Lopsided loss could bump Florida from top 10 in AP Top 25; a move up might be tough for Alabama

A week after making a huge rise in The Associated Press Top 25, Florida could be in line for a big fall when the new poll is released Sunday.

The No. 8 Gators' 45-17 loss at No. 25 Missouri raised the most eyebrows on a Saturday when ranked teams generally won in workmanlike fashion.

Florida had opened 4-0 with an impressive 52-28 victory over a then-top five Mississippi to jump from No. 21 to No. 8 for its highest ranking since 2020. The Gators went bust in Columbia, with Missouri holding star running back Jadan Baugh to 13 yards on 12 carries and the Austin Simmons-led offense rolling up 560 yards to get the Tigers in position for a major promotion in the poll.

No. 8 Alabama put a 56-23 beating on No. 16 Mississippi State on the road, but with the seven teams ahead of the Crimson Tide winning, there doesn't appear to be much room for advancement.

No. 1 Texas had an open date Saturday. No. 2 Georgia and the rest of the top five won.

A few teams that won could slip if the voters weren't impressed with the optics.

No. 3 Notre Dame won 37-26 at North Carolina in a game it led 21-20 just after halftime. No. 10 BYU lost star running back LJ Martin to injury in the first half, generated only 216 total yards and didn't put away TCU until late in a 17-10 road win. No. 12 Texas Tech led Colorado just 12-7 entering the fourth quarter of a 29-7 road win.

No. 21 SMU, which won 25-16 at home against Boston College, ran for just 58 yards against the nation's 115th-ranked rushing defense and caught a break when the Eagles, down 19-10, turn the ball over on downs inside the SMU 10 early in the fourth quarter because of a dropped pass.

Among teams that voters might consider for entry to the Top 25 are Pittsburgh, 5-0 after a 35-33 win over Virginia Tech; Wisconsin, 4-1 after a 31-3 win over Michigan State; Wake Forest, 4-1 after a 57-3 rout of Stanford; and Duke, which is 4-0 and was idle Saturday.

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