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AP College Football Poll 2021: Week 9 Top 25 Rankings Announced

Rob Goldberg

There were a few changes at the top of the Associated Press poll after a drama-filled weekend of college football.

Georgia remains No. 1 after a week off, although Alabama jumped Oklahoma at No. 3 despite a Crimson Tide victory that didn't see them pull away midway through the fourth quarter. Penn State and Oklahoma State both dropped out of the Top 10 after losses Saturday. 

Here is the full Top 25 ahead of Week 9.

Associated Press Poll

1. Georgia

2. Cincinnati

3. Alabama

4. Oklahoma

5. Ohio State

6. Michigan

7. Oregon

8. Michigan State

9. Iowa

10. Ole Miss

11. Notre Dame

12. Kentucky

13. Wake Forest

14. Texas A&M

15. Oklahoma State

16. Baylor

17. Pittsburgh

18. Auburn

19. SMU

20. Penn State

21. San Diego State

22. Iowa State

23. UTSA

24. Coastal Carolina

25. BYU

Cincinnati and Oklahoma entered last week with undefeated records, but both were tested in seemingly easy matchups on paper.

Oklahoma couldn't do anything offensively against Kansas and trailed 10-0 at halftime before quarterback Caleb Williams finally woke up in the second half. The freshman finished with two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown that helped put the game away:

The Sooners escaped with a 35-23 win to move to 8-0, although it was yet another close call for the Big 12 leaders.

Cincinnati appeared ready to pull away from its tough battle against Navy with a 27-10 fourth-quarter lead. The Midshipmen, however, fought back with 10 straight points and an onside kick recovery to put the game in doubt. It took a last-minute interception for the Bearcats to hold on and improve to 7-0. 

Penn State was another Top 10 team facing an opponent with a losing record, but the Nittany Lions weren't able to survive their test against Illinois.

The low-scoring battle was just 10-10 after regulation before the two sides traded field goals in each of the first two overtimes. New rules then created a penalty-kick scenario with two-point conversion attempts until Illinois finally escaped with a 20-18 win in a record ninth overtime:

Penn State went just 1-of-7 on conversion attempts in overtime and fell from No. 7 to No. 20 in the latest poll.

Oklahoma State also dropped out of the Top 10 to No. 15 after a 24-21 Iowa State upset. Brock Purdy totaled 307 passing yards and two touchdowns for the Cyclones, also leading an 85-yard touchdown drive to put his team ahead in the fourth quarter. Iowa State jumped into the poll at No. 22 overall.

Alabama also had some trouble Saturday against Tennessee, but the squad pulled away for a 52-24 win thanks to three Brian Robinson Jr. touchdowns. It was enough to move up to third overall in the poll.

Ohio State cruised to a 54-7 victory over Indiana for its fifth win in a row, once again looking like a playoff team after an early stumble against Oregon.

It sets up an exciting Week 9 slate, especially in the Big Ten as Ohio State faces Penn State and Michigan State hosts Michigan.

   

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