LSU Drops to No. 10 in AP Poll; Texas A&M Falls to No. 23 Before Baton Rouge Showdown
LSU lost a football game Saturday night. It did not lose the national conversation.
The Tigers fell three spots to No. 10 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 after the 32-24 loss at Ole Miss. Texas A&M took a much harder fall, tumbling from No. 9 to No. 23 after Kentucky stunned the Aggies 31-21 in College Station. Now the two bruised ranked teams meet under the lights in Baton Rouge with almost no room for another September mistake.
Quick Answer
LSU is No. 10 in the Week 4 AP Top 25, down from No. 7 after its road loss to Ole Miss. Ole Miss climbed to No. 4, while Texas A&M dropped 14 spots from No. 9 to No. 23 after losing at home to Kentucky. LSU and Texas A&M are both 2-1 overall and 0-1 in SEC play entering their September 26 matchup in Tiger Stadium.
LSU stayed in the top 10 — barely
The voters did not treat LSU’s loss in Oxford like a collapse. Ole Miss moved all the way to No. 4, strengthening the résumé value of LSU’s only defeat, and the Tigers held the final spot in the top 10 with 1,078 poll points.
That margin was thin. No. 11 Texas Tech finished only 11 points behind LSU. The message is clear: LSU still has national respect, but the protection that comes with an unbeaten start is gone.
Texas A&M paid a much bigger price
Texas A&M’s loss was different. Kentucky entered Kyle Field unranked and left with a 31-21 win after dominating the third quarter. The Aggies were outgained 196-20 in that quarter and fell from No. 9 to No. 23 in the poll.
That means Saturday is no longer a top-10 matchup, but the stakes may actually feel heavier. LSU and Texas A&M are both 0-1 in conference play. One team will leave Tiger Stadium 0-2 in the SEC before October.
Ole Miss jumping to No. 4 changes the way LSU’s loss is viewed
There are no moral victories in the SEC, but résumé context matters in a 12-team playoff era. Ole Miss is now one of the highest-ranked teams in the country and owns two wins over currently ranked opponents. LSU’s road loss came down to a final possession against a team the AP voters now see as a legitimate top-five program.
That does not make the loss harmless. It does mean LSU still has a clean recovery path: beat ranked teams, protect Tiger Stadium and make Oxford look like the exception rather than the start of a slide.
Saturday night became a ranking survival game
LSU hosts Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC. LSU’s official schedule now lists the matchup as No. 10 LSU against No. 23 Texas A&M. Both teams arrive off their first loss. Both are 0-1 in SEC play. Both were in the top 10 one week ago.
For LSU, a win would stabilize the season at 3-1, add another ranked victory to the résumé and keep the Tigers firmly in the national picture. A loss would mean back-to-back SEC defeats and a 2-2 record before the calendar turns to October.
What LSU fans should watch next
The rankings are only the first layer. LSU enters the week dealing with injuries to Trey’Dez Green and Dashawn Spears, while Texas A&M has to fix an offense that threw 49 passes and produced only seven points through the first three quarters against Kentucky.
The Week 4 matchup is now less about preseason expectations and more about which team responds fastest to getting punched.
See the full LSU rankings and playoff tracker for the evolving national picture.
Preview the matchup in our LSU vs. Texas A&M game page.
Primary ranking source: NCAA.com’s Week 4 AP Top 25 breakdown.
FAQ
What is LSU ranked after losing to Ole Miss?
LSU is No. 10 in the AP Top 25 released after Week 3, down three spots from No. 7.
What is Texas A&M ranked before playing LSU?
Texas A&M is No. 23 after falling from No. 9 following a 31-21 home loss to Kentucky.
When do LSU and Texas A&M play?
No. 10 LSU hosts No. 23 Texas A&M on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. CT in Tiger Stadium on ABC.
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