By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Author
Tennessee moved right into a tie with Ohio State for No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday to establish a 1 vs. 2 matchup next week with top-ranked Georgia.
Georgia-Tennessee shall be the twenty fifth regular-season game matching the highest two teams within the AP poll, and the third straight involving Southeastern Conference teams. Neither the Bulldogs nor the Volunteers have ever played in a 1-2 game within the regular season.
Georgia remained No. 1 for the fourth straight 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 match Ohio State. The Buckeyes received 15 first-place votes.
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On Saturday, Tennessee routed Kentucky 44-6 and Ohio State won 44-31 at Penn State.
Tennessee has not been ranked this high because it was No. 2 in 2001, a season the Vols finished fourth.
No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Clemson, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 TCU and No. 8 Oregon held their spots within the rankings. USC moved up a spot to ninth and No. 10 UCLA gave the Pac-12 three teams within the top-10 for the primary time since November 2016.
The primary College Football Playoff rankings of the season shall be released Tuesday night.
The last two 1-2 regular-season games each involved Alabama and LSU.
The Tigers were No. 1 in 2019 after they beat the second-ranked Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on the option to an SEC and national championship.
In 2011, the top-ranked Tigers won at No. 2 Alabama in extra time and the 2 SEC West rivals played again within the BCS national championship game. The Tide won the rematch and finished No. 1.
Including postseason games, this shall be the 53rd game matching AP’s No. 1 and No. 2 for the reason that poll began in 1936.
Three teams are making there season debuts on the Top 25 this week.
— No. 23 Liberty is ranked for the primary time since 2020, when the Flames were ranked for eight weeks and peaked at No. 17 in the ultimate poll of the season.
— No. 24 Oregon State becomes the newest Power Five school to snap a protracted absence from the rankings. The Beavers had not been ranked since they were No. 25 within the 2013 preseason poll. They’d not been ranked within the regular season since 2012 after they finished twentieth.
Earlier this yr Kansas broke a 13-year rankings drought, which had been the longest in Power Five. Then Illinois broke the following longest dry spell, moving into the rankings for the primary time since 2011.
Rutgers currently holds the longest AP Top 25 drought amongst Power Five teams, dating back to 2012. Vanderbilt is next. The Commodores haven’t been ranked for the reason that 2013 season.
— No. 25 UCF is ranked for the primary time since Sept. 27, 2020.
SEC East rivals Kentucky and South Carolina each dropped out of the poll after absorbing their third losses of the season. The Gamecocks are out after only one week ranked. The Wildcats are unranked for the primary time this season.
Cincinnati also dropped out of the rankings after losing to UCF.
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).
Big weekend within the SEC as each division leads shall be up for grabs.
No. 6 Alabama at No. 15 LSU. First ranked matchup for the Crimson Tide and Tigers since that 2019 1 vs. 2 game.
No. 20 Wake Forest at No. 21 North Carolina State. For the second straight yr, the Demon Deacons and Wolfpack will meet as ranked opponents.
Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com
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