Poll preview: Rankings may see little change in top 10; No. 13 Gators' loss to USF biggest surprise

Posted 8:33PM on Saturday 6th September 2025 ( 1 day ago )

Chaos gave way to calm, mostly, in The Associated Press Top 25.

A week after four losses by top-10 teams set off a rankings shuffle that kept only three teams in their same spots, Saturday was marked by blowouts and one notable upset with South Florida knocking off No. 13 Florida 18-16 on the road.

No. 1 Ohio State, a 70-0 winner over Grambling, was among three Top 25 teams to score 70 points against overmatched opponents and two other teams hung 60.

No. 2 Penn State shook off a slow start to beat Florida International 34-0 and No. 4 Georgia beat FCS Austin Peay 28-6 in a game that had a nearly two-hour weather delay beginning at halftime.

No. 17 SMU was the only other ranked team to lose, going down 48-45 to Baylor in two overtimes.

Look for them to move up

— No. 14 Florida State followed up its win over Alabama with a 77-3 rout of FCS East Texas A&M and likely will move ahead of Florida.

— No. 19 Texas A&M turned in a solid performance in a 44-22 win over Utah State and could be in line for a promotion.

Look for them to drop

— Florida had won five straight before losing to USF.

— SMU squandered a two-touchdown lead in the last eight minutes of regulation and lost 48-45 to unranked Baylor.

Wild cards

— No. 6 Oregon's 69-3 romp over Oklahoma State set a Ducks record for margin of victory against a power-conference opponent.

— No. 11 Illinois got points on five straight possessions to start the second half and put away Duke 45-19 for its most lopsided nonconference road win since 2001. The Illini are in line for only their second top-10 ranking since 1991.

— No. 16 Iowa State is 3-0 for a second straight year thanks to a pair of three-point wins, with its 16-13 win over Iowa on Saturday coming two weeks after its 24-21 win over Kansas State in Ireland.

Knocking on door?

— South Florida, which opened the season with an easy win over Boise State, should crack the ratings after beating a second straight ranked opponent.

— Georgia Tech, which was three spots out of the Top 25, won 59-12 over FCS Gardner-Webb without starting quarterback Haynes King. He was held out with a lower body injury.

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South Florida wide receiver Keshaun Singleton (11) celebrates his 66-yard touchdown against Florida with quarterback Byrum Brown (17) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz takes a snap against Grambling State during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Penn State defensive end Enai White (45) celebrates after sacking Florida International quarterback Keyone Jenkins (1) during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

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