Top Dog: Georgia Sits Atop New AP Top 25

Another wild weekend of College Football has come and gone, with some big upsets and a ton of change in the latest AP Poll.

There is a new top team in the country, and a marquee program is now unranked for the first time since 2017.

The Georgia Bulldogs leapt past the Alabama Crimson Tide this week, as Bama struggled to take care of business against the Texas Longhorns. While the Tide did manage a win, 20-19, it was much closer than many expected.

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As for the Bulldogs, they took down FCS Samford at home 33-0 to earn the top spot.

After a tough loss at the hands of the Marshall Thundering Herd at home in South Bend, the 8th rated Notre Dame Fighting Irish tumbled out of the poll for the first time since 2017. It's an 0-2 start to the Head coaching career of new Irish coach Marcus Freeman.

Here is the complete poll:

1	Georgia(53)	2-0	1561	1
2	Alabama(9)	2-0	1496	1
3	Ohio State(1)	2-0	1475	-
4	Michigan	2-0	1359	-
5	Clemson	2-0	1285	-
6	Oklahoma	2-0	1209	1
7	USC	2-0	1139	3
8	Oklahoma State	2-0	1004	3
9	Kentucky	2-0	992	11
10	Arkansas	2-0	938	6
11	Michigan State	2-0	902	3
12	BYU	2-0	880	9
13	Miami	2-0	772	2
14	Utah	1-1	673	1
15	Tennessee	2-0	658	9
16	NC State	2-0	623	2
17	Baylor	1-1	562	8
18	Florida	1-1	484	6
19	Wake Forest	2-0	449	4
20	Ole Miss	2-0	411	2
21	Texas	1-1	276	NR
22	Penn State	2-0	271	NR
23	Pittsburgh	1-1	160	6
24	Texas A&M	1-1	145	18
25	Oregon	1-1	89	NR

Others receiving votes: Marshall 85, Cincinnati 80, Appalachian State 80, Kansas State 77, North Carolina 71, Mississippi State 43, Oregon State 42, Florida State 42, Minnesota 37, Washington State 30, Notre Dame 23, Air Force 19, Texas Tech 17, Wisconsin 7, Iowa State 4, Auburn 4, Purdue 1

Dropped from rankings: Notre Dame 8, Wisconsin 19, Houston 25

Ahead on the schedule this weekend include a pair of ranked vs. ranked games, as #12 BYU visits #25 Oregon, and the 13th ranked Miami Hurricanes do battle with #24 Texas A&M.

Source: AP Poll - ESPN.com

Know Your South Dakota College and University Mascots

The college football experience is an ultimate high for football fans and it takes several other teams to make that happen week after week during the season.

Just think about what goes into gameday? First and foremost, the players and coaching staff who put in hours and hours of practice and training to play in front of their fans. Then there's field prep, game officials, live broadcasts, concessions, and on-the-field entertainment. Yep, entertainment.

Second to the game, who do you watch? The cheerleaders? The band at halftime? What about the mascot? That's a job not many people can do.

I asked Sioux Falls native and former Cagey mascot for the Sioux Falls Canaries and Little Red & Herbie for the Nebraska Huskers Nate Welch about being a mascot:

What does it take to be a mascot?
"Losing a bet or filling an opportunity!" Welch says, "An internal energized desire to love life. After meeting great performers who are introverts out of costume, they become the center of attention when they take the stage. And also feeding off the performance of others."
Why does the mascot never talk?
"Know your role and shut your mouth. You are there to entertain. Tell the story with your actions and not your voice."
Advice to someone putting on that costume for the first time?
"Remember you are now in a costume. Have fun. Otherwise, you're just a dork in tights. If the fur ain't flying you ain't trying."

Nate Welch has moved on from his days as a mascot to Executive Director of the Vermillion Area Chamber of Commerce and Development Company in Vermillion, South Dakota.

So, can you name the mascots at our South Dakota Colleges and Universities? Check out the gallery below:

Source: Top Dog: Georgia Sits Atop New AP Top 25