ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia is No. 1 in the Top 25 for the first time since Sept. 8, 2024, after the Bulldogs’ 20-17 road win at Alabama and Texas’ upset loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.
The Bulldogs had sat at No. 2 for five straight polls while rolling through five lopsided wins. They received 66 first-place votes from the 70-member media panel after their first victory in Tuscaloosa since 2014.
Notre Dame moved up one spot to No. 2 after a 58-7 rout of Stanford and drew one first-place vote. Miami is No. 3 with two first-place votes, followed by Ohio State and Indiana. Alabama remained No. 6 despite the loss to Georgia.
Texas dropped six spots to No. 7 after falling to rival Oklahoma. Oregon tumbled out of the rankings for the first time in four years after a second loss in the past month, a 17-15 home defeat to UCLA that dropped the Ducks to 3-2.
UCLA jumped nine spots to No. 12 after forcing turnovers in the Oregon upset. Kentucky reentered the poll at No. 15 after a 35-34 overtime win over LSU, which plunged from No. 10 to No. 22. Northwestern debuted at No. 25.
Georgia’s climb resets the College Football Playoff conversation inside the SEC as the Bulldogs prepare for Auburn. Separate composite rankings this week also placed Georgia first after the Alabama win, underscoring a broad consensus at the top of the sport.
For Georgia fans, the poll is validation of a 5-0 start that already includes a signature road win in Tuscaloosa, with the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry next on the schedule in Athens.
The poll snapshot freezes a chaotic weekend in which Georgia was the only unbeaten SEC power left standing at the top after previously ranked contenders stumbled.
