AP Top 25: Clemson remains overwhelming No. 1 over Alabama

Clemson easily held off Alabama on Sunday to retain the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press college football poll, extending its longest run atop the poll to seven weeks.

The Crimson Tide ran away from Georgia on Saturday night to make the case to be No. 1, but it wasn’t enough to topple the Tigers.

Clemson defended its turf with a historic blowout against Georgia Tech. The 66-point rout was the largest ever in an Atlantic Coast Conference football game. Clemson received 54 first-place votes out of 62 from the panel of sports writers and broadcasters.

The Crimson Tide got the remaining eight first-place votes. Notre Dame moved up to a season-high No. 3, No. 4 Georgia dropped one spot and Ohio State moved up to No. 5 a week before the Big Ten starts playing.

Clemson has been No. 1 since the preseason. The Tigers have been top-ranked 23 times in school history but never more than five times in a season before this year.

North Carolina took a big fall, dropping nine spots to No. 14 after losing at Florida State.

Oklahoma State is No. 6, with Texas A&M, Penn State, Cincinnati and Florida rounding out the top 10.

Sports

College football: No. 2 Alabama beats No. 3 Georgia; South Carolina tops No. 15 Auburn

Mac Jones threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns, and No. 2 Alabama picked apart No. 3 Georgia’s defense in the second half of a 41-24 win Saturday.

Oct. 17, 2020

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Notre Dame
4. Georgia
5. Ohio State
6. Oklahoma State
7. Texas A&M
8. Penn State
9. Cincinnati
10. Florida
11. Miami (Fla.)
12. Brigham Young
13. Oregon
14. North Carolina
14. Wisconsin
16. Southern Methodist
17. Iowa State
18. Michigan
19. Virginia Tech
20. Kansas State
21. Minnesota
22. Marshall
23. North Carolina State
24. USC
25. Coastal Carolina

Others receiving votes:

Memphis 76, Oklahoma 74, Tulsa 58, West Virginia 57, Auburn 48, Iowa 42, Louisiana-Lafayette 40, Liberty 37, Utah 36, UAB 30, Army 29, Arkansas 15, Air Force 14, Kentucky 12, Tennessee 11, Virginia 9, Arizona State 9, Washington 8, South Carolina 8, Indiana 4, Texas 1.