Florida's stint in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 rankings proved short-lived.

The Gators fell in the rankings after losing in a rout to Missouri. The Tigers climbed 11 spots to No. 14 and jumped over the Gators in the process. Florida dropped eight spots to No. 16.

Florida’s fall made room for a light shuffle in the top 10: No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Indiana traded rankings, BYU moved up two rungs to No. 8, Mississippi remained No. 9 and LSU climbed one spot to No. 10.

Texas goes into this coming Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma as the No. 1 team for the fourth straight week. The rest of the top five stood pat, with Georgia remaining No. 2, followed by Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, made its season debut in the poll at No. 25.

Here's the latest in the AP Top 25:

Poll is poised for a shakeup next week

By MAURA CAREY

No. 2 Georgia at No. 6 Alabama headlines next week’s slate of games for the AP Top 25.

Not only does it mean a shakeup is in store for the top 10, but it’s a matchup that always seems to matter come playoff time. Last year, Alabama snapped Georgia’s 33-game home win streak before Georgia bounced back with a 28-7 SEC Championship victory over the Crimson Tide.

Both teams have plenty at stake as they look to build the strongest résumés possible for the College Football Playoff committee. And with both teams sitting in the top six, there’s a lot on the line in the rankings as well.

Ask a voter: What stood out to you the most when assessing ranked teams this week?

By MATT MCGAVIC

There were a few ranked teams that I actually docked a spot or two because of their performances.

I bumped BYU down to No. 12 because of their less-than-impressive win over TCU. Same with USC to No. 22 for their game against Washington. SMU I took out entirely because I thought another team just outside my personal top 25 was more deserving.

It's always worth monitoring not only whether a team wins, but how they look. ___ This is Louisville sports writer Matt McGavic's first season as an AP Top 25 voter.

Knocking on the door

By MAURA CAREY

Kentucky received the most votes of any unranked team, falling two points shy of a tie with Pitt for No. 25.

Wake Forest finished 20 points shy of No. 25 with a 57-3 win against Stanford. The 54-point victory was the largest margin in an ACC game in program history.

Wisconsin, Duke, Northwestern, Nebraska, Minnesota, Arizona, James Madison and North Dakota State also received votes.

It was the fourth consecutive week that North Dakota State received votes, an achievement in itself after transitioning from the FCS to the FBS in July.

Biggest movers

Six teams held steady in this week’s Top 25, and 14 teams fluctuated one or two spots. The rest saw bigger changes.

Missouri was the biggest mover, jumping 11 spots to No. 14 after beating Florida. The Gators fell out of the top 10 and dropped eight spots to No. 16.

No. 20 Iowa had the second-biggest fall behind Florida, dropping six spots after a loss to Ohio State. No. 24 SMU fell three spots after a win against Boston College that was likely too close for comfort.

Pitt was the only other team that improved by more than one or two, leaping seven spots to No. 25.

AP Top 25 temperature check

Heating up: Alabama (6), BYU (8), LSU (10), Texas Tech (11), Utah (12), Oregon (13), Missouri (14), Tennessee (15), Oklahoma State (18), UCLA (21), Houston (22) and Pittsburgh (25).

Cooling down: Indiana (7), Florida (16), Mississippi State (17), USC (19), Iowa (20), Boise State (23), SMU (24) and Kentucky (OUT)

Holding steady: Texas (1), Georgia (2), Notre Dame (3), Miami (4), Ohio State (5), Ole Miss (9).

Kentucky drops out of Top 25 despite OT win

Kentucky’s overtime thriller didn’t quite impress voters enough. One week after joining the rankings at No. 24, Kentucky tumbled out of the poll after a narrow win against South Carolina.

The Wildcats’ fate might say more about how voters view South Carolina, however. The Gamecocks have fallen short of expectations over the past two years, leading to questions about Shane Beamer’s job security.

Kentucky’s departure from the rankings cleared room for this week’s sole newcomer, No. 25 Pitt.

The Panthers’ 14-point comeback over Virginia Tech ultimately carried more weight with voters than Kentucky’s 17-point comeback against South Carolina.

Pitt cracks the

Voters heard Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi loud and clear after he complained of being left out of the AP Top 25. The 5-0 Panthers entered the poll this week for the first time this season, coming in at No. 25.

The Panthers overcame a 14-0 deficit and scored 21 unanswered points en route to a 35-33 win against Virginia Tech.

Pitt lost starting quarterback Mason Heintschel early in the second half, but backup quarterback Holden Geriner performed well off the bench, throwing for 78 yards and a touchdown.

It was a narrow one for the Panthers, who got lucky with a Hokies missed field goal as time expired.

Missouri jumps over Florida

Missouri moved up 11 spots to No. 14 and jumped over Florida in the AP Top 25 after the Gators fell to the Tigers this weekend. Florida dropped from No. 8 to No. 16 in the rankings.

The Tigers beat the Gators 45-17 on Saturday. Quarterback Austin Simmons had a standout performance, completing 23 of 30 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Jamal Roberts ran the ball 24 times for 211 yards and three rushing scores.

Before the game, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz was 0-10 in the regular season against top-10 teams and had a nine-game skid against AP Top 25 teams. He wasn’t eager to talk about recent history.

“Doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “That’s noise people create on social media for no reason. … Each game is a life of its own, opponent of its own. We try to make it the best matchup we can.”

Conference breakdown

The SEC leads the way in the AP Top 25, with nine ranked teams from the conference: Texas (1), Georgia (2), Alabama (6), Ole Miss (9), LSU (10), Missouri (14), Tennessee (15), Florida (16) and Mississippi State (17).

The Big Ten has six ranked teams: Ohio State (5), Indiana (7), Oregon (13), USC (19), Iowa (20) and UCLA (21).

The Big 12 has five teams in the poll: BYU (8), Texas Tech (11), Utah (12), Oklahoma State (18) and Houston (22).

The ACC has three ranked teams: Miami (4), SMU (24) and Pittsburgh (25).

No. 23 Boise State remains the sole Pac-12 representative, and No. 3 Notre Dame is independent.

Ask a voter: Why does Indiana keep moving down despite winning?

By MATT MCGAVIC

I think that’s a product of IU’s non-conference schedule, where they opted to load up on relatively easy games. Then in the Big 10 play, their two wins are against Rutgers and a not-very-dominant home game vs. NW — although they could actually be better than we expect.

___ This is Louisville sports writer Matt McGavic's first season as an AP Top 25 voter.

Alabama improves to No. 6

By MAURA CAREY

The Crimson Tide improved to No. 6 after an impressive 56-23 win against Mississippi State. The move came at the expense of Indiana, which moved down one spot to No. 7.

Alabama is one of three remaining unbeaten SEC teams in elite company alongside No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Georgia.

That will change next week when Georgia and Alabama square off in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night.

Ask a voter: Walk us through the changes you made to your top 10

By MATT MCGAVIC

As far as my personal top 10, I bumped Ohio State from No. 4 to No. 3 for their impressive road win at Iowa — just behind Texas and Georgia.

Then, with Alabama putting together one of the best performances of the season, I have them cracking the top 10 all the way up to No. 4, which meant Notre Dame falls to fifth on my ballot.

Every other team in my top 10 moved down a slot as a result of Bama's rise. ___ This is Louisville sports writer Matt McGavic's first season as an AP Top 25 voter.

AP Top 25 rankings

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1. Texas

2. Georgia

3. Notre Dame

4. Miami (Fla.)

5. Ohio State

6. Alabama

7. Indiana

8. BYU

9. Mississippi

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

Others receiving votes were: Kentucky, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, Duke, Northwestern, Nebraska, Minnesota, Arizona, James Madison and North Dakota State.

Alabama cruises to 56-23 rout of Mississippi State

By MAURA CAREY

Any speculation that young quarterback Keelon Russell may not rise to the occasion subsided as he passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score in a 56-23 win against No. 16 Mississippi State.

Trae’shawn Brown ran the ball in for two scores and Rico Scott added a pair of receiving touchdowns. Dijon Lee Jr. also added a 30-yard pick-six.

Nevertheless, there may not be much room for improvement for the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide this week because No. 1 Texas was idle and Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State and Indiana each landed in the win column.

Florida’s top 10 stint could be short-lived

After moving up 13 spots in the poll and cracking the top 10 for the first time since 2021, Florida could be in line for a big fall in the rankings after losing 45-17 to Missouri.

The Tigers found success in minimizing Florida’s star running back Jadan Baugh’s impact, holding him to just 13 yards on 12 carries. Baugh was averaging 150 rushing yards per game before the Gators’ trip to Columbia.

It was the first loss of the Jon Sumrall era for Florida, falling to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in Southeastern Conference play.

3 Top 25 losses this week

Only three Top 25 teams lost this week, all in ranked matchups. No. 8 Florida fell 45-17 on the road to No. 25 Missouri. No. 14 Iowa dropped 31-14 to No. 5 Ohio State. And No. 16 Mississippi State lost 56-23 to No. 7 Alabama.

Six Top 25 teams had the week off and 16 ranked teams landed in the win column.

6 Top 25 teams were idle

Six AP Top 25 teams had the week off.

No. 1 Texas was idle after beating Tennessee in a hard-fought Week 4 road victory. No. 9 Ole Miss had a week to regroup following its first loss of the season to Florida. No. 13 Utah was off after a 31-17 win against Big 12 foe Iowa State.

No. 15 Oregon’s bye week came at a good time, giving quarterback Dante Moore a week to focus on recovering after a scary hit to the head.

Two of last week’s poll newcomers were also idle: No. 19 Oklahoma State and No. 23 UCLA.

How the votes are counted

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

For decades, voters called, emailed and faxed their votes to the AP and ballots were tabulated by hand.

Now voting happens online, and the count is automated first before AP checks for miscues.

The poll operates on a 1-to-25-point system, with the No. 1 team receiving 25 points down to the 25th team receiving 1 point. In between, the poll lists the teams with the most points from 24 down to 2. Teams that receive votes but not enough to make the top 25 are noted separately.

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