Tennessee falls in the polls after loss to Alabama

It was all looking good for Tennessee in Tuscaloosa — until it wasn’t. Alabama came back in a big way in the second half, scoring 27 unanswered to secure a 34-20 win over the Volunteers. Tennessee falls to 5-2 on the year, taking their second SEC loss of the year.

They weren’t hit too hard in the polls though, sliding down to 21 from 17. Alabama pushed up to No. 9 following the win, staying firmly in the College Football Playoff race.

The top five remained unchanged. Ohio State took care of business against Penn State, while both Washington and Oklahoma escaped with tougher than expected wins.

North Carolina tumbled down to No. 17 after Virginia’s shocking upset. USC moved down to 24th following their loss to Utah. Finally, 7-0 James Madison entered the poll at No. 25.

We’re just one week away from the first batch of rankings from the College Football Playoff committee. Those will be revealed for the first time on Halloween night at 8 p.m. ET live on ESPN.

Latest AP Top 25 Rankings

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Florida State
5. Washington
6. Oklahoma
7. Texas
8. Oregon
9. Alabama
10. Penn State
11. Oregon State
12. Ole Miss
13. Utah
14. Notre Dame
15. LSU
16. Missouri
17. North Carolina
18. Louisville
19. Air Force
20. Duke
21. Tennessee
22. Tulane
23. UCLA
24. USC
25. James Madison