Saturday’s shakeup should leave the top of the AP Top 25 with a new face, and Texas looks headed for a steep fall after losing to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.
Georgia is the clear candidate to move into No. 1, but the rest of the poll is where things get messy. Texas losing on a neutral field to a rival raises the question of just how far the Longhorns slide. Alabama also took a loss, yet the Crimson Tide still appear strong enough to stay in the top 10.
That leaves little room for UCLA to make a huge leap despite its upset of Oregon. The Bruins have a real argument as one of the weekend’s biggest risers, but with Texas and Alabama still likely hanging around near the top, a top-10 breakthrough may be too crowded to happen. LSU’s loss to Kentucky only adds to the churn, and the Tigers look like the team most likely to be nudged aside by Texas Tech or Utah.
Oregon’s spot is far less secure. After a second loss, the Ducks may not even remain in the rankings, and the hit could be severe after a season that has already gone sideways. The Ducks have not started this slowly since Dan Lanning’s first year in Eugene, and for a program that has lived near the top of the poll, this is a real scramble back into relevance.
The revised projection has Georgia at No. 1, followed by Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State and Indiana. Texas lands at No. 6, with Alabama at No. 7 and BYU, Ole Miss and Texas Tech rounding out the top 10. Utah is next at No. 11, then Missouri, UCLA, Tennessee and Mississippi State.
The rest of the projected top 25 lists Oklahoma State, LSU, USC, Iowa and Kentucky before Houston, Boise State, SMU, Wake Forest and Wisconsin.
Another projected version has Texas still at No. 1, Georgia at No. 2 and Notre Dame at No. 3, but the more likely result appears to be Georgia taking over the top spot after the chaos-heavy weekend.
For Oregon, the concern goes beyond one bad Saturday. Questions are already swirling about the Ducks’ offense, especially with former offensive coordinator Will Stein and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi gone. Oregon was without starting quarterback Dante Moore, but the problems on offense looked bigger than one missing player.
The comparisons to Penn State’s 2025 collapse have already started after the Ducks’ loss to Oklahoma State, though a full unraveling like that still feels unlikely. Even so, the frustration could linger. Penn State saw transfer portal losses and recruiting de-commitments after James Franklin was fired, and Oregon’s future under Lanning does not appear to be in immediate jeopardy.
The bigger question now is whether the Ducks can hold this roster together and avoid any fallout on the recruiting trail while trying to climb back into the AP rankings.
The poll will be updated when the AP Top 25 is released on Sunday.
In Other News...
Kentuckys LSU Celebration Came With A Price Fans Will Debate
Kentuckys overtime win over LSU had the kind of finish fans talk about all week, but the postgame rush came with a financial sting. The SEC fined the University of Kentucky $500,000 for violating the leagues competition area access policy after supporters stormed the field following the 35-34 victory, a celebration that underscored just how big the moment felt in Lexington.
The leagues updated penalty structure for 2025 made the hit even harder, and the rulebook leaves little room for interpretation when the visiting team and officials are still on the field. Fines can be waived if the crowd waits until both groups have left, but that did not happen here, leaving Kentucky to absorb the cost while the celebration itself remains part of the debate around how far is too far after a win like this. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Turned LSUs Sideline Basketball Stunt Into Pure Humiliation
LSU brought a little SEC theater to Kroger Field in 2026 with a sideline basketball hoop, borrowing a bit of the old Lane Kiffin-era flair that once turned Saturdays at Ole Miss into a running sideshow. The Tigers even got their dunking moment during the game, but Kentucky had the last laugh, rallying late to win and turning what looked like a novelty into part of the backdrop for a comeback the home crowd could savor.
Then came the kind of postgame detail that tends to live on in rivalry lore. One Kentucky fan allegedly made off with the basketball LSU had used for those dunks and took it to Bullitt County, a fittingly cheeky ending to a day when the Wildcats not only beat LSU on the field, but left the visitors without even the prop that helped set the tone. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys LSU Celebration Just Came With A Brutal Price
Kentuckys overtime escape against LSU had all the ingredients of a memorable fall Saturday, capped by a successful two-point conversion that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. The victory was the kind that usually lives on in program lore, and the scene afterward matched it, as thousands of students rushed the field in celebration.
The SEC, though, turned that moment into an expensive one for the Wildcats, levying a $500,000 fine for the access-to-competition-area violation. Under the leagues updated policy on field-storming incidents, the money will go to LSU, a reminder that even the biggest celebrations in the SEC can carry a harsh price tag. [Read more 🡒]