Ohio State Drops to 11th as UCLA and New Mexico Make History
Published October 31, 2026: The AP Top 25 poll sent Ohio State from No. 2 to No. 11 after its loss at USC, while UCLA rose to fifth and New Mexico earned its first ranking.
Ohio State fell out of the AP Top 10 for the first time since 2021 after losing 30-18 at Southern California. The Buckeyes dropped nine places to No. 11, while USC returned to the poll at No. 18. Ohio State’s defeat also marked the fourth straight week that a No. 1 or No. 2 team lost to an unranked opponent.
Miami stayed No. 1 after edging North Carolina 38-35, receiving 62 of 70 first-place votes. Georgia climbed to No. 2 after beating Florida 27-8, and Utah moved to third. Notre Dame was fourth, followed by UCLA, which reached No. 5 for its highest ranking since 2001. The Bruins are 8-0 under first-year coach Bob Chesney after shutting out Nevada 27-0.
New Mexico entered the rankings at No. 22 for the first time in program history, after claiming a 21-16 victory at San Jose State. The Lobos are 7-1 and alone among Mountain West teams without a conference loss. Iowa returned at No. 21 after a 30-0 win over Wisconsin, which fell out of the poll. Florida landed at No. 25, while SMU dropped out after losing 30-27 at Syracuse. Next week’s top matchups include No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 7 BYU at No. 3 Utah.