A chaotic Saturday around college football sent LSU climbing in the Associated Press top 25, but not by nearly as much as the carnage around the sport might have suggested.
The Tigers moved to No. 18 after crushing No. 16 Mississippi State 31-0, a result that knocked the Bulldogs out of the rankings entirely. LSU is 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference as it heads into a trip to Auburn on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Auburn is also 4-2 and 2-2 in the SEC after pulling off one of the weekend’s most eye-catching results, a 27-24 win at No. 1 Georgia. The Tigers from Auburn stayed outside the top 25, though they were listed as the third team in the receiving-votes category.
The top of the poll was turned upside down. Miami (6-0) moved into No. 1 after its 43-35 overtime win over Florida State.
BYU surged to No. 2 after beating Notre Dame 28-24, while Ohio State climbed to No. 3 after a 19-15 road win over Indiana. Notre Dame dropped to No.
4, Georgia slid to No. 5 and Indiana fell to No. 6.
LSU’s schedule got a little more complicated down the road, too, with two November opponents taking hits. Alabama and Texas both fell out of the top 10 after upset conference losses.
Alabama, which LSU visits on Nov. 7, lost 26-10 to Tennessee and dropped from No. 6 to No. 13.
Tennessee moved from No. 14 to No. 11, and LSU will see the Volunteers on Nov. 21.
Texas, ranked No. 7, lost 27-24 to Florida for a second straight defeat and tumbled to No. 19. Florida re-entered the rankings at No. 20, landing one spot behind the Longhorns.
The rest of the top 10 now features Ole Miss, Texas Tech, UCLA and Utah, with Kentucky at No. 12, Houston at No.
14, Iowa at No. 15, USC at No. 16 and Wake Forest at No.
Rounding out the poll are Boise State at No. 21, Missouri at No.
22, SMU at No. 23, Northwestern at No. 24 and Arizona at No.
In Other News...
LSU Heads To Auburn With Two More Starter Questions
LSUs injury picture got a little murkier coming out of the Mississippi State game, and now the Tigers are heading into Auburn with two more starter questions hanging over the week. Princewill Umanmielen and Jackson Harris both went down in the contest, and both figures are likely to land on the injury report as LSU starts sorting out who will be available for a road trip that already figures to test the depth chart.
Umanmielens issue is an upper body injury believed to be head-related, which could put him into concussion protocol, while Harris left with a foot injury and was seen in a boot afterward. Brian Kelly didnt offer any medical updates, though he did indicate Harris is expected to be fine, and LSU is prepared to lean on backups if either player cant go against Auburn. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Lost A Key Piece In Will Wades First Season
LSU has settled one eligibility fight before the season even tips, and the result leaves Will Wades first roster with a notable hole. Guard RJ Luis Jr. will not be cleared by the SEC to play for the Tigers after the league determined he violated conference rules tied to signing a professional contract, ending the programs battle over his status and shifting the focus to getting ready for the year ahead.
There is at least one brighter note in Baton Rouge, though, because forward Saliou Niang has been ruled eligible for the season. Niang was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but his decision to attend college came before recent NCAA rule changes, allowing LSU to keep him in the mix as it tries to move past the Luis situation and sort out its rotation. [Read more 🡒]
LSU-Auburn Just Got More Complicated At Linebacker
LSUs trip to Auburn took a hit when linebacker Whit Weeks suffered a fractured right leg and is expected to miss the upcoming game. Weeks has been a key part of the Tigers defensive plans, so his absence adds another layer of uncertainty to a matchup that already carried plenty of weight.
Auburn is dealing with its own linebacker shakeup after Xaiver Atkins was dismissed from the team ahead of the game, following an earlier suspension for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Atkins has said he plans to enter the transfer portal, while Auburn coach Alex Golesh has not revealed what led to the discipline, leaving both sides with major questions in the middle of a conference matchup that was already shaping up to be tricky enough. [Read more 🡒]