippi State in a 35-13 win to open Southeastern Conference play Saturday while the Crimson Tide built a 30-7 lead over Georgia before the Bulldogs mounted a furious comeback effort. Alabama hung on for dear life and needed an interception in the end zone with less than a minute remaining to seal the victory at home.
Ohio State, Tennessee and Georgia rounded out the top five. Georgia fell three spots after the loss. The Buckeyes are the only non-SEC team in the top five.
Oregon, Penn State, Miami (Fla.), Missouri and Michigan are the next five teams in the rankings. Utah fell eight spots to No. 18 after a 23-10 loss to Arizona and Louisville dropped seven slots to No. 22 after losing to Notre Dame 31-24. Mississippi dropped six places to No. 12 after a 20-17 loss to Kentucky.
BYU moved up five spots to No. 17 after a 34-28 win over Baylor in Waco and Boise State jumped four to No. 21 behind Ashton Jeanty’s big rushing night in a 45-24 win over Washington State.
Indiana and UNLV jumped into the poll at Nos. 23 and 25, respectively. It’s the first time in program history the Rebels have been ranked. Texas A&M and Oklahoma State fell out of the rankings.