Florida, Vanderbilt Surge in SEC Power Rankings Amid Fall of Arkansas, Ole Miss

The latest college football power rankings and projections reveal significant shifts across several teams and conferences. In the SEC, LSU and Georgia maintain their top spots, while Florida falls out of the top ten following a loss to USF; Vanderbilt records a notable comeback win against Virginia Tech, and Mississippi State's clutch victory over Arizona State elevates them in the rankings. Colorado's football team dropped three spots in the USA TODAY Sports 1-136 rankings despite a win, with a key quarterback decision looming ahead of their game against Houston. Penn State remains second in major polls after a win but fell to seventh in ESPN's predictive Football Power Index (FPI), which favors Oregon as the top team. Notre Dame moved up to eighth in the US LBM Coaches Poll but dropped to tenth in ESPN's FPI, which projects an 8.8-3.2 record and only a 24.7% chance to make the College Football Playoff, highlighting skepticism about their prospects despite their recent performances. These rankings underscore the dynamic and sometimes contrasting evaluations between reactive polls and predictive models as teams prepare for pivotal upcoming matchups.