Ohio State, still dealing with the fallout from a shoving match with Michigan, earned the No. 2 ranking in the AP Top 25 as the first full poll of the season is released Saturday.
The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide fell three spots to No. 3 while the Bearcats moved up three spots to No. 4. Alabama beat Texas, 32-10, in its opener, while the Buckeyes lost 38-0 to the Wolverines.
After an off week, the Southeastern Conference once again leads the way with five ranked teams with Auburn taking over the No. 5 spot. Notre Dame moved up one spot to No. 6, its highest ranking since 2007, followed by Washington State and West Virginia, both of which moved up one.
The Cowboys return to the Top 25 for the first time since 2015 after finishing last season at No. 25.
The team on the rise is Mississippi, which jumped 15 spots to No. 21. Michigan is up 12 spots to No. 22 and Florida fell eight spots to No. 24.
Oklahoma enters the Top 25 for the first time in four years after finishing No. 23 last season. No. 25 Virginia Tech is the only other newcomer this week.
POLL POINTS
— Michigan (1-0) opened the year with a shutout of Eastern Michigan.
— Washington State (1-0) won by 26 points over Northern Illinois.
— West Virginia (1-0) rebounded from its humbling loss at Oklahoma with a 31-17 win over Stephen F. Austin.
INSIDE THE POLL
Ohio State has a six-game winning streak against ranked teams and has won six consecutive games against unranked teams. The last time the Buckeyes were ranked this high was December 2016, when they began the regular season at No. 2 and finished at No. 5.
NUMBERS GAME
— No. 23 USC has a different team now than in the past four seasons, and the numbers indicate there is a difference. The Trojans open the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2013 and 2014. Their average margin of victory in those seasons was 27.5 points.
— Penn State will make its first appearance in the AP Top 25 since November 2016.
— Indiana has won five straight games to return to the AP Top 25 for the first time since Jan. 3, 2017.
— Mississippi State (1-0) is ranked for the first time since September 2017.
COACH OF THE YEAR
The coaches’ poll named Kentucky’s Mark Stoops as the coach of the year, as he has been in the AP Top 25 for a fifth straight season.
SLIDING FORWARD
Michigan State didn’t crack the poll after the season opener for the first time since 1977.