Alabama and Clemson once again appear to be on a collision course for the College Football Playoff, and perhaps another national championship. While the potential matchup is still two months away, the Crimson Tide are gaining ground on the Tigers in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Though Clemson remains the No. 1 team -- as it has all season -- Alabama is now just two points behind overall with 29 first-place votes (1513 points) while Clemson has 33 (1515 points). Alabama breezed past Mississippi State 41-0 on Saturday while Clemson, without Trevor Lawrence, needed a second-half shutout to get past Boston College 34-28.
Similar to the Coaches Poll, the top 10 here looks mostly similar after Week 9, with only Oklahoma State falling out after its overtime loss to Texas. The Cowboys fell eight spots to No. 14, allowing BYU to move up into the top 10 at No. 9. Cincinnati takes over at No. 6 after its blowout win over Memphis.
North Carolina, Penn State and Kansas State all fell out of the rankings this week after losses. No. 22 Texas, No. 24 Auburn and No. 25 Liberty enter the latest rankings.
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Here's how the latest AP Top 25 poll looks:
1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Georgia
6. Cincinnati
7. Texas A&M
8. Florida
9. BYU
10. Wisconsin
11. MIami (FL)
12. Oregon
13. Indiana
14. Oklahoma State
15. Coastal Carolina
16. Marshall
17. Iowa State
18. SMU
19. Oklahoma
20. USC
21. Boise State
22. Texas
23. Michigan
24. Auburn
25. Liberty
Others receiving votes: Northwestern 106, Louisiana-Lafayette 101, North Carolina 92, Penn State 87, Tulsa 73, Army 57, Kansas State 51, West Virginia 44, Utah 44, Washington 21, Purdue 15, Virginia Tech 11, San Diego State 8, Arizona State 7, Appalachian State 6, Wake Forest 5, Michigan State 4, California 3
