AP Poll: Ohio State Falls to 12th After USC Upset
Unranked USC's 30-18 victory over the Buckeyes pushes the team down from No. 2, while Miami retains the top spot following a 38-35 win over North Carolina.
By Pablo Serrano ·
Ohio State dropped from No. 2 to No. 12 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll released on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. The decline followed a 30-18 loss to unranked USC in Columbus, Ohio. It marks the first time since 2011 that the Buckeyes have multiple losses before November. Miami remains at No. 1 after defeating North Carolina 38-35 to stay undefeated with an 8-0 record.
Georgia moved up to No. 2 after a 27-8 victory over Florida. The Bulldogs have won six consecutive games in that series. Utah jumped from No. 6 to No. 3 following a 49-25 win against Cincinnati. The Utes are 8-0 for the first time since 2010. Notre Dame held steady at No. 4 after beating Navy 35-13. UCLA improved from No. 7 to No. 5 after a 27-0 shutout of Nevada.
Indiana rose to No. 6 after a 23-16 overtime win over Minnesota. The Hoosiers are the third team to win multiple overtime games as a top-10 AP team against an unranked opponent since overtime began in 1996. BYU climbed from No. 8 to No. 7 after a 27-20 victory over Arizona State. USC entered the poll at No. 18 following its win over Ohio State. The Trojans are unbeaten in their last six home games against the Buckeyes.
Northwestern, SMU, and Wisconsin fell out of the rankings after losing to unranked teams. Iowa, New Mexico, and South Carolina replaced them. Iowa beat Wisconsin 30-0. New Mexico defeated San Jose State 21-16. South Carolina won 42-25 against Oklahoma.
Florida dropped from No. 17 to No. 25 after its loss to Georgia. The Gators have lost 11 consecutive games to top-five opponents away from home. Texas Tech rose to No. 13 after a 34-26 win over Arizona. The Red Raiders have won 13 consecutive home games, tying the program record. Wake Forest moved up to No. 14 after a 51-7 rout of Virginia.
Ole Miss stayed at No. 12 after beating Auburn 45-15. Four Rebels scored rushing touchdowns in that game. Texas moved up to No. 10 after a 31-3 win over Mississippi State. Arch Manning was sacked five times in that contest. LSU remains at No. 15 and plays Alabama on Saturday. Texas is at No. 10 and plays Missouri on Saturday.
Saturday features several high-profile matchups. Miami plays at Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. ET. Georgia hosts Ole Miss at 7:30 p.m. ET. Utah plays at home against BYU at noon ET. UCLA travels to Minnesota at noon ET. Indiana plays at home against USC on Nov. 14.
Ohio State hosts Oregon at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Texas travels to Missouri at noon ET on ESPN. LSU hosts Alabama at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Texas Tech plays West Virginia at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Florida hosts Oklahoma at 7:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Source: ESPN
