AP Top 25 College Football
NEW YORK (AP) — Flip-flop.
Florida regained the top spot Sunday in The Associated Press poll from Alabama, which was ranked No. 1 for a week ahead of the Gators.
The Crimson Tide needed a blocked field goal on the last play to beat Tennessee 12-10 on Saturday, while Florida pulled away from Mississippi State in the fourth quarter for a 29-19 victory. The Gators received 30 first-place votes to Alabama's 23.
No. 3 Texas got seven first-place votes after its 41-7 victory at Missouri.
The last time two teams flip-flopped in the top two spots of the AP Top 25 from one week to the next was 1992, when Miami and Washington did it.
Like Texas, No. 4 Southern California, No. 5 Cincinnati, No. 6 Boise State and No. 7 Iowa held their places in the latest media rankings.
TCU jumped two spots to No. 8 after a 38-7 victory at Mountain West Conference rival BYU. LSU stayed at No. 9 and Oregon moved up two spots to No. 10.
The Ducks host USC on Saturday in a game with huge Pac-10 championship implications.
Florida began the season as an overwhelming No. 1 in the AP poll. Alabama started five and steadily gained on the Gators before finally jumping past them last week, when Florida needed a field goal in the waning seconds to beat Arkansas at home.
Alabama's All-American nose guard Terrence Cody blocked Daniel Lincoln's 44-yard field-goal attempt on the final play Saturday to keep the Crimson Tide undefeated.
Florida led Mississippi State 16-13 in the fourth quarter, then scored two touchdowns 33 seconds apart to put the Bulldogs away.
No. 11 Georgia Tech starts the second 10, followed by Penn State and Oklahoma State. The Cowboys host Texas on Halloween night.
Virginia Tech is 14th and Houston is 15th.
Pittsburgh moved up four spots to No. 16 after a 41-14 Big East victory against South Florida. The Panthers have their highest ranking since they were 15th in October 2003.
Ohio State, Miami, Utah and West Virginia round out the top 20.
The final five includes three teams that were unranked last week. No. 21 South Carolina moved up two spots and No. 22 Oklahoma moved up three.
No. 23 Arizona is in the AP ranking for the first time since Oct. 22, 2000. No. 24 Mississippi and No. 25 Notre Dame re-entered the rankings.
BYU, Kansas and Texas Tech dropped out after losses.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Softball: Tennessee 2, Georgia 1
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 78
SmokeyHound writes:
don't understand why Alabama did not get a penalty after the game for Terrence Cody and a bunch of alabama players taking off their helmets before the play officially ended. Also, they were celebrating like crazy but I dont think that matters. I'm just confused about the penalty of taking off your helmet. My friends and I were talking about that penalty when it was blown in a high school football game. I heard it was really stressed for referees to blow. Im not so surre why they didn't blow the whistle because that would have put tennessee with a first down and a 28 yard field gol attempt. Tennessee should have won that game and you know it. But could you just clear this up for me if I'm wrong? Thanks! I just want you to post a column about it or somethin, maybe even tell mive slive or somethin, or let it go public, on he air, on espn. That would be great because I think that alot of people are very very confused about this missed call. thanks!
UrbanStopCallingMe writes:
They won a National Championship in '92 with a great defense and a piss poor offense.
West_TN_VOL77 writes:
You only one on the scoreboard my friend. We outgained you and outplayed the number one team in the country with far less talent. It's funny to me that Alabama was celebrating like they had just won a national championship, and all they did was beat a 3-4 team. A darn good 3-4 team I might add. GO VOLS.
Oh, and by the way...you are now number 2 in the country because of that same 3-4 team...
You guys played a tough game though...i'm just sayin.
TrueVol70 writes:
You can shake out your shorts now, but watch out. LSU has figured out what to do.
TrueVol70 writes:
You can shake out your shorts now, but watch out. In two weeks you'll be puckered up again.
volfanwestcoast writes:
Tennessee took Bama down a notch in more ways than one. Bama will play again in a meaningless Sugar Bowl and Saban may soon find himself under fire.
volfreak#210492 writes:
SmokeyHound,
From what I've read today, it's because the blocked FG didn't go past the line of scrimmage plus Bama recovered the ball. Add to it, this type of foul is considered a dead-ball foul and enforced on the ensuing play. Since there was no ensuing play, the penalty wouldn't have done anything to help us. I've read that on some other posts on KNS/GoVolsXtra as well as a couple of stories on ESPN's site.
thevoice writes:
I believe the time had expired and the game was officially over? Thus, helmets off was immaterial? Plus, I wouldn't want to think that's why we lost the game. We need help on special teams, period!!!
Cldvols1 writes:
As bad as I hated the loss I still feel Bama is the best team in the nation. UF got bailed out last week by the refs, who are now serving a suspension. Really it's no big deal to flip flop 1 and 2 in the rankings bc the 2 will meet in Atlanta to settle it. What pisses me off is when Bama funs rub it in Vol fans faces, total unsportmanship! What you little inbred rednecks don't realize is that your team narrowly escaped, Lincoln makes 1 more of the 3 he missed and your beat by 1. Go Vols beat Carolina!!!
BamaSuxFlaSwallows writes:
Q. How do you know a person from Alabama invented the tooth brush?
A. If it had been invented anywhere else it would have been called a teeth brush.
thevoice writes:
Got to be fair here. They won in the only category that ever matters: the score. End of story, until next that is. Come to think of it, we outplayed many Bama teams in the 90's and still lost. And, I'd certainly like to drop from 1 to 2 any day. We're probably the best 3-4 team around however. Looking for good things the rest of the season. Look out next year Bama... fear the Kiffins!
OrangePride writes:
You are just about by far the most ignorant individual on any of these blogs. "Horribly coached Tenn team?" Beyond the whining "we were banged up" excuse, Julio Jones did squat, Ingram was under 100 yds, and Tenn threw for more yards against you than any team you played. In fact, go look at the game stats and you will see that you were second in just about every category. If you had any sense whatsoever, you would admit you were lucky to win this one and, if Tiffin gets hurt you are out of the NC race. Bama is a talent rich and good team, no doubt about it......but don't come on here with those stupid comments dissing Tennessee!
tennezz writes:
DaAzzhole is back!
chaos001 writes:
The UT Vols: making the top teams in the country look not as great as they were voted...one week at a time.
Ringside writes:
Not so certain who the best team is now. Would be a good year for a playoff. Cincinnati, Texas, Pitt, Boise St., FL, ALA, USC, Oregon. I do not believe anyone could say for certain who would win it.
volsgo30#368106 writes:
Could someone donate enough money to Bama so that they can at least paint their field green?
My local high school field looks better!
tennezz writes:
HaHa Alabama lost its # 1 ranking!!!
volfreak#210492 writes:
There's another post on the "Kiffin wastes no time" thread that offers a different view than what I've read. So, at this point, I don't know what the right answer is.
It was a good game (much better than the blowouts the last couple of seasons) and increases my confidence in the team and coaching staff. And after listening to Monty this AM on the Lane Kiffin Show, I really like the staff and their attitude.
kman29 writes:
Hands down huh? All we heard last week was how Alabama played against Arkansas compared to Florida. Now Alabama needs a blocked Field goal to beat a Tennessee team 12-10 that Florida beat 23-13 and Bama is hands down the best team? If anything all you can say is Florida is 1A and Bama is 1B. Florida's offense is probably slightly better than Alabama's and Alabama's defense is probably slightly better than Florida's. And when it comes to the SEC championship game, with both teams having such great defenses, both will be in the game come the 4th qtr. It simply comes down to which QB can lead and carry the team past the finish line at the end. Sorry if I take Tebow over McElroy.
tennezz writes:
Bama`s defense is not as good as advertised and sure not as good as 92 defense!
Loud_Proud writes:
why dont u freakin doueche' bag alabama fans make some more excuses? And while you are thinking of some more, realize that tennessee whipped your a s s. Tennessee has been beat up all year too. thats footbaall numb nuts. deal with it.
oldvolsfan writes:
yes they won numnuts so go to their site and gloat
WestTennVol writes:
Bama still best team in nation IMO, Tennessee is no longer the same team that lost to UCLA/Auburn/Florida.
We win out go 8-4 and get a solid bowl bid.
RollTideJoe writes:
The clock had run out when he took off the helmet. That has been reviewed and proven. Also, the game was obviously over and the kid was excited. The SEC office wants rules enforced, but they want reason applied as well and knowing that the game was over, what is the point of penalizing a kid like that? None. He wasn't doing anything toward his opponents or changing the game. It was over and he was excited. These are kids 18-20 years old for crying out loud.
Ringside writes:
Looks like whoever has the best last game of the season will win the heisman. Last week Ingram was the leader. Then he plays Tennessee. TeBow threw two int. for TD's.
TD_4_UT writes:
The way UT out-played ALA I don't think I would be braggin' too much.
RollTideJoe writes:
I will give you credit, the Vols played a good game, more so than I expected. But, don't assume that we won't be good next year. First, Saban is a good coach. Second, we continue to bring in top talent. Third, you will have another, new QB next year. Fourth, we have the top rated QB in the nation coming onboard that will help later in the year and beyond. I respect that you are getting better and that in many facets you outplayed us yesterday. No excuses. However, it is a fact that you had a week to heal and prepare. We've played eight straight games and five of them straight were SEC games. We need a break, too.
Caspian writes:
Why do some people always dance right on cue every time a troll utters his nonsense? Just like Pavlov's dogs. The bell rings and you start salivating. My favorite are the long, drawn-out responses with lots of facts and reasoning. So, go ahead and dance. You're giving them exactly what they want. Your spasms of outrage provide cheap thrills and entertainment. Hello? Is anybody picking this stuff up?
UrbanStopCallingMe writes:
I'm a Tennessee fan, I'm just saying that a National Championship can be won with a great defense and a poor offense.
TD_4_UT writes:
Plus you've had 2 #1 recruiting classes. We almost beat you with the talent we have now. What about next year?
chad_t31 writes:
Alabama jumps florida last week, florida jumps alabama this week after both teams won, albeit not in dominating fashion. South Carolina barely beats a sorry azz vanderbilt team and moves up several positions. Are you freakin' serious? The polls are an absolute joke to begin with. I won't be dumb enough to say that tennessee should be a top 25 team given our 3-4 record...that's 4 losses by a combined 20 points and 2 of the 4 losses coming against the top 2 teams...on their home field; but I will say this, look for another UT/UGA-type score against South Carolina halloween night.
DownTheField writes:
Listen to this bs from espn:
"Tennessee forced Heisman candidate Mark Ingram to lose a fumble for the first time in his college career, scored a touchdown, recovered the onside kick and nearly escaped with a game that Alabama had dominated."
MattDillon writes:
Cody has gotta be 25.
VOLS_R_BEST_DEAL_WITH_IT writes:
espn never liked us. . . . idk why
DownTheField writes:
Does anyone expect any comment from the SEC regarding the officiating of this game?
TommyJack writes:
Can't see bama winning SEC game, let alone NC. Gators (hate'em) will wax bama's azz.
kdaff51 writes:
If the Bama players had tried to advance the ball it would still be in play thus a penalty and rekick. Since the Bama players just fell on the ball game over.
WytheVol writes:
I'll agree with that... If it had happened that way, there would always be an * or two associated with the game.. It was over. Nothing left to say about it. You can't fault those kids for being excited about that play.. They knew if UT made that FG, their championship hopes were over, it's just too late into the season.
Fact is, Bama made the best play at the most important time of the game. Kudos to Bama for the win. Kudos to UT for playing them harder than anyone else has, and probably will. I like the direction this team is headed, and I feel like UT can play with any team in the country. Congrats on the win. Looking forward to next years match up in Knoxville!
GO VOLS!!
mlynn1 writes:
Roll tide Joe, your usually fair about your posts, but I don't understand why the winners have to make excuses " we were tired, we had the flu. Hell, ya'll are stacked 2 deep with 5 star recruits playing walk on's and true freshmen. Saban should have just said Tennessee played a good game and let it be.
OrangePride writes:
Actually, I'm sure you are right that the officials saw it as the last play and "game over." HOWEVER, the ball was still rolling around on the ground as a live ball and no whistle had yet blown. So, technically, the game was NOT over and, by rule, probably could easily have been a penalty. That said, I wonder if Tennessee would have received the very same "good judgement" had the tables been reversed. Somehow, I doubt it. But we should have made the kick....end of story.
WytheVol writes:
I'll agree to all that too, RTJ.. I appreciate you admitting that UT was better than you expected. I think the outcome is the same if Bama had come off a bye week as well, though. UT did NOT want to lose that game, and played to win all the way through. Fact is that Bama made the best play at the best time to win. No excuses from either side should be made. It was a classic UT-Bama football game. It was a heartbreaking loss for us VOL fans, but most of us are still proud!! Not a morale victory.. It was still a loss. But one helluva football game.
GO VOLS!!
Nuthinbutorange writes:
Yep. And it appears he's been taking his stupid lessons again. I'll bet he's an honor student, too...
mlynn1 writes:
The Phantom, you just showed with this post you know nothing and have zero cred. Tennessee started season with new coaches, new schemes, no depth, playing walk ons,and it has taken a few games to get acclaimated. We are now getting better each week and Fla is not. Be glad gators don't play us again this year. This Tennessee fan can't wait for the next few years.
WytheVol writes:
I have to disagree with that first paragraph... Bama and Florida (and Texas) are all great teams.. I think you are selling UT short in saying they Bama isn't good. Fact is that Bama or FL will play in the NC game, but it's hard to say who's better until they get on the field together. Bama has a better defense, FL has a better offense (in my opinion). Both know how to win. Thats what great teams do, make the defining plays that ultimately wins the game. UT is a GOOD football team. In time, we'll be right back at the top with the greats.. We haven't learned how to finish games yet.
I do NOT disagree with your second paragraph, however. I can see UT winning out from here.
GO VOLS!!
allvol9 writes:
We are getting better each week. Just wish we had UCLA and Auburn now....we would win for sure. Wow, our future looks awesome! We outplayed the Number 2 team in the nation yesterday at their place.....we didn't get the win...but we got everyone's attention. The Lane Train is for real! Go Vols!
mcever writes:
lol... and they had the whine flu, and Ingram just broke up with his girlfriend, and... dude, shut up, you sound like a whiney little kid, you Florida people whined, Alabama whined... just notice that this team is hella good coached and stop making excuses when they do a good job... Alabama beat us in only 1 area, Special Teams, and Florida beat us only because Tebow scrambled every play he couldn't find a receiver... Brantley won't be doin that stuff, so nice knowing ya Florida.
beachvol1 writes:
All I can say is we lost....had our chances but didn't capitalize on them....all Lincoln's kicks are low and after stop action on the last blocked attempt, it was lower than the first block...don't really think Cody got off the ground at all....the incoming freshman kicker from south florida may get both jobs, punting and place kicking...our punting game wasn't much better....just hope this bunch of Vols can win out and make a nice bowl trip....look out Bama, this didn't do anything to help your recruiting in your own state....Saban and Myer have to be drinking out of the same cup....making excuses for getting out played....give the Vols credit you two jerks....
jandjhome#228397 writes:
When this was a paid site,we did not have to put up with Alabama and Florida Assholes.
smokeyvol1 writes:
Is'nt it funny how the interlopers come over here to discuss how there team is the best. I'm not so sure either is the best but I do know that Fla. played us when our QB was not playing well at all. Bama played us when he was playing much better. I suspect your reason for coming on here is because you know as well as we do that you better get your shots in this year because you know that come next year and beyond we will own your sorry azzes! But none the less would all you interlopers go somewhere else and discuss who is the greatest and who will be number 2 next year!
tennisvol writes:
The Vols need to try and forget about Bama and get ready for South Carolina and the offensive genius, Steve Spurrier. He will have them ready to play.
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