Oregon remained the unanimous No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll Sunday after its close call at Wisconsin, while Notre Dame and Alabama each jumped up two spots and Georgia returned to the top 10.
The unbeaten Ducks are atop the AP Top 25 for the fifth straight week, passing Texas as the No. 1 team for the most polls this season. They received all 62 first-place votes for the third week in a row after scoring their fewest points in 37 games in their 16-13 win over Wisconsin.
Oregon also holds the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings and will attempt to complete its first perfect regular season since 2010 when it hosts Washington in two weeks.
The Ducks were followed in the AP poll by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana for the second straight week. The top five could be due for a shakeup this week with Indiana visiting Ohio State for one of the most anticipated games of the season.
Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee rounded out the top 10. Georgia got a three-rung promotion to No. 8 with its 31-17 win over Tennessee.
Ole Miss, which was idle Saturday, rose one spot, and Tennessee dropped four but stayed in the top 10.
The Big Ten again held four of the top five spots, and the SEC had five of the top 10.
BYU‘s 17-13 home loss to Kansas dropped the Cougars from No. 7 to No. 14 and put them in a first-place tie with Deion Sanders’ Colorado in the Big 12. The Buffaloes are No. 16.
A season-high four Group of 5 teams are in the Top 25. No. 12 Boise State remains the highest ranked of those programs and first in line for the guaranteed playoff spot. No. 23 UNLV joins Boise State as Top 25 Mountain West teams. No. 18 Army and No. 20 Tulane give the American Athletic Conference two ranked teams as well.
LSU, which dropped to 6-4 following its 27-16 loss at Florida for its third straight defeat, is out of the Top 25 for the first time since Oct. 16, 2022. The Tigers were ranked in 36 straight polls.
POLL POINTS
Oregon’s win over Wisconsin was its third by three points or fewer this season. The Ducks’ 16 points were their fewest since a 49-3 loss to Georgia in their 2022 opener.
Tulane went from No. 25 to No. 20 for the week’s biggest promotion. The Green Wave’s 35-0 win at Navy marked their first shutout of a conference opponent since 1960 and set up a matchup with No. 18 Army in the AAC championship game Dec. 6.
No. 16 Colorado has its highest ranking since it was No. 11 on Dec. 4, 2016, and No. 19 South Carolina has its highest since it was No. 13 on Sept. 21, 2014.
WHO’S IN; WHO’S OUT
No. 21 Arizona State is in the Top 25 for the first time since Oct. 10, 2021. The Sun Devils (8-2), who are coming off a win at Kansas State, have their most victories since 2021.
No. 22 Iowa State, which beat Cincinnati after two straight losses, is back following a one-week absence.
No. 23 UNLV, which was ranked for one week after a 4-0 start, has won four of its past five.
No. 24 Illinois makes its eighth appearance in the Top 25 this season, its most since 2001.
Missouri, Kansas State and Louisville joined LSU as teams knocked out of the rankings following losses.
No. 5 Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State: The magnitude of this game has increased with each week as the Hoosiers have rolled through 10 straight unranked opponents. Just how good are the Hoosiers? Finally, we find out.
No. 14 BYU at No. 21 Arizona State: The Sun Devils suddenly control their destiny thanks to Kansas’ win over the previously unbeaten Cougars. A win here moves Arizona State into a tie with BYU for first or second place in the Big 12 and holding the tiebreaker for entry to the conference championship game.
No. 18 Army vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (at Yankee Stadium): This is the first time since 1958 that both teams are ranked entering their meeting. Notre Dame (9-1) has won 15 in a row in the series since Army (9-0) won that game in ’58.
Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and is expected to make a full recovery after doctors detected the disease in its early stages, the school announced Friday.
Freeze, 55, will continue coaching the Tigers while receiving treatment, Auburn officials said in a statement.
“Recently, Coach Freeze was diagnosed with an early form of prostate cancer,” the statement said. “Thankfully, it was detected early and his doctors have advised that it is very treatable and curable. He will continue his normal coaching duties and responsibilities, and with forthcoming proper treatment, is expected to make a full recovery.
“Coach Freeze is incredibly appreciative of our medical professionals and has asked that we use his experience as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing and scheduling annual health screenings.”
The Tigers are scheduled to start spring practice March 25.
At Liberty, Freeze coached from a hospital bed set up in the coaches’ box during the Flames’ 24-0 loss to Syracuse in his debut on Aug. 31, 2019. Freeze was recovering from surgery for a herniated disk in his back and a staph infection.
AMES, Iowa — Jamie Pollard, the Iowa State athletic director since 2005, has received a five-year contract extension through 2030, the university announced Friday.
The Cyclones have had unprecedented success in the major sports in 2024-25. The football team had its first 11-win season and the ninth-ranked men’s basketball team has been in the top 10 all season and achieved its highest ranking since 1956-57 when it reached No. 3 in December.
Terms of Pollard’s contract will be announced later, the school said.
“I am humbled to have had the opportunity to lead our athletics program for the past 20 years,” said Pollard, who thanked the administration for its support. “We have an amazing culture in our athletics program, led by our talented and dedicated coaches and staff. Although our industry is undergoing transformational change, I am confident our department will successfully embrace these challenges with the same energy and urgency that has proven to be successful in the past.”
Pollard, the nation’s third-longest serving Power 4 athletic director, has overseen $340 million in new construction and facility renovations. Since 2011-12, and excluding the 2020-21 pandemic year, ISU is the only school in the nation to have average attendances over 50,000 in football, 12,000 in men’s basketball and 9,000 in women’s basketball.
College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.
Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler is leaving the school after six seasons to become quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Loeffler, 50, went 27-41 at Bowling Green but led the Falcons to bowl appearances in each of the past three seasons, posting a 16-10 record in MAC play during the span.
He will replace Doug Nussmeier, who left the Eagles with Kellen Moore to become the New Orleans Saints‘ offensive coordinator. Loeffler will work under new Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who had been the team’s passing game coordinator and associate head coach.
“Scot has been dedicated to not only BGSU Football, but to all our student-athletes and BGSU Athletics, as well as our Falcon Marching Band and spirit programs,” university president Rodney Rogers said in a statement. “He cares deeply about player development and student success, and we wish him all the best as he continues his coaching career in the NFL with the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles.”
Loeffler returns to the NFL for the first time since 2008, when he coached quarterbacks for the Detroit Lions. A former Michigan quarterback, Loeffler coached QBs at his alma mater from 2002 to 2007 and also with Central Michigan and Florida. He first became an offensive coordinator with Temple in 2011 and made coordinator stops with Auburn, Virginia Tech and Boston College before landing his first head-coaching opportunity at Bowling Green.
The coaching change means Bowling Green players now have a 30-day window to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The Falcons had already lost three All-MAC performers to the portal in December in running back Terion Stewart (Virginia Tech), offensive tackle Alex Wollschlaeger (Kentucky) and linebacker Joseph Sipp Jr. (Kansas). Bowling Green also is losing record-setting tight end Harold Fannin Jr. to the NFL draft.
Athletic director Derek van der Merwe will lead the search for Loeffler’s replacement. In a statement, Van der Merwe praised Loeffler for building “a very successful program in a challenging climate in collegiate sports.
“I am looking forward to this process of finding the next great leader for our program who embraces what it means to be a Falcon,” Van der Merwe added.