AP Top 25 college football new poll: Georgia, Michigan reinforce hold on top spots

Georgia and Michigan passed big tests on Saturday and strengthened their positions as the top two teams in Sunday’s latest Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.

Winners of the last two national championships, the No. 1 Bulldogs improved their winning streak to 27 games with a 52-17 blasting of fellow top-10 team Mississippi.

No. 2 Michigan, despite playing without suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh on its sideline, won 24-15 at Penn State.

Georgia (10-0) drew 54 first-place votes among the national panel, while Michigan (10-0) received seven. No. 3 Ohio State (10-0) received the only other first-place vote.

The top eight teams in the poll all remained in the same position as last week. Changes began from there as Penn State and Mississippi dropped out of the final two spots in the top 10. Louisville (9-1) moved up two spots to No. 9 while No. 10 Oregon State (8-2) also joined the top 10 after a two-spot improvement.

Missouri (8-2) jumped five spots to No. 11 after it hammered Tennessee, 36-7. That caused the Vols (7-3) fell seven spots to No. 21.

The ACC has three ranked teams for the second poll in a row, with two now among the top 10. Florida State (10-0) remained at No. 4, joined in the top 10 by Louisville. North Carolina (8-2) moved up two spots to No. 22 after it’s 47-45 double-overtime win over Duke on Saturday night.

The only other ACC team that received votes was N.C. State (7-3), which drew two poll points.

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Saturday offered an opportunity for the top of the Associated Press Top 25 poll to see it’s first shakeup of the season.

No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Michigan have rolled along all season, keeping their records perfect with nary a sign they should be voted anywhere besides those top two positions.

Both faced seemingly difficult challenges on Saturday, with No. 10 Mississippi playing at Georgia and Michigan playing at No. 9 Penn State.

They proved to be no-sweat experiences for both.

Georgia rolled to a 52-17 win, thoroughly dominating the Rebels to run its winning streak to 27 games.

Michigan played at Penn State without coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines while he serves a suspension amid Big Ten and NCAA investigations into an elaborate sign-stealing scandal. But, facing their first ranked opponent of the season, all the Wolverines did was roll up 227 rushing yards in a punishing 24-15 win.

While the College Football Playoff rankings have Ohio State at No. 1, Georgia and Michigan flexed their muscles to show why they’ve been atop the AP rankings all season.

Lower on the ballot, I’m returning North Carolina (8-2) to my ballot after not including the Tar Heels in my top 25 the past two weeks. UNC had dropped from the top 10 to out of the poll after consecutive losses to Virginia and Georgia Tech. Saturday night’s gutsy 47-45 double-overtime win over Duke showed the Heels worthy of inclusion again.

I dropped Kansas (7-3) from my ballot following its 16-13 loss to Texas Tech (5-5). Fresno State (8-2) also disappears after losing 42-18 at another break-even team, San Jose State (5-5).

And what to do with Oklahoma State (7-3)? The Cowboys beat Oklahoma just a week earlier to rocket up the rankings. They followed that with an embarrassing 45-3 loss at yet another .500 team, UCF (5-5).

I kept Oklahoma State at No. 21 based on its wins over Kansas and Oklahoma, but partially because the bottom five spots on the ballot are getting tougher to fill due to mediocrity around the nation.

Same explanation goes for Iowa (8-2) returning. The Hawkeyes are in line to make a Big Ten championship game appearance despite the fact they usually struggle to score 10 points a game. But, like UNC with its suspect defense, 8-2 is 8-2 in November and should be rewarded.