Ohio State falls to No. 15 in AP poll after loss to USC

College football fans faced a volatile weekend as five ranked teams lost. The results forced major adjustments in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll released on Sunday. Ohio State saw its largest drop, sliding from a top-five position to No. 15. The Buckeyes lost to a USC defense that had struggled previously. Quarterback Julian Sayin is out for the season. Backup Luke Fahey completed his first full game. Ohio State did not score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter. The loss confirmed that the team is no longer a clear contender for the College Football Playoff at the same level. Utah replaced Ohio State in the top five. The Utes beat Cincinnati on the road. They scored on a pass, a run, a fumble recovery, and an interception return. Utah is still undefeated. The Utes have now beaten Houston, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati. Those victories form a strong case for a top-five ranking. However, the offense showed inconsistency against Houston earlier in the season. That performance raises questions about how Utah will fare against top SEC opponents like Miami or Notre Dame. BYU and Indiana both fell in the rankings despite winning their games. BYU beat Arizona State at home. Arizona State was using its third quarterback of the season. The win was narrow and unimpressive. Indiana needed a 60-yard field goal in the final seconds to force overtime against Minnesota. They won during the extra period. The Hoosiers have needed overtime or late comebacks in recent weeks. Their only loss this season was to Ohio State at home. South Carolina entered the poll at No. 19. The Gamecocks have two wins over top-21 teams. They played well in the last three weeks. Their losses were all to Top 25-caliber opponents. Texas Tech moved back into the top 10 at No. 10. The Red Raiders beat Arizona. The change to quarterback Thomas Castellanos appeared to help the ground game. Florida dropped to No. 21 after losing to Georgia. The Gators have two wins over top-10 teams. Their losses have all been to ranked opponents. Georgia holds the No. 1 spot despite a loss to Auburn. The Bulldogs beat Florida and won on the road against Alabama. No team has a better combination of results and performance through nine weeks.

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a photorealistic news photo scene of a college football stadium at night under bright floodlights. The field is green with white yard lines clearly visible. A large digital scoreboard in the background shows a final score. The stands are filled with a blurred crowd of fans wearing team colors. The mood is tense and dramatic. No real or identifiable people are in focus, no text, no logos.

a photorealistic news photo scene of a college football stadium at night under bright floodlights. The field is green with white yard lines clearly visible. A large digital scoreboard in the background shows a final score. The stands are filled with a blurred crowd of fans wearing team colors. The mood is tense and dramatic. No real or identifiable people are in focus, no text, no logos.