Alabama reclaimed the No. 1 ranking from Georgia in the AP Top 25 college football poll in one of the closest votes in recent years, and six teams made their season debut Sunday.
The Crimson Tide (5-0) received 25 first-place votes and 1,523 points, two more points than the Bulldogs (5-0). Georgia received 28 first-place votes to become the first team since Alabama in November 2019 to have the most first-place votes but not be No. 1. The Tide were No. 2 behind LSU that year, with 21 first-place votes to the Tigers' 17.
Until Sunday, the most recent time there was a two-point margin between the top two teams was Nov. 1, 2020, when Clemson was ahead of Alabama. There have been three other polls with a two-point margin at the top since 2007.
The closest margin between the top two teams in AP poll history is zero. Miami and Oklahoma tied for No. 1 in the 2002 preseason poll, and Miami and Washington shared the top spot in mid-October 1992. The most recent one-point margin was 1992, when the Hurricanes and the Huskies were separated by a point in the weeks before and after they were tied.
Ohio State (5-0) remained third Sunday, but the Buckeyes — who improved to 2-0 in Big Ten play with Saturday's 49-10 home win over Rutgers and have yet to hit the road this season — also gained some ground on Alabama and Georgia, receiving 10 first-place votes.
Alabama started the season at No. 1, but reigning national champ Georgia took the top spot away from its Southeastern Conference rival after the Tide needed a late field goal to win at Texas three weeks ago.
The Bulldogs needed a fourth-quarter rally Saturday night to beat four-touchdown underdog Missouri, 26-22, and improve to 2-0 in the SEC. Earlier in the day, the Tide also improved to 2-0 in the league, managing to pull away from host Arkansas in the second half and win 49-26 without Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young after the quarterback sprained his throwing shoulder early in the second quarter.
No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Clemson and No. 6 Southern California all won to reach 5-0 and held their places this week, though Michigan and Clemson are now separated by just three points.
Oklahoma State (4-0) is seventh, and idle Tennessee (4-0) — the Volunteers will visit LSU this week — Ole Miss (5-0) and Penn State (5-0) round out the top 10.
The rest of the poll got a major overhaul after 10 ranked teams lost, five to unranked opponents. That cleared the way for seven teams to move in this week, most notably No. 19 Kansas. The Big 12's Jayhawks (5-0) are ranked for the first time since Oct. 18, 2009, which was the longest drought for a team currently in a Power Five conference.
With Kansas back in the rankings, the longest drought belongs to Big Ten member Illinois, which was most recently ranked in 2011. However, the Fighting Illini have positioned themselves to make the leap with a 4-1 start heading into their home game against Iowa.
Next on the poll drought list are Rutgers, which last appeared in 2012, Oregon State (preseason 2013) and Vanderbilt (final 2013).
IN
The voters generally decided to start from scratch at the back half of the rankings, flipping seven teams.
— No. 17 TCU is ranked for the first time since a brief stay at 25th in 2019.
— No. 18 UCLA is off to its first 5-0 start since 2013.
— No. 19 Kansas stayed unbeaten by knocking off Iowa State. The Jayhawks had not been 5-0 since that 2009 season, when they proceeded to drop their next six games and fall to the bottom of major college football for more than a decade. They're one spot ahead of Kansas State (4-1), marking the first time both programs are ranked for the first time since Oct. 14, 2007.
— No. 22 Syracuse improved to 5-0 with an easy victory against Football Championship Subdivision foe Wagner. The Orange are ranked for the first time since early in the 2019 season.
— No. 23 Mississippi State has been ranked for only one week (after the first regular-season game of 2020) since the end of the 2018 season. The Bulldogs and rival Ole Miss are in the same poll for the first time since Nov. 11, 2015.
— No. 24 Cincinnati is the one team to enter the rankings this week that already had been in this season. The Bearcats fell out after dropping their opener at Arkansas but have won four straight since.
— No. 25 LSU has its first ranking under coach Brian Kelly, who left Notre Dame after the regular season last year to take over the Tigers. LSU has won four straight, including two SEC games, since losing a heartbreaker to Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Labor Day weekend.
OUT
Five of the seven teams that dropped out are unranked for the first time this season: Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and Texas A&M.
Florida State and Minnesota both lasted just one week in the poll, falling out with home losses.
CONFERENCE CALL
SEC: Seven (Nos. 1, 2, 8, 9, 13, 23, 25).
Pac-12: Five (Nos. 6, 11, 12, 18, 21).
ACC: Four (Nos. 5, 15, 16, 22).
Big 12: Four (Nos. 7, 17, 19, 20).
Big Ten: Three (Nos. 3, 4, 10).
American Athletic: One (No. 24).
Independent: One (No. 16).
RANKED vs. RANKED
No. 8 Tennessee at No. 25 LSU
No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas
No. 11 Utah at No. 18 UCLA