Texas holds no. 1 as Missouri jumps to 14 and Florida drops to 16
- 14 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll released on Sunday, making an 11-spot jump following a 45-17 home rout of Florida.
- 1 ranking for the fourth week, entering Saturday's Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma with 61 of the 70 first-place votes from the media voting panel.
- 25 stands as the second-biggest jump by any team this season, trailing only Florida's 13-spot rise from the previous week.
Missouri surged to No. 14 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll released on Sunday, making an 11-spot jump following a 45-17 home rout of Florida. While the Tigers claimed their highest ranking since October 5, 2025, the beaten Gators plummeted eight spots to No. 16, yielding their top-10 position to LSU.
Texas Retains Top Spot Ahead of Red River Rivalry
Texas holds the No. 1 ranking for the fourth week, entering Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma with 61 of the 70 first-place votes from the media voting panel. That four-week run marks the program’s longest stretch at the top since the team spent six weeks at No. 1 in 1977. Georgia secured six first-place votes after a 24-point win over Vanderbilt, which marked the Bulldogs’ closest margin of victory this season. Miami claimed two first-place votes following a four-touchdown road victory over Clemson, while Indiana captured the remaining first-place vote despite dropping one spot to No. 7.
Missouri Rout Pushes Tigers Up While Florida and Others Slip
Missouri’s 11-spot promotion from No. 25 stands as the second-biggest jump by any team this season, trailing only Florida’s 13-spot rise from the previous week. Coincidentally, Missouri’s previous biggest jump also followed a win over Florida, when the Tigers climbed nine spots to No. 5 on October 20, 2013. Elsewhere in the poll, Iowa dropped six spots to No. 20 after suffering a 17-point home loss to Ohio State. SMU slipped three spots to No. 24 following an uninspired home win over Boston College, and Kentucky fell out of the rankings entirely after dropping from No. 24 despite a 35-34 overtime victory at South Carolina.
Pittsburgh Debuts as Key Injuries Mount
Pittsburgh entered the AP Top 25 for the first time since November, landing at No. 25 after holding off Virginia Tech 35-33 to improve to 5-0 for the second time in three seasons. The Panthers face a major roster hurdle moving forward, however, as quarterback Mason Heintschel tore his ACL on Friday and will miss the remainder of the season. Utah continued its steady upward trajectory by rising to No. 12, maintaining a climb in every poll this season after opening at No. 21. Oregon was idle this week but secured its 70th appearance in the Top 25, holding the No. 13 spot ahead of a matchup against No. 21 UCLA.