This weekend’s college football action saw a shake-up in the AP Top 25 rankings as three leading teams faced surprising defeats, paving the way for a potential reshuffle within the top 10.

Georgia Tech, ranked eighth, suffered its first setback of the season after losing to North Carolina State. This defeat, along with Navy’s loss, reduces the ranks of the unbeaten teams in the Bowl Subdivision to just four.

The dreams of making the College Football Playoff may have dimmed for some, with ninth-ranked Vanderbilt narrowly losing to 20th-ranked Texas, and No. 10 Miami falling to SMU in a nail-biting overtime match.

Despite the weekend’s upsets, the top five positions in the poll are expected to remain stable. Ohio State and Indiana, ranked first and second, respectively, both secured victories, while Texas A&M and Alabama, holding the third and fourth spots, took a break. Georgia, ranked fifth, also won but is unlikely to climb due to an earlier defeat by Alabama.

Victories over the weekend could propel teams like No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 15 Virginia, No. 18 Oklahoma, and No. 20 Texas to higher rankings.

How high will they climb?

Manning impresses with Texas’ win vs. Vanderbilt

Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws before an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Arch Manning earned his highest passer rating of the season (189.2) in the Longhorns’ 34-31 win against Vanderbilt.

Manning looked sharp after spending much of the week in concussion protocol. He completed 25 of 33 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns.

Saturday’s win marked the fourth straight SEC victory for the Longhorns and improved their record to 7-2 on the season, poising them to jump in this week’s rankings.

Top five likely to hold steady

No. 1 Ohio State’s defense rose to the occasion during the second half against Penn State. The Buckeyes kept the Nittany Lions scoreless in the third and fourth quarters, while putting up 21 points of their own to win it 38-14.

No. 2 Indiana improved to 9-0 on the season after cruising past Maryland in a 55-10 rout.

No. 5 Georgia narrowly came out on top in a historic rivalry game against Florida. No. 4 Alabama was idle this week, and has a head-to-head win against Georgia already in the books, likely keeping the Bulldogs at No. 5 for another week.

No. 3 Texas A&M had the week off.

How the top 10 fared

Four top 10 teams came out on top of their matchups this week, but three lost games.

Ohio State (1), Indiana (2), Georgia (5) and Ole Miss (7) notched conference wins on Saturday.

The remaining top 10 teams weren’t as fortunate. NC State outscored No. 8 Georgia Tech 48-36, handing the Yellow Jackets their first loss of the season. No. 9 Vanderbilt dropped 34-31 to No. 20 Texas. And No. 10 Miami suffered its second defeat in the past three games, falling 26-20 to SMU in overtime.

Texas (3), Alabama (4), Oregon (6) and BYU (T-10) were idle.

Who votes in the poll and how does it work?

AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters comprise around 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets. The goal is to have every state with a Football Bowl Subdivision school represented by at least one voter.

Voting is a straight points system: A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote is worth 24 points, down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote.

Then it’s just a summary of which teams are 1-25 based on the totals. Others receiving votes are also noted.

Voting is done online, and the tabulation is automated.