Vols move into tie Buckeyes for No. 2 in AP poll

Tennessee moved into a necktie with Ohio State for No. 2 successful The Associated Press assemblage shot canvass Sunday to acceptable up a 1 vs. 2 matchup adjacent week with top-ranked Georgia.

Georgia-Tennessee volition beryllium the 25th regular-season crippled matching the apical 2 teams successful the AP poll, and the 3rd consecutive involving Southeastern Conference teams. Neither the Bulldogs nor the Volunteers person ever played successful a 1-2 crippled successful the regular season.

Georgia remained No. 1 for the 4th consecutive week, receiving 30 first-place votes and 1,528 points.

The Volunteers moved up a spot, receiving 18 first-place votes and 1,500 points to lucifer Ohio State. The Buckeyes received 15 first-place votes.

On Saturday, Tennessee routed Kentucky 44-6 and Ohio State won 44-31 astatine Penn State.

Tennessee has not been ranked this precocious since it was No. 2 successful 2001, a play the Vols finished fourth.

No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Clemson, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 TCU and No. 8 Oregon held their spots successful the rankings. USC moved up a spot to ninth and No. 10 UCLA gave the Pac-12 3 teams successful the top-10 for the archetypal clip since November 2016.

The archetypal College Football Playoff rankings of the play volition beryllium released Tuesday night.

POLL POINTS

The past 2 1-2 regular-season games some progressive Alabama and LSU.

The Tigers were No. 1 successful 2019 erstwhile they bushed the second-ranked Crimson Tide successful Tuscaloosa, Alabama, connected the mode to an SEC and nationalist championship.

In 2011, the top-ranked Tigers won astatine No. 2 Alabama successful overtime and the 2 SEC West rivals played again successful the BCS nationalist title game. The Tide won the rematch and finished No. 1.

Including postseason games, this volition beryllium the 53rd crippled matching AP's No. 1 and No. 2 since the canvass began successful 1936.

IN

Three teams are making determination play debuts connected the Top 25 this week.

- No. 23 Liberty is ranked for the archetypal clip since 2020, erstwhile the Flames were ranked for 8 weeks and peaked astatine No. 17 successful the last canvass of the season.

- No. 24 Oregon State becomes the latest Power Five schoolhouse to drawback a agelong lack from the rankings. The Beavers had not been ranked since they were No. 25 successful the 2013 preseason poll. They had not been ranked successful the regular play since 2012 erstwhile they finished 20th.

Earlier this twelvemonth Kansas broke a 13-year rankings drought, which had been the longest successful Power Five. Then Illinois broke the adjacent longest adust spell, moving into the rankings for the archetypal clip since 2011.

Rutgers presently holds the longest AP Top 25 drought among Power Five teams, dating backmost to 2012. Vanderbilt is next. The Commodores person not been ranked since the 2013 season.

- No. 25 UCF is ranked for the archetypal clip since Sept. 27, 2020.

OUT

SEC East rivals Kentucky and South Carolina some dropped retired of the canvass aft absorbing their 3rd losses of the season. The Gamecocks are retired aft conscionable 1 week ranked. The Wildcats are unranked for the archetypal clip this season.

Cincinnati besides dropped retired of the rankings aft losing to UCF.

CONFERENCE CALL

SEC - 5 (Nos. 1, 2, 6, 11, 15).

ACC - 5 (Nos. 5, 17, 20, 21, 22).

Pac-12 - 5 (Nos. 8, 9, 10, 12, 24).

Big Ten - 4 (Nos. 2, 4, 14, 16).

Big 12 - 3 (Nos. 7, 13, 18).

American - 2 (Nos. 19, 25).

Independent - 1 (No. 23).

RANKED vs. RANKED

Big play successful the SEC arsenic some part leads volition beryllium up for grabs.

No. 6 Alabama astatine No. 15 LSU. First ranked matchup for the Crimson Tide and Tigers since that 2019 1 vs. 2 game.

No. 20 Wake Forest astatine No. 21 North Carolina State. For the 2nd consecutive year, the Demon Deacons and Wolfpack volition conscionable arsenic ranked opponents.