Michigan lands in the AP top 5 for the first time since 2016; Appalachian State debuts in the top 25

The Associated Press this week shuffled its top 25 football rankings again due to a handful of upsets over the weekend.

Alabama for the ninth consecutive week sits at No. 1, claiming all 61 first-place votes, followed by Clemson at No. 2 with Notre Dame, Louisiana State and Michigan rounding out the top five. Michigan is ranked in the top five for the first time since 2016.

Alabama and Louisiana State are both on byes this weekend and will clash Nov. 3 in Baton Rouge, La., in a pivotal matchup for the Southeastern Conference West division.

Florida is welcomed into the top 10 for the first time this season, sitting at No. 9. The Gators will have a chance to validate their ranking when they take on No. 7 Georgia on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla.

Ohio State took the biggest stumble this week after falling at Purdue 49-20, dropping nine spots from No. 2 to No. 11. Washington State leaped the most at 11 spots, from No. 25 to No. 14, after taking down then-ranked No. 12 Oregon 34-20.

Appalachian State makes its first appearance ever in the top 25, debuting at No. 25. It took the Mountaineers five seasons after making the jump from FCS to FBS to join the party.

Cincinnati, Mississippi State and Michigan State fell out of the top 25 after their losses Saturday.

Other Pac-12 teams ranked in the poll besides Washington State are No. 15 Washington, No. 19 Oregon, No. 23 Utah and No. 24 Stanford. Utah is in the top 25 for the first time this season while Stanford is making a return.

The Southeastern Conference saw its number of ranked teams shrink from eight to six, but still has the most teams ranked, followed by the Big Ten and Pac-12, both with five ranked teams.

1. Alabama (61)

2. Clemson

3. Notre Dame

4. Louisiana State

5. Michigan

6. Texas

7. Georgia

8. Oklahoma

9. Florida

10. Central Florida

11. Ohio State

12. Kentucky

13. West Virginia

14. Washington State

15. Washington

16. Texas A&M

17. Penn State

18. Iowa

19. Oregon

20. Wisconsin

21. South Florida

22. North Carolina State

23. Utah

24. Stanford

25. Appalachian State

The next poll will be released Oct. 28.

Twitter: @edmgonzalez

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