LSU did its job Saturday night. The Tigers took care of Texas A&M in Tiger Stadium, and they left little doubt about which team was better.
Voters didn’t seem to notice much. The latest AP Top 25 has LSU parked at No. 11, one spot short of the top 10.
BYU holds down No. 10. So an unbeaten Cougars squad sits right in front of a one-loss SEC team that just beat a conference foe at home.
LSU is 3-1, and that loss is the anchor. Poll voters tend to favor teams with clean records. BYU is 4-0.
Ole Miss had a far different weekend. The Rebels traveled to Florida and got beaten badly.
That lopsided loss sent Ole Miss to No. 9. The Rebels are back where they started the season, which isn’t the direction any team wants to go in late September.
Here’s the odd part, though. Ole Miss lost big and still sits two spots ahead of LSU. The Tigers won big and couldn’t move up at all.
AP's Maura Carey breaks down this week's AP Top 25 and all things college football! https://t.co/gkrBpFCUFU https://t.co/n6mnMYTcpp pic.twitter.com/tyuXwWQwaw
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 27, 2026
Florida makes the biggest jump
The Gators were the big winners in this week’s poll. Florida jumped 13 spots, going from No. 21 to No. 8. LSU fans won’t like that just on general principle.
Florida is 4-0 now. Beating Ole Miss changed how voters view the Gators in a hurry.
Alabama is one rung higher at No. 7, and the Crimson Tide haven’t lost yet either.
Count them up and the SEC has five teams in the top 10. Add LSU, and the league claims six of the first 11 slots.
That crowd is part of LSU’s problem. There are only so many spots to go around, and plenty of SEC teams want them.
Nobody knocked Texas off the top. The Longhorns edged Tennessee 20-17 on the road.
Georgia is No. 2. Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State fill out the rest of the top five.
Indiana fell to No. 6 even after beating Northwestern 29-23.
Other movers across the poll
Mississippi State is 4-0 and ranked No. 16. The Bulldogs knocked off Missouri, which came into that game at No. 25.
Boise State is a new face in the rankings. A convincing road victory over Western Michigan got the Broncos in.
USC took the hardest fall of the week. The Trojans slid six spots to No. 18 after losing to Oregon, which climbed to No. 15.
Iowa is up three places to No. 14 thanks to a win over Michigan that came on the last snap.
The Hawkeyes get a tough test right away. Ohio State, ranked No. 5, comes to town in Week 5.
For LSU, the path back into the top 10 is simple on paper. Keep winning and wait for someone ahead to trip.
For Ole Miss, the job is harder. The Rebels need to show the Florida game was one bad day and not a sign of bigger trouble.
Complete AP Top 25
Texas (4-0)
Georgia (4-0)
Notre Dame (4-0)
Miami (4-0)
Ohio State (3-1)
Indiana (4-0)
Alabama (4-0)
Florida (4-0)
Ole Miss (3-1)
BYU (4-0)
LSU (3-1)
Texas Tech (4-0)
Utah (4-0)
Iowa (4-0)
Oregon (3-1)
Mississippi State (4-0)
Tennessee (3-1)
USC (4-1)
Oklahoma State (4-0)
Houston (4-0)
SMU (3-1)
Boise State (3-1)
UCLA (4-0)
Kentucky (3-1)
Missouri (3-1)
