AP Top 25: Georgia has No. 1 on lock, Alabama drops to No. 10

Associated PressNov 6, 2022, 2:51 PM EST

Joshua L. Jones/USA TODAY NETWORK

Georgia tightened its hold on No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll, with TCU climbing up to No. 4 and Alabama dropping all the way to No. 10.

The Bulldogs had their strongest support of the season after manhandling Tennessee in a 1-2 matchup on Saturday. Georgia received 62 of 63 first-place votes from the media panel in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank.

No. 2 Ohio State got the other first-place vote. Michigan moved up a spot to No. 3 and TCU jumped three spots to its highest ranking since late in the 2017 season.

No. 5 Tennessee fell three spots after losing on the road to the defending national champions.

For the first time in the College Football Playoff era, Alabama and Clemson lost on the same day and both tumbled in the rankings. The Crimson Tide (7-2) fell to LSU by a point in overtime to end up at No. 10 – their worst ranking since 2015.

LSU jumped eight spots to No. 7, the Tigers’ best ranking since they started No. 6 in 2020. That was when they stumbled out of the gate a season after winning the national title.

Oregon reached a season-high No. 6 and Pac-12 rivals No. 8 Southern California and No. 9 UCLA finished out the top 10.

Clemson fell seven spots to a season-low No. 12 after losing to Notre Dame. Last year, the Tigers fell all the way out of the Top 25 for the first time since 2011.

POLL POINTS

Alabama held on to its top-10 ranking and its streak of weeks ranked in the top 10. The Crimson Tide has a streak of 120 straight polls ranked no worse than 10. That is the second longest such streak in the history of AP poll, behind Miami (1985-93).

– No. 18 Texas has yo-yoed back into the rankings this week and still has a chance to win the Big 12.

– No. 20 Notre Dame went from preseason No. 5 to unranked by Week Three. After taking a circuitous road, the Fighting Irish are back to being ranked.

– No. 24 Washington had a moment in September, then stumbled on the road. The Huskies are real tough at home and that’s been good enough.

– No. 25 Florida State was ranked for a week in October before a three-game losing streak. The Seminoles might stick around this time.

OUT

– Atlantic Coast Conference rivals Syracuse and Wake Forest departed the rankings after absorbing second straight losses. The Demon Deacons are unranked for the first time this season.

– Oklahoma State is also out of the Top 25 for the first time this season.

– Oregon State had a one-week stay after breaking a nine-season Top 25 drought.

CONFERENCE CALL

SEC – 5 (Nos. 1, 5, 7, 10, 11).

Pac-12 – 5 (Nos. 6, 8, 9, 13, 24).

ACC – 4 (Nos. 12, 15, 17, 25).

Big Ten – 4 (Nos. 2, 3, 14, 21).

Big 12 – 3 (Nos. 4, 18, 23).

American – 2 (Nos. 16, 22).

Independents – 2 (Nos. 19, 20).

RANKED vs. RANKED

No. 10 Alabama at No. 11 Mississippi.

No. 24 Washington at No. 6 Oregon.

No. 4 TCU at No. 18 Texas.

No. 22 UCF at No. 16 Tulane.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.

Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey suspended after arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 12:05 PM EDT

Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey was suspended from the team after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the team said.

The 23-year-old, who was a team captain last season, was booked at about 2:45 a.m. and released after posting $500 bond, according to online records from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are aware of the situation involving Chad Bailey,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s been suspended according to Department of Athletics policy. We have high expectations for all of our student-athletes, on and off the field, and we will follow all departmental and campus policies.”

Bailey was Mizzou’s third-leading tackler with 57 stops last season. He started all 11 games he played, missing two with an injury. He’ll be a sixth-year senior this fall after opting to return for his final year of eligibility, the Post-Dispatch reported.

The Missouri student-athlete handbook says any athlete who is arrested must serve a minimum one-week suspension.

Bailey was pulled over at about 1 a.m. not far from the Columbia campus for an expired license plate and lane violation, a police statement said. Bailey told the officer he had consumed alcohol and then performed poorly on a field sobriety test, the Post-Dispatch reported.