LSU put together one of the most convincing wins of the weekend, and the reward from the Associated Press was a one-spot drop.
The Tigers moved from No. 10 to No. 11 in Sunday’s poll despite hammering No. 23 Texas A&M, 35-6, on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. LSU (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) piled up 506 yards in the victory, but the voters still nudged the Tigers down.
That wasn’t the only shakeup near the top of the rankings. Florida surged from No. 21 to No. 8 after routing Ole Miss, 52-28, and became the week’s biggest climber.
Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1 SEC) fell five places to No. 9.
Brigham Young, which was open, slipped from No. 9 to No. 10.
The top three stayed unchanged, with Texas, Georgia and Notre Dame holding steady in order. Miami remained No. 4, followed by Ohio State at No.
5, Indiana at No. 6 and Alabama at No. 7.
Florida’s 13-spot leap matched the biggest jump in the poll since LSU made a 14-place surge from No. 25 to No. 11 on Sept. 4, 2018, after beating No. 8 Miami, 33-17, in its season opener.
After LSU, the rest of the top 25 listed Texas Tech at No. 12, Utah at No.
13, Iowa at No. 14, Oregon at No.
15, Mississippi State at No. 16, Tennessee at No.
17, USC at No. 18, Oklahoma Stae at No.
19, Houston at No. 20, SMU at No.
21, Boise State at No. 22, UCLA at No.
23, Kentucky at No. 24 and Missouri at No. 25.
LSU’s next game is Saturday against McNeese State (2-3) in Tiger Stadium at 6:45 p.m. on SEC Network. The Tigers return to SEC play on Oct. 10 at No. 24 Kentucky (3-1, 1-1 SEC).
In Other News...
LSUs Poll Position After That Win Says Plenty About The Tigers
LSUs latest surge still came with a familiar caveat in the polls, even after a convincing 35-6 win over Texas A&M. The Tigers held at No. 11 in the Coaches Poll and slipped one spot to No. 11 in the AP Top 25, a ranking that says as much about the national crowdedness around them as it does about their own performance. Floridas climb to No. 8 after beating Ole Miss was one of the bigger shifts near the top, but LSUs place remained a reminder that one big win does not always bring a corresponding leap.
For LSU, the more interesting part may be how little room there is left for error if the Tigers want the respect that usually comes with a late-season push. The AP list and the coaches version both showed movement elsewhere, with teams dropping out and others collecting votes, but LSU stayed planted just outside the top tier. In a week when some programs rose sharply and others faded from view, the Tigers were left in the middle, good enough to stay in the conversation but still waiting for the kind of change in perception that only comes with another statement win. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs SEC Push Suddenly Depends On How Far These Backups Can Go
After bouncing back with a win over Texas A&M in Week 4, LSU enters the heart of SEC play with a very different kind of test ahead of it. The Tigers are trying to keep momentum going after the loss to Ole Miss, but the bigger issue now is survival depth, with injuries thinning out key spots across the roster and forcing the next wave of players into the spotlight.
That has pushed backups like Landen Clark, Jackson Harris, Davhon Keys and Tamarcus Cooley into more important roles than LSU likely planned this early in the season. With linebacker Whit Weeks, quarterback Sam Leavitt, wide receiver Phillip Wright III, tight end TreyDez Green, linebacker Charles Ross II and safety Dashawn Spears all on the injury list, the Tigers push through the SEC may come down to how steady those reserve pieces can be while the staff waits for help to return. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Texas A&M Grades Revealed One Breakout And One Lingering Concern
Pro Football Focus latest grading from LSUs game against Texas A&M offered a tidy snapshot of where the Tigers found traction and where they still have work to do. Jackson Harris came out as the highest-graded offensive player with a 92.0 mark, while Tamarcus Cooley paced the defense at 87.7, giving LSU a couple of bright spots to point to after a matchup that demanded consistency on both sides of the ball.
The same report also flagged the Tigers rougher edges, with Jayce Brown drawing the lowest offensive grade and Dylan Carpenter landing at the bottom on defense. For LSU, that kind of split matters because it reinforces the difference between isolated standouts and full-game reliability, leaving the staff with clear evidence of who is elevating the group and where the lingering concern still sits. [Read more 🡒]