Tennessee crept up to a tie for No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll this week ahead of an epic SEC on CBS Game of the Week showdown between the Volunteers and No. 1 Georgia on Saturday. Ohio State is also tied for second in the poll as both the Buckeyes and Volunteers finished with 1,500 points in the voting.
The last two meetings between No. 1 and No. 2 came between Alabama and LSU. In 2019, then-No. 1 LSU beat then-No. 2 Alabama on the way to a national championship. The top-ranked Tigers also beat Alabama in 2011 before the Crimson Tide got revenge in the BCS Championship game. Ironically, the Crimson Tide and Tigers play this week.
The top three teams continued to split the first-place votes as Georgia received 30, Tennessee received 18 and Ohio State 15. Michigan and Clemson round out this week's top five while Alabama stayed at No. 6 ahead of unbeaten TCU, which stayed at No. 7 even after a road win over West Virginia.
While the Georgia vs. Tennessee game is expected to decide the SEC East, the SEC West could be at stake in another top-15 matchup as the Crimson Tide travel to face No. 15 LSU. The Tigers moved up three spots in the poll despite being off in Week 9. Though No. 11 Ole Miss is still a factor in the division, the Alabama-LSU winner will have a great shot at representing the division in the SEC title game.
UCLA and USC are both in the top 10 of the poll, which gives the Pac-12 three top-10 teams this week with Oregon staying put at No. 8, USC rising one spot to No. 9 and UCLA rising two spots to No. 10. Oregon State cracked the poll this week for the first time since 2013 as the Beavers (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) came in at No. 24 despite coming off a bye.
Here's a look at the entire top 25 college football rankings as voted on by the AP Top 25 panel. First-place votes are in parenthesis.
AP Top 25
1. Georgia (30)
T2. Ohio State (15)
T2. Tennessee (18)
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. Alabama
7. TCU
8. Oregon
9. USC
10. UCLA
11. Ole Miss
12. Utah
13. Kansas State
14. Illinois
15. LSU
16. Penn State
17. North Carolina
18. Oklahoma State
19. Tulane
20. Wake Forest
21. NC State
22. Syracuse
23. Liberty
24. Oregon State
25. UCF
Also receiving votes: Texas 58, Kentucky 57, Maryland 36, Cincinnati 32, Notre Dame 24, Washington 12, Arkansas 11, Baylor 9, Coastal Carolina 8, Florida State 8, Troy 7, Mississippi State 5, Boise State 4, East Carolina 2, South Carolina 2, Louisville 1, UTSA 1