AP Top 25 poll: Georgia climbs to No. 2 in college football rankings; Ohio State falls out of top 10

The Bulldogs are just behind No. 1 Miami in this week's AP Top 25 Nov 1, 2026 at 2:12 pm ET • 3 min read On the heels of Week 9, there are a few teams on the move in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 poll. After its 27-8 blowout win over rival Florida, Georgia has climbed back up to No. 2 in the poll released Sunday.The Bulldogs were all over the place on defense, forcing four turnovers and returning one of them for a touchdown. Perhaps that will serve as a springboard for Georgia down the stretch as it hunts for another national title. On the other side of that rivalry game, Florida sank to No. 25 with a third loss on its resume. Elsewhere, the voters clearly weren't interested in giving the Buckeyes any grace for starting a freshman quarterback against the Trojans. Now with two losses on the season, Ohio State is running out of wiggle room, and its new AP poll ranking reflects that. USC, on the other hand, climbs back into the poll at No. 18 as it has new life heading into the home stretch.Utah was a beneficiary of Ohio State's drop, rising to No. 3, and this weekend's Holy War is officially locked in as a top-10 matchup with BYU coming in at No. 7. Additionally, Saturday night's matchup between Notre Dame and Miami will be a top-four clash in South Bend. The Hurricanes remain at No. 1 after surviving a Halloween scare from North Carolina, and the Fighting Irish creep up to No. 4 on the strength of a dominant second half against Navy.The complete poll heading into Week 10 can be seen below.AP Top 25 pollRANKSCHOOLRECPTSLW1Miami (62)8-01,74012Georgia (7)7-11,64833Utah (1)8-01,54064Notre Dame7-11,47655UCLA8-01,47376Indiana8-11,44687BYU7-11,35888Kentucky7-11,25399Alabama6-21,1071010Texas6-21,0571111Ohio State6-21,0492012Ole Miss6-29531213Texas Tech7-19311314Wake Forest7-18981415LSU6-28141516Tennessee6-27191617Houston6-25901618USC7-25393119Missouri6-24751520Boise State7-14512021Iowa6-24012622New Mexico7-11792723South Carolina5-31631624Arizona6-21542225Florida5-39417Others receiving votes: Northwestern 79, Oregon 55, UTSA 43, SMU 27, Virginia Tech 12, Duke 10, Minnesota 8, Liberty 4, Oklahoma State 3, Louisville 1No sympathy for the BuckeyesIf you were wondering whether Ohio State would get the benefit of the doubt with Luke Fahey making his first career start in sloppy conditions, it did not. The Buckeyes now sit outside the top 10, and they still have some tricky games left the rest of the way. Looking ahead, it will be very interesting to see how the College Football Playoff committee views this team on Tuesday night. Will the Buckeyes get any grace for that loss with star quarterback Julian Sayin on the shelf due to injury. The last time a star quarterback was hurt for a College Football Playoff contender, undefeated Florida State was left out of the field in 2023 because Jordan Travis was out for the season.Can Georgia break the No. 2 curse?The No. 2 spot has been dangerous over the last few weeks. The second-ranked team has lost in three consecutive weeks -- Notre Dame, BYU and Ohio State. Georgia will try to buck that trend, but it won't be easy.The Bulldogs have to go on the road to play Ole Miss, and there are lingering questions about their passing game despite a lopsided victory over Florida. If Georgia is going to become the first No. 2 team to win since Oct. 10 (also Georgia), it will have to do one of two things. Either the Bulldogs defense will have to bottle up Trinidad Chambliss in Oxford, or Gunner Stockton will have to make some big throws on offense. History for New MexicoFollowing its win over San Jose, New Mexico has been ranked in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time in program history. It's a well-earned distinction for the Lobos after a 7-1 start has them eyeing a path to the College Football Playoff as the Group of Six participant. This is another feather in the cap of coach Jason Eck, who will be one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel this offseason.For now, the Lobos have to focus on running the table the rest of the way in hopes of supplanting Boise State as the highest-ranked Group of Six team.