Missouri Climbs to No. 14 After 45-17 Win Over Florida
Missouri vaulted 11 places to No. 14 in the AP rankings college football poll after routing Florida 45-17. The Gators fell to No. 16, while Texas stayed No. 1…
Missouri’s jump reshaped the AP rankings college football poll, giving the Tigers a new foothold in the top 15 after they routed Florida 45-17 at home. Missouri rose 11 places to No. 14, while the Gators dropped eight spots to No. 16.
The latest poll also keeps Texas at No. 1 ahead of Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma. Alabama moved up to No. 6, Indiana fell to No. 7, and Pittsburgh entered the Top 25 for the first time this season at No. 25.
Missouri’s win drives the biggest move
The Associated Press poll’s top five did not change: Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State held their positions. Texas received 61 of the 70 first-place votes from the media panel, one fewer than it received the previous week.
Georgia earned six first-place votes after a 24-point win over Vanderbilt. Miami received two after beating Clemson by four touchdowns on the road. Indiana claimed the remaining first-place vote despite slipping one place in the rankings.
Missouri’s rise from No. 25 was the second-biggest jump by a team this season, according to ESPN’s report. The Tigers now have their highest ranking since Oct. 5, 2025. The program’s previous big lift after beating Florida came in 2013, when it climbed nine spots to No. 5.
The result also shows how sharply one game can alter a team’s standing. Florida’s defeat opened room for LSU to enter the top 10: LSU moved up one place to No. 10, while the Gators fell out of that group. For teams near the rankings cutoff, a loss can mean a substantial slide even as another program’s convincing win draws voters’ attention.
Alabama passes Indiana, Pitt breaks in
Alabama and Indiana swapped places. BYU rose two spots to No. 8, Ole Miss stayed at No. 9, and Utah climbed to No. 12. Utah has moved up in every poll this season after starting at No. 21, while Oregon remained No. 13 despite being idle.
There was movement farther down the list, too. Iowa dropped six places to No. 20 after losing at home to Ohio State by 17 points. SMU fell three spots to No. 24 after a home win over Boston College that ESPN described as uninspired.
Pittsburgh’s 35-33 win over Virginia Tech earned the Panthers their first ranking of the season. They are 5-0 for the second time in three seasons and return to the poll for the first time since November, ESPN reported.
The changes matter beyond the weekly order: a ranking can shape how a team’s season is judged and put added attention on upcoming games. Houston offers a different example of the poll’s tight margins. The Cougars fell two spots to No. 22 despite beating UCF 27-17, a win that followed a 17-0 deficit in the third quarter.
Houston scored 27 unanswered points in the second half, according to the report from Yahoo Sports, but stayed behind other ranked Big 12 teams. BYU was No. 8, Utah No. 12, and Oklahoma State No. 19. The poll’s latest top five remained Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State.
Source: espn.com
