Sports
Ole Miss faces steep AP poll drop after Florida rout; seven ranked teams fall
Ole Miss is expected to leave the AP Top 5 after a 52-28 loss to Florida, while seven other ranked teams also lost in Week 4. Texas is positioned to remain No. 1, and Florida and Oregon could make major climbs in Sunday’s poll.
Ole Miss appears headed for a sharp fall in the Associated Press Top 25 after losing 52-28 to Florida on Saturday, Sept. 26. The Rebels were the only team in the poll’s top 10 to lose during Week 4, and the next rankings were scheduled for release Sunday afternoon.
Texas, ranked No. 1, beat Tennessee 20-17 in a defensive contest and is expected to keep the top spot. No. 5 Indiana also survived a close game, winning at Northwestern on Friday. The remaining teams in the top 10 and No. 11 Texas Tech won by wide margins.
Seven more ranked teams lost: No. 12 Southern California, No. 13 Penn State, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 16 Louisville, No. 18 Michigan, No. 19 Missouri and No. 23 Texas A&M. Those results are likely to reshape the poll’s middle and lower positions.
Florida and Oregon are among the teams poised to rise. Oregon, ranked No. 20, won 41-27 on the road against USC despite playing most of the game without star quarterback Dante Moore. Florida followed a 44-39 win at Auburn with its 24-point victory over Ole Miss. The Gators are 4-0 for the first time since 2019 and 2-0 in Southeastern Conference play for the first time since 2020.
Kentucky, Oklahoma State and Boise State could enter the rankings, each with a 3-1 record. Kentucky beat South Alabama, Oklahoma State won on the road against West Virginia, and Boise State defeated Western Michigan on the road in a notable Group of Six matchup.