The new Associated Press Top 25 poll released after Week 5 of the college football season shows unusually large swings in ranking, even though only three games pitted ranked opponents against each other.
The biggest riser was Missouri, which jumped 11 spots to No. 14 after blowing out Florida 45-17. The win came just a week after the Gators had looked dominant in a win over Ole Miss. Florida fell eight spots in the new poll following the 28-point loss.
In the SEC, Alabama moved up one spot to No. 6 after beating Mississippi State decisively, passing defending national champion Indiana, which dropped a spot in the rankings despite winning on the road at Rutgers. Mississippi State fell only one spot to No. 17 despite losing by 33 points at home to Alabama.
Ole Miss stayed at No. 9 during a bye week following its loss at Florida. LSU rose one spot to No. 10 after improving to 4-1 with a win over McNeese.
Kentucky may have the most reason for frustration. The Wildcats fell out of the rankings entirely this week, dropping from No. 24, despite winning in overtime on the road against South Carolina.
The Big Ten placed six teams in the new poll. USC dropped six spots to No. 18 despite coming from behind to beat Washington 25-21. Oregon, which did not play in Week 5, rose five spots. Iowa gained three spots in the rankings despite losing to Ohio State by 17 points.
The AP noted the top eight teams in the country remain largely unchanged and uncontroversial, with the Top 5 from the previous week untouched. Beyond that tier, however, rankings shifted significantly among SEC and Big Ten teams this week.
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