For the first time in roughly 77 years, Louisiana is ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The Ragin' Cajuns find themselves ranked No. 19 in the latest media poll following Saturday's surprising 31-14 win over Iowa State. The jump marks the first time the program has made the poll since being ranked 15th on Nov. 1, 1943. In what was the record for the team with the longest AP Top 25 drought, the Ragin' Cajuns missed 1,109 consecutive polls, per Patrick Stevens of the Washington Post.
Elsewhere, Florida jumped three spots from No. 8 to No. 5, passing No. 6 LSU in the process. It's the Gators' highest ranking since 2012. Though neither team will play their first game until Sept. 26, LSU has been hit hard by not only by offseason attrition, but opt outs from some of its best players. Additionally, Florida closed the gap on Georgia, whose presumed starting quarterback Jamie Newman announced he, too, was opting out of the season. The Gators open their season at Ole Miss.
Just like the Coaches Poll, Big Ten and Pac-12 schools were removed from this poll and voters are ranking the teams moving forward with fall football. Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Georgia round out the top five. Iowa State, previously No. 23, fell out of the rankings after the loss to Louisiana. Memphis, Miami, Louisiana, Virginia Tech, BYU, Army, Kentucky, Appalachian State and Pitt all joined the rankings this week.
AP Top 25
Rank | Team | Points | Previous | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Clemson (60) | 1,524 | 1 | 1-0 |
2 | Alabama | 1,456 | 3 | 0-0 |
3 | Oklahoma | 1,361 | 4 | 1-0 |
4 | Georgia | 1,324 | 5 | 0-0 |
5 | Florida | 1,237 | 8 | 0-0 |
6 | LSU (1) | 1,236 | 6 | 0-0 |
7 | Notre Dame | 1,155 | 10 | 1-0 |
8 | Auburn | 1,055 | 11 | 0-0 |
9 | Texas | 1,033 | 14 | 1-0 |
10 | Texas A&M | 983 | 13 | 0-0 |
11 | Oklahoma State | 927 | 15 | 0-0 |
12 | North Carolina | 892 | 18 | 1-0 |
13 | Cincinnati | 647 | 20 | 0-0 |
14 | UCF | 632 | 21 | 0-0 |
15 | Tennessee | 528 | 24 | 0-0 |
16 | Memphis | 495 | NR | 1-0 |
17 | Miami | 463 | NR | 1-0 |
18 | Louisville | 387 | NR | 1-0 |
19 | Louisiana | 377 | NR | 1-0 |
20 | Virginia Tech | 368 | NR | 0-0 |
21 | BYU | 357 | NR | 1-0 |
22 | Army | 243 | NR | 2-0 |
T-23 | Kentucky | 238 | NR | 0-0 |
T-23 | Appalachian State | 238 | NR | 1-0 |
25 | Pittsburgh | 157 | NR | 1-0 |
Other receiving votes: Baylor 146, West Virginia 81, Georgia Tech 69, TCU 49, Virginia 39, Arkansas State 33, SMU 32, Iowa State 14, Mississippi State 14, South Florida 6, Ole Miss 5, Texas Tech 5, UAB 4, Missouri 3, Air Force 2, Florida State 2, Marshall 2, Houston 1
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