Saturday produced one of the great regular-season games in the history of the Southeastern Conference. Georgia, No. 2 in the nation, which had lost only twice in three years (both to conference rival Alabama in the postseason), traveled to Tuscaloosa for a powerhouse matchup against the Crimson Tide, No. 4.
The Crimson Tide stormed to a huge lead before halftime but the Bulldogs came all the way back to tie the game before some late heroics delivered a win—and the No. 1 ranking—to Alabama.
Alabama ascending to the top spot means Texas slides to No. 2, but the SEC still had four of the top five teams in the poll this week. The Big Ten owns the one outlier in the top five (No. 3 Ohio State) but has five of the top 11.
Conference schedules are heating up and rivalries are increasing in intensity. Here’s how this week’s poll ranks the top teams in the country to close September.
1. Alabama (4–0, SEC)
Bama took a huge lead in the first half but needed a brilliant play from a 17-year-old freshman receiver to escape with a magnificent 41–34 win over Georgia. The teenage receiver, Ryan Williams, was named the SEC Freshman of the Week and the quarterback who threw the pass, Jalen Milroe, was named the SEC Player of the Week after the dramatic win. Beware the trap game, however. A trip to Vanderbilt is on deck for the Crimson Tide.2. Texas (5–0, SEC)
Texas handled their business against Mississippi State, but Alabama’s huge win over Georgia cost the Longhorns the top spot in the poll. With a bye week before the Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma, the Longhorns have a growing question at quarterback. Is the job Arch Manning’s to keep?3. Ohio State (4–0, Big Ten)
The Buckeyes demolished Michigan State at home and stay put at No. 3. Ohio State will stay in the Big Ten and host a 3–1 Iowa team in a midafternoon battle in Columbus on Saturday.4. Tennessee (4–0, SEC)
The Vols move up one spot coming out of their bye week. They head to Arkansas as the third SEC team in the polls and fourth overall in the nation.5. Georgia (3–1, SEC)
Losing one of the more entertaining games in recent memory caused Georgia to move back only three spots. They are the highest-ranked one-loss team in the country and are by no means eliminated from the College Football Playoff conversation. They host Auburn on Saturday afternoon.6. Oregon (4–0, Big Ten)
A Big Ten (yes, Big Ten) conference win at UCLA extends Oregon’s undefeated season and moves them up two spots. The Ducks will host a Michigan State team on Friday night that got blown out by Ohio State this past weekend.7. Penn State (4–0, Big Ten)
A home win against a ranked Illinois team was enough for the Nittany Lions to jump ahead of Miami. Penn State will begin a Big Ten rivalry with UCLA in Happy Valley on Saturday afternoon.8. Miami (5–0, ACC)
Miami stayed undefeated but fell one spot because of an underwhelming victory and other teams simply being more impressive in their victories (and, in the case of Georgia, defeat). They’ll fly all the way across the country to play at Cal in a new ACC rivalry game on Saturday night.9. Missouri (4–0, SEC)
Sliding past Vanderbilt at home was good enough for Mizzou to move up two spots. This weekend’s test should be a tougher one than the Commodores; the Tigers travel to Texas A&M to face the 4–1 Aggies.10. Michigan (4–1, Big Ten)
A close home win over Minnesota was enough to bump the defending champions up two spots. The Wolverines will head west to face a new Big Ten rival—who they faced in the NCAA championship game in January—at the University of Washington on Saturday night.11. USC (3–1, Big Ten)
USC made some significant adjustments at halftime and rolled past Wisconsin at home to improve by two spots in the poll. The Trojans travel to Minnesota for a Saturday evening battle with the Gophers.12. Mississippi (4–1, SEC)
A stunning home loss to Kentucky pushes Ole Miss out of the top 10; their six-spot slide is one of the biggest this week. The road doesn’t get easier with a trip to South Carolina on Saturday afternoon.13. LSU (4–1, SEC)
In one of the few relatively noncompetitive games from this past weekend, LSU rolled past South Alabama.14. Notre Dame (4–1, Independent)
An impressive home win over Louisville was enough for the Fighting Irish to move up two spots. They’re off this weekend.15. Clemson (3–1, ACC)
After getting demolished in their first game, Clemson has rebounded to win their next three and have climbed all the way back into the top 15. They’ll get a chance to further amplify the problems in Tallahassee with an afternoon against 1–4 Florida State. The question is if former Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei gets the start or Brock Glenn for the Seminoles.
Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell and offensive lineman Parker Brailsford celebrate after Campbell's interception during the first half against Georgia in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Sept. 28. Vasha Hunt/AP Photo
