Ohio State Falls to No. 11 as UCLA and New Mexico Post Historic Rankings

Ohio State dropped to No. 11 in the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday, marking the first time the Buckeyes have fallen out of the top 10 since September 26, 2021. The decline followed a 30-18 loss to Southern California, which extended a streak where the No. 1 or No. 2 team lost to an unranked opponent for the fourth consecutive week.

UCLA entered the top five for the first time in 25 years, while New Mexico earned its first ranking in program history. The Bruins reached No. 5 after a 27-0 shutout of Nevada, their first 8-0 start under first-year coach Bob Chesney since 2005. New Mexico, playing football since 1892, landed at No. 22 after a 21-16 win at San Jose State, its first 7-1 start since 1982.

Miami remained the No. 1 team for the third straight week following a 38-35 victory over North Carolina. The Hurricanes received 62 of 70 first-place votes from the media panel. Georgia moved up to No. 2 and Utah held the No. 3 spot, followed by Notre Dame and UCLA. Indiana slipped to No. 6 after an overtime win over Minnesota, while BYU, Kentucky, Alabama, and Texas completed the top 10.

USC returned to the poll at No. 18 after beating Ohio State, a victory described as the biggest of head coach Lincoln Riley's five seasons. Iowa re-entered the rankings at No. 21 following a 30-0 win over Wisconsin. South Carolina ranked at No. 23 after winning three consecutive games, its first ranking since September 2025.

The conference breakdown shows the SEC with ten ranked teams, led by Georgia at No. 2. The Big 12 has five teams, including Utah at No. 3 and BYU at No. 7. The Big Ten lists five teams, with UCLA at No. 5 and Ohio State at No. 11. The ACC has two ranked teams, the independent Notre Dame at No. 5, the Pac-12 has Boise State at No. 20, and the Mountain West has New Mexico at No. 22.