The boys from Baton Rouge are getting no love from The Associated Press.

LSU is inexplicably ranked at No. 9 in the nation after last week’s 34-24 win over Syracuse. Consider that the Tigers are one of only two teams in the AP Top 10 that has picked up two wins over ranked opponents. The other is No. 7 UCLA, which is coming off back-to-back wins over No. 19 BYU and No. 16 Arizona.

Now, there are some that will say that one of LSU’s victories came against an Auburn team that isn’t ranked anymore. Those same Bruins, who jumped ahead of LSU in this week’s rankings, have gotten both of their ranked wins against teams that aren’t ranked anymore.

The argument to be made here isn’t so much against what UCLA has done, but rather what the rest of the teams ahead of the Bayou Bengals have done. The other seven teams ahead of LSU have combined for three ranked wins.

On top of that, all three of the Tigers’ wins have come against Power 5 teams after their win last Saturday at Syracuse. Here’s a breakdown of The AP Top 10 with wins over ranked opponents and Power 5 teams along with their margin of victory per game.

TEAM WINS OVER RANKED OPP WINS OVER POWER 5 MARGIN OF VICTORY
1. Ohio State 0 1 +22.3
2. Michigan State 1 1 +12.5
3. Ole Miss 1 2 +35.5
4. TCU 0 2 +22.8
5. Baylor 0 0 +41.0
6. Notre Dame 1 3 +21.3
7. UCLA 2 3 +19.8
8. Georgia 0 2 +32.0
9. LSU 2 3 +12.0
10. Utah 1 2 +20.0

I included margin of victory per game since LSU is last in that area. However, the Tigers’ lower margin stems from the fact that they’ve played tough competition, and they’ve faced it on the road. Only Notre Dame and UCLA have picked up as many wins over Power 5 (three). Meanwhile, LSU is one of only four teams in that top 10 to post multiple wins away from home so far (TCU, UCLA and Utah are the others).

This isn’t to say LSU should be No. 1, only that the Tigers should be getting more respect based on a few of the teams ahead of them. For instance, Georgia has no ranked wins and one fewer win over a Power 5. Meanwhile, both Big 12 teams — TCU and Baylor — have yet to record a win over a ranked opponent. Heck, the Bears haven’t even beaten a Power 5 team yet.

LSU being bumped down a spot in this week’s rankings by UCLA is understandable. However, the Tigers’ resume in many respects is unmatched through Week 4, and The AP should take note.