If you thought Week 9 was college football's calm before the storm, the Halloween spirits had other plans. No. 2-ranked Ohio State got handled by USC in its first game without Julian Sayin, Indiana needed a miracle and overtime to outlast Minnesota, Miami went to the wire with North Carolina, SMU, Northwestern, Arizona, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin all lost, and Georgia dominated Florida in the Cocktail Party, Atlanta edition. Of course we can't go a single week without wild shakeups in the AP Top 25 college football rankings.
This is a college football season that's defined by parity throughout the sport. We're seeing that each week, which means we're getting upsets galore. Now, we have to sort out the damage, which means doing our best to project the AP Top 25 and see where the dust settles on the latest college football rankings going into Week 10 and another ludicrously loaded slate.
Dropped Out of Rankings: 19 SMU Mustangs, 20 Northwestern Wildcats, 22 Arizona Wildcats, 24 Oklahoma State Cowboys, 25 Wisconsin Badgers
No. 25-21
25. Florida Gators
- Last Rank: 17
- Result: lost to 3 Georgia, 27-8
- Record: 5-3
One line I always think about when projecting the AP Top 25 comes from Chip Patterson of CBS Sports: “The thing about a Top 25 is you have to rank 25 teams”. That’s why Florida remains in the AP Top 25 rankings this week, even after a thoroughly one-sided loss to Georgia. There are still good wins on the Gators’ resumé and I also wouldn’t be shocked if this ends up being a nine-win team. But they’ll want to wash Saturday from their memories sooner rather than later.
24. New Mexico Lobos
- Last Rank: Unranked
- Result: def. San Jose State, 21-16
- Record: 7-1
New Mexico quietly received votes last week and, while the Lobos aren't lighting the world on fire by taking down San Jose State in a rock fight, they deserve their respect and will be ranked this week. It's remarkable by head coach Jason Eck to lose his starting quarterback before Week 1 and now be off to a 7-1 start with only a loss to Oklahoma in a tight one against him. This team gives its best punch each week and that puts them in the fight for the Group of Six's berth in the playoff.
23. Iowa Hawkeyes
- Last Rank: Unranked
- Result: def. 25 Wisconsin, 30-0
- Record: 6-2
It just feels right for a game between Iowa and Wisconsin to decide which one of the two Big Ten foes ends up being ranked next week. The Hawkeyes left no doubt about which one of the pair should be in the AP Top 25, though, as the defense completely stifled the Badgers for all 60 minutes of this one and Hank Brown had maybe his best game of the season. Iowa looks to be a cut below the CFP contenders in the Big Ten, but they aren’t going away either.
22. South Carolina Gamecocks
- Last Rank: Unranked
- Result: def. Oklahoma, 42-25
- Record: 5-3
Let’s be clear, I wouldn’t have South Carolina on my AP ballot if I had a vote. However, this team received votes after taking down Tennessee last week and, after thoroughly dominating Oklahoma, I think they sneak in at the back end of the rankings. To be clear, LaNorris Sellers and the Gamecocks seem like they’ve turned a corner at a full sprint right now and this team could be a threat to cause chaos in the SEC down the stretch. They could make the ranking look justified quickly, though I think this might be a touch premature by voters.
21. Oregon State Beavers (Still Playing vs. Fresno State)
- Last Rank: Unranked
- Result: TBD
- Record: 5-2
You can’t even consider Oregon State a sleeper at this point. They received votes for the AP Top 25 last week, and now make their way into the poll — though we’re starting off assuming that they beat a frisky Fresno State team on the road on Saturday. But the Beavers’ two losses were legit battles with Houston and Texas Tech, two of the Big 12’s best, and they’ve been wholly dominant in the Pac-12 thus far. This is a team that’s legitimately going to challenge Boise State in the conference — and may damn well win it.
No. 20-16
20. USC Trojans
- Last Rank: Unranked
- Result: def. 2 Ohio State, 30-18
- Record: 7-2
If anyone needed that type of upset win, it was Lincoln Riley and USC. They dropped out of the rankings after a dismal loss to Wisconsin last week, but leap back into the Top 20 by beating Ohio State. This wasn't a perfect game, but the Trojans were phenomenal in two facets: Bending but not breaking on defense against a backup quarterback, and then finding explosive plays on offense. They're still in line for an outside chance at a CFP berth and this was a game they simply had to win for that to be the case.
19. Missouri Tigers
- Last Rank: 23
- Result: def. Arkansas, 34-10
- Record: 6-2
Missouri isn't going away, y'all. That's not to say Arkansas is any kind of measuring stick as the worst team in the SEC, but it is to say that the Tigers still have plenty of punches. Ahmad Hardy's return to the field was awesome to see, and he had three carries for 42 yards. Pairing him with Jamal Roberts could be a lethal 1-2 punch, especially with Austin Simmons playing well. And don't sleep on this defense either, which feasted on four turnovers to help propel Mizzou to such a decisive result.
18. Boise State Broncos (Still Playing vs. Texas State)
- Last Rank: 20
- Result: TBD
- Record: 6-1
Some people might not have noticed, but Boise State has been playing with its food a bit over the last few weeks. Yes, the Broncos have been able to eventually put another notch in the win column, but it’s not been as dominant as it was early in the year. Texas State and high-octane offense offered an interesting test coming into Saturday because of that, as another middling showing from Boise State could end up proving highly detrimental, particularly with Oregon State hot on the Broncos’ heels in the Pac-12.
17. Houston Cougars
- Last Rank: 18
- Result: OFF
- Record: 6-2
Houston has checked a lot of boxes this season. Unfortunately, they might simply be in a thankless position similar to Utah in the Big 12 a year ago. The Cougars have a win over an explosive Oklahoma State team and, sneakily, over Oregon State as well. But losing to both Texas Tech and Utah likely puts them behind the 8-ball in the Big 12 race, which ultimately means that they’ll have a difficult time making a real case for the CFP when it’s all said and done.
16. Tennessee Volunteers
- Last Rank: 16
- Result: OFF
- Record: 6-2
Tennessee does have the head-to-head win over Alabama under its belt, but also losses to Texas at home and on the road at South Carolina. That’s really just indicative of who the Vols might be. The offense is limited, whether it’s George MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon at quarterback, but the defense and run game are stout. How they match up against Kentucky and LSU in two of their remaining four games will ultimately determine whether Josh Heupel’s team is CFP viable or not.
No. 15-11
15. LSU Tigers
- Last Rank: 15
- Result: OFF
- Record: 6-2
It’s always fascinating to watch how the ebbs and flows of the AP Top 25 rankings penalize some teams harsher than others, and LSU is one of them. They do have two losses on the year and certainly are lacking some high-quality wins. At the same time, though, the two losses came against Ole Miss and Kentucky, which are Top 13 teams. LSU can certainly prove itself, though, as they face Alabama and Texas at home before traveling to Tennessee in the next three weeks. Those are statement opportunities for Lane Kiffin’s team.
14. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- Last Rank: 14
- Result: def. Virginia, 51-7
- Record: 7-1
For anyone who’s been paying attention, there’s not been much doubt at this point that Wake Forest is the second-best team in the ACC. They proved it again on the field as Gio Lopez and Co. poured it on a Virginia team that is getting worse vibes by the week, but the Demon Deacons also saw SMU lose on Saturday as well. Everything is coming up Wake’s way right now and, with Miami looking vulnerable, they have to be dreaming about big things in Charlotte in about a month.
13. Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Last Rank: 13
- Result: def. 22 Arizona, 34-26
- Record: 7-1
The switch to Thomas Castellanos might be one that ends up saving Texas Tech’s season. The veteran quarterback’s rushing ability opened up the Red Raiders offense more than Will Hammond has all season and they took down a spirited Arizona team as a result. I stand by the fact that the defense just simply isn’t as fearsome as it was a year ago, but if Castellanos can spark an uptick in offense, Texas Tech won’t go away.
12. Ole Miss Rebels
- Last Rank: 12
- Result: def. Auburn, 45-15
- Record: 6-2
Ole Miss came off of their loss to Texas last week and proved that they aren’t going away. Auburn was on the wrong end of that on Saturday afternoon as the Rebels took it to the Tigers in this matchup. Yes, they were slow out of the gate, but they didn’t slow up once they got things going. The defense showed up well, on top of that, but Ole Miss avoided a big-time trap spot with Georgia also looming on deck next week, and with that game, a big opportunity for Pete Golding’s group to vault back up in the rankings.
11. Ohio State Buckeyes
- Last Rank: 2
- Result: lost to USC, 30-18
- Record: 6-2
This probably seems harsh for Ohio State after a loss on the road at USC, who will now be ranked. Hear me out, though. For one, they have a head-to-head loss and now the same record as Texas. This might be a spot where that matters to AP voters. More importantly, though, the drop-off from Julian Sayin to Luke Fahey was abundantly clear in the loss to the Trojans and the eye test seems like something that will be weighed heavily when sorting out the rankings this week.
No. 10-9
10. Texas Longhorns
- Last Rank: 11
- Result: def. Mississippi State, 31-3
- Record: 6-2
Don’t look now, but Texas is going to be a Top 10 team in the country once again. Granted, I’m not taking too much away from the Longhorns dismantling a Mississippi State team now moving forward for the rest of this season without Kamario Taylor (because that’s a sad state of affairs), but Texas is coming off the win over Ole Miss and then pulled out this type of performance in completely dominant fashion, which hasn’t always been the case against inferior competition.
Arch Manning has continued to show improvement and increasingly positive signs over the past couple of weeks and the defense, even still without Colin Simmons, is a force to reckon with. That doesn’t erase the issues this team has had, but it was positive to see this group put together 60 minutes of high-end football, no matter the competition. They still have Missouri and LSU on deck, but the Longhorns are now well on-track for the CFP once again.
9. Alabama Crimson Tide
- Last Rank: 10
- Result: OFF
- Record: 6-2
Because it’s an off week for Alabama, allow me to rant once again how stupid it is that Alabama has a head-to-head win over Kentucky and that both of their losses came against Top 16 teams in the country and they are still ranked behind the Wildcats. It wasn’t like the Bama-Kentucky game was close either. The Crimson Tide played a close one in the first half and then completely dominated to blow out the Wildcats in that game. Make it make sense beyond “Kentucky only has one loss”, which doesn’t jibe with me.
Regardless, the Crimson Tide are still firmly in the mix to make the College Football Playoff, but their two losses on the season do show quite clearly that their margin for error has quickly gone away. That’s not exactly a settling notion for fans in Tuscaloosa either, not only because so much is being put on Keelon Russell’s plate right now, but also because the Tide have games at LSU and the Iron Bowl still on deck. They’re another team facing a fascinating finish that will be quite telling.
No. 8-7
8. Kentucky Wildcats
- Last Rank: 9
- Result: OFF
- Record: 7-1
The Kentucky Wildcats have been among the biggest surprises of the college football season, as Will Stein arrived in Lexington and has immediately attached a rocket ship to his team. Now, it’s certainly worth noting that the resumé for Kentucky consists of having one fine-enough loss to Alabama — even though they were manhandled in that game — and then wins over LSU at home and over South Carolina on the road, both by one point. But coming out of the bye, we’re going to see exactly what Kentucky is made of.
After getting a week of rest, the Wildcats go on the road to face Tennessee, return home to face Florida, then go back on the road to take on Missouri before a season-ending rivalry matchup against Louisville. That’s a gauntlet for this team to run, especially when they’ve been on the right end of so many close games. This team hasn’t given us any reason to doubt them yet, but it’s fair to wonder if they’re ceiling is high enough to survive and punch a College Football Playoff ticket.
7. BYU Cougars
- Last Rank: 8
- Result: def. Arizona State, 27-20
- Record: 7-1
I certainly wouldn’t call this the most inspired performance from BYU on Saturday, especially in Provo. Arizona State came into this game looking, quite frankly, pretty poor in most phases of the game, despite their 4-3 record. They’ve gone through a quarterback change and they looked that part early as they fell behind 17-3 going into halftime. But then the Cougars allowed 14 unanswered points to make this a game until the very end.
It’s good to still see Bear Bachmeier using the aerial attack with more effect still than he did a year ago in the BYU offense, but the Cougars defense simply needs to tighten up down the stretch. You can excuse some of this, of course, with Holy War against Utah looming next week, but even then, this wasn’t a game that inspires a ton of confidence in the Cougs in that matchup with the Utes rolling like they have been and BYU seemingly surviving some stumbles.
No. 6-5
6. UCLA Bruins
- Last Rank: 7
- Result: def. Nevada, 27-0
- Record: 8-0
The Big Ten is in complete and total upheaval right now and UCLA just keeps chugging along. Granted, they were playing Nevada on Saturday, which isn’t really much competition at all. At the same time, though, the Bruins just keep taking care of business, no matter who is at quarterback. Ty Dieffenbach isn’t much to write home about, but he’s playing exactly the way that Bob Chesney needs him to with this roster.
Defense is the calling card right now for the Bruins and the Wolf Pack stood no chance matched up against that unit. That then allows UCLA to just take what the defense gives them, run the ball well and go about their business. It feels like so many teams in the conference have a lack of identity right now, while the Bruins know exactly where their bread is buttered. I don’t know how far this will take them or how high the ceiling is, but the 2024 Indiana vibes are impossible to ignore.
5. Utah Utes
- Last Rank: 6
- Result: def. Cincinnati, 49-25
- Record: 8-0
Putting it as simply as possible, Utah looks like the absolute real deal right now. We just saw that Cincinnati can be a dangerous team at home last week when the Bearcats upended Texas Tech heartily. So with the Utes coming off of a hard-fought win over Houston last week, they were put on upset watch by many people heading into their Week 9 matchup. They didn’t even get scared by Cincinnati, though, as they submitted another dominant effort.
That looks even more impressive when you also consider this was a massive trap spot for the Utes, a game sandwiched between the Houston showdown and Holy War next week. Devon Dampier is special, the Utah run game is firing on all cylinders and the defense is finally showing its teeth after sparking some concerns earlier in the year. They look like the Big 12’s clear-cut best team right now. That can change, especially in a season like this one, but the Utes are starting to separate themselves.
No. 4-3
4. Indiana Hoosiers
- Last Rank: 4
- Result: def. Minnesota, 23-16 (OT)
- Record: 8-1
Let’s be clear — Indiana needed a 60-yard field goal to tie it up late and then overtime to beat Minnesota, albeit a good Golden Gophers team who helped drag this game into the mud. The Hoosiers also lost Josh Hoover in this game, which is one to watch, but at the end of the day, Curt Cignetti’s team somehow found a way to win this game, and now is sitting squarely in the driver’s seat for their own destiny in the Big Ten this season.
Hoover’s injury is going to be massive, specifically with how much time he’s going to miss after exiting this game early. He’s been playing through it of late, which has hurt his performance, but the drop-off to Grant Wilson is evident, especially when the run game has been middling at times this season. The defense is still elite, but that might put Indiana in some more precarious spots if they’re without Hoover long-term.
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Last Rank: 5
- Result: def. Navy, 35-13
- Record: 7-1
Not shockingly, Notre Dame simply proved to be too much for Navy to handle for 60 minutes. They used 28 unanswered points starting midway through the second quarter to pull away for a decisive victory in Foxborough for a neutral-site showdown in this age-old rivalry. At the same time, however, it’s still worth looking into the first half, when the Midshipmen completely controlled the game with the option attack and took Notre Dame out of its rhythm.
Obviously, I’m not sounding the alarms loudly here. The Fighting Irish did win the game by 22 points and more than found their footing with CJ Carr and even the ground game in the victory. However, some of the signs from this team that have worried me throughout the season, namely with an inconsistent offense and a defense that hasn’t played to its talent, showed up early in this game. Notre Dame is still good, but I remain dubious of their makeup against top-level competition.
No. 2-1
2. Georgia Bulldogs
- Last Rank: 3
- Result: def. 17 Florida, 27-8
- Record: 7-1
Georgia looks every bit like a national championship contender right now. While Florida might quite clearly not be on the Bulldogs’ level, that’s a darn good Gators team and this is obviously a huge rivalry matchup for the Cocktail Party. For Kirby Smart’s team to go out and assert their dominance to the degree that they did on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta — for one year only — speaks to just how dangerous the Dawgs can actually be this season.
Gunner Stockton took a backseat to a rock-steady rushing offense in this game, but more pointedly just let the Georgia defense squish the Gators. Jadan Baugh was held to 38 yards, they forced four turnovers, and Florida really just didn’t have any answers in this one. There’s not rest for the Dawgs, of course, as they go on the road to Oxford next week for a date with Ole Miss, but if this game is any indication, they’re ready for any challenge.
1. Miami Hurricanes
- Last Rank: 1
- Result: def. North Carolina, 38-35
- Record: 8-0
Miami needs to get healthy and in the worst way. North Carolina has been playing much better football than most people expected coming into the year — perhaps because a certain significant other is around the program, according to some reports — but the Hurricanes should’ve still had no issue with the Tar Heels. That simply wasn’t the case on Saturday in Chapel Hill, though, as the Tar Heels took the No. 1-ranked team in the country to the wire.
Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney are still an electric factory, but the injuries for Miami, most notably in the secondary, are starting to show up in a bad way. With Notre Dame on deck next week, maybe this was a lookahead game for The U. But it’s also possible that this team is just exceptionally short-handed and banged-up right now, which means that the Canes could be in trouble for their trip to South Bend.
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