College Football

AP Top 25: Ole Miss Jumps Into Top 5; Texas A&M, SMU Fall

Published Sep. 20, 2026 2:25 p.m. ET

Mississippi moved into the top five with its win over LSU, the Tigers stayed in the top 10, and Florida and Mississippi State cracked the rankings to give the Southeastern Conference 10 teams in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll released Sunday.

The Rebels, who held off Lane Kiffin and LSU 32-24 on Saturday night, jumped over the Tigers and three other teams to land at No. 4 for their first top-five ranking since they were No. 3 in the final poll last season. LSU slipped three spots to No. 10.

Texas was No. 1 for the second straight week and followed by Georgia, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Indiana. Miami, Ohio State, Alabama, BYU and LSU completed the top 10.

The Longhorns followed up their win over Ohio State with a solid 30-6 victory over UTSA and topped the ballots of 58 of the 69 media members on the Top 25 voting panel. Indiana got four first-place votes, Georgia and Ole Miss three apiece and Miami one.

Louisville was the biggest gainer, rising seven spots to No. 16 after its 41-31 victory over SMU, which dropped six rungs to No. 22. Texas A&M took the biggest fall, going from No. 9 to No. 23 after its 31-21 home loss to unranked Kentucky.

This week’s Top 25 marked the seventh time in the poll’s history the SEC has had at least 10 teams ranked in a regular-season poll. The SEC had a record 11 ranked teams in back-to-back polls last September.

In And Out

No. 21 Florida made its season debut in the AP top 25 after a 44-39 win over Auburn. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

No. 21 Florida made its season debut in the rankings following a 44-39 road win over Auburn. The Gators are 3-0 for the first time since 2019 under first-year coach Jon Sumrall and in the Top 25 for the first time since Sept. 2, 2025.

No. 24 Mississippi State is in the Top 25 for the first time since 2022, when its coach was Mike Leach. That team was No. 20 in the final poll. Jeff Lebby’s Bulldogs, led by rising star quarterback Kamario Taylor, has won back-to-back road games for the first time since 2014, erasing a 16-point deficit to beat South Carolina 41-34.

Oklahoma struggled offensively for a second straight game in its 14-6 win over New Mexico and went from No. 24 to out of the Top 25. Virginia, which had been No. 25 two straight weeks, was knocked out after losing 38-27 to West Virginia.

Poll Points

— No. 7 Ohio State has been ranked in 100 straight Top 25s, third among active streaks behind Alabama’s 299 and Georgia’s 152. The Buckeyes have their lowest ranking since Dec. 1, 2024.

— No. 9 BYU hadn’t been ranked in the top 10 so early in a season since 2009.

— No. 24 Mississippi State has its highest September ranking since it was No. 23 on Sept. 23, 2018. That doesn’t include a No. 16 ranking on Sept. 27, 2020, when the Big Ten was not yet playing because of the pandemic.

Conference Call

The Bulldogs handled Arkansas 45-17 in its SEC opener. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

SEC (10 ranked teams): No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Georgia, No. 4 Mississippi, No. 8 Alabama, No. 10 LSU, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 19 Missouri, No. 21 Florida, No. 23 Texas A&M, No. 24 Mississippi State.

Big Ten (7): No. 5 Indiana, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 12 USC, No. 13 Penn State, No. 17 Iowa, No. 18 Michigan, No. 20 Oregon.

Big 12 (4): No. 9 BYU, No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 15 Utah, No. 25 Houston.

ACC (3): No. 6 Miami, No. 16 Louisville, No. 22 SMU.

Independent (1): No. 3 Notre Dame.

Ranked vs. Ranked

No. 1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee: First meeting since the 1969 Cotton Bowl.

No. 4 Mississippi at No. 21 Florida: Kewan Lacy ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns in Rebels’ come-from-behind win last year. Will Lacy be health for this one?

No. 17 Iowa at No. 18 Michigan: Iowa’s 111 points through three games are its most since 2003.

No. 19 Missouri at No. 24 Mississippi State: Bulldogs go for their first 2-0 SEC start since 2014.

No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 Southern California: Ducks playing for a fifth straight win in the series.

No. 23 Texas A&M at No. 10 LSU: Aggies look to win two straight years at Death Valley.

Full AP Top 25:

25. Houston
24. Mississippi State
23. Texas A&M
22. SMU
21. Florida
20. Oregon
19. Missouri
18. Michigan
17. Iowa
16. Louisville
15. Utah
14. Tennessee
13. Penn State
12. USC
11. Texas Tech
10. LSU
9. BYU
8. Alabama
7. Ohio State
6. Miami (Fla.)
5. Indiana
4. Ole Miss
3. Notre Dame
2. Georgia
1. Texas

Also receiving votes: Washington 107, Kentucky 98, West Virginia 93, Oklahoma 91, Oklahoma State 50, Boise State 48, Virginia Tech 46, Western Michigan 27, Duke 20, Tulsa 18, Arizona 12, Pittsburgh 10, UCLA 10, James Madison 7, North Dakota State 6, Kansas State 3, Nebraska 2

Reporting by the Associated Press.