Saturday’s results didn’t blow up the AP Top 25, but they did leave a few clear fingerprints on the new Week 6 rankings. Missouri was the headline mover, Alabama nudged upward, and Florida took the hardest hit after a rough afternoon against the Tigers.
Missouri did the kind of damage that changes how voters see a team. The Tigers blasted Florida 45-17 and climbed 11 spots to No. 14, the biggest jump in the poll.
It wasn’t just a win on paper - Missouri controlled the game from the opening stretch, leaning on a physical defense and a strong passing attack to leave a real impression. A week ago, the Tigers were nowhere near the top 10 conversation.
Now they’re sitting at No. 14 with plenty of runway left if this level of play sticks.
Alabama also moved in the right direction, rising from No. 7 to No. 6 after beating Mississippi State.
Florida, though, was the week’s biggest faller. The Gators dropped eight places, sliding from No. 8 to No. 16 after the 45-17 loss to Missouri.
That’s a steep reversal for a team that had been one of the biggest risers in the previous poll. Coming into the weekend, Florida looked like a serious SEC contender.
Now it has a lot to answer for.
Iowa was another notable drop, falling six spots from No. 14 to No. 20 after Ohio State beat the Hawkeyes at home.
Here’s how the AP Top 25 looks heading into Week 6:
Texas (61)
Georgia (6)
Notre Dame
Miami (2)
Ohio State
Alabama
Indiana (1)
BYU
Ole Miss
LSU
Texas Tech
Utah
Oregon
Missouri
Tennessee
Florida
Mississippi State
Oklahoma State
USC
Iowa
UCLA
Houston
Boise State
SMU
Pittsburgh
In Other News...
Floridas Ranking Hit Looks Bad But One Result May Save Them
Early October brought the kind of scoreboard chaos that usually reshapes the AP top 25, with unbeaten records, injury concerns and lopsided wins all feeding into the next round of movement. Pittsburgh stayed perfect even after a quarterback injury, Alabama rolled Mississippi State, and other teams such as UCLA and Kentucky are part of the broader conversation as voters sort out who has earned a rise and who has taken a damaging step back.
For Ole Miss, the larger question is how those shifts ripple through the rest of the SEC picture and the Rebels own place in it. Rankings in this part of the season can turn quickly, especially when the teams ahead of you are handling adversity differently, and the next set of results may matter just as much as what happened last weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Got Another Harsh Reminder About SEC Road Trips
Floridas trip to Missouri was a blunt reminder of how unforgiving SEC road games can be, especially when an offense never finds its footing. Missouri rolled to a 45-17 win behind a huge day on that side of the ball, piling up 560 yards and controlling the game from the start while Florida struggled to answer.
For Ole Miss, it is the kind of result worth filing away with conference play still looming in the background. Jon Sumrall did not hide his frustration afterward and said the poor performance was on him, but the larger concern was how completely Florida was bottled up, with Jadan Baugh limited to 13 yards on 12 carries and the Gators never threatening to make it a real contest. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Just Added Real Pressure To Ole Miss SEC Path
Eli Drinkwitz had plenty to smile about after Missouris 45-17 win over eighth-ranked Florida, a result that gave him his first victory over a top-10 opponent at Missouri after 10 previous losses. The Tigers are now 4-1, and the tone around the program has shifted quickly after their earlier setback against Mississippi State, with Drinkwitz stressing the importance of blocking out outside narratives and staying focused on improving as a team.
For Ole Miss, Missouris surge adds another layer of pressure to an SEC race that was already going to be unforgiving. The Tigers are expected to climb in the rankings and have Texas A&M and Ole Miss coming up next, which means the Rebels will have to keep an eye not only on their own path, but on a Missouri team suddenly playing with real momentum and a growing sense that it belongs in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]