Alabama back in familiar spot atop AP Top 25 poll

Buoyed by a dramatic come-from-ahead victory over Georgia on Saturday night, Alabama jumped three spots into the No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll after Week 5. The Crimson Tide had not been atop the rankings since Oct. 2, 2022, with the latest poll making 16 of 17 seasons that they have been No. 1 at some point. Alabama, under the helm this season of Kalen DeBoer following the retirement of Nick Saban, is ranked first for the 141st time, the most of any program since AP rankings started in 1936. As a counterpoint in football rankings history, UNLV broke into the poll for the first time and is tied with Texas A&M for No. 25. The Rebels are 4-0 for the first time in their Division I history after defeating Fresno State 59-14 on Saturday with new starting quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams replacing the departed Matthew Sluka. Alabama received 40 of 63 first-place votes, while former No. 1 Texas got 19 in slipping to the second spot after a 35-13 home win over Mississippi State. Unbeaten Ohio State received four first-place votes and ranks third. Tennessee moved up one spot to fourth after an idle week, while Georgia dropped from second to fifth. The Bulldogs trailed the Tide 28-0 in the first half and rallied to take a late lead, only to quickly lose it for a 41-34 victory for Alabama, which has handed Georgia its only three losses since 2021. Ole Miss fell six spots to No. 12 after suffering its first loss, 20-17 at home against Kentucky. Utah dropped eight places to No. 18 following a 23-10 defeat to visiting Arizona. Louisville slid seven spots to No. 22 after a 31-24 loss at Notre Dame. Illinois moved down five spots after a 21-7 defeat at Penn State. The full AP Top 25 poll after Week 5: No. 1 Alabama No. 2 Texas No. 3 Ohio State No. 4 Tennessee No. 5 Georgia No. 6 Oregon No. 7 Penn State No. 8 Miami No. 9 Missouri No. 10 Michigan No. 11 Southern California No. 12 Ole Miss No. 13 LSU No. 14 Notre Dame No. 15 Clemson No. 16 Iowa State No. 17 BYU No. 18 Utah No. 19 Oklahoma No. 20 Kansas State No. 21 Boise State No. 22 Louisville No. 23 Indiana No. 24 Illinois No. 25 UNLV No. 25 Texas A&M --Field Level Media