After rising to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 last week — its highest spot in the poll since 1985 — Iowa plummeted sharply to No. 11 following a 24-7 home loss to Purdue. The loss was so lopsided that voters even put the Hawkeyes behind No. 7 Penn State, which Iowa defeated on Oct. 9.
Cincinnati rose a spot to claim the No. 2 spot vacated by the Hawkeyes after beating UCF 56-21 on Saturday to improve to 6-0. The Bearcats’ position at No. 2 in the AP Poll is at odds this week with the Coaches Poll, which bumped Oklahoma to the second spot following the Sooners’ win over TCU.
But the news wasn’t all bad for the Big Ten. Ohio State and Michigan rose to spots No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, despite having bye weeks. Michigan State rose one spot to No. 9 after knocking off Indiana on the road. In total, five of the top 11 teams in this week’s AP poll are from the Big Ten.
Elsewhere, Oklahoma State was another big mover, as the Cowboys jumped four spots to No. 8 after staying unbeaten with a comeback victory over Texas.
Here’s the poll in its entirety.
1. Georgia
2. Cincinnati
3. Oklahoma
4. Alabama
5. Ohio State
6. Michigan
7. Penn State
8. Oklahoma State
9. Michigan State
10. Oregon
11. Iowa
12. Ole Miss
13. Notre Dame
14. Coastal Carolina
15. Kentucky
16. Wake Forest
17. Texas A&M
18. NC State
19. Auburn
20. Baylor
21. SMU
22. San Diego State
23. Pittsburgh
24. UTSA
25. Purdue
Others receiving votes: Clemson 64, Utah 43, Arkansas 29, Brigham Young 21, Air Force 19, Iowa State 14, Louisiana-Lafayette 13, Arizona State 7, Florida 7, Texas 5, UCLA 4, Houston 2, LSU 2, Virginia 1