By RALPH D. RUSSO By RALPH D. RUSSO ADVERTISING AP College Football Writer Florida State, Baylor and Missouri took big steps forward as The Associated Press college football poll got extensive makeover following losses by five top-10 teams. Alabama is
By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer
Florida State, Baylor and Missouri took big steps forward as The Associated Press college football poll got extensive makeover following losses by five top-10 teams.
Alabama is still No. 1, Oregon still two and Ohio State fourth, but otherwise there was much movement.
Florida State moved up two spots to No. 3 after its 51-14 win at Clemson.
The Crimson Tide received 55 first-place votes from the media panel. Oregon got three first-place votes and Florida State received two. The Seminoles received first-place votes for the first time since Sept. 2, 2002.
Missouri went from 14 to fifth, its best ranking since 2008. No. 6 Baylor jumped to its highest ranking since 1980.
Miami is No. 7, followed by Stanford, Clemson and Texas Tech at No. 10.
No. 21 UCF is ranked for the first time since the final 2010 poll after handing Louisville its first loss of the season.
Louisville, one of those five top-10 teams to lose, along with Clemson, UCLA, LSU and Texas A&M, slipped to 10 spots to No. 18.
A week after the Southeastern Conference set a record with eight ranked teams, five ranked SEC teams lost, knocking two out of the rankings. Florida and Georgia dropped out for the first time this season after each lost for the third time.
Auburn made the biggest move up this week, jumping 13 spots from No. 24 after beating Texas A&M 45-41 at College Station, Texas. The Tigers have their best ranking since winning the 2010 national title.
No. 24 Michigan and No. 25 Nebraska moved back into the rankings this week.
Breaking down The Associated Press college football poll after Week 8 of the regular season:
• Florida State has been a tease in recent seasons.
Plenty of talent, some impressive steps forward, but always a few frustrating steps back.
For the first time since Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles were in the midst of one of the great runs in college football history back in the 1990s, Florida State looks ready for a serious run at the national championship.
Florida State moved up to No. 3 in The Associated Press college football poll after a wild weekend produced an extensive makeover of the Top 25.
Alabama is still No. 1, Oregon still second and Ohio State still fourth, but otherwise there was much movement.
Florida State moved up two spots after its 51-14 win at Clemson on Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide received 55 first-place votes from the media panel. Oregon got three first-place votes and Florida State received two, the first time the Seminoles have gotten first-place votes since Sept. 2, 2002. Florida State is 6-0 for the first time since 1999, its last national championship season.
On Sunday night in the first BCS standings of the season, Alabama was No. 1, followed by Florida State, Oregon, Ohio State and Missouri.
The Seminoles destruction of Clemson has to count as the most impressive performance of the season.
AP top 25 poll
The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 19, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
Record Pts Pv
1. Alabama (55) 7-0 1,495 1
2. Oregon (3) 7-0 1,427 2
3. Florida St. (2) 6-0 1,395 5
4. Ohio St. 7-0 1,309 4
5. Missouri 7-0 1,197 14
6. Baylor 6-0 1,189 12
7. Miami 6-0 1,130 10
8. Stanford 6-1 1,118 13
9. Clemson 6-1 927 3
10. Texas Tech 7-0 904 16
11. Auburn 6-1 867 24
12. UCLA 5-1 832 9
13. LSU 6-2 739 6
14. Texas A&M 5-2 683 7
15. Fresno St. 6-0 550 17
16. Virginia Tech 6-1 509 19
17. Oklahoma 6-1 501 18
18. Louisville 6-1 428 8
19. Oklahoma St. 5-1 382 21
20. South Carolina 5-2 381 11
21. UCF 5-1 345 NR
22. Wisconsin 5-2 258 25
23. N. Illinois 7-0 220 23
24. Michigan 6-1 169 NR
25. Nebraska 5-1 117 NR
Others receiving votes: Arizona St. 108, Notre Dame 82, Oregon St. 79, Michigan St. 73, Georgia 30, Mississippi 27, Florida 17, Utah 4, Washington 4, Texas 2, BYU 1, Ball St. 1.
