SEC makes history in newest round of AP Top-25 rankings

The GIST: Every Sunday, college football fans can count on a new AP Top-25 poll. After such a crazy weekend, it’s no surprise that Week 3 has seen some major shake ups in the rankings. Let’s discuss.

SEC teams make history: The SEC is perennially dominant, but they ascended to a whole new level yesterday by becoming the first conference in the 88-year history of the rankings system to hold six of the top seven spots.

• Former No. 14 Tennessee made the biggest move, jumping seven spots after their commanding 51–10 win over NC State, while the aforementioned Mizzou Tigers climbed up three places to No. 6. The lone non-SEC hold out, Ohio State actually dropped one place to No. 3, being leap-frogged by the Longhorns, the current No. 2.

Big week for unranked squads: Iowa State, Nebraska, Boston College, and Northern Illinois all broke into the Top-25 after big upsets in Week 2. In what has to be one of their best weekends as a program, NIU snagged the 25th spot in the newest poll – their first Top-25 ranking since 2013.

Something to remember: The 2024-2025 season marks the debut of the 12-team playoff format, meaning a loss likely won’t impact a top team’s chance of playing for the ’ship. With triple the amount of postseason spots, losses for Michigan and Notre Dame may sting, but won’t wreck their season. Watch this space.