Fresh off an impressive win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl, Alabama is in the top spot in the AP Top 25 for the first time this season. Undefeated Florida State drops to No. 2 following what was a rather uninspiring win over in-state rival Florida.
Oregon remains in its customary No. 3 spot, where the Ducks have resided for the better part of the last month in the AP Top 25. The top three is of no surprise and holds little drama for sports fans, it's the No. 4 place and its meaning in the next round of College Football Playoff rankings that will hold all the intrigue. In the latest AP Top 25, TCU is No. 4 and followed by Baylor and Ohio State at Nos. 5-6, respectively. In the latest CFB 24/7 Top 25 Power Rankings, TCU is also No. 4, but Ohio State and Baylor swap spots. While TCU finishes its regular-season campaign against Iowa State, Ohio State must face Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game and Baylor hosts a Kansas State team that will be looking to make its mark on the playoff chase.
Alabama was No. 1 in the AP Top 25 despite the fact that Florida State received more first-place votes. This is historic. The last time the No. 2 team had more first-place votes than the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 this late in the season was Nov. 25, 1968, when No. 1 Ohio State had 21 1/2 first-places votes to USC's 24 1/2. Ohio State went on to beat USC in the 1969 Rose Bowl and won the national title as a result.
The Crimson Tide are No. 1 for the first time since it lost last year's Iron Bowlin epic fashion. This also marks the seventh consecutive season in which Alabama has been No. 1 at some point, the longest such streak at the FBS level since Miami (Fla.) enjoyed such a streak from 1986 through 1992. Those days of dominance seem like a distant memory now for Hurricanes fans, but, yeah, they were really good once upon a time.
The entire order of the AP poll:
Others receiving votes: USC 61, Minnesota 47, Duke 22, Marshall 22, Memphis 21, Colorado State 18, Air Force 7, Stanford 4, West Virginia 4, Northern Illinois 3, UCF 3, Cincinnati 1.
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
