While Week 8 of the college football season didn't have the same number of upsets as last week, Ohio State's 49-20 loss to Purdue has shuffled the top 10. The Buckeyes fell nine spots, landing at No. 11, behind teams like UCF, Florida and Oklahoma. And, as luck would have it, Ohio State's loss was Michigan's gain. The Wolverines moved up to No. 5 from No. 6 last week after ending their 17-game road losing streak against ranked teams by beating Michigan State 21-7. The biggest climber in the poll this week was Washington State. The Cougars jumped 11 spots to No. 14 after beating Oregon 34-20. The Ducks dropped seven spots to No. 19 with the loss. Check out the full AP Top 25 poll below: Others Receiving Votes: Texas Tech 54, Utah St. 50, San Diego St. 48, Fresno St. 35, Miami 34, Virginia 25, Houston 19, Purdue 17, Michigan St. 8, Cincinnati 7, Auburn 5, Mississippi St. 2, Boston College 2, UAB 1<doc-sep>Clemson is back at No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll behind top-ranked Alabama, moving up to where it started, after a convincing victory and Ohio State's first loss of the season. The Crimson Tide are a unanimous No. 1, with all 61 first-place votes, for the first time this season. Ohio State tumbled nine spots to No. 11 after being upset by Purdue. AP Top 25 - Week 9 1. Alabama (8-0) 2. Clemson (7-0) 3. Notre Dame (7-0) 4. LSU (7-1) 5. Michigan (7-1) 6. Texas (6-1) 7. Georgia (6-1) 8. Oklahoma (6-1) 9. Florida (6-1) 10. UCF (7-0) 11. Ohio State (7-1) 12. Kentucky (6-1) 13. West Virginia (5-1) 14. Washington State (6-1) 15. Washington (6-2) 16. Texas A&M (5-2) 17. Penn State (5-2) 18. Iowa (6-1) 19. Oregon (5-2) 20. Wisconsin (5-2) 21. South Florida (7-0) 22. NC State (5-1) 23. Utah (5-2) 24. Stanford (5-2) 25. Appalachian State (5-1) More details Coming off a lopsided win against NC State, Clemson rose one spot to replace the Buckeyes. Clemson trailed only Alabama in the preseason rankings, but a couple of close wins in September -- combined with seemingly impressive performances by other highly ranked teams -- dragged Clemson to as low as No. 4. Notre Dame is No. 3 and LSU is No. 4, setting the stage for a top-five matchup between the Tigers and Crimson Tide in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Nov. 3. Both have an open date this week. Michigan rounds out the top five after beating Michigan State. No. 25 Appalachian State is ranked in the AP poll for the first time in school history. The Mountaineers (5-1) have not lost since opening the season with an overtime defeat at Penn State. App State transitioned to the FBS, the highest level of Division I football, in 2014 after years as an FCS power. Under former coach Jerry Moore, the Mountaineers were a regular playoff participant. The program peaked in the mid-2000s, winning three straight FCS (Division I-AA) championships from 2005 to 2007. And, most memorably, App State pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in college football history against Michigan in 2007. Moore retired after the 2012 season and was replaced by former App State quarterback and assistant coach Scott Satterfield. The move up in class and into the Sun Belt has been practically seamless. The Mountaineers are 46-23 under Satterfield, with two Sun Belt titles. The only other Sun Belt team to ever be ranked was Troy on Nov. 13, 2016. This season's team was expected to contend for another conference championship. A case could be made that it is exceeding even those high expectations after replacing four-year starting quarterback Taylor Lamb and much of its defensive front seven. Since falling to Penn State, the Mountaineers have outscored their opponents 231-49. Elsewhere in the poll, No. 14 Washington State was the only big mover to rise in the rankings this week, jumping 11 spots after beating Oregon, which fell seven spots to No. 19. No. 22 NC State fell six spots after losing for the first time this season. No. 23 Utah is ranked for the first time this season, making it five straight years the Utes started the season unranked but moved into the rankings at some point. From 2014-16, Utah started the season outside the Top 25 but finished it ranked. Utah has won three straight, scoring at least 40 points in each game. No. 24 Stanford is back in the rankings after falling out two weeks ago, while Michigan State and Mississippi State fell out of the rankings again after losing for the third time this season. And Cincinnati's first loss of the season, in overtime to Temple, cost the Bearcats their first ranking since 2012.<doc-sep>One of the big takeaways from Week 8 in college football was the national realization that we are on a collision course with a fourth-straight meeting between Alabama and Clemson in the College Football Playoff. It's not so much that Clemson now occupies the No. 2 spot in the Coaches Poll, moving into that position after Ohio State dropped to No. 9 following its loss on the road at Purdue. The Tigers didn't just win against NC State in a battle of the last two unbeaten teams in the ACC, they flexed their status as the league power. Clemson's defensive line delivered the kind of dominant performance we expect from a group that has four top NFL talents in the starting lineup, and Trevor Lawrence showed even more progression after getting a week off to continue his development as the team's starting quarterback. Alabama, of course, held its position atop the poll following a record-setting thrashing of rival Tennessee, and the Tigers are followed by Notre Dame, LSU and Michigan in the top five. Washington State made one of the biggest moves up in the Coaches Poll, landing at No. 15. The new arrivals to the top 25 following some shake up near the back of the rankings were Utah and Miami. Check out the full Coaches Poll top 25 below: Others receiving votes: Appalachian State (78); Utah State (63); San Diego State (62); Cincinnati (30); Houston (30); Fresno State (22); Mississippi State (18); Virginia (17); Auburn (13); Buffalo (9); Colorado (9); Texas Tech (8); Army (8); Duke (8); Purdue (7); UAB (6); South Carolina (5); Virginia Tech (4); Syracuse (3); Georgia Southern (2); Michigan State (1)<doc-sep>Don Feria/Associated Press The top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 and Amway Coaches Polls largely remained unchanged heading into Week 10. The Texas Longhorns were the highest-ranked team to lose in Week 9. They fell 38-35 on the road to the Oklahoma State Cowboys and tumbled to 15th in both polls as a result. The Utah Utes were the biggest movers upward after they cruised past the UCLA Bruins 41-10 last Friday. They climbed to 16th, seven and eight spots higher, respectively, in the AP and Coaches Polls. In total, the AP and Coaches Polls each saw seven teams move into the Top 25 after being unranked in Week 9, highlighting how tightly packed the Power Five conferences are after looking past the elite squads. Here's a look at the two polls. Week 10 Polls Video Play Button Videos you might like AP Top 25 1. Alabama (8-0) 2. Clemson (8-0) 3. Notre Dame (8-0) 4. LSU (7-1) 5. Michigan (7-1) 6. Georgia (7-1) 7. Oklahoma (7-1) 8. Ohio State (7-1) 9. UCF (7-0) 10. Washington State (7-1) 11. Kentucky (7-1) 12. West Virginia (6-1) 13. Florida (6-2) 14. Penn State (6-2) 15. Texas (6-2) 16. Utah (6-2) 17. Houston (7-1) 18. Utah State (7-1) 19. Iowa (6-2) 20. Fresno State (7-1) 21. Mississippi State (5-3) 22. Syracuse (6-2) 23. Virginia (6-2) 24. Boston College (6-2) 25. Texas A&M (5-3) Amway Coaches Poll 1. Alabama (8-0) 2. Clemson (8-0) 3. Notre Dame (8-0) 4. LSU (7-1) T5. Michigan (7-1) T5. Georgia (7-1) 7. Oklahoma (7-1) 8. Ohio State (7-1) 9. UCF (7-0) 10. West Virginia (6-1) 11. Washington State (7-1) 12. Kentucky (7-1) 13. Penn State (6-2) 14. Florida (6-2) 15. Texas (6-2) 16. Utah (6-2) 17. Houston (7-1) 18. Iowa (6-2) 19. Washington (6-3) 20. Utah State (7-1) 21. Mississippi State (5-3) 22. Virginia (6-2) 23. Fresno State (7-1) 24. Syracuse (6-2) 25. Boston College (6-2) College football writers are giving the Washington State Cougars their just rewards by putting them in the Top 10. The Cougars scored 41 points and gained 497 yards against a Stanford Cardinal defense that has otherwise been solid for the most part in 2018. Skeptics have had good reason to question Washington State's credentials. The Cougars didn't beat any good non-conference foes and lost to a USC Trojans squad that doesn't equal the sum of its parts. Since that defeat, though, Washington State has reeled off quality wins over Utah, Stanford and the Oregon Ducks. Washington State still has work to do to warrant stronger playoff consideration but is at least being recognized properly. Nobody will be rooting harder for the Cougars to slip up than the UCF Knights, who didn't play in Week 9 but benefited from Texas and the Florida Gators losing. Bleacher Report's David Kenyon looked at the numerous steps required for UCF to actually quality for the College Football Playoff. A two-loss Pac-12 champion is one of those things necessary for the Knights to get into the Top Four. As much as Kenyon and others may want to root for chaos in the playoff, the home stretch of the regular season is shaping up to be generally predictable. The Alabama Crimson Tide are head and shoulders above everybody else in FBS and have the potential to be among the most dominant teams in college football history. Neither the Clemson Tigers nor the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are at that level but have relatively easy schedules the rest of the way. They should end the regular season unbeaten, at which point they would be locks for the playoff. And a one-loss Clemson might still impress the selection committee enough to get into the semifinals. That would leave one opening for the Big 12, Pac-12 or Big Ten, all of whom look to have at least one worthy playoff contender. Week 10 could go some way toward putting the dominoes in place for UCF's unlikely playoff bid. There are four games that pit two Top 15 opponents against one another. The No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers could see their playoff bubbles burst if they suffer a second defeat. The same could prove true of the fourth-ranked LSU Tigers if they lose to Alabama by a wide margin. This time next week, fans should have a little more clarity on the likely playoff field.<doc-sep>
Let's take a look at the last AP Top 25 poll of October: RANK SCHOOL RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS 1 Alabama (60) 8-0 1,500 1 2 Clemson 8-0 1,433 2 3 Notre Dame 8-0 1,374 3 4 LSU 7-1 1,317 4 5 Michigan 7-1 1,240 5 6 Georgia 7-1 1,202 7 7 Oklahoma 7-1 1,132 8 8 Ohio State 7-1 1,022 11 9 UCF 7-0 1,014 10 10 Washington State 7-1 938 14 11 Kentucky 7-1 905 12 12 West Virginia 6-1 891 13 13 Florida 6-2 734 9 14 Penn State 6-2 733 17 15 Texas 6-2 719 6 16 Utah 6-2 593 23 17 Houston 7-1 403 NR 18 Utah State 7-1 340 NR 19 Iowa 6-2 323 18 20 Fresno State 7-1 261 NR 21 Mississippi State 5-3 204 NR 22 Syracuse 6-2 192 NR 23 Virginia 6-2 175 NR 24 Boston College 6-2 169 NR 25 Texas A&M 5-3 132 16 All things considered it was a fairly tame week, as the top five teams stayed the same. But Georgia notched a huge win over Florida on Saturday and rose one spot to No. 6. While the Bulldogs didn’t make up a ton of ground in the poll, it was still a significant win. No. 4 LSU has to play Alabama next week. Even though the Tigers beat the Bulldogs, Georgia’s win over Florida may mean it would jump a two-loss LSU in the event that it falls to Alabama. That’s not a foregone conclusion, of course. But it’s something to keep in mind. LSU still might stay ahead of Georgia if it loses, but the Florida win gives the Bulldogs a fighting shot. MORE: 5 Week 9 outcomes that could affect the CFP picture Washington State was another team that rose. The Cougars are up to No. 10 after taking care of Stanford. Washington State is likely the Pac-12’s only shot at sending a team to the College Football Playoff. Minshew leads Washington State in last-minute win Gardner Minshew has been a revelation under center. He threw for 438 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday and now has a 26:6 touchdown to interception ratio on the year. While the Cougars have a lot of ground to make up to leap into the top four, they’re a scary group right now. The offense is absolutely lethal, with playmakers everywhere you look. Ohio State rejoined the top 10 after a bye week as a result of a few teams ahead of the Buckeyes losing. One of them was Florida, which dropped four spots to No. 13. That feels a little harsh after losing to Georgia, but not much separates teams eight through 15 or so. Texas, which is the 15th team, had a really tough loss to Oklahoma State. The Longhorns were the Big 12’s most likely Playoff team coming into the week. As it always seems to turn out, that distinction now belongs to Oklahoma. Again, falling nine spots for losing to a good Oklahoma State team may seem excessive, but the competition is real in that part of the poll. Kentucky gets the win on the last play of the game Moving on down the rankings, a bunch of new teams joined the AP Top 25 this week. Seven, to be exact, which is the most in one week since 1989. MORE: College football's top 25 re-ranked by offensive line weight It’s quite impressive that No. 17 Houston and No. 18 Utah State went from unranked to inside the top 20 in a week, but that’s how good both of those schools have been lately. The Cougars put 57(!) points on then-No. 21 South Florida on Saturday, while Utah State put up 61 on New Mexico. It’s safe to say both of those offenses are in midseason form. Fresno State, another Group of Five school, is ranked 20th. It’s the time of year where Power Five teams are beating each other up week after week. Programs like Houston, Utah State and Fresno State deserve to be recognized, and it’s nice to see them get their due. ALSO: How the first College Football Playoff rankings predict the semifinals The top of the poll may not have had as much activity as weeks prior, but next week should be interesting with LSU and Alabama squaring off. The first College Football Playoff rankings reveal also happens on Tuesday. How much will they resemble the AP’s? It will be fascinating to find out.