LSU drops out after 3rd loss in 4 games
The Big 12 has five teams in the Top 25 for the first time this season, Vanderbilt earned its highest ranking in 88 years and LSU dropped out of the Associated Press college football poll Sunday after its third loss in four games.
The top six remained unchanged, with Ohio State holding the top spot for a ninth straight week, followed by Indiana, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia and Oregon.
Illinois’ playoff hopes are dashed and Northwestern can’t stop. 4 takeaways from Week 9 of college football.
The inactive Buckeyes received 53 first-place votes and the Hoosiers received 11, six more than last week. Texas A&M was No. 1 on just one ballot.
No. 7 Mississippi and No. 8 Georgia Tech swapped places, as did No. 9 Vanderbilt and Miami, which is tied for 10th with BYU.
The five ranked teams in the Big 12 are BYU, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 17 Cincinnati, No. 22 Houston and No. 24 Utah. The Big 12 last had five Top 25 teams in the September 22, 2024 poll.
Houston, who broke No. 1 at the time. 24 Arizona State 24-16 for its first road win against a ranked opponent since 2017, appears in the Top 25 for the first time since the first two polls in 2022.
Vanderbilt’s 17-10 victory over then-No. 15 Missouri gave the Commodores a 7-1 start for the first time since 1941 and their best ranking since they were No. 7 for a week in 1937. Vandy has a program record three regular-season wins against Top 25 opponents.
LSU was ranked No. 3 for three weeks in September and in the top 10 for the first five polls. Road losses to Mississippi and Vanderbilt and Saturday’s 24-point home loss to Texas A&M put the Tigers on the outside looking in.
This is the second year in a row that the Tigers have suffered a rapid decline. They were No. 8 a year ago and dropped out after three straight losses.
Inside and outside
- No. 22 Houston, at 7-1, is off to its best start since 2021, two years before joining the Big 12. None of the Cougars’ four remaining regular-season games are against a ranked opponent.
- No. 23 USC, which was inactive after its 34-24 loss at Notre Dame, faces a tough matchup at Nebraska.
- No. 24 Utah beat Colorado 53-7 with Byrd Ficklin starting in place of injured quarterback Devon Dampier and leading an offense that ran for 422 of its 587 total yards.
- No. 25 Memphis bounced back from its loss to UAB with a 34-31 win over South Florida to move into a four-way tie for third place at American behind Navy and Tulane.
- South Florida (18), LSU (20), Illinois (23) and Arizona State (24) dropped out.
Voting points
- The last time Texas A&M received a first place vote was October 11, 2015.
- Notre Dame’s No. 12 appeared in its 900th poll, tied for fourth all-time.
- No. 15 Virginia has its highest ranking since it was No. 10 on November 7, 2004.
- The top six remained unchanged for the first time since November 12, 2023, when the top eight remained stable.
Conference call
- SEC (9 teams) – #3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 14, 18, 19, 20.
- Big Ten (5) – No. 1, 2, 6, 21, 23.
- Big 12 (5) — Nos. T-10, 13, 17, 22, 24.
- ACC (4) — No. 8, T-10, 15, 16.
- American (1) — No. 25.
- Independent (1) — No. 12.
Ranked vs Ranked
- No. 9 Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1 SEC) at No. 20 Texas (6-2, 3-1): The status of Texas quarterback Arch Manning is uncertain after he hit his head on the turf on the first play of overtime in a win over Mississippi State.
- No. 17 Cincinnati (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) at No. 24 Utah (6-2, 3-2): The Bearcats are on a seven-game winning streak. The Utes are in a must-win situation for the rest of the season to stay in the Big 12 race.
- No. 18 Oklahoma (6-2, 2-2 SEC) at No. 14 Tennessee (6-2, 3-2): The Sooners’ best defense in the SEC gave up a series of big plays to Mississippi and now faces one of the most explosive offenses in the country.
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