Sports

AP Top 25: SMU Moves Up To No. 21, Baylor Enters At No. 22

October 6, 2019 / 2:35 PM CDT / CBS Texas

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(CBSDFW.COM/AP) - The SMU Mustangs (6-0) are continuing their historic season after winning in triple overtime Saturday evening against Tulsa. That win was good enough for SMU to move up in the AP Top 25 from No. 24 to No. 21.

The Baylor Bears (5-0) have entered the Top 25 as they remain undefeated so far this season. They are ranked for the first time since 2016 -- a season after Art Briles was fired.

Ohio State and Georgia are tied at No. 3 in The Associated Press college football poll, and Florida surged to No. 7 after a big victory.

No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson held their spots Sunday after a week off for both, but the Buckeyes caught up to the Bulldogs in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank. The Crimson Tide received 32 first-place votes and 1503 points and the Tigers had 15 first-place votes and 1,433 points. Georgia got three first-place votes and 1,393 points. Ohio State, which was fourth last week, received 10 first-place votes and 1,393 points.

The last time there was a tie in the top three was Sept. 20, 2015, when TCU and Mississippi shared third.

No. 5 LSU received two first-place votes. Oklahoma stayed No. 6.

The Texas Longhorns also remained at No. 11.

Florida moved up three spots after beating Auburn on Saturday. The Tigers slipped five to No. 12.

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POLL POINTS

The Bears started the '16 season ranked under interim coach Jim Grobe and rose all the way to No. 8 in the country with a 6-0 start. They then lost their last six regular-season games and the program descended even further from there. After the 2016 regular season, Matt Rhule was hired away from Temple, where he had taken a typically downtrodden team and won double-digit games in each of his final two seasons. With no Texas connections, the former Penn State player and NFL assistant seemed like an odd fit in Waco, Texas.

With a depleted roster, Baylor went 1-11 in 2017. The Bears improved to 7-6 with a bowl victory last year and are now 5-0 to start this season, including a convincing victory at Kansas State on Saturday.

Baylor returns home this week to face Texas Tech.

IN/OUT

The American Athletic Conference lost one team in the ranking but gained two.

Central Florida is unranked for the first time since the Knights moved into the Top 25 on Oct. 1, 2017. UCF saw its 19-game conference winning streak snapped by Cincinnati on Friday night. The 25th-ranked Bearcats were rewarded with their first ranking of the season. No. 23 Memphis also is ranked for the first time this season.

Sliding out of the ranking after losing for the second time this season along with UCF were Washington, Oklahoma State and Michigan State (which was tied for 25th).

CONFERENCE CALL

For the fifth straight week, the Southeastern Conference has three top-five teams.

SEC — 6 (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7, 12, 24).

Big Ten — 5 (Nos. 3, 8, 10, 16, 17).

American — 3 (Nos. 21, 23, 25).

ACC — 3 (Nos. 2, 19, 20).

Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 6, 11, 22).

Pac-12 — 3 (Nos. 13, 15, 18).

Mountain West — 1 (No. 14).

Independent — 1 (No. 9).

RANKED vs. RANKED

No. 1 Alabama at No. 24 Texas A&M. The Aggies will face the top-ranked team for the second time this season, which has happened 28 times previously (including postseason games). The last time that happened in the regular season was Tennessee in 2009, when it lost to both Florida and Alabama.

No. 7 Florida at No. 5 LSU. Gators will play in consecutive top-10 matchups.

No. 11 Texas vs. No. 6 Oklahoma. Red River is cool again.

No. 10 Penn State at No. 17 Iowa. The Hawkeyes often give ranked teams a hard time at Kinnick Stadium under the lights.