AP Top 25 Week 6: Georgia-Alabama Showdown Gets Bigger as Polls Swap Indiana and Tide

The AP Top 25 Poll for Week 6 swapped Indiana and Alabama, turning this week's Georgia vs Alabama game into a No. 2 Bulldogs vs No. 6 Crimson Tide showdown, according to collegefootballnews.com. The exact date and location of the game are not specified in the source.
After weeks of maligned rankings, the source credits the AP Poll for "cleaning things up a bit." The Coaches Poll, by contrast, is called "another hot mess."
The AP got the two big calls right: Ole Miss is ranked ahead of LSU, and after Missouri's blowout win over Florida, the Tigers are ranked ahead of the Gators.
There weren't too many massive moves overall, per the source, but the Indiana-Alabama swap is the headline change. Indiana slid from No. 6 to No. 7 despite a 5-0 record, while Alabama jumped from No. 7 to No. 6 at 5-0.
The swap makes the SEC heavyweight clash "just a bit bigger," the source notes, with both teams carrying undefeated records into the matchup.
THE WEEK 6 RANKINGS
Here is the full Week 6 AP Top 25, per collegefootballnews.com.
The No. 1 team was not listed in the source, and neither was Georgia's record. What is confirmed: Georgia sits at No. 2, followed by Notre Dame at No. 3, Miami at No. 4 with two first-place votes, and Ohio State at No. 5.
Alabama holds the No. 6 spot with a 5-0 record. Indiana is right behind at No. 7 with a 5-0 record and one first-place vote. BYU is No. 8 at 4-0, Ole Miss is No. 9 at 3-1, and LSU rounds out the top 10 at 4-1.
Texas Tech is undefeated at 5-0 and sits at No. 11. Utah is No. 12 at 4-0, Oregon is No. 13 at 3-1, and Missouri checks in at No. 14 with a 4-1 record. Tennessee is No. 15 at 4-1.
Florida dropped to No. 16 at 4-1, Mississippi State is No. 17 at 4-1, and Oklahoma State is No. 18 at 3-1. USC is No. 19 at 4-1, and Iowa is No. 20 at 4-1.
UCLA is No. 21 at 4-0, Houston is No. 22 at 4-1, Boise State is No. 23 at 4-1, SMU is No. 24 at 4-1, and Pitt rounds out the poll at No. 25 with a 4-1 record.
Kentucky led the others receiving votes with 160, followed by Wake Forest at 142. Wisconsin, Duke, Northwestern, Nebraska, Minnesota, Arizona, James Madison and North Dakota State also drew votes, per the source.
WINNERS AND LOSERS
Missouri was the week’s biggest winner, jumping from No. 25 to No. 14 after its blowout win over Florida, per collegefootballnews.com. The exact margin of that win is not in the source.
Florida took the hardest fall, dropping eight spots from No. 8 to No. 16. Iowa slipped six spots from No. 14 to No. 20.
BYU and Oregon also gained ground, though the source calls their moves more subtle. BYU moved from No. 10 to No. 8, and Oregon went from No. 15 to No. 13.
The pollsters swapped Indiana and Alabama, flipping their positions from last week. Indiana dropped from No. 6 to No. 7 despite a 5-0 record, while Alabama climbed from No. 7 to No. 6 at 5-0.
That swap sets up Georgia vs. Alabama as a No. 2 vs. No. 6 matchup this week, per the source.
Michigan and Penn State received no votes at all in the Week 6 AP Poll, according to collegefootballnews.com. Neither team appears in the rankings or the others-receiving-votes list.
Kentucky led the also-rans with 160 votes, followed by Wake Forest at 142. Wisconsin, Duke, Northwestern, Nebraska, Minnesota, Arizona, James Madison and North Dakota State also drew votes, per the source.
POLLSTER CORRECTIONS
The AP Poll deserves some credit this week. After weeks of rankings being maligned for glaring issues, collegefootballnews.com says the pollsters "cleaned things up a bit" — and the Coaches Poll, by contrast, is "another hot mess."
The two big calls went the right way. Ole Miss is ranked ahead of LSU, and Missouri sits above Florida after blowing out the Gators. Those were the calls that needed to be made.
The source does note one miss: if the AP Poll were "really on its game," Mississippi State would be ranked ahead of Missouri. Instead, the Bulldogs sit at No. 17 while Mizzou holds No. 14. That said, the source adds that Missouri at 14 and Florida at 16 "is right, though."
No direct quotes from pollsters appear in the source; all commentary comes from collegefootballnews.com. The reasoning behind the votes themselves remains unconfirmed.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
That brings the game into focus. The Week 6 headline is Georgia vs Alabama, and the poll swap turned it into a No. 2 vs No. 6 matchup, per collegefootballnews.com.
The source says the showdown is "just a bit bigger" now because of the rankings change. The exact date, time, and venue of the game are not in the source, so those details remain unconfirmed.
The full Week 6 schedule of games is not provided in the source, leaving the rest of the slate unspecified. The AP Poll will presumably release a Week 7 edition after these games, but the source does not specify a date.
For now, the focus stays on the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide, two 5-0 teams meeting with the stakes raised by a simple swap.
Advertisement





