College Football Rankings: AP Poll Top 25 after Week 10 released

The latest AP Poll Top 25 rankings are here following a solid Week 9 of college football. Things heated up a bit as we hit the final stretch of the regular season with high profile matchups. Down goes another No. 1 as Miami fell to Notre Dame on the road 31-24, so there were some big shakeups this weekend. There’s a mess in the middle with a bunch of two and three loss teams as well. $39.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage So without further ado, let’s dive into the latest AP Poll rankings following Week 9 of the college football regular season. Let’s start at the top and work our way down! 1. Georgia (+1) Georgia made one of the biggest statements of the weekend and are now No. 1 in the AP Poll this week. They dominated Ole Miss from the get-go, finishing with a 42-7 victory in Oxford to improve to 8-1. Gunner Stockton threw for just 186 yards, but tossed four touchdowns. Nate Frazier ran 16 times for 107 yards. The Bulldogs’ defense limited Ole Miss to 252 yards and forced two turnovers. 2. Utah (+1) Despite the local kickoff time. Utah came out on top with a second half comeback to beat rival BYU 28-20. The Utes are now 9-0 on the season and move up the AP Poll as we hit the final three weeks. Devon Dampier threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns while running for 89 yards and two scores. On the flip side, Utah made life miserable for Bear Bachmeier, who threw four interceptions. 3. Notre Dame (+1) Notre Dame got a massive win over previously ranked No. 1 Miami to move up the AP Poll this weekend. The 31-24 win at home got a little too close for comfort at a certain point, as the Irish saw a 24-3 lead evaporate. Still, the Irish needed this one and are now 8-1 with a signature win. CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns to lead the way for Notre Dame. Notre Dame’s defense also forced two turnovers. 4. UCLA (+1) UCLA drew more respect from AP Poll voters this week as they beat a dangerous Minnesota team on the road 34-20. The Bruins are now 9-0 on the season under first-year head coach Bob Chesney and with the way the Big Ten is right now, they might be the last team standing. Ty Dieffenbach completed just eight passes, but they were for 303 yards and three touchdowns (with one pick). Wayne Knight ran 18 times for 109 yards and a touchdown. Aidan Mizell reeled in two catches for, wait for it, 150 yards and two touchdowns! 5. Miami (-4) Miami suffered its first loss of the season but do not need to panic, despite dropping in the AP Poll. Despite not having Malachi Toney, the Hurricanes saw some explosives from QB Darian Mensah and pass catches Elija Lofton and Cooper Barkate. Lofton had two hands on the ball and two feet down in what looked like the game-tying touchdown late, but he lost control of the ball and did not complete the process of the catch. Controversial or not, Miami still controls its own destiny. 6. Indiana After two stressful wins, Indiana had a much needed bye week and are 8-1 on the season. It seems like them, and fellow AP Poll top 10 team UCLA, are going to be the two teams playing for the Big Ten. Still, there are three weeks to go and the Hoosiers will play host to USC this coming weekend. That’ll be the game to watch to see which squad is actually for real in 2026 and can make the CFP. 7. Alabama (+2) Talk about statement games. Alabama moved up the AP Poll with an impressive win over LSU in Baton Rouge, in a game where many thought LSU could hit their stride. Not this time as the Crimson Tide won 31-13. Alabama outscored LSU 21-10 in the second half to run away with this one. Keelon Russell threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns in the win for Kalen DeBoer’s crew. 8. Texas (+2) It was a slow start for Texas, but the Longhorns hit their groove to stay in the top 10 of the AP Poll this week. The Longhorns went on the road and beat Missouri 34-20 to improve to 7-2 on the season. Arch Manning threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns despite no Cam Coleman. Raleek Brown ran for 85 yards and a score on the ground. Texas also outscored Missouri 24-10 in the second half. 9. Tennessee (+7) So much for Tennessee not being legit right? They moved up the AP Poll with a 34-6 thrashing of Kentucky in Knoxville and improved to 7-2 on the season. The ground game dominated in this one. DeSean Bishop had 25 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns while Duane Morris had 85 yards and a score. Tennessee seems poised to win out at this point too with Texas A&M, LSU and Vanderbilt left on the schedule. 10. Texas Tech (+3) Texas Tech is alive folks! A lot of people left them for dead but the Red Raiders are now 8-1 on the season following a 53-48 shootout win over West Virginia. The QB switch to Thomas Castellanos has now paid off. Castellanos helped Texas Tech move up the AP Poll by throwing for 362 yards and five touchdowns! Not only that, he ran for 102 yards on the ground. Imagine if he can keep that pace up! 11. Wake Forest (+3) There’s not much to say about Wake Forest this week except that they scored 77 points against Merrimack and shut them out. It wasn’t beating an AP Poll ranked team, but the Demon Deacons took care of business. Steele Pizzella threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 63 yards and a touchdown. Now the important stretch: at SMU, at Georgia Tech and home against Duke in an ACC that’s there for the taking. 12. BYU (-5) BYU fell in the AP Poll and the Cougars suffered their second loss of the season, losing 28-20 to rival Utah on the road. Bear Bachmeier was picked off four times in this one and the Cougars still blew a 20-14 halftime lead. BYU has to win out to have any shot at the Big 12 championship, likely a rematch against Utah. At that point, they might need that in order to have a shot at the College Football Playoff in a few weeks. 13. Kentucky (-5) Kentucky was everyone’s darling this year and with three games left, that 7-2 record suddenly looks suspect. Well, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but the Wildcats looked lost in Knoxville. They dropped in the AP Poll and in the 34-6 loss, Kenny Minchey was limited to 224 yards and a pick while CJ Baxter only ran for 54 yards on the ground. The Wildcats host an even Florida team next week, so perhaps there’s a chance to get back on track. 14. Houston (+3) Houston improved to 7-2 on the season to keep pace in the Big 12 and the AP Poll this weekend. The Cougars knocked down Cincinnati 31-24, putting themselves in good standing with the conference. Conner Weigman threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns in this game while also running for a score. Re’Shaun Sanford II ran 15 times for 126 yards and a touchdown and Makhi Hughes had 90 yards rushing. 15. USC (+3) USC’s AP Poll standing was in the hands of others this week as the Trojans were on a bye following a win over Ohio State. Now, they’ll hit the road to take on the reigning champions this coming weekend. If Lincoln Riley and USC want to make the College Football Playoff, they’ll need this one in Bloomington. It’ll be no easy task against that elite defense, but USC has proven the world wrong, a little bit, this season. 16. Iowa (+5) Iowa seemingly ended the dreams of Northwestern winning the Big Ten and making the CFP with a 24-10 win on the road. The Hawkeyes are now 7-2 and maybe the quietest contender this postseason. Hank Brown didn’t play great and finished with 126 yards, one touchdown and one interception. LJ Phillips Jr. picked up the slack though with 128 yards on the ground. Brown ran for a score and the defense did the rest, limiting the Wildcats to 286 yards and 1-of-11 on third down. 17. Boise State (+3) Points and a lot more points where that came from. Boise State beat Colorado State 64-38 in what could be considered a weird college basketball score. The Broncos are now 8-1 and look like the front runner for the G6 spot in the CFP. Max Cutforth threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns, while also running for a score. Dylan Riley ran for 192 yards and two touchdowns while Harry Stewart III also ran for 89 yards and two scores. 18. Oregon (NR) Oregon stayed in the AP Poll with a stunner in Columbus! The Ducks improved to 6-3 on the season with a 41-28 win over Ohio State in the Shoe. No, Julian Sayin didn’t play., but Oregon had backup Dylan Raiola starting! He played well too, throwing for 257 yards and two touchdowns. Dierre Hill Jr. had 75 yards and two scores on the ground as well. It seems like neither of these two preseason favorites are making the CFP now, but Oregon got a much needed morale boost. 19. Ole Miss (-7) Ole Miss’ third loss of the season was a bad one and they tumbled down the AP Poll this weekend. The Rebels were trounced by Georgia, 42-7, and their CFP hopes are gone or at the very best, on life support. Granted, the more three-loss teams we get, the messier this becomes. Trinidad Chambliss did not have his best day, throwing for just 170 yards and an interception against the Bulldogs. 20. South Carolina (+3) South Carolina and Shane Beamer have come back from the dead! They’re hanging around in the AP Poll top 25 and now 6-3 on the season following a 17-9 win over Texas A&M in front of the Gamecock faithful. LaNorris Sellers had 251 yards and a touchdown, while running for 34 yards and a score. Despite the defense giving up an astounding 457 yards, South Carolina limited Texas A&M to just nine points in this one. 21. Ohio State (-10) Ohio State didn’t fall completely out of the AP Poll rankings, but it’s close now for the Buckeyes. This has been the most trying season for Ryan Day as they are now 6-3 following the 41-28 loss to Oregon at home. What’s worse is Ohio State led 14-0 after the first quarter too. Luke Fahey did what he could, throwing for 360 yards, two touchdowns but also a pick. The Buckeyes finish up with Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan. Even by winning out, it seems like Ohio State will miss the CFP. 22. Arizona (+2) Arizona stayed in the AP Poll top 25 rankings this week with a 29-28 win over TCU on Friday night. Noah Fifita threw for 313 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The Wildcats are now 7-2 on the year. If Arizona upsets Utah at home this coming weekend, that’ll throw the rankings and the Big 12 standings for a loop. There’s a chance the Wildcats can still make some crazy things happen with three games left! 23. New Mexico (-1) New Mexico played Friday night and stayed in the AP Poll with a dominant 31-3 win at Nevada to improve to 6-1 on the season. The Lobos are trying to make their argument to be the top G6 team in the country. Toa Fa’avae had 150 yards and a touchdown through the air. Scottre Humphrey had 17 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while Kiefer Sibley added 54 yards and a touchdown. 24. LSU (-9) LSU fell to 6-3 on the season and fell in the AP Poll. Lane Kiffin’s crew was set up for a massive victory Saturday and even had a 13-10 lead in the third quarter. From there, they were outscored 21-0 by Alabama. Sam Leavitt threw for 380 yards, but no scores and he tossed an interception. The Tigers also lost a fumble and were just 5-of-14 on third down. Unfortunately for them, they ran out of gas in the end. 25. SMU (NR) SMU is back in the AP Poll top 25 following a Friday night smackdown, or beatdown, of Virginia Tech. Following the 51-28 win, SMU is now 7-2 and alive in the ACC race, thus the CFP race again. Kevin Jennings threw for 350 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Yamir Knight reeled in six passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns in the win. SMU will host Wake Forest next weekend in a do or die game. Others receiving votes in AP Poll: Missouri 50, Duke 49, Oklahoma State 21, Liberty 14, Louisville 10, North Texas 2