Ole Miss Rises to No. 4 as SEC Dominates Top 25
Listen to the story
Ole Miss has climbed to No. 4 in the latest college football rankings.
This update came after Week 3 of the college football season.
The rankings are part of the famous AP Top 25 poll.
The AP Top 25 is created by sports experts every week.
This week's poll shows something special about the SEC.
The SEC is one of the biggest college football conferences in the country.
A total of 10 SEC teams appear in the Top 25 this week.
This shows how deep and competitive the SEC has become this season.
Kentucky is one of the SEC teams that joined the rankings.
Analysts have called Kentucky one of the season's biggest surprises.
Ole Miss has also surprised many fans with its strong start.
Beyond the Top 25, experts created a bigger list of 138 teams.
This wider ranking looks at every college football team, not just the top group.
It gives a fuller picture of how each team compares nationally.
Both Ole Miss and Kentucky stood out in this larger re-ranking.
Having so many teams from one conference represented is unusual.
It suggests the SEC could be very strong again this year.
Fans and experts will watch closely to see if these teams stay near the top.
More surprises could appear as the season continues.
Vocabulary10 words
- rankings
- a list showing which teams are best
- poll
- a list made from experts' opinions
- SEC
- a major group of college sports teams
- conferences
- groups of teams that compete together
- deep
- having many strong teams, not just one or two
- surprises
- things people did not expect to happen
- re-ranking
- making a new list after looking again
- represented
- included or shown in a group
- analysts
- people who study and explain sports results
- competitive
- having teams that are close in skill
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Quiz
Answer key
1. No. 4 2. 10 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Ole Miss has climbed to No. 4 in the latest college football _____.
This update came after Week 3 of the college football _____.
The rankings are part of the famous AP Top 25 _____.
This week's poll shows something special about the _____.
A total of 10 SEC teams appear in the _____ 25 this week.
This shows how _____ and competitive the SEC has become this season.
Analysts have called Kentucky one of the season's biggest _____.
Beyond the Top 25, experts created a bigger list of 138 _____.
Both Ole Miss and Kentucky stood out in this larger _____.
Having so many teams from one conference _____ is unusual.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think having 10 SEC teams in the Top 25 is unusual?
- What could explain Ole Miss's and Kentucky's strong starts this season?
- Why might sports experts create a bigger ranking of 138 teams, not just 25?
- Do you follow college football rankings? Why or why not?
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