AP Top 25: No. 23 Army ranked for 1st time since 1996
The Army Black Knights (9-2) have been edging toward the Top 25 in recent weeks, and they finally broke through on Sunday. The rankings were mostly unchanged after a weekend with few big games or surprising results.
Led by unanimous No. 1 Alabama, the top six stayed the same as last week. Clemson was No. 2, followed by Notre Dame, Michigan, Georgia and Oklahoma.
Washington State moved up a spot to No. 7 and UCF jumped three spots to No. 8, season highs for both schools. LSU tied Central Florida at No. 8 and Ohio State was 10th.
Also debuting in the Top 25 this season is Pittsburgh at No. 24.
Army being ranked has been a rarity since the early 1960s. From 1963-2017, there have been only two seasons in which the Black Knights appeared in the AP Top 25. In 1985, Army was No. 19 for one week on its way to a 9-3 sea-
son. In 1996, Army went 10-2 and was ranked in four of the final five polls of the season. The Cadets finished 25th that season.
Army managed just one winning record from 1997-2015. But under coach Jeff Monken, who took over in 2014, Army has had three straight winning seasons. The Black Knights head into the Navy game looking for a third straight victory against the Midshipmen and a second consecutive 10-win season.
The Cadets are on a seven-game winning streak since losing in overtime at Oklahoma on Sept. 22.
POLL POINTS >> Army and Pitt became the 52nd and 53rd teams to be ranked this season, setting a record for the most ranked teams since the poll expanded to 25 in 1989. The previous high was 51 teams ranked in 2008.
The Panthers, who were 3-4 and 0-3 vs. ranked teams on Oct. 7, are ranked for the first time since Dec. 4, 2016. They have won four straight to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division and earn a trip to the league championship game for the first time.