Ole Miss has moved into the top four of the Associated Press Top 25 after its 32-24 victory over LSU, while the Southeastern Conference once again showed its depth with 10 teams appearing in this week’s rankings.
The Rebels climbed from No. 8 to No. 4 after holding off LSU on Saturday night. It marks Ole Miss’ first top-five appearance since the team finished No. 3 in the final AP poll last season. LSU, meanwhile, dropped three spots from No. 7 to No. 10 despite remaining inside the top 10.
Texas stayed at No. 1 for a second consecutive week after improving to 3-0. The Longhorns followed their win over Ohio State with a 30-6 victory against UTSA and received 58 of the 69 first-place votes from the AP panel.
Georgia remained No. 2, followed by Notre Dame at No. 3. Indiana held the No. 5 position, while Miami, Ohio State, Alabama and BYU rounded out the rest of the top 10.
Several teams made notable moves further down the poll. Louisville climbed seven spots to No. 16 after defeating SMU 41-31, giving the Cardinals the biggest jump of the week. SMU fell from No. 16 to No. 22.
Texas A&M experienced the largest drop, sliding from No. 9 to No. 23 after losing 31-21 at home to Kentucky.
Florida and Mississippi State Return to the Rankings
The latest poll also welcomed two SEC teams that were previously outside the Top 25.
Florida entered at No. 21 after a 44-39 road victory over Auburn. The Gators are now 3-0 and have reached the rankings for the first time since September 2025.
Mississippi State came in at No. 24 following a 41-34 comeback win at South Carolina. The Bulldogs erased a 16-point deficit and earned their first AP Top 25 appearance since 2022.
With Florida and Mississippi State joining the poll, the SEC now has 10 ranked teams. It is only the seventh time in AP poll history that the conference has reached that mark during a regular season. The SEC had 11 ranked teams in consecutive polls in September 2025.
Teams Moving Out
Oklahoma dropped out of the rankings after defeating New Mexico 14-6. The Sooners fell from No. 24 following a second straight game in which their offense struggled to produce points.
Virginia also left the Top 25 after losing 38-27 to West Virginia. The Cavaliers had been ranked No. 25 in each of the previous two polls.
The Rest of the Top 25
The teams ranked from No. 11 through No. 25 are Texas Tech, USC, Penn State, Tennessee, Utah, Louisville, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Florida, SMU, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Houston.
Among the other notable developments, BYU moved into the top 10 at No. 9, its earliest top-10 ranking in a season since 2009. Ohio State remained No. 7 and extended its streak of appearances in the AP Top 25 to 100 consecutive polls.
Mississippi State’s No. 24 ranking is also its highest September position since 2018, adding another milestone to a week that saw the Bulldogs return to the national rankings.
The upcoming schedule includes several matchups between ranked teams. No. 1 Texas will travel to face No. 14 Tennessee, while No. 4 Ole Miss visits No. 21 Florida. No. 17 Iowa will meet No. 18 Michigan, No. 19 Missouri will play No. 24 Mississippi State, and No. 20 Oregon will take on No. 12 USC. Texas A&M will also face No. 10 LSU.
