In a shocking turn of events, the Associated Press college football poll saw a major overhaul this week, with Texas reclaiming the No. 1 spot after a brief hiatus. This dramatic shift followed Vanderbilt's unexpected victory over Alabama, a win that sent shockwaves through the rankings and dropped the Crimson Tide from the top position to No. 7.

This week's rankings saw Texas, which had the week off, securing 52 out of 61 first-place votes. Remarkably, the Longhorns are the first team in two years to alternate between rankings in three consecutive polls. They also became just the third team since 2008 to be voted No. 1 without playing the previous weekend.

Meanwhile, Ohio State maintained its upward trajectory, moving up to No. 2 after defeating Iowa for their fourth straight win, garnering nine first-place votes along the way. Oregon surged to No. 3, while Penn State climbed to No. 4, and Georgia held steady at No. 5.

Another team making headlines was Miami, which pulled off an astonishing comeback against California, overcoming a 25-point deficit to win 39-38, moving the Hurricanes up to No. 6 in the rankings.

The chaos extended beyond Alabama, with six teams from the Top 25 suffering defeats against unranked opponents—this accounts for a staggering 33% of the ranked teams, marking the highest rate since October 2020. Among the high-profile losers were Tennessee, which dropped from No. 4 to No. 8 after falling to Arkansas; Michigan, which plummeted from No. 10 to No. 24 after losing to Washington; and USC, which was knocked out of the Top 25 after losing to Minnesota.

Texas A&M, meanwhile, enjoyed a significant boost in the rankings after defeating Missouri, rising from a tie for No. 25 to No. 15. This key victory saw Missouri tumble from No. 9 to No. 21.

Poll Highlights:

The Big Ten conference dominates the top five rankings, while the SEC still lays claim to a significant portion of the Top 10, with teams like Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee featured prominently.

In a noteworthy statistical anomaly, three teams—Missouri, Michigan, and USC—experienced double-digit drops in the rankings, marking the first time since 2016 that such a dramatic decline occurred simultaneously for multiple teams.

On the rise, Texas A&M, Clemson, and Iowa State made impressive gains, with Texas A&M showing especially strong performance.

Who's Making Moves:

SMU made its way back into the rankings at No. 25 thanks to a road win over Louisville, and Pittsburgh also made a splash by starting the season 5-0 and entering the rankings at No. 22.

Unfortunately, USC has fallen out of the Top 25 following a rough start to their Big Ten season, and UNLV's first-ever appearance in the rankings was cut short by a loss to Syracuse.

Conference Breakdown:

- **SEC:** 9 teams (Ranks 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, T-18, 21) - **Big Ten:** 6 teams (Ranks 2, 3, 4, T-18, 23, 24) - **Big 12:** 4 teams (Ranks T-11, 14, 16, T-18) - **ACC:** 4 teams (Ranks 6, 10, 22, 25) - **Mountain West:** 1 team (Rank 17) - **Independent:** 1 team (Rank T-11)