ATLANTA — For the first time this season, a chunk of AP voters decided a team other than Alabama or Clemson deserved their first-place votes - with the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs getting four of them.
UGA had an off week, but Clemson slipped in the poll after just barely beating North Carolina.
In the last poll, Georgia was 85 points off the No. 2 spot, behind Alabama, who moved to No. 1 on Sunday in the poll. Now they're just about 50 points behind Clemson.
No. 4 Ohio State also benefited, with seven first-place votes, and No. 7 Auburn got three.
The last time as many as five teams received first-place votes during the regular season was early November 2015, when six teams were listed No. 1 on at least one ballot. That was also the first season that ended with Alabama and Clemson playing for the national title.
An argument could be made for No. 5 LSU at No. 1, too, and No. 6 Oklahoma looks even better than last year.
Alabama has now been ranked No. 1 at some point in each of the last 12 seasons, extending its own record. The second-longest streak belongs to Miami, which had a string of seven consecutive seasons with an appearance at No. 1 from 1986-92.
This is the 119th time Alabama has been No. 1, most of any school in poll history, and the 88th time it has been top-ranked under coach Nick Saban since he took over in 2007.
Clemson became the first No. 1 team to win and drop in the rankings since Ohio State on Nov. 7, 2015, after the Buckeyes beat Minnesota 28-14 at home.
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