Illinois climbed three spots to No. 14 in the AP college football poll, after beating Nebraska 26-9 for its sixth consecutive victory. It’s the program’s highest ranking since the Illini were No. 13 in 2007.
Tennessee moved into a tie with Ohio State for No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday to set up a 1-versus-2 matchup this week with top-ranked Georgia.
The Volunteers moved up a spot, receiving 18 first-place votes and 1,500 points to match Ohio State. The Buckeyes received 15 first-place votes. The last time there was a tie at No. 2 in the AP poll was Nov. 14, 2004, between Auburn and Oklahoma behind No. 1 USC.The Vols have not been ranked this high since they were No. 2 in 2001, a season they finished fourth.
No. 24 Oregon State becomes the latest Power Five school to snap a long absence from the rankings. The Beavers had not been ranked since they were No. 25 in the 2013 preseason poll. They had not been ranked in the regular season since 2012, when they finished 20th.