SEC’s Big-Money Rosters Shake Up College Football Rankings
The top two slots remained unchanged.
Ten SEC teams entered Week 3 ranked in the top 25, leading to a significant shakeup in Sunday's latest AP poll. The 10 teams—Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State—mostly faced off against each other. Texas and Georgia maintained their top spots, with wins over Tennessee and Oklahoma, respectively.
Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi State also climbed in the rankings. Meanwhile, Tennessee and Mississippi fell, and Texas A&M dropped out of the rankings. LSU slipped despite a win over the Aggies. Eleven of the 20 most expensive college football rosters belong to the SEC, according to estimates from The Athletic. Tennessee's loss to Texas moved the team from No. 14 to 17.
Georgia dominated Oklahoma, keeping its hold on the No. 2 spot, but Oklahoma is now facing increased scrutiny. The Sooners spent $63 million to retain coach Brent Venables for the season, and they have a tough schedule ahead, including a rematch with Texas on October 10. Florida's 52-28 victory over Mississippi, their first top-5 win since 2020, helped boost their status, moving them from No. 21 to No. 8 in the AP poll.
Mississippi State also showed improvement, defeating Missouri to climb from No. 24 to No. 16. Quarterback Kamario Taylor's continued rise to stardom, with another three-touchdown performance, contributed to the Bulldogs' first back-to-back 4-0 starts since 1944-1945. Mississippi State faces Alabama next, a rematch after the Bulldogs' 49-18 win over South Carolina.
Meanwhile, LSU jumped on Texas A&M early in a costly matchup, but the team fell to No. 11 amid injury concerns and other shifts in the poll. Texas A&M, like Oklahoma, started the season at a high ranking and has since declined. With two losses, the Aggies now join the Sooners outside the top 25. Despite the SEC's continued dominance, Kentucky moved into the rankings after a 45-21 win against South Alabama. Overall, the SEC will have 10 teams in the top 25 this week.
Written by urgent.news from Front Office Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
