Missouri climbed 11 places to No. 14 in The Associated Press college football poll released Sunday after a lopsided win over Florida knocked the Gators out of the top 10 and set off a shuffle in the middle of the rankings.
The Tigers beat then-No. 8 Florida 45-17 at home on Saturday, and the Gators slid eight spots to No. 16. Missouri’s jump from No. 25 was the second-largest single-week move of the season, behind Florida’s own 13-spot rise a week earlier, and lifted the Tigers to their highest ranking since Oct. 5, 2025, ESPN reported.
The top five held steady. Texas, which was idle, stayed No. 1 for the fourth consecutive week and received 61 of 70 first-place votes. Georgia remained No. 2 with six first-place votes, with Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State holding at Nos. 3 through 5. Miami, which won by four touchdowns at Clemson, received two first-place votes, and Indiana got the other one.
Alabama moves up, Pitt moves in
Alabama moved ahead of Indiana into the No. 6 spot after a 56-23 win over Mississippi State, and the unbeaten Hoosiers slipped to No. 7. BYU rose two places to No. 8, Ole Miss stayed at No. 9 and LSU moved up one spot to round out the top 10. Mississippi State dropped just one spot, to No. 17, despite the loss.
Iowa took the week’s second-biggest fall, sliding from No. 14 to No. 20 after Ohio State beat the Hawkeyes 31-14 in Iowa City. SMU slipped three places to No. 24 despite beating Boston College.
Pittsburgh was the only newcomer. The 5-0 Panthers entered at No. 25 after rallying from a 14-0 deficit to beat Virginia Tech 35-33 on Friday night. Coach Pat Narduzzi had complained publicly that his team was being left out of the poll. Pitt lost starting quarterback Mason Heintschel for the season in the win, Yahoo Sports reported.
Kentucky dropped out one week after debuting at No. 24, even though it came back from a 17-0 deficit to win 35-34 in overtime at South Carolina. Kentucky led all unranked teams in votes and finished two points short of tying Pitt for the final spot, according to the AP.
SEC leads the way
The Southeastern Conference has nine ranked teams: Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi State. Texas Tech (No. 11), Utah (No. 12) and Oregon (No. 13) sit just outside the top 10. After Missouri and Tennessee, the rest of the poll runs Florida, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, USC, Iowa, UCLA, Houston, Boise State, SMU and Pitt.
What to watch
The week’s marquee game sends No. 2 Georgia to No. 6 Alabama, guaranteeing a loss for one of the poll’s top six teams. The rivalry has carried major postseason stakes recently: Alabama ended Georgia’s 33-game home winning streak last season, and Georgia answered with a 28-7 victory over the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game, the AP noted.
Texas will defend its No. 1 ranking against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday, and No. 21 UCLA visits No. 13 Oregon in another ranked matchup.
