Tomorrow's Top 25 Today: Alabama moves to No. 1 after thrilling win over Georgia in Instant Classic

There will be another battle for No. 1 in the new AP Top 25 poll as voters return to their ballots after a thunderous Week 5 slate.. And while we project multiple — three or more — teams to take first place in the poll, Saturday. A nightly statement win in Tuscaloosa has Alabama poised to become the nation's third No. 1 team in the 2024 season.

When you consider that Georgia's 13 first-place votes from last week's balloting are likely gone, voters who saw the Bulldogs as the nation's best team — ahead of Texas and Ohio State — will think highly of how Alabama went wire-to-wire. One of the biggest games of the year against the Bulldogs. From there, the strength of the win compared to the Longhorns' best win will require nearly a dozen of the 44 voters who ranked Texas No. 1 last week — the road over Michigan earlier this year.

The debate for No. 1 would be even more unique if it hadn't already been one of the early stories this season in the AP Top 25 poll. While Texas leapfrogged Georgia at No. 1 following a win in Ann Arbor, the Longhorns did so with nearly a dozen more first-place votes (35-to-23). Alabama's climb to No. 1, as we project, would likely carry an even tighter vote split. Unfortunately for Texas, sometimes you can't get down the rankings as far as you jump, and it's hard to imagine a more powerful ranking booster than what the Crimson Tide did at Georgia on Saturday night.

Elsewhere in the rankings, we'll see a fall-out from multiple top-ranked games on the Week 5 schedule as well as a big change in the wake of Ole Miss' stunning upset loss to Kentucky and more.

Here's how we project the new AP Top 25 to watch for Week 5:

1. Alabama (Last Week – 4): Destiny wasn't as easy as it looked in the first half, but the Crimson Tide finished the job in thrilling fashion. The drama of the moment only helps it go to No.1.

2. Texas (1): Arch Manning totaled three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and poured it on after a sloppy start to record the Longhorns' first SEC win over Mississippi State. It's not that Texas will be penalized for its 35-13 win — though it was closer than oddsmakers expected — as much as it was that Alabama's win lacked the punch to contend for No. 1.

3. Ohio State (3): Will the Buckeyes get more than five first-place votes after beating Michigan State by 31 points? Ohio State has received exactly five first-place votes in each of the last four weeks, and while a credit to the resilience of those voters, it's curious why the Buckeyes haven't attracted more first-place attention while they go about their business. The first month of the season.

4. Tennessee (5): The Volunteers were off in Week 5 and will return to Arkansas next week.

5. Oregon (8): The Ducks were tested on the road against UCLA and responded well, jumping out early and defending the rest of the way to improve to 4-0 overall on the year.

6. Penn State (9): Penn State has a lot of work to do moving forward, but the Nittany Lions passed their first Big Ten Conference test with a 21-7 win over Illinois.

7. Miami (7): Controversy surrounds the end of the Hurricanes' 38-34 win over Virginia Tech, but how much will it show up on the ballot? Miami will seemingly lose some voter support for a game that was much closer than expected, but it's unlikely to be enough to cause any kind of major shakeup among the undefeated teams in the back half of the top 10.

8. Georgia (2): It's going to be really tough to knock Georgia out of the top 10 after the Bulldogs' epic, second-half comeback effort that allowed them to hold a lead late in the final minutes of a close loss in Tuscaloosa.

9. Missouri (11): The Tigers were off in Week 5 and will be back next week at Texas A&M.

10. Michigan (12): The nation's top one-loss team won't budge much after a 27-24 win over Minnesota a week ago. The Wolverines will no longer be the nation's top one-loss team but should not see much adjustment in terms of turnover.

11. USC (13): The Trojans struggled early against Wisconsin but showed remarkable resilience in outscoring the Badgers 28-0 after halftime in a 17-point victory.

12. LSU (14): No big changes for LSU after taking care of business against South Alabama.

13. Ole Miss (6): When a team is undefeated, it is judged by how it looks in victory. But once voters start stacking one-loss teams against each other, they must show a certain quality of winning to capture tiebreakers for the top spots on the ballot. Now 4-1 after a home loss to Kentucky, the Rebels' best win is at Wake Forest, which lost to Louisiana on Saturday. There will be a chance to get back into the top 10 and show form close to that early season blowout win, but it's not a top-10 profile right now.

14. Notre Dame (16): The Fighting Irish took advantage of an early Louisville turnover and held off their defense for another home win against an ACC opponent, holding off a late Cardinal charge in a 31-24 win.

15. Clemson (17): Cade Klubnik has shined against every opponent since the season-opening loss to Georgia. This time he totaled five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) in a 40-14 win over Stanford.

16. Iowa State (18): It took some time for the Cyclones to find the end zone against Houston, but the defense never let the outcome be in doubt which would eventually lead to a 20-0 run for Iowa State to improve to 4-0.

17. Oklahoma (21): The Sooners' first SEC victory came in dramatic fashion, rallying from a double-digit, late fourth-quarter deficit to stun Auburn 27-21 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. It won't make a huge jump in the rankings, but a win could go a long way to helping Oklahoma's season-long outlook after switching quarterbacks this week.

18. Illinois (19): Illinois getting jumped by BYU is possible since the Cougars are undefeated, but it's hard to penalize the Fighting Illini too much for their 4-1 start and how competitive the team was in Penn State's tough road environment.

19. BYU (22): Kilani Sitake is now 5-0 for the third time in five seasons at BYU after a 34-28 road win at Baylor to improve to 2-0 in Big 12 play. The Cougars needed a late defensive stand to hold on to nearly blow a 31-14 halftime lead, but an interception from safety Crewe Walkley with 59 seconds left sealed the win.

20. Kansas State (23): A strong bounce back for Kansas State after last week's road loss at BYU brings some optimism for the team moving forward. Quarterback Avery Johnson totaled five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) in a 42–20 win over Oklahoma State, which got the Wildcats back on track and sent the Cowboys back up in the rankings.

21. Utah (10): The Utes fell to Arizona late Saturday night and now sit at 4-1 with a guaranteed upset. Cam Rising's continued absence and unknown about his status make ranking Utah impossible. They looked like one of the best teams in the country for one half against Baylor but were limited offensively from then on. Some voters may leave Utah off the ballot entirely, but not enough to see a drop from the top-10 to the rank.

22. Texas A&M (24): It seems like every Texas A&M-Arkansas game is going to bring drama these days, and Saturday's 21-17 win for the Aggies was no different. The win doesn't do enough to lead to a big jump, but it adds value to a profile that was previously only anchored by a win in Florida.

23. Boise State (25): The Broncos are currently in action against Washington State, which was 26th last week and just two points shy of Boise State.

24. Indiana (NR): The Hoosiers are 5-0 for the first time since 1967 and now have a pair of conference wins after pulling away late against Maryland. There are more tough games on the schedule, but if Indiana continues to perform at its current level, we could be looking at a team that will continue to rise in the rankings over the next few weeks.

25. UNLV (NR): After a week of stories suggesting behind-the-scenes drama, the Rebels completely destroyed Fresno State in their Mountain West opener. The 59-14 final highlights a team that is just fine after moving Hodge-Malik Williams as the new quarterback. After being one of the top teams outside of the top 25, the extra attention will cause a bump in the rankings.

Drop out project: No. 15 Louisville, No. 20 Oklahoma State