Illinois up to No. 14 in the AP poll — its highest ranking since 2007 — while Tennessee is tied for 2nd entering showdown vs. No. 1 Georgia

Tennessee moved right into a tie with Ohio State for No. 2 in The Related Press faculty soccer ballot Sunday to arrange a 1-versus-2 matchup this week with top-ranked Georgia.

Georgia-Tennessee would be the twenty fifth regular-season recreation matching the highest two groups within the AP ballot and the third straight involving Southeastern Convention groups. Neither the Bulldogs nor the Volunteers have performed in a 1-2 recreation within the common season.

Illinois climbed three spots to No. 14 after beating Nebraska 26-9 for its sixth consecutive victory. It’s this system’s highest rating within the AP ballot because the Illini have been No. 13 within the last regular-season ballot in 2007.

The Illini (7-1, 4-1) lead the Huge Ten West by one recreation over Purdue (5-3, 3-2). The groups meet Nov. 12 in Champaign after Illinois hosts Michigan State on Saturday.

Georgia remained No. 1 for the fourth straight week, receiving 30 first-place votes and 1,528 factors.

The Volunteers moved up a spot, receiving 18 first-place votes and 1,500 factors to match Ohio State. The Buckeyes acquired 15 first-place votes. The final time there was a tie at No. 2 within the AP ballot was Nov. 14, 2004, between Auburn and Oklahoma behind No. 1 USC.

Tennessee routed Kentucky 44-6 on Saturday and Ohio State received 44-31 at Penn State.

The Vols haven’t been ranked this excessive since they have been No. 2 in 2001, a season they completed fourth.

No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Clemson, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 TCU and No. 8 Oregon held their spots. USC moved up a spot to ninth and No. 10 UCLA gave the Pac-12 three top-10 groups for the primary time since November 2016.

The primary School Soccer Playoff rankings of the season can be launched Tuesday night time.

The final two 1-2 regular-season video games each concerned Alabama and LSU.

The Tigers have been No. 1 in 2019 after they beat the second-ranked Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on the best way to SEC and nationwide championships.

In 2011, the top-ranked Tigers received at No. 2 Alabama in additional time, and the SEC West rivals performed once more within the BCS nationwide championship recreation. The Tide received the rematch and completed No. 1.

Together with postseason video games, this would be the 53rd recreation matching the AP’s No. 1 and No. 2 groups because the ballot started in 1936.

Three groups made their season debuts within the Prime 25 this week.

• No. 23 Liberty is ranked for the primary time since 2020, when the Flames have been ranked for eight weeks and peaked at No. 17 within the last ballot.
• No. 24 Oregon State turns into the most recent Energy 5 college to snap an extended absence from the rankings. The Beavers had not been ranked since they have been No. 25 within the 2013 preseason ballot. They’d not been ranked within the common season since 2012, after they completed twentieth.

Earlier this 12 months Kansas broke a 13-year rankings drought, which had been the longest among the many Energy 5 conferences. Then Illinois broke the next-longest dry spell, transferring into the rankings for the primary time since 2011.

Rutgers holds the longest AP Prime 25 drought amongst Energy 5 groups, courting to 2012. Vanderbilt is subsequent. The Commodores haven’t been ranked because the 2013 season.

• No. 25 UCF is ranked for the primary time since Sept. 27, 2020.

• SEC East rivals Kentucky and South Carolina each dropped out of the ballot after absorbing their third losses of the season. The Gamecocks are out after just one week of being ranked. The Wildcats are unranked for the primary time this season.
• Cincinnati additionally dropped out of the rankings after dropping to UCF.

• SEC — 5 (Nos. 1, 2, 6, 11, 15).
• ACC — 5 (Nos. 5, 17, 20, 21, 22).
• Pac-12 — 5 (Nos. 8, 9, 10, 12, 24).
• Huge Ten — 4 (Nos. 2, 4, 14, 16).
• Huge 12 — 3 (Nos. 7, 13, 18).
• American — 2 (Nos. 19, 25).
• Unbiased — 1 (No. 23).

Huge weekend within the SEC as each division leads can be up for grabs.

• No. 6 Alabama at No. 15 LSU. First ranked matchup for the Tide and Tigers since that 2019 1-versus-2 recreation.
• No. 20 Wake Forest at No. 21 North Carolina State. For the second straight 12 months, the Demon Deacons and Wolfpack will meet as ranked opponents.