COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Air Force Academy's football team is ranked in the NCAA top 25 for the first time since 2019.
No. 22 Air Force vaulted into the rankings by beating rival Wyoming to stay undefeated.
Air Force has finished 10-3 in each of the last two seasons, both times fueled by late winning streaks, but failed to make an appearance in the AP Top 25.
Now the Falcons are 6-0 for the first time since 2002 and ranked for the first time since the last three Top 25s of the 2019 season. Air Force finished that season 11-2 and No. 22 in the country.
The other teams to move into the Top 25 this week have been here earlier in the season.
— No. 20 Missouri bounced right back into the rankings after winning at Kentucky.
— No. 23 Tulane (5-1) is back after beating American Athletic Conference rival Memphis on Friday night.
— No. 24 Iowa (6-1) returns after seizing control of the Big Ten West by beating Wisconsin.
Dropping out this week were Washington State, Kansas, Kentucky and Miami, all of which lost for the second time this season.
CONFERENCE CALL
SEC — 6 (Nos. 1, 11, 13, 17, 19, 20).
Pac-12 — 6 (Nos. 5, 9, 12, 14, 18, 25).
Big Ten — 4 (Nos. 2, 3, 7, 24).
ACC — 4 (Nos. 4, 10, 16, 21).
Big 12 — 2 (Nos. 6, 8).
American — 1 (No. 23).
Mountain West — 1 (No. 22).
Independent — 1 (No. 15).
RANKED vs. RANKED
No. 7 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio State. Seventh straight meeting with both teams ranked.
No. 17 Tennessee at No. 11 Alabama. Consecutive seasons with both teams ranked for the Third Saturday in October rivalry. That hasn't happened since 1995-96.
No. 16 Duke at No. 4 Florida State. Only two ranked meeting previously and the Seminoles won them both by a combined 77 points.
No. 14 Utah at No. 18 USC. Third straight meeting with both teams ranked after the Utes won both last year to take the Pac-12 title.
POLL POINTS
Alabama held steady at No. 11 after beating Arkansas, extending its streak of being out of the top 10 to five weeks.
The Crimson Tide dropped out for the first time since 2015 on Sept. 17, when they fell to a season-low No. 13 after a sloppy performance in a victory over South Florida.
Alabama has won five straight since a Week 2 loss to Texas, but it hasn't been able to get back into the top 10.
The Tide have not spent this much of a season out of the top 10 since 2007, Nick Saban's first as coach, when Alabama finished 7-6.
The Crimson Tide are positioned to either get back into the top 10 or slip even farther next week when they host No. 17 Tennessee. After that, Alabama has a week off before hosting No. 19 LSU.
Alabama has not been out of the top 15 since Nov. 28, 2010, when the Tide lost to Auburn in their regular-season finale to fall to No. 17 at 9-3.
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