For the first time in its three-year existence, the American Athletic Conference (AAC) has three football teams in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.
Thanks to Memphis' 37-24 upset over Ole Miss (24), the Tigers leapt on the poll in week 8 from unranked to 18th overall. Temple (22) also joined the poll after beating UCF.
Houston (21) beat Tulane to rise three places, giving them as many teams among the Top 25 as the Pac-12. Leaving the rankings were UCLA, Northwestern, and Boise State.
"It's one of the biggest wins we've had. It may be the most important based on where we are now," AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco said in a statement Sunday. "UCF's big win over Baylor [in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl] was really important because it gave us some instant credibility that year.
"We want to be considered for the playoff spot," he said. "We're not just content to be playing for a Group of 5 spot on New Year's Day."
Ohio State (1) and Baylor (2) remained atop the poll while the rest of the Top 10 shuffled about. Utah (3) rose a spot after beating Arizona State while TCU (4) fell one place despite remaining undefeated.
LSU (5) beat Florida (13) to move into the Top Five while Clemson (6) fell one place. AP voters gave LSU and Clemson one first-place vote each, while giving TCU three, Utah 16, Baylor 12, and Ohio State 28.
Michigan State (7) stayed put despite beating Michigan (15) on the road in a game they were not favored to win, likely because of the fluky nature of the win. Alabama (8), Florida State (9), and Stanford (10) rounded out the Top 10 while Texas A&M (15) and Florida suffered falls.
