Florida’s tumble was the headline change on Brett McMurphy’s latest AP Top 25 ballot, and it was a steep one. After getting routed at Missouri, the Gators dropped out of the top 10, opening the door for BYU to slide into No.
- The rest of the top 10 stayed intact, while Missouri, Kentucky and Wake Forest joined the ballot as new names this week.
At the top, Texas held firm at No. 1 after a week off. The Longhorns are still sitting on a resume that includes two of the season’s best wins, over Ohio State at home and Tennessee on the road, and now they head to Dallas to face rival Oklahoma on Saturday.
Georgia stayed put at No. 2 after a 38-14 win over Vanderbilt. Gunner Stockton threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns, Dwight Phillips led the Bulldogs with five catches for 75 yards, and Georgia finished strong after Vanderbilt trimmed the margin to 21-14 by scoring the final 17 points.
Ohio State remained No. 3 following a 31-14 win at Iowa. Jeremiah Smith was the star of the show with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns, while Julian Sayin threw for 324 yards and three scores. Ja’Kobi Jackson and Bo Jackson combined for 142 rushing yards.
Miami kept its unbeaten run rolling and stayed at No. 4 after a 41-13 win at Clemson. Darian Mensah threw for 227 yards and a touchdown, including a 61-yard strike to Cooper Barkate. Malachi Toney and Barkate each caught five passes, Mark Fletcher returned from injury to lead the team with 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and JJ Dunnigan sealed the blowout with a 39-yard interception return for a score late in the game.
Alabama came in at No. 5 after piling up points again in a 56-23 rout of Mississippi State in Starkville. Keelon Russell threw for 285 yards, three touchdowns and ran for another, while Lotzeir Brooks led the receiving group with four catches for 96 yards and Rico Scott added two touchdown grabs.
Notre Dame checked in at No. 6 after coming from behind to beat North Carolina 37-26. CJ Carr threw four touchdown passes, Jonaz Walton carried 23 times for 120 yards, and Jordan Faison posted game highs with eight receptions, 132 yards and two scores. The win was Notre Dame’s 15th straight by double digits.
Ole Miss stayed at No. 7 after an off week. The Rebels travel to Vanderbilt on Saturday and still have that win over LSU on the résumé, with the only loss coming in Week 4 at Florida.
Indiana remained No. 8 after hammering Rutgers 47-15. Josh Hoover threw for 251 yards and four touchdowns, Turbo Richard ripped off 204 rushing yards on just 13 carries and scored once, Lee Beebe added 122 rushing yards, and both Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker topped 100 receiving yards.
LSU held at No. 9 after a 63-14 win over McNeese State. The Tigers led 35-0 at halftime, Sam Leavitt passed for 176 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and Harlem Berry and Stacy Gage powered the ground game with 125 and 110 rushing yards, respectively. Corey Barber led LSU’s receiving corps with seven catches for 83 yards, one of 10 Tigers to catch a pass.
BYU rounded out the top 10 after a 17-10 win at TCU. The Cougars held the Horned Frogs to 259 yards, and Bear Bachmeier led the team on the ground with 66 rushing yards on 15 carries, though he threw for only 62 yards.
Below the top 10, Texas Tech moved to No. 12 after winning 29-7 at Colorado. Utah stayed at No. 13 after not playing, followed by Oklahoma State at No.
14, Oregon at No. 15, Tennessee at No. 16 after beating Auburn 24-14, SMU at No. 17 after a 25-16 win over Boston College, and Houston at No. 18 after a 27-17 victory over UCF.
Missouri entered at No. 19 after its 45-17 win over Florida, Wake Forest came in at No. 20 after beating Stanford 57-3, and Kentucky debuted at No. 21 after edging South Carolina 35-34 on the road.
The rest of the ballot included Iowa at No. 22 after its loss to Ohio State, Boise State at No. 23 after beating Utah State 37-18, Pitt at No. 24 after a 35-33 win at Virginia Tech, and UCLA at No. 25 after not playing.
In Other News...
Will Stein's Late Gamble Put Kentucky Fans On Edge
Kentuckys 35-34 overtime win at South Carolina came with all the chaos youd expect from a road game that turned into the largest comeback in program history. Will Stein spent much of his postgame press conference walking through how it all unfolded, from the defensive strain that made the finish feel so precarious to the way key players helped the Wildcats dig out of a hole and keep the game alive.
Stein also owned the clock-management mistake late in regulation, a rare public slip in a night filled with high-leverage decisions. The biggest one came in overtime, when he chose to go for the win with a two-point conversion instead of extending the game, a gamble he tied to how worn down his defense had become as Kentucky dealt with injuries and a game that kept asking for one more answer. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Minchey Just Delivered A Kentucky Road Performance Fans Rarely See
Kenny Mincheys night in Columbia started slowly, but it ended with Kentucky leaving South Carolina with a 35-34 overtime win and a quarterback performance the program has not seen often on the road. Minchey settled in as the game went on, completing 28 of 41 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns while helping the Wildcats bounce back from early trouble and stay in the thick of the SEC race.
The bigger significance may be what Minchey just did in a road conference setting. He became the first Kentucky quarterback since 2001 to post those passing numbers in an SEC road game without throwing an interception, a rare blend of volume, efficiency and poise away from home. With the win, Kentucky moved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in league play, and it now has a quarterback performance worth circling as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Gutsy Win Left The Wildcats With A Worrying LSU Problem
Kentuckys overtime escape against South Carolina came with the kind of toll that can change a week in a hurry. The Wildcats survived 35-34, but the win was shadowed by a string of injuries, with running back Jason Patterson, linebacker Antwan Smith and defensive back Jaden Smith all leaving the game hurt. Jaden Smiths injury was described as severe, turning what should have been a momentum-building finish into a far more uneasy evaluation of the roster.
Coach Will Stein said several other players were already unavailable before kickoff, adding another layer of concern as Kentucky shifts its focus to LSU. The Wildcats know they earned something valuable by pulling out a gutty overtime victory, but the challenge now is figuring out how much of that lineup will be intact when the next test arrives. [Read more 🡒]