AP Top 25 poll: Indiana makes history at No. 1 ahead of CFP bracket reveal

AP voters spoke after conference championship weekend across college football

By Brad Crawford

Dec 7, 2025 at 11:06 am ET • 1 min read

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For the first time in program history, Indiana is the Big Ten champion and No. 1 team in college football following Saturday night's 13-10 triumph over Ohio State. The win catapults the Hoosiers to the top spot in Sunday's updated AP Top 25 rankings. Behind Heisman frontrunner Fernando Mendoza at quarterback and a Herculean defensive effort, the Hoosiers were elite in the red zone, highlighted by a fourth-and-1 stop at their own 5 late in the third quarter.

Indiana will enter the College Football Playoff as the top seed and will play in the Rose Bowl against the winner of the 8-9 game. Ohio State previously held 61 of a possible 66 first-place votes entering the Big Ten Championship Game with the Hoosiers getting the other five before the Buckeyes' 16-game winning streak dating back to last season ended.

Georgia moved to No. 2 after dominating previously 10th-ranked Alabama, 28-7, in the SEC Championship Game. Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs never trailed, returning the favor against the Crimson Tide after falling to Alabama at home in September. Smart was 0-4 against Alabama inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium before Saturday's victory, which included three prior SEC title matchups and a showdown in the national championship to end the 2017 season.

Georgia will have a first-round bye in the playoff and make a return trip to the Sugar Bowl. That's where the Bulldogs' season ended last season against Notre Dame in the playoff quarterfinals.

Conference champions Tulane and James Madison remained in the AP Poll and project to appear in the final playoff bracket. North Texas stayed in the rankings at No. 23 after falling to the Green Wave.