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Iowa up to No. 3; Clemson out of Top 25 first time since 2014

ASSOCIATED PRESS
                                Iowa players celebrate after defeating Maryland 51-14 during an NCAA college football game Friday in College Park, Md.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Iowa players celebrate after defeating Maryland 51-14 during an NCAA college football game Friday in College Park, Md.

Iowa is gearing up for its biggest home game since the 1980s, Cincinnati has its highest ranking in 12 years and Clemson is on the outside looking in at The Associated Press college football poll for the first time since 2014.

Alabama and Georgia are the only constants during this topsy-turvy college football season. They held down the top two spots for a fifth straight week in the AP Top 25, which is presented by Regions Bank.

Alabama received 53 of a possible 62 first-place votes today, with Georgia picking up the rest.

After those two teams, the movement up and down and in and out of the Top 25 was about what would be expected after a week in which nine ranked teams lost, including four in the top 10.

Through the first five weeks of the season, 34 ranked teams have lost, the most in poll history.

Iowa leapfrogged Penn State to take the No. 3 spot after its 51-14 road win over previously unbeaten Maryland. The Hawkeyes have their highest ranking since 2015. Penn State beat Indiana 24-0 at home and remained No. 4.

No. 5 Cincinnati, coming off a 24-13 road win over Notre Dame, has its best ranking since Brian Kelly’s 2009 Bearcats were No. 4 in the first week of November.

Oklahoma, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and BYU round out the top 10.

Clemson’s 19-13 home win over previously unbeaten Boston College didn’t impress voters enough to keep the Tigers in the Top 25. Thus ends their streak of 107 consecutive weeks in the rankings. The last time the Tigers were unranked was the week of Oct. 5, 2014.

They are one spot out of the Top 25, 15 points behind San Diego State.

Fresno State is also out after committing six turnovers and blowing a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter against Hawaii on Saturday.

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