Week 6 tore the AP top 25 apart, and the reshuffle at the top looks headed for one clear result: Georgia back at No. 1.
Texas is almost certain to lose the top spot after falling by three points to rival Oklahoma, and the Bulldogs have the signature win that should put them in position to take over after their own victory at Alabama. With three of the 10 highest-ranked teams losing and two of the top six going down, voters have plenty to untangle when they turn in their ballots.
The ripple effects reach well beyond the top line. Oregon’s second loss of the season - at home to undefeated UCLA - could knock the Ducks out of the poll entirely, though there may not be another team outside the rankings that can collect enough votes to slide in. UCLA, meanwhile, is exactly the kind of fast-rising team pollsters tend to reward, especially after moving to 5-0 with a road win over a ranked opponent.
Wake Forest also appears ready to break through after a week that checked a lot of boxes: three road Power Four wins, a close showing against Miami, Pittsburgh’s loss, and the fact the Demon Deacons were just 20 points short of the poll last week. SMU was off in Week 6 and returns against Virginia next.
LSU’s fall out of the top 10 is another major development. It’s not often a team that started that high disappears in one shot, even with two road losses by narrow margins, but the Tigers’ wins over Texas A&M and Clemson don’t look like elite résumé anchors anymore. Kentucky, by contrast, is on the way up after upsetting LSU, while Mississippi State was idle and heads back into action next weekend at LSU.
Houston made a statement with a 35-16 win at Kansas State, scoring 21 unanswered points to seize control and move to 2-1 in Big 12 play. Oklahoma State also picked up a key conference win, beating UCF behind Drew Mestemaker’s 304 yards and two touchdowns, including 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Elsewhere in the middle of the poll, Iowa got a big day from Jeremy Hecklinski, who threw for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant win at Washington. USC’s defense took over after halftime in a road win at Penn State.
Tennessee survived a shaky afternoon at Arkansas, where a struggling offense and three turnovers made things far too tight before DeSean Bishop’s 138 rushing yards helped the Vols escape by seven. Tennessee now heads to Alabama.
Missouri kept rolling as Jamal Roberts posted a personal-best rushing performance and the Tigers’ defense smothered Texas A&M in a 5-1 start. Utah pulled away from Kansas with two fourth-quarter touchdowns after Devon Dampier worked through some first-half accuracy issues. Texas Tech was off this week and gets Arizona State at home next Saturday.
Ole Miss handled Vanderbilt in a 52-17 rout, though the Rebels’ win over LSU doesn’t carry the same shine now. BYU stayed unbeaten with a win over Iowa State, even with Bear Bachmeier taking on more of the offensive load while LJ Martin was injured. Notre Dame also won big, blasting Stanford by 51 points, but that wasn’t enough to threaten Georgia for the top spot.
Indiana kept winning, though Nebraska pushed the Hoosiers into a second-half comeback on the road. Ohio State cruised past Maryland 45-16, but the Buckeyes’ schedule metric took a hit with losses by Texas and Oregon, and a tougher three-game stretch is coming. Alabama’s three-point loss to Georgia should not cost it too much ground, at least not if it keeps winning.
And at the top, the logic is simple: Georgia beat Alabama, Texas lost to Oklahoma, and the Bulldogs should take over No. 1 in the new AP Top 25.
In Other News...
LSU Enters Kentucky With One Big Edge And A Real Concern
LSU got a clean bill of health change-wise on its final injury report for the Kentucky game, while the Wildcats are dealing with a more damaging list on the other side. Kentucky will be without defensive lineman Kalen Edwards, and that matters in a matchup where trench play already shapes how both teams want to control the game. For the Tigers, the headline is not a new setback, but the chance to lean on an edge that has been there since the report first came out.
Still, LSU is not exactly walking into this one untouched. The Tigers will be missing five players, including linebackers Whit Weeks and Charles Ross II, safety Dashawn Spears, wide receiver Phillip Wright III and tight end Trey'Dez Green, which leaves the roster thinner in a few key spots. Even so, the most intriguing part of the matchup may be how LSU's running game holds up against a Kentucky defense trying to absorb its own injury losses and keep the Tigers from dictating the pace. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Freshman WR Is Forcing A Rethink Before Kentucky
LSU has spent plenty of effort rebuilding its wide receiver room through the transfer portal under coach Lane Kiffin, adding nine newcomers and creating one of the rosters most watched battles for snaps. But after the McNeese game, true freshman Corey Barber Jr. made a real case to be part of the conversation, giving the Tigers another young option to consider as they sort out who belongs on the field.
The timing matters because Kentucky is next, and the competition is not just about depth anymore. Kansas State transfer Jayce Brown is still in the mix, but Barbers breakout has forced LSU to at least rethink how the rotation should look going forward, with both players expected to keep fighting for playing time this week. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Know This Kentucky Series Has Never Felt Normal
LSU and Kentucky spent a stretch meeting every season from 1952 to 2002, and even with LSU holding the upper hand in the series, the matchup never settled into anything routine. There were old Kentucky wins from the Bear Bryant era, and there was the kind of back-and-forth history that makes this SEC pairing feel a little off-kilter compared with more familiar league rivalries.
More recently, the game has kept finding ways to look strange, including LSUs dramatic finish in 2002 and Kentuckys latest victory over the Tigers in 2021, a 42-21 result in Lexington. For LSU fans, the memory bank on this series is full of odd turns and uncomfortable surprises, which is part of why Kentucky week has never quite felt normal. [Read more 🡒]