Ole Miss soars to No. 4 in poll; Ducks new No. 2

Oregon moved up to No. 2 in the Associated Press college football poll on Sunday, while Ole Miss jumped nine rungs to No. 4 for its highest ranking since 2015 in the wake of a volatile weekend in which four top-10 teams lost.

Alabama also jumped back into the top 10, and Virginia Cavaliers entered the top 25 for the first time in six years.

Ohio State, which won at Washington, remains No. 1 for the fifth straight week. The Buckeyes received 46 first-place votes, six fewer than a week ago, and their 30-point lead over Oregon is the closest margin between the top two teams since the preseason poll in mid-August.

Oregon’s two-overtime win at Penn State earned 16 first-place votes — 15 more than last week — and gave the Ducks their highest ranking since they were No. 1 for two months last year.

Miami, which had an open date, slipped one spot to No. 3 and was followed by Mississippi and idle Oklahoma. The No. 4 Rebels were rewarded by voters for beating LSU and have their highest ranking since they were No. 3 in late September 2015.

Mississippi’s nine-spot rise into the top five was the biggest by any team since the Rebels jumped 12 spots to No. 3 for beating Alabama in 2015.

LSU fell to No. 13, swapping places with Mississippi.

Texas A&M, Penn State, Indiana, Texas and Alabama round out the top 10.

Indiana has been the fastest riser over the past month, moving up 15 rungs since Week 1. Over that span, Oklahoma and Texas A&M have each risen 13 spots.

Alabama, which had been out of the top 10 since losing its opener against Florida State by two touchdowns, has won three straight after beating Georgia for the 10th time in 11 meetings and ending the Bulldogs’ 33-game home win streak. No. 12 Georgia has its lowest ranking since it was No. 12 on Dec. 6, 2020. It’s just the second poll the Bulldogs have been out of the top 10 since 2021.

The losses by Penn State, LSU and Georgia marked the first time since 2016 that three top-five teams lost the same week in the regular season.

Week 5 marked the second time this season that four top-10 teams lost. It also happened in Week 1, but three of the four top-10 teams had to lose that week because there were three top-10 matchups.

Florida State’s loss at Virginia was the latest development in an up-and-down season for the Seminoles. They went from unranked to No. 14 for beating Bama, were in the top 10 for three weeks and plunged 10 spots to No. 18 this week.

No. 24 Virginia, not listed on any ballots in the previous poll, was rewarded for beating its highest-ranked opponent since then-No. 4 Florida State in 2005. The Cavaliers are 4-1 for a second straight season for the first time since 2003-04.

No. 25 Arizona State’s come-from-behind victory over then-No. 24 TCU returned the Sun Devils to the Top 25 after a three-week absence. The Horned Frogs, meanwhile, dropped out, as did USC (21st).

CONFERENCE CALL

SEC (10): Nos. 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19.

Big Ten (6): Nos. 1, 2, 7, 8, 20, 22.

Big 12 (4): Nos. 11, 14, 23, 25.

ACC (4): Nos. 3, 17, 18, 24.

Independent (1): No. 21.

RANKED VS. RANKED

Miami at Florida State: It will be the 27th time the Hurricanes and Seminoles face off as ranked teams. Miami is 15-11 in those games but Florida State has won the last five such contests, the last of which came in 2016.

Vanderbilt at Alabama: The Crimson Tide will be looking for payback. Vanderbilt’s 40-35 win as a 23-point underdog last season marked the Commodores’ first over a No. 1 team and was widely regarded as the 2024 upset of the year.