AP Top 25 Poll Reaction After Multiple Ranked Losses

How did the AP Top 25 Poll shake out with the month of October arriving?

Florida head coach Jon Sumrall gets off the buss during gator walk before an NCAA football game against Mississippi at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 26, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After another exciting weekend of college football, the AP Top 25 Poll has shuffled teams around the rankings.

Week 5 of the college football season produced multiple near upsets, but the biggest result was then-No. 25 Missouri dominating then-No. 8 Florida as the SEC pecking order continues to shuffle. Then- No. 7 Alabama took care of then-No. 16 Mississippi State on the road, scoring 56 points against the Bulldogs. As a result, Missouri climbed to No. 14 while Florida and Mississippi State fell to No. 16 and No. 17, respectively.

The then-ranked No. 15 Oregon Ducks enjoyed a bye week on Saturday, Oct. 3, and coach Dan Lanning and his team moved up slightly to No. 13 on Sunday. Then-No. 14 Iowa fell to No. 5 Ohio State at home, and the Hawkeyes fell down to No. 20 in the AP Poll.

Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr., left, celebrates a long run as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, 2026, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Working in the Ducks favor are wins for No. 19 USC over Washington and No. 23 Boise State over Utah State, as Oregon's ranked wins stayed ranked but both moved down.

AP Top 25 Poll Week 5 Results

1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Miami
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Indiana
8. BYU
9. Ole Miss
10. LSU
11. Texas Tech
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. Missouri
15. Tennessee
16. Florida
17. Mississippi State
18. Oklahoma State
19. USC
20. Iowa
21. UCLA
22. Houston
23. Boise State
24. SMU
25. Pittsburgh

A few teams survived close calls, making the latest AP Poll an interesting one to predict. With conference play beginning, how much will teams be punished, if at all, for ugly losses?

No. 10 BYU did not fall at all after beating TCU by a touchdown. Oregon fell after beating Boise State by the same margin in week 1, and the Ducks fell multiple spots in the AP Poll. However, the Cougars seemingly receive the benefit of the doubt for surviving and advancing from AP voters.

North Carolina kept things close against No. 3 Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish remained in the top five.

Oct 3, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Will Stein directs his team against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No. 24 Kentucky survived South Carolina in overtime to move to 4-1 on the season as former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein is one win away from matching the Wildcats' total number of victories in 2025. Kentucky did fell out of the AP Poll, despite picking up the win, to make room for No. 25 Pittsburgh as the Panthers remain undefeated.

Minnesota upset Minnesota, but the Golden Gophers are unlikely to crash the rankings quite yet. Nebraska sits at 5-0 and is yet to be ranked, and Wisconsin is receiving the third-most votes of teams that weren't ranked inside the top 25.

AP Top 25 Poll Projection

1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Ohio State
5. Miami
6. Alabama
7. Indiana
8. Ole Miss
9. LSU
10. BYU
11. Texas Tech
12. Utah
13. Missouri
14. Oregon
15. Tennessee
16. USC
17. Oklahoma State
18. Houston
19. Iowa
20. Florida
21. SMU
22. Boise State
23. UCLA
24. Mississippi State
25. Kentucky

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