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LSU sinks in AP Poll after suffering second loss

On3 imageby: Matthew Brune18 hours agoMatthewBrune_
NCAA Football: Louisiana State at Vanderbilt
Oct 18, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Louisiana State Tigers wide receiver Nic Anderson (4) runs with the ball after a made catch against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

LSU’s resume was already flimsy, but a loss to Vanderbilt on the road has cratered the Tigers in the latest AP Poll rankings that were released. After a 31-24 defeat in Nashville, LSU now clings to wins over Florida, Clemson, and South Carolina to keep them in the top 25, but in terms of the playoff picture, there’s a lot of work to do in the coming weeks with Texas A&M coming to Baton Rouge next week, then a trip to play Alabama the following.

How far did the Tigers drop? Here is the full AP top 25, released on Sunday afternoon.

  1. Ohio State
  2. Indiana
  3. Texas A&M
  4. Alabama
  5. Georgia
  6. Oregon
  7. Georgia Tech
  8. Ole Miss
  9. Miami
  10. Vanderbilt
  11. BYU
  12. Notre Dame
  13. Oklahoma
  14. Texas Tech
  15. Missouri
  16. Virginia
  17. Tennessee
  18. USF
  19. Louisville
  20. LSU
  21. Cincinnati
  22. Texas
  23. Illinois
  24. Arizona State
  25. Michigan

Others receiving votes:

Southern Cal 97, Utah 40, Tulane 37, Houston 34, Navy 28, San Diego St. 7, James Madison 6, Boise St. 4, TCU 2, Minnesota 1.

Brian Kelly quotes after LSU’s loss

Opening statement…

“I just told our team, we had opportunities we didn’t cash in on them. From an offensive standpoint, we had three opportunities to score that were field goals. And look, guys know we were playing a team that was going to make it very difficult for us to possess the football. We had three possessions in the first half. So it’s like playing triple option, and we did not play well enough on either side of the ball to be the better team today. Vanderbilt was the better team today because they executed at a higher level. So when you look at it in its totality, defensively, not enough stops. Offensively, when we had an opportunity to score touchdowns, we had to kick field goals, and that was the difference in the game.”

On the defense’s struggles…

“I go back to what I said. When you play an offense like this, it’s the details—being in the right place and having eye discipline, making the plays when they come your way—is paramount to slowing them down. We just didn’t do a good enough job on the details when it came to trying to defend this offense.”

On the offense’s performance…

“Yeah, I thought when we rallied there in the third quarter with the touchdown and two-point play, got it to three, obviously then they drive the length of the field, it’s a bit deflating. But we come right back, and we just can’t punch it in, so we kick a field goal there. We needed to match scores and then needed a couple of stops. This game was about details—their details were better. Offensively, there were some good things, but again, the thing that stands out is not scoring touchdowns when you have the opportunity.”