Texas is still on top. The Longhorns stayed No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll released Sunday, their fourth straight week in the top spot, NCAA.com reported.

The rest of the top five held steady. Georgia is No. 2, Notre Dame No. 3, Miami No. 4 and Ohio State No. 5. Alabama moved up from seventh to sixth after beating Mississippi State, followed by Indiana, BYU, Ole Miss and LSU to round out the top 10.

The biggest jump belonged to Missouri. The Tigers climbed to No. 14 after routing Florida, NBC Sports reported. Missouri has been one of the season's surprise teams and now has a real path into the national title race.

Indiana's spot at No. 7 shows how far the program has come. The Hoosiers were long one of the Big Ten's weakest teams before a breakout run under coach Curt Cignetti. BYU, at No. 8, is also building a strong case.

Here is the background. The AP poll, voted on by sports writers and broadcasters, has ranked college teams since 1936. It no longer decides the national champion. That job belongs to the College Football Playoff, which expanded to 12 teams in 2024. A separate committee releases its own rankings starting in November.

Still, the AP poll shapes how fans and the selection committee see teams early in the season. Ranked matchups also draw bigger TV audiences.

Texas faces an unranked Oklahoma next in the Red River Rivalry in Dallas, On3 noted. October is often when the poll gets shaken up.

Fans can find full rankings on the AP's college football page and on NCAA.com.

What we know: Texas is No. 1 for a fourth week, and Missouri jumped to 14th.
What we don't: Which top-10 teams will survive the October gauntlet.