While the Week 9 college football schedule did not provide as many games between ranked teams, the updated AP Top 25 poll could see even more shakeup than the week before thanks to some impactful results throughout the rankings. By the end of Saturday, a total of six ranked teams took losses in Week 9, opening plenty of room for teams to move up on voters’ ballots. That’s going to benefit teams with gaudy win totals as we hit the final stretch of the season, as just avoiding a loss can be as beneficial as a signature win when it comes to rankings movement.
That said, one of the most notable movements we’re projecting is from a quality win featuring a top 10 team. Ole Miss went into Norman as an underdog against Oklahoma, yet the Rebels jumped out to an early lead and closed the game strong to emerge with an eight-point win to improve to 7-1 on the season. Since the only loss on the season is against Georgia, in Athens, it’s unlikely Ole Miss can move higher than No. 5, but look for that voting points gap to close as a response to the Rebels gusty win in the rain.
Elsewhere, we’re monitoring whether Texas A&M will get any first-place votes after a dominant win against LSU in Death Valley as well as if Indiana’s first-place vote count will improve following the second 50+ point win of the season against a conference opponent. The No. 1 team in the country, Ohio State, was off in Week 9, so while the Buckeyes have done nothing to give up ground, they also were unable to make the kind of statement win we saw from No. 2 and No. 3.
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Of course, with a half-dozen ranked teams losing, there is going to be some noticeable changes in the top 25 beyond shuffling inside the top 10. Some of the most dramatic changes will be in the back half of the rankings with teams benefiting from low loss counts to see big moves up either in the poll or breaking into the rankings after being unranked last week.
Here’s how we think the new AP Top 25 will look on Sunday after Week 9:
1. Ohio State (Last week — 1): The Buckeyes were off in Week 9 and will be back in action next week against Penn State in Columbus.
2. Indiana (2): Earlier this week, Curt Cignetti described UCLA as a 3-0 team, and it seems clear that the Bruins had the Hoosiers’ attention as though they were an undefeated foe. Indiana raced out to a 35-3 halftime lead and never let up in a 56-6 victory.
3. Texas A&M (3): A thunderous result in Baton Rouge could lead to some first-place votes going the way of Texas A&M, which is now 8-0 and staring down the possibility of an all-time season in College Station. The Aggies dominated LSU in all three phases on Saturday night, handing Brian Kelly just his second-ever loss under the lights at night in Tiger Stadium.
4. Alabama (4): The Crimson Tide got bailed out of a tough spot at South Carolina thanks in part to the defense delivering a huge turnover in the fourth quarter that set up the game-winning score. Alabama did not play its best game, but it rose to the occasion in the crunch time on both sides of the ball and escaped Columbia with a win.
5. Georgia (5): The Bulldogs were off in Week 9 and will be back in action next week against Florida in Jacksonville.
6. Ole Miss (8): Saturday’s victory against Oklahoma in Norman could go down as one of the important wins of the season because it has totally flipped the postseason outlook for the Rebels and certainly has changed how they will be judged in the rankings. Labeled a slight underdog by the oddsmakers, Ole Miss overcame a second-half charge from the Sooners and scored the final nine points of the game to win 34-26. The win helps validate what we expect will be a very good record at the end of the season (7-1 for now) and keeps Ole Miss in the thick of the SEC title race.
7. Georgia Tech (7): There is a tough ceiling for voting points gap when it comes to upward movement, but the Yellow Jackets are continuing to pass every test put before them here in 2025. Down multiple starters, Georgia Tech rebounded from a slow start and walloped Syracuse by a 41-16 score. Haynes King totaled five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) by the end of the rout, and Brent Key’s team is now 8-0 on the season and 5-0 in ACC play.
8. Oregon (6): While Wisconsin was not threatening to win, Oregon’s 21-7 victory against the Badgers was closer than expected for much of the evening. Voters won’t penalize the Ducks for a double-digit win, but when it comes to tiebreakers among one-loss teams (or growing momentum for undefeated teams like Georgia Tech or BYU), this was a game that left the door open for challengers inside the top 10.
9. Vanderbilt (10): The best start since 1941 continues as Vanderbilt improved to 6-1 with a hard-fought 17-10 win against Missouri. A defensive battle from the start, the Commodores blew the game open with an 80-yard touchdown run from Makhilyn Young and then took advantage of a Missouri turnover for the game-winning score.
10. BYU (11): The reluctance to boost BYU’s ranking will be tested, because now the Cougars are 8-0 after in impressive rally and notable win at Iowa State. The Cyclones led by double-digits at two different points in the first half, but BYU flipped the game with turnovers, picking off Rocco Becht three times and returning one of them for a touchdown. It’s unlikely BYU could jump Georgia Tech, but anyone else is susceptible to getting past by a Cougars team that just keeps finding ways to win.
11. Miami (9): The Hurricanes had less than a 100-point advantage on Vanderbilt and BYU, so any sways in momentum among the voters could lead to a shuffle. Considering Vanderbilt’s ranked win, BYU improving to 8-0 and Miami getting off to a slow start (before eventually cruising to a win), it’s possible some spots get traded around the edge of the top 10.
12. Notre Dame (12): The Fighting Irish were off in Week 9 and will be back in action next week at Boston College.
13. Texas Tech (14): The Red Raiders needed a get-right win after a frustrating loss at Arizona State, and they drew the right opponent with Oklahoma State coming to Lubbock. It was all Texas Tech from the jump, starting with a 99-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff, and the Cowboys did not provide much resistance in the 42-0 win.
14. Tennessee (17): The Vols offense offered quite the response from last week’s loss at Alabama, rolling up 504 yards of offense and 56 points against a Kentucky team that had previously fared well against some of the more talented teams in the SEC. Rankings shakeups elsewhere will lead to a slight bump up, but no major moves in the rankings for a Tennessee team that is now 6-2 with a thin margin for error the rest of the way.
15. Cincinnati (21): The Bearcats are tied with BYU in first place of the Big 12 standings with a 5-0 record in league play and now have won seven straight games after beating Baylor 41-20 at home. It’s the first seven-game winning streak since the Bearcats made the College Football Playoff in 2021, and now that’s the target given the team’s role in the Big 12 title race. The remaining schedule is challenging with road trips to Utah and TCU as well as a home date against the aforementioned Cougars, but everything is on the table for Scott Satterfield’s team heading into the final third of the season.
16. Virginia (16): If voters wanted to knock Virginia a spot or two on their ballots, there is some reason given the last two weeks’ performances. The Wahoos were double-digit favorites against both Washington State and North Carolina yet won both games by a combined three points, so it’s fair to note that this 7-1 team has not played to expectations since beating Louisville. However, that win against Louisville is a key to any ballot shakeup, so there’s not much room to move down.
17. Louisville (19): The Cardinals found a tough test in a letdown spot after beating Miami with Boston College bringing four quarters of fight despite entering the game with a 1-6 record. Louisville thankfully could rise the steady hand of star running back Isaac Brown, who totaled 205 yards rushing in the win.
18. Texas (22): Don’t look now, but Texas still has everything ahead of it and can still achieve its preseason goals thanks to a comeback overtime win at Mississippi State. The Longhorns were far from efficient and lost Arch Manning to injury late in the game but found a way to come back from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to improve to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in SEC play.
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19. Oklahoma (13): The Sooners, in theory, should not see a huge drop from losing a team that will be knocking on the door of the top five heading into Week 10. But the competition for ranking spots is much less competitive when you have one loss than when you have two, and now at 6-2 we’re projecting Oklahoma to be tied to its loss to Texas and its win against Michigan for placement on most ballots.
20. Missouri (15): There will be a slight drop coming for Missouri as a result of the team’s second loss, but there’s also a dampened outlook down the road after losing quarterback Beau Pribula to injury. True freshman Sam Zollers stepped up in a tough spot, and now he’s tasked with guiding Missouri the rest of the regular season as they cling on to slimming CFP hopes.
21. Michigan (25): With Justice Haynes back in the lineup, Michigan leaned on its ground game to power through a tough start at Michigan State and pull away for a respectable double-digit win against Michigan State.
22. Memphis (NR): It’s not going to be tough for AP voters to throw Memphis right back on their ballots as the Tigers were at No. 22 just two weeks ago before the upset loss to UAB. Though getting stunned by the Blazers netted zero voting points last week, storming back from a late deficit to take down South Florida will get them back in the 20s on a majority of ballots.
23. Navy (NR): It’s time for the last unranked undefeated to break into the top 25. Navy was 30th in voting points last week, and after handling business against FAU is now 7-0 overall and 5-0 in conference play. The remaining schedule includes showdowns against the rest of the contenders in the American, so this should get sorted out on the field but for now voters should not keep the door shut on another strong start from the Midshipmen.
24. Houston (NR): The Cougars had to hold on and nearly let a 24-point lead go on the road at Arizona State, but with some key stops late, Willie Fritz’s team was able to improve to 7-1 overall. This team’s only loss on the season has been to Texas Tech, so grading this as a top 25 resume in the sport should be a no-brainer.
25. Utah (NR): Like Memphis, the Utes were a team that were inside the top 25 just last week and only bounced because of a 24-21 loss to BYU. With the Cougars continuing their winning ways and Utah proceeding to blow out Colorado (and doing so with a backup quarterback), it’s likely they fall back into favor with the AP voters as one of the top two-loss teams in the country.
Projected to drop out: No. 18 South Florida, No. 20 LSU, No. 23 Illinois, No. 24 Arizona State
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