Tennessee rose three spots to No. 3 in this week’s AP Top 25 after the Volunteers upset Alabama 52-49 on Saturday for their first victory over the Crimson Tide since 2006. The rise continues a storybook start to the season for the Vols after second-year coach Josh Heupel’s team began the year unranked. With wins over Pittsburgh, Florida, LSU and Alabama, four of Tennessee’s six wins have come against teams who were ranked at the time of the matchup.
That resume is among the most impressive bodies of work by any team in college football, but No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Ohio State are still ahead of Tennessee in a tight race for the top spot after impressive starts of their own. The Bulldogs received 31 first-place votes while Ohio State and Tennessee received 17 and 15, respectively.
Alabama fell to No. 6 after its first loss of the season, marking the Crimson Tide’s lowest ranking since finishing the 2019 season ranked No. 8. Ole Miss rose two spots to No. 7 following its 48-34 win over Auburn to give the SEC four of the poll’s top seven teams.
AP Top 25
1. Georgia (31)
2. Ohio State (17)
3. Tennessee (15)
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. Alabama
7. Ole Miss
8. TCU
9. UCLA
10. Oregon
11. Oklahoma State
12. USC
13. Wake Forest
14. Syracuse
15. Utah
16. Penn State
17. Kansas State
18. Illinois
19. Kentucky
20. Texas
21. Cincinnati
22. North Carolina
23. NC State
24. Mississippi State
25. Tulane