College football top 25 rankings 2026: AP Top 25 poll entering Week 6
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Week 5 of the college football season is in the books, and the first weekend of October started with a bang. While there were three ranked-on-ranked matchups this past weekend, none of them turned out to be great games. But there was still plenty of action.
College GameDay was at Kinnick to see Ohio State take on Iowa, but the Buckeyes steamrolled the Hawkeyes. This sent Iowa plummeting down the rankings. America’s hottest team, the Florida Gators, found themselves suffering the first loss of the season after Missouri took care of business at home.
Lastly, Mississippi State was hoping to show it was for real. However, playing against Alabama, the Bulldogs showed they aren’t ready to contend with the SEC elite — even at home.
In other news, Michigan suffered its second loss of the season. For the first time since 1977, Michigan lost at Minnesota. Now, we wait to see if the Wolverines opt to bench sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood when the Wolverines play Penn State in two weeks.
MORE: Updated ESPN FPI college football top 25 rankings after Week 5
Kentucky was the only team that exited the top 25, despite a win in overtime over South Carolina. In the Wildcats’ place, it was Pitt that entered the top 25.
The biggest winner was Missouri, which moved up 11 spots.
Following Week 5 action, the latest AP Top 25 poll was released, and you can see where your favorite team is ranked.
2026 AP Top 25 Poll entering Week 6
- Texas
- Georgia
- Notre Dame
- Miami
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- Indiana
- BYU
- Ole Miss
- LSU
- Texas Tech
- Utah
- Oregon
- Missouri
- Tennessee
- Florida
- Mississippi State
- Oklahoma State
- USC
- Iowa
- UCLA
- Houston
- Boise State
- SMU
- Pittsburgh
Others receiving votes: Kentucky 160, Wake Forest 142, Wisconsin 88, Duke 83, Northwestern 59, Nebraska 48, Minnesota 19, Arizona 19, James Madison 12, North Dakota State 7
The Associated Press rankings carry more weight than polls like the Coaches Poll and FWAA Poll, as they are part of the deciding factor on which teams reach the College Football Playoff. The Coaches Poll, which is not part of the College Football Playoff selection committee’s formula to determine the four teams that will compete for the College Football Playoff National Championship, is voted on by 65 FBS head coaches.
The Associated Press began its college football poll on Oct. 19, 1936, and it is now the longest-running poll of those that award national titles at the end of the season. The preseason poll was started in 1950.
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