Ole Miss is right back where it started in the AP Top 25

There wasn’t any doubt what would happen to Ole Miss in Sunday’s updated AP Top 25 College Football poll.

The only question was how far the Rebels would fall after being steamrolled 52-28 by then-No. 21 Florida.

Ole Miss was ranked No. 9 in the updated poll, one spot behind Florida, which jumped eight spots, and one spot ahead of LSU.

Ole Miss is lucky it didn’t fall further down the list after what we saw Saturday in Gainesville. The defense missed so many tackles it’s not even worth counting. It gave up more than 300 rushing yards to the Gators, including 144 to Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark averaged 10.5 yards per carry.

The offense had a miserable first half, but found some life in the second half through the air. Trinidad Chambliss was able to lead the Rebels on a scoring drive after halftime, but a fumble later in the third quarter and Florida’s ability to do whatever it wanted against the Rebels’ defense prevented any real comeback.

The teams on Ole Miss’ schedule didn’t have much of an impact on the rankings because the results cancel each other out. LSU dominated a ranked Texas A&M team and Louisville fell to Wake Forest.

What would be interesting is where the College Football Playoff committee ranks Ole Miss. We’re still a couple weeks away from their first ranking, though.

One final takeaway from these rankings is that Ole Miss will have its chance to climb back up the rankings. The Rebels are scheduled to face the No. 1 and 2 teams in the AP’s poll. Win one or both of those games and everything Ole Miss wants would be more than just realistic.

Here’s the full top 25 poll released Sunday afternoon.

AP Top 25 College Football Poll

1. Texas (4-0)
2. Georgia (4-0)
3. Notre Dame (4-0)
4. Miami (4-0)
5. Ohio State (3-1)
6. Indiana (4-0)
7. Alabama (4-0)
8. Florida (4-0)
9. Ole Miss (3-1)
10. BYU (3-0)
11. LSU (3-1)
12. Texas Tech  (4-0)
13. Utah (4-0)
14. Iowa (4-0)
15. Oregon (3-1)
16. Mississippi State (4-0)
17. Tennessee (3-1)
18. USC (4-1)
19. Oklahoma State (3-1)
20. Houston (3-1)
21. SMU (3-1)
22. Boise State (3-1)
23. UCLA (4-0)
24. Kentucky (3-1)
25. Missouri  (3-1)

• Dropped out: Penn State (3-1), Louisville (2-2), Michigan  (3-1), Texas A&M (2-2)
• Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 102, Duke 101, Penn State 98, Wake Forest 88, Virginia Tech 86, Michigan 54, Pittsburgh 52, Nebraska 36, Louisville 25, Cincinnati 20, James Madison 10, Arizona 8, Minnesota 7, North Dakota State 6, Northwestern 1