ACC

NC State falls, Wake Forest rises in new AP poll after ranked college football games

N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren watches during a timeout during the second half of Clemson’s 30-20 victory over N.C. State at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022.
N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren watches during a timeout during the second half of Clemson’s 30-20 victory over N.C. State at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. ehyman@newsobserver.com

Week 5 of the college football season brought so many upsets the Associated Press Top 25 poll looks dramatically different now than it did last week leading up to the games.

With 10 ranked teams suffering losses, seven teams entered the rankings. With a near upset, a change also occurred at the top.

Alabama (5-0) surpassed Georgia (5-0) as the nation’s No. 1 team in the new rankings, released Sunday. The change occurred after Georgia, which was previously No. 1, need a late rally to win 26-22 at Missouri. Alabama, ranked No. 2 last week, won 49-26 at previously No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday.

N.C. State (4-1), which was ranked in the top 10 for the first time in 20 years last week, fell four spots to No. 14 after losing 30-20 at No. 5 Clemson on Saturday night.

Wake Forest (4-1) climbed seven spots to No. 15 after winning, 31-21, at Florida State. That result caused the Seminoles (4-1) to fall out of the poll.

With Pittsburgh losing, 26-21, to Georgia Tech, the Panthers joined Florida State among ACC teams disappearing from the poll. But the league gained a team as No. 22 Syracuse (5-0) entered the rankings for the first time this season.

The Orange join No. 17 TCU (4-0), No. 18 UCLA, No. 19 Kansas, No. 23 Mississippi State, No. 24 Cincinnati and No. 25 LSU as poll newcomers this week.

Latest AP Top 25 rankings

Rk.

Team

1

Alabama

2

Georgia

3

Ohio State

4

Michigan

5

Clemson

6

USC

7

Oklahoma State

8

Tennessee

9

Mississippi

10

Penn State

11

Utah

12

Oregon

13

Kentucky

14

N.C. State

15

Wake Forest

16

BYU

17

TCU

18

UCLA

19

Kansas

20

Kansas State

21

Washington

22

Syracuse

23

Mississippi State

24

Cincinnati

25

LSU

Steve Wiseman’s latest AP poll ballot

1Georgia
2Alabama
3Ohio State
4Clemson
5Michigan
6USC
7

Oklahoma State

8Penn State
9Mississippi
10Kentucky
11N.C. State
12Oregon
13Tennessee
14Wake Forest
15BYU
16Utah
17Kansas State
18UCLA
19Kansas
20TCU
21Washington
22Cincinnati
23

Mississippi State

24

James Madison

25Syracuse

This story was originally published October 2, 2022 at 11:15 AM with the headline "NC State falls, Wake Forest rises in new AP poll after ranked college football games."

Steve Wiseman
The News & Observer
Steve Wiseman was named Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun sports editor in May 2025. He covered Duke athletics, beginning in 2010, prior to his current assignment. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019, event coverage in 2025 and explanatory writing in 2018. Before coming to Durham in 2010, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989. 
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