Ole Miss didn’t just beat LSU on Saturday night. The Rebels used that 32-24 win to rocket all the way to No. 4 in the AP Top 25, climbing four spots in the Week 4 rankings and putting themselves right in the thick of the national conversation.
The jump comes with plenty of storylines baked in. Ole Miss has now stacked up wins over nationally ranked Louisville and LSU, and Pete Golding’s first six games as head coach have already produced two playoff wins and two victories over ranked opponents. For a program that took its shot and landed it, Sunday’s poll delivered the kind of reward that turns a big win into a bigger statement.
LSU took the hit on the other side. The Tigers fell three spots to No. 10 after that instant classic in Oxford, a result that could look even better down the line if LSU rebounds against what remains a tough schedule.
The top of the poll stayed steady enough, but there was movement all over the place beneath it. Texas held at No. 1, followed by Georgia, Notre Dame and now Ole Miss.
Indiana slid to No. 5, while Miami, Ohio State, Alabama and BYU round out the next stretch. LSU is the only team in the top 10 that lost over the weekend and still stayed inside that group.
One of the biggest surprises came at the bottom, where Oklahoma fell out entirely after a 14-6 win over New Mexico. The Sooners are still getting votes, and they have the fourth-most outside the poll, but the offense has been a slog this season and the committee of voters finally sent them packing.
The SEC added more names to the list, too. Florida entered at No. 21 and Mississippi State came in at No. 24, giving the conference 10 teams in the AP Top 25.
Florida’s 44-39 win at Auburn kept the Gators in control for most of the second half, and the start under Jon Sumrall has been a sharp one: Florida is 3-0, the only first-year Florida coach to open that way, and the Gators’ 159 points through three games are a school record. Mississippi State earned its spot by storming back from a 16-0 deficit to beat South Carolina 41-34 in its SEC road opener.
There was also some churn in the middle and lower half of the rankings. SMU dropped six spots to No. 22 after a turnover-heavy 41-31 loss at Louisville, while the Cardinals climbed seven places to No.
- Virginia dropped out after a 38-27 home loss to Rich Rodriguez’s West Virginia, and Houston held on at No. 25 despite a 28-26 loss at Texas Tech that ended with the Cougars inches away from forcing a tie on a two-point try.
The Red Raiders moved up to No. 11.
Week 4 AP Top 25 poll: 1.
Texas
2.
Georgia
3.
Notre Dame
4.
Ole Miss
5.
Indiana
6.
Miami (FL)
7.
Ohio State
8.
Alabama
9.
BYU
10.
LSU
11.
Texas Tech
12.
USC
13.
Penn State
14.
Tennessee
15.
Utah
16.
Louisville
17.
Iowa
18.
Michigan
19.
Missouri
20.
Oregon
21.
Florida
22.
SMU
23.
Texas A&M
24.
Mississippi State
25.
Houston
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