AP Top 25 Report- Post Week 9

After

multiple crazy weeks around college football, this week saw very few major upsets and much less movement in the poll. The top contenders continue to separate themselves, with Ohio State and Indiana sitting atop what looks like an SEC-heavy playoff field. The initial College Football Playoff rankings will come out next Tuesday evening, so I will shift this series to reflect those starting next week.

Ohio State (7-0) stayed atop the poll on its bye week with 54 first-place votes. The defending national champions will kick off November at home against a Penn State team that is a shell of itself, with the Buckeyes now a 20.5-point favorite over the Nittany Lions. Ohio State has won eight straight matchups against Penn State, even with PSU being a Big Ten contender all of those years.
Indiana (8-0) stayed in the second spot after dismantling the new-look UCLA Bruins 56-6. Aiden Fisher intercepted Nico Iamaleava’s first pass for a pick-six, and the Hoosiers did not look back for the fifty-point victory. IU is 8-0 for the second-straight year and third in program history, and next rolls into Maryland to battle the struggling Terrapins, who have lost three straight after a 4-0 September.
Texas A&M (8-0) emptied Tiger Stadium and celebrated with Aggies fans after a 49-25 rout of the Tigers. #20 LSU led 18-14 at halftime, with Marcel Reed throwing two interceptions, and TAMU had a punt blocked out the back of the end zone for a safety. In the third quarter, Texas A&M dominated by outscoring LSU 21-0, before continuing to pour it on with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Due to the nature of the blowout road victory over a ranked opponent, the Aggies are my National Star Of The Week.
Alabama (7-1) stayed in fourth after gutting out a 29-22 road victory at South Carolina, which was much tougher than most fans anticipated. The Crimson Tide took a 14-6 lead into the locker room, but the Gamecocks scored the next 16 points to go up 22-14 with exactly ten minutes left. Alabama was undeterred, but it needed two late scores from Germie Bernard for the improbable comeback win. The Crimson Tide will host LSU next Saturday, which is reeling from its home loss to the Aggies.
Georgia (6-1) was off this Saturday and stayed at fifth after their 43-35 win over a strong Ole Miss team. The Bulldogs next take on the Florida Gators for the annual “World’s Largest Cocktail Party” in Jacksonville to start the final month of the season.
Oregon (7-1) followed up its 56-10 domination of Rutgers with a lackluster 21-7 home win over Wisconsin in the pouring rain at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks did not score their first touchdown until late in the first half, with Oregon leaning on Jordan Davison due to the conditions. Davison had 102 rushing yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns, while Dante Moore went just 9-15 for 86 yards. The Ducks are back on the road with a tough game at Iowa, which is quietly 6-2 and 4-1 in the Big Ten this season.
Ole Miss (7-1) bounced back from their loss to Georgia with a 34-26 win over Oklahoma. Trinidad Chambliss threw for 315 yards and a touchdown while Kewan Lacy ran for two ground scores. After the Rebels allowed 17 points to Georgia in the fourth quarter, Lane Kiffin’s team flipped the script by scoring nine unanswered fourth-quarter points to take down the Sooners on the road.
Georgia Tech (8-0) defeated Syracuse 41-16 and is 8-0 for the first time since 1966. A couple of ACC road games at NC State and Boston College are up next for the Yellow Jackets as the Thanksgiving showdown against Georgia becomes more and more highly anticipated by the week.
Vanderbilt (7-1) held on late to take down Missouri 17-10, with Diego Pavia’s late dive across the goal line being the difference in this one. The Commodores are 7-1 for the first time since 1941 and are currently projected to make the College Football Playoff. They will have to win on the road at Texas next week to stay in the field, with a road trip to Tennessee for rivalry weekend being another potential landmine for VU. The Vanderbilt-Missouri showdown attracted College GameDay over the Dakota Marker, and lived up to the hype, earning my National Game Of The Week honors.
Miami (6-1) rebounded from its loss to Louisville last Friday by stomping out lowly Stanford 42-7, scoring all 42 points after the Cardinal scored on its opening drive. The Hurricanes will need to keep winning to maintain their resume integrity for the CFP and head to Texas to take on the SMU Mustangs next week, which is shockingly just their second road game and first game outside the state of Florida this season.
*(T10) BYU (8-0) stayed undefeated after taking down Iowa State 41-27 in Ames, improving to 8-0 for the second straight season. After struggling to beat unranked Arizona, the Cougars have impressed with consecutive wins over Utah and the Cyclones, who have now lost three straight after starting the season 5-0. The November schedule features road trips to Texas Tech and Cincinnati, which are both currently 7-1.
Notre Dame (5-2) remained at #12 on its second bye week of the season after surviving its toughest remaining test against Big Ten rival USC. The November schedule gets much easier, with no more ranked opponents on the schedule. Next up is a trip to Boston College, followed by a home game against currently undefeated Navy, although the schedule gets much tougher for the Midshipmen starting this week.
Texas Tech (7-1) moved up a spot as they bounced back from their loss to Arizona State with a 42-0 shutout over lowly Oklahoma State (1-7). The Red Raiders next travel to take on Kansas State before hosting undefeated BYU in what could be the game of the season in the Big 12.
Tennessee (6-2) moved up three spots as the Volunteers clinched bowl eligibility with a 56-34 rout of Kentucky, flushing their disheartening 37-20 loss to Alabama. Next up is a home game against Oklahoma, one year after the Vols painted Norman orange in a 25-15 victory to open up SEC play.
Virginia (7-1) hung on to defeat North Carolina 17-16 in overtime, with Bill Belichick opting to go for the win on a two-point conversion that was stopped just shy of the end zone. The Cavaliers have won six games in a row, which is their longest in-season win streak since 2007. Next up is a cross-country trip to California to take on the Golden Bears, who are looking to avenge their 42-34 loss at Virginia Tech last week.
Louisville (6-1) followed up its impressive win over Miami with a 38-24 win over Boston College. The Cardinals are 6-1 for the second time in three seasons and next head to Lane Stadium to battle the Hokies.
Cincinnati (7-1) moved up four spots after defeating Baylor 41-20 to push its win streak to seven games. The Bearcats have not lost since their opening game against Nebraska at Arrowhead and are only behind undefeated BYU in the Big 12 standings. They have a tough road trip to Utah for a late kick against the 6-2 Utes on Saturday.
Oklahoma (6-2) suffered its second loss of the season to Ole Miss and fell five spots because of it. Despite that, Xavier Robinson rushed for a season-high 109 yards, and the Sooners fared much better than in their loss to the Longhorns. Next up is a huge road trip to Tennessee, which also sports a 6-2 record coming in.
Missouri (6-2) lost its second game in three weeks, as its Hail Mary agonizingly came up just one yard short of tying the game at 17. The Tigers lost their top two quarterbacks in this game, with backup Sam Horn being out for the season. Starter Beau Pribula’s injury also looked bad as he was carted off the field, but it does not require surgery, and he may be able to return later in the regular season. After Mizzou’s second bye, it will host #3 Texas A&M in what might be its toughest game of the season.
Texas (6-2) has won three games in a row following its shocking loss to Florida after overcoming a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Mississippi State 45-38 in overtime. The Longhorns survived two road scares against Kentucky and the Bulldogs, and now return home to take on the surging Commodores.
Michigan (6-2) won its rivalry game against Michigan State 31-20 in East Lansing and moved up four spots. UM’s November schedule includes Purdue, Northwestern, and Maryland, before the Wolverines will look to make it five straight against archrivals Ohio State in Ann Arbor to end the season.
Houston (7-1) jumped into the rankings after taking down the former #24 Sun Devils, who have now fallen back out of the poll despite their upset of Texas Tech one week prior. The Cougars have joined Cincinnati as former American Conference standouts who have finally made their presence felt on the Power Four level. A favorable November schedule sets up Houston nicely, with the toughest game left being a home matchup against TCU before visiting Baylor for rivalry weekend.
USC (5-2) is another team that voters keep shifting in and out of the poll, as the Trojans moved back in despite having the week off. Southern California will be right back in the Midwest when it faces off against Nebraska, before hosting Northwestern and Iowa in consecutive weeks.
Utah (6-2) responded to its rivalry loss to BYU by blowing the brakes off of Colorado, taking a 43-0 halftime lead over the Buffaloes before cruising to a 53-7 blowout victory over Deion Sanders’ team. A huge ranked showdown with the Bearcats awaits, with both teams vying for a spot in the Big 12 championship game along with several others.
Memphis (7-1) won an important Group of Five showdown against South Florida, rallying back from a 14-point deficit with a 17-point fourth quarter. Nico Gramatica missed a 52-yard field goal in an attempt to force overtime, which sent the former #18 Bulls to their second loss of the year and first in conference play. Despite its loss to UAB, the Tigers are now in the driver’s seat for the final CFP spot, but will likely have to win out in November, which includes difficult games against Tulane and Navy, to ensure qualification.