UNDATED (AP) _ Clemson remains No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll, but not by much. Trevor Lawrence’s absence because of COVID-19 and the Tigers’ narrow victory over Boston College created a divide among the 62 sports writers and broadcasters on the voting panel.
Clemson is just two points ahead of No. 2 Alabama after receiving 33 first-place votes, 19 fewer than last week. The Crimson Tide closed the gap with Saturday’s 41-0 rout of Mississippi State, the first shutout loss for head coach Mike Leach.
The rest of the top five remained the same, with Ohio State at No. 3, followed by Notre Dame and Georgia. Sixth-ranked Cincinnati is followed by Texas A&M, Florida, BYU and Wisconsin.
Liberty cracked the poll for the first time ever at No. 25, while Penn State dropped out for the first time in four years.