Tomorrow’s Top 25 Players showcase our college football rankings entering Week 10

While the Week 9 college football schedule didn’t offer many matchups between ranked teams, the updated AP Top 25 poll could see a bigger change from the previous week thanks to some impactful results throughout the rankings. By the end of Saturday, six ranked teams had losses in Week 9, opening up a large field for teams to advance on voters’ ballots. This will benefit teams with impressive win totals as we reach the final stage of the season, as simply avoiding a loss can be as beneficial as an impressive win when it comes to seeding movement.

However, one of the most notable moves we expect is a high-quality win featuring the top 10 teams. Ole Miss went into Norman as an underdog against Oklahoma, yet the Rebels jumped out to an early lead and finished strong to come away with an eight-point win to improve to 7-1 on the season. Since its only loss of the season was to Georgia, in Athens, it’s unlikely that Ole Miss can move higher than fifth, but look for that voting point gap to close in response to the Rebels’ windy-in-the-rain win.

Elsewhere, we’re watching whether Texas A&M will pick up any first-place votes after its dominant win over LSU in Death Valley, as well as whether Indiana’s first-place vote count will improve after its second 50-plus point win this season against a conference rival. The No. 1 team in the country, Ohio State, was out in Week 9, so while the Buckeyes did nothing to give up ground, they also couldn’t pull off the kind of win we saw from No. 2 and No. 3.

Of course, with six ranked teams losing, there will be some noticeable changes in the top 25 other than shuffling within the top 10. Some of the most dramatic changes will be in the back half of the rankings with teams taking advantage of the lower number of losses to see big moves up either in the poll or breaking into the rankings after remaining 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 are off in Week 9 and will return to action next week against Penn State in Columbus.

2. Indiana (2): Earlier this week, Curt Cignetti called UCLA a 3-0 team, and the Bruins clearly had the attention of the Hoosiers as if they were an unbeaten opponent. Indiana led at halftime 35-3 and never gave up in a 56-6 win.

3. Texas A&M (3): The resounding result in Baton Rouge could see some first-place votes go the way of Texas A&M, which is now 8-0 and staring at the possibility of having a season at all in College Station. The Aggies dominated LSU in all three phases Saturday night, handing Brian Kelly his second loss ever under the lights at night at Tiger Stadium.

4. Alabama (4): The Crimson Tide were rescued from a tough situation in South Carolina, thanks in part to a defense that committed a big turnover in the fourth quarter that led to the game-winning score. Alabama didn’t have its best game, but it rose to the occasion in crunch time on both sides of the ball and escaped Columbia with the win.

5. Georgia (5): The Bulldogs were suspended for Week 9 and will return to action next week against Florida in Jacksonville.

6. Ole Miss (8): Saturday’s win over Oklahoma in Norman can be considered one of the important victories of the season because it completely upended the postseason expectations for the Rebels and certainly changed the way they are judged in the rankings. Rated as a slight underdog by oddsmakers, Ole Miss overwhelmed the Sooners’ offense in the second half and scored the final nine points of the game to win 34-26. The win helps validate what we expect to be a very good record at the end of the season (7-1 at the moment) and keeps Ole Miss in the thick of the race for the SEC title.

7. Georgia Tech (7): There’s a hard cap on the voting point gap when it comes to upward mobility, but the Yellow Jackets continue to pass every test put in front of them here in 2025. After several starters, Georgia Tech rebounded from a slow start and beat Syracuse 41-16. Haynes King totaled five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) by the end of the defeat, and Brent Key’s squad is now 8-0 on the season and 5-0 in ACC play.

8. Oregon (6): While Wisconsin didn’t threaten to win, Oregon’s 21-7 win over the Badgers was closer than expected for most of the evening. Voters won’t punish the Ducks for a double-digit win, but when it comes to tiebreakers between one-loss teams (or the growing momentum of undefeated teams like Georgia Tech or BYU), this was a game that left the door open for contenders inside the top 10.

9. Vanderbilt (10): the Best start since 1941 Vanderbilt’s improvement to 6-1 continues with a hard-fought 17-10 win over Missouri. A defensive battle from the start, the Commodores broke the game open with an 80-yard run from Makhilin Young and then took advantage of a Missouri turnover to get the game-winning score.

10. Brigham Young University (11): The reluctance to boost BYU’s ranking will be tested, as the Cougars are now 8-0 in an impressive run and a notable win at Iowa State. The Hurricanes led by double digits at two different points in the first half, but BYU turned the game around with turnovers, picking off Rocco Becht three times and returning one of them for a touchdown. It’s unlikely BYU can jump past Georgia Tech, but anyone else is vulnerable to getting passed by a Cougars team that continues to find ways to win.

11. Miami (9): The Hurricanes had less than 100 points over Vanderbilt and BYU, so any swing in momentum among voters could result in a shuffle. Given ranked Vanderbilt’s win, BYU’s improvement to 8-0 and Miami’s slow start (before eventually cruising to victory), it’s possible some spots could be traded around the edge of the top 10.

12. Notre Dame (12): The Fighting Irish kicked off Week 9 and will return to action next week at Boston College.

13. Texas Tech (14): Needing a straight-up win after a frustrating loss to Arizona State, the Red Raiders faced the right opponent with Oklahoma State coming to Lubbock. It was all Texas Tech from the jump, starting with a 99-yard touchdown run on the opening kickoff, and the Cowboys offered little resistance in the 42-0 win.

14. Tennessee (17): The Vols’ offense quite the response to last week’s loss at Alabama, racking up 504 yards of offense and 56 points against a Kentucky team that had previously done well against some of the SEC’s most talented teams. Seed changes elsewhere will lead to an uptick, but no major moves in the seedings for a Tennessee team that is now 6-2 with little margin for error the rest of the way.

15. Cincinnati (21): The Bearcats are tied with BYU for first place in the Big 12 standings with a 5-0 record in league play and have now 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 goal given the team’s role in the Big 12 title race. The remaining schedule presents a challenge 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 want to edge Virginia by a point or two on their ballots, there’s a reason given the past two weeks’ performance. The Wahoos were double-digit favorites against both Washington State and North Carolina, but won both games by a combined three points, so it’s fair to note that this 7-1 team hasn’t played to expectations since its win over Louisville. However, this win over Louisville is key to any change in the ballot, so there’s not much room for backtracking.

17. Louisville (19): The Cardinals found a tough test in the disappointment zone after their win over Miami as Boston College brought out four quarters fighting despite entering the game with a 1-6 record. Fortunately, Louisville can turn up 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 an overtime win at Mississippi State. The Longhorns were far from efficient and lost Arch Manning suffered an injury late in the game But it found a way to come back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to improve to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in SEC play.

19. Oklahoma (13): In theory, the Sooners shouldn’t see a significant drop from a loss to a team that’s knocking on the door of the top five heading into Week 10. But the competition for seeding spots is much less competitive with one loss than with two, and now at 6-2, we expect Oklahoma to be tied with its loss to Texas and its win over Michigan for placement on most ballots.

20. Missouri (15): There will be a slight downturn for Missouri as a result of the team’s second loss, but there is also a soft look down the road after losing quarterback Bo Pribula to injury. True freshman Sam Zollers has stepped into a tight spot, and is now tasked with guiding Missouri State for the rest of the regular season as they cling to their faint CFP hopes.

21. Michigan (25): With Judge Hines back in the lineup, Michigan relied on its ground game to power through Michigan State’s tough start and pull out a respectable double-digit win over Michigan State.

22. Memphis (NR): It won’t be difficult for AP voters to put Memphis right back on their ballots as the Tigers were 22nd just two weeks ago before the upset loss to UAB. Although the Blazers were surprised by zero voting points last week, coming back from a late deficit to beat South Florida would put them back in the 20s on a majority of the ballots.

23. Navy (GT): It’s time for another undefeated to break into the top 25. Navy was 30th in points voting 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 America’s contenders, so that will have to be resolved on the field but for now voters shouldn’t keep the door closed on another strong start from the Midshipmen.

24. Houston (NR): The Cougars had to hang on and almost gave up a 24-point lead on the road at Arizona State, but with some key late stops, Willie Fritz’s squad was able to improve to 7-1 overall. This team’s only loss of the season was to Texas Tech, so ranking this team in the top 25 on a resume in the sport should be a no-brainer.

25. Utah (NR): Like Memphis, the Utes were a top-25 team just last week and only rebounded due to a 24-21 loss to BYU. As the Cougars continue their winning ways and Utah proceeds to blow out Colorado (and do so with a backup quarterback), they will likely return to the favor of AP voters as one of the top two-loss teams in the country.

He is expected to leave: No. 18 South Florida, No. 20 LSU, No. 23 Illinois, No. 24 Arizona State