Big changes hit the AP top 25 this week, with seven new teams entering the rankings. LSU was among them, the first time they've done anything but descend in them since the 2020 season.
The Tigers entered the picture after a fourth consecutive win and a second victory in Southeastern Conference play. They are right on the edge at No. 2. It's a strong start that has been working to repair the rankings damage done by a last-second opening loss to Florida State,
The interesting quirk is one of LSU's four wins came against Mississippi State, which also entered the rankings at 4-1 and slotted in at No. 23 overall. The Bulldogs' signature win came against then No. 17 Texas A&M. The Aggies have dropped out of the poll this week.
Alabama (1), Tennessee (8), Ole Miss (9) and Kentucky (13) make up the other four SEC teams in the mix. The rankings mark the first time both Mississippi teams have been ranked since Nov. 2015.
For LSU, it's not the end of a particularly long rankings drought, but it's still meaningful. The Tigers were handed top-25 rankings in the preseason of 2020 (No. 6) and 2021 (No. 16). It was based on talent, but certainly not performance. That 2020 team opened with a loss to Mississippi State but still retained at No. 20. They climbed to No. 17 after a win over Vanderbilt, but dropped out for the rest of the season after a hard-fought loss to Missouri. It was a similar story in 2021, with the Tigers entering at No. 17 before dropping after an opening loss to UCLA.
One way or another, the stay at the bottom of the AP rankings won't be a long one. LSU has a matchup with No. 8 Tennessee for Week 6 in Baton Rouge, and open as 2.5-point underdogs. A win in that matchup will likely sending the Tigers flying up to the middle of the pack, while a loss will almost certainly pull them back down into the unranked pool. A lot is at stake on Saturday in Baton Rouge.
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See the updated top-25, via the Associated Press.
No. 1 Alabama (5-0), change: up 1
No. 2 Georgia (5-0), change: down 1
No. 3 Ohio State (5-0), no change
No. 4 Michigan (5-0), no change
No. 5 Clemson (5-0), no change
No. 6 USC (5-0), no change
No. 7 Oklahoma State (4-0), change: up 2
No. 8 Tennessee (4-0), no change
No. 9 Ole Miss (5-0), change, up 5
No. 10 Penn State (5-0), change: up 1
No. 11 Utah (4-1), change: up 1
No. 12 Oregon (4-1), change: up 1
No. 13 Kentucky (4-1), change: down 6
No. 14 N.C. State (4-1), change: down 4
No. 15 Wake Forest (4-1), change: up 7
No. 16 BYU (4-1), change: up 3
No. 17 TCU (4-0), Last week: unranked
No. 18 UCLA (5-0), Last week: unranked
No. 19 Kansas (5-0), Last week: unranked
No. 20 Kansas State (4-1), change: up 5
No. 21 Washington (4-1), change: down 6
No. 22 Syracuse (5-0), Last week: unranked
No. 23 Mississippi State (4-1), Last week: unranked
No. 24 Cincinnati (4-1), Last week: unranked
No. 25 LSU (4-1), Last week: unranked
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