Alabama once again claims top spot in AP Top 25 ranking
Boosted by a thrilling come-from-behind win against Georgia on Saturday evening, Alabama rose three positions to claim the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll after Week 5.
This marks the first time the Crimson Tide has held the No. 1 ranking since October 2, 2022. This latest poll also marks the 16th time in the last 17 seasons that Alabama has been ranked at the top. Under the leadership of Kalen DeBoer, who took over after Nick Saban's retirement, the team has now been ranked first 141 times, the most of any program since the AP rankings began in 1936.
In a noteworthy moment in football rankings history, UNLV made its debut in the poll and is tied with Texas A&M for the No. 25 spot. The Rebels achieved this feat after starting their Division I season with a perfect 4-0 record, including a 59-14 victory over Fresno State on Saturday with new starting quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams taking over for the departed Matthew Sluka.
Alabama received 40 out of 63 first-place votes, while former No. 1 Texas received 19 votes and dropped to the second spot after a 35-13 home win against Mississippi State.
Undefeated Ohio State received four first-place votes and now ranks third. Tennessee moved up one spot to fourth after a bye week, while Georgia fell from second to fifth.
The Bulldogs found themselves trailing 28-0 in the first half against the Tide, but managed to mount a comeback and take a late lead, only to lose it quickly and ultimately suffer a 41-34 defeat. This marks the third loss handed to Georgia by Alabama since 2021.
Ole Miss dropped six spots to No. 12 after suffering its first loss of the season, a 20-17 defeat at home against Kentucky. Utah also fell eight positions to No. 18 following a 23-10 loss to Arizona at home.
Louisville slid down seven spots to No. 22 after a 31-24 loss at Notre Dame, while Illinois dropped five positions after a 21-7 defeat at the hands of Penn State.
Here is the full AP Top 25 poll after Week 5:
No. 1 Alabama
No. 2 Texas
No. 3 Ohio State
No. 4 Tennessee
No. 5 Georgia
No. 6 Oregon
No. 7 Penn State
No. 8 Miami
No. 9 Missouri
No. 10 Michigan
No. 11 Southern California
No. 12 Ole Miss
No. 13 LSU
No. 14 Notre Dame
No. 15 Clemson
No. 16 Iowa State
No. 17 BYU
No. 18 Utah
No. 19 Oklahoma
No. 20 Kansas State
No. 21 Boise State
No. 22 Louisville
No. 23 Indiana
No. 24 Illinois
No. 25 UNLV
No. 25 Texas A&M
