AP Top 25: Texas returns to top 10 weeks before College Football Playoff

News Correspondent
AP Top 25: Texas returns to top 10 weeks before College Football Playoff image

The latest Associated Press Top 25 college football poll featured one of the most significant shakeups of the season, with 19 teams landing in new positions and Texas climbing back into the top 10.

However, the top five remained unchanged with No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Georgia. The Buckeyes, Hoosiers and Aggies each stayed unbeaten, while Alabama and Georgia set up a major SEC collision course with Texas entering the mix. 

No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 7 Oregon swapped places after the Ducks’ late field goal win over Iowa. Texas Tech jumped to No. 8 following a 29-7 victory against BYU, with kicker Stone Harrington’s five field goals setting a school record. Notre Dame moved to No. 9, and Texas, the preseason No. 1 team, climbed three spots to No. 10 ahead of next week’s high-stakes matchup with Georgia.

The poll also saw new entries with No. 23 Pittsburgh, No. 24 James Madison and No. 25 South Florida. JMU’s 35-23 win over Marshall boosted the Dukes’ chances at the Group of Five’s College Football Playoff berth, while USF re-entered after a 55-23 rout of UTSA.

In the ACC, Virginia’s 16-9 loss to Wake Forest and Louisville’s 29-26 overtime defeat to California dealt setbacks in the conference title race, improving Georgia Tech’s path toward being in Charlotte. 

Here's the entire AP Top 25 College Football Poll for Week 12.

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

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News Correspondent