AP Top 25: Alabama Edges Up to No. 6, Missouri Surges 11 Spots Before Georgia Showdown
The Week 5 AP poll sees Alabama climb one spot, Missouri jump to No. 14, Florida tumble to No. 16 and Pittsburgh debut, with Alabama–Georgia next Saturday.
The latest AP Top 25 college football poll is out after Week 5, and the biggest storylines are Alabama's small step up, Missouri's big leap and Florida's sudden drop. Fans are searching for it because the shake-up sets the stage for a major SEC game between Alabama and Georgia.
What changed in the poll
Alabama moved up one place, from No. 7 to No. 6, after beating then-No. 16 Mississippi State 56-23. CBS Sports reports it was the most points a ranked home team had ever allowed in a regulation game in SEC history. Mississippi State slipped one spot to No. 17.
Missouri made the biggest climb. The Tigers went from No. 25 to No. 14 after their 45-17 win over Florida. ESPN notes it was Missouri's largest margin of victory over an AP Top 10 team in program history.
Florida paid the price, falling from No. 8 to No. 16. The Gators had been averaging 53.5 points per game before scoring just 17 against Missouri.
Iowa dropped six spots to No. 20 after a 31-14 loss to Ohio State.
Pittsburgh in, Kentucky out
Pittsburgh is the only newcomer to the poll. The Panthers are 5-0 after beating Virginia Tech on Friday night, and according to FOX Sports it was only the second time since 1991 that Pitt has started a season 5-0.
Kentucky fell out of the top 25 despite beating South Carolina in overtime. The Wildcats led the "others receiving votes" list with 160 points, followed by Wake Forest (142), Wisconsin (88), Duke (83) and Northwestern (59).
The unbeaten teams
ESPN notes that Texas had the week off, while unbeaten Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami and Indiana all won. Indiana has the longest active winning streak in the FBS at 21 games. Georgia has won 53 straight against teams unranked by the AP, the longest active streak in the FBS. Notre Dame has won 15 straight games, all by double digits.
Other results that shaped the week
Michigan lost for the second week in a row, falling on the road to Minnesota, according to FOX Sports. USC beat Washington 25-21 in a narrow win. Houston rallied from a 17-0 deficit to beat UCF 27-17.
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What it means for you
If you follow the SEC, the key date is next Saturday, Oct. 10, when Alabama hosts Georgia. Alabama has won the last two regular-season meetings, though Georgia took last year's SEC Championship Game, per CBS Sports. Check your local listings for kickoff time and channel, as neither was given in the sources. Rankings will shift again next week, with the Alabama–Georgia result likely to matter at the top.
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