Vanderbilt earned its highest ranking in The Associated Press college football poll in 88 years, while LSU dropped out of Top 25 following its third loss in four games.
The top six was unchanged, with Ohio State holding the No. 1 spot for a ninth straight week, followed by Indiana, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia and Oregon.
The idle Buckeyes received 53 first-place votes and the Hoosiers got 11, six more than last week. Texas A&M was No. 1 on one ballot.
The top six were unchanged for the first time since Nov. 12, 2023, when the top eight stood pat. The last time Texas A&M received a first-place vote was Oct. 11, 2015.
No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 8 Georgia Tech swapped spots, as did No. 9 Vanderbilt and Miami, which is tied at No. 10 with BYU.
Including BYU, the Big 12 has five teams in the Top 25 for the first time this season, with No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 17 Cincinnati, No. 22 Houston and No. 24 Utah also ranked.
The Big 12 last had five Top 25 teams ranked on Sept. 22, 2024.
No. 24 Utah hammered Colorado 53-7 with Byrd Ficklin starting in place of injured quarterback Devon Dampier and leading an offense that rushed for 422 of its 587 total yards.
Houston, which knocked off then-No. 24 Arizona State 24-16 for its first road win against a ranked opponent since 2017, is in the Top 25 for the first time since the first two polls in 2022.
The Cougars (7-1) are off to their best start since 2021, two years before they joined the Big 12. None of Houston's four remaining regular-season games are against ranked opponents.
Vanderbilt's 17-10 win over then-No. 15 Missouri gave the Commodores a 7-1 start for the first time since 1941 and, at No. 9, its highest ranking since it was No. 7 for one week in 1937. Vandy has a program-record three regular-season wins over Top 25 opponents.
LSU was ranked as high as No. 3 for three weeks in September and in the top 10 for the first five polls. Road losses to Mississippi and Vanderbilt and this weekend's 24-point home loss against Texas A&M put the Tigers on the outside looking in.
It's the second straight year the Tigers have taken a fast fall. They were No. 8 a year ago and dropped out after three straight losses.
No. 12 Notre Dame appeared in its 900th poll, tied for fourth most all time, and No. 15 Virginia has its highest ranking since it was No. 10 on Nov. 7, 2004.
No. 23 USC, which was idle following its 34-24 loss at Notre Dame, faces a challenging game at Nebraska.
No. 25 Memphis rebounded from its loss to UAB with a 34-31 win over South Florida to pull into a four-way tie for third place in the American behind Navy and Tulane.
In addition to LSU, South Florida (18), Illinois (23) and Arizona State (24) dropped out.
CONFERENCE CALL
SEC (9 teams): Nos. 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 14, 18, 19, 20.
Big Ten (5): Nos. 1, 2, 6, 21, 23.
Big 12 (5): Nos. T-10, 13, 17, 22, 24.
ACC (4): Nos. 8, T-10, 15, 16.
American (1): No. 25.
Independent (1): No. 12.
RANKED VS. RANKED
No. 9 Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1 SEC) at No. 20 Texas (6-2, 3-1): The status of Texas QB Arch Manning is uncertain after he banged his head on the turf on the first play of overtime in the Longhorns' win over Mississippi State.
No. 17 Cincinnati (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) at No. 24 Utah (6-2, 3-2): The Bearcats are on a seven-game win streak, while the Utes are in a must-win situation the rest of season to stay in the Big 12 race.
No. 18 Oklahoma (6-2, 2-2 SEC) at No. 14 Tennessee (6-2, 3-2): The Sooners' best-in-the-SEC defense gave up a bevy of big plays to Mississippi and now face one of the most explosive offenses in the country.