AP college football poll: Ole Miss drops to No. 8 after loss at Georgia

Ole Miss did not have a seismic fall from grace in the Associated Press Top 25 after suffering its first loss of the 2025-26 season. The Rebels dropped three spots to No. 8 in the latest rankings following Saturday’s 43-35 heartbreaker between the hedges at top-10 Georgia.

Lane Kiffin’s team (6-1, 3-1 SEC) had a 35-26 lead over the Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1 SEC) with the clock dwindling in the third quarter. Facing a crucial fourth and one on his team’s side of the field, Georgia frontman Kirby Smart rolled the dice, and the risk paid off. Running back Josh McCray was met at the line of scrimmage by a slew of Rebel defenders but managed to Houdini his way around the edge to secure the first down.

That conversion was the catalyst behind a 17-0 run the Bulldogs would embark upon the rest of the way. Though Ole Miss scored touchdowns on its first five drives, while effectively moving the ball on Glenn Schumann’s defense, three straight fruitless offensive possessions for the red and blue prevented any chance of a signature comeback win in a stadium the Rebels had not won in since 1996.

Pete Golding’s defense surrendered 510 total yards and failed to stop the Bulldogs on all but one offensive drive. The lone stop was negligible, as it came when Georgia was kneeling out the clock. Georgia had 289 passing yards and 221 rushing yards. Bulldog quarterback Stockton completed 26 of 31 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Tight end Lawson Luckie was the hot hand in the end zone, with three touchdowns. In the ground game, Georgia was led by Nate Frazier, who had 72 yards on 17 carries.

For Ole Miss, Trinidad Chambliss completed 19 of 36 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown. Aside from a shaky fourth quarter, the Ferris State transfer was sharp most of the afternoon. His top target was De’Zhaun Stribling with three receptions for 96 yards and a score. 75 of those yards came on an explosive play at the start of the second half.

Chambliss also led the Rebels in rushing with 42 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Ole Miss Running back Kewan Lacy recorded 31 yards on 12 carries in the SEC showdown.

Ole Miss will remain on the road, with a stop at No. 14 Oklahoma being next on the docket. The contest will kick off from Norman on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT and will air on ABC, along with participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.

The full AP top 25 can be found below: