College Football Rankings: AP Poll Top 25 after Week 9 released

The latest AP Poll Top 25 rankings are here following a solid Week 9 of college football. Things cooled down a bit compared to the chaos of the last two weeks, but there were still some notable result! Miami once again stayed at the top of the rankings following a close win over North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Other top teams had bye weeks and some others made a name for themselves. Buckle up folks, it’s only going to get crazier. $19.99 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. Miami Miami stayed atop the AP Poll with a win over North Carolina, 38-35 in Chapel Hill in a closer than anticipated contest. The Hurricanes’ defense stood strong in the end, but this was a shootout. Still, Miami is now 8-0 on the season and in the driver’s seat. Darian Mensah threw for 274 yards, three touchdowns on 22-of-29 passing. Malachi Toney had seven catches for 75 yards and two scores. 2. Georgia (+1) Georgia took care of business and beat down rival Florida 27-8 on Saturday in Atlanta. They led 24-0 at halftime, so this one was pretty much over after 30 minutes. Now, the Bulldogs are higher up the AP Poll and 7-1 this year. Georgia mustered just two offensive touchdowns on what was a so-so day for the offense. But the defense limited Florida to 252 yards, four-of-12 on the third down and forced four turnovers in this one. 3. Utah (+3) There was going to be no letdown in Nippert Stadium this time as Utah dominated Cincinnati 49-25 to improve to 8-0 and further establish themselves high up the AP Poll. They are firmly atop the Big 12 as well. Devon Dampier went 22-of-29 passing for 260 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Wayshawn Parker ran seven times for 82 yards and one touchdown and Daniel Bray had eight carries for 75 yards and one score. 4. Notre Dame (+1) Notre Dame pulled away from Navy in the end to win this one 35-13 on Saturday in Boston. The Irish were in a dog fight, only leading 14-13 at halftime too! With that, Notre Dame stayed in the top five of the AP Poll and are now 7-1. CJ Carr was 19-of-29 for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Nolan James ran nine times for 107 yards and two scores while Jonaz Walton had 12 carries for 51 yards and one touchdown. 5. UCLA (+2) UCLA kept its undefeated season going with a 27-0 win over Nevada on Saturday. Basically, it was just another day at the office for this AP Poll top 10 team. Bob Chesney has made quite the impact all year long. Ty Dieffenbach went 16-of-30 passing for 178 yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. UCLA’s defense held the Wolfpack to 176 total yards and forced four interceptions in the win. 6. Indiana (-2) Indiana survived once again and stayed inside the top five of the AP Poll this week, improving to 8-1 with a 23-16 overtime win over Minnesota. Two straight weeks of extra football? The stress! After the Gophers nailed a 60-yard field goal that seemingly clinched the game, Indiana did the same thing! Paddy McAteer nailed his own 60-yarder to send it to OT. QB Josh Hoover was pulled and Grant Wilson managed the rest of the game. He threw the game-winner to Charlie Becker in overtime to keep the Hoosiers rolling. 7. BYU (+1) BYU narrowly avoided its second loss of the year with a 27-20 win over Arizona State. The Cougars are now 7-1 and still top 10 in the AP Poll this week following a victory in Big 12 play. It wasn’t the best day for Bear Bachmeier, but he got it done with 236 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Sione I Moa had just eight carries, 20 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. 8. Kentucky (+1) Kentucky had a bye week following a wild set of recent weeks. Sitting at 7-1 and top 10 in the AP Poll, Will Stein’s crew is set up for a big stretch run out of Lexington, one that could lead them to the SEC Championship and/or College Football Playoff. Coming up for Kentucky is a road date with Tennessee on Saturday evening before hosting Florida, going to Missouri and then hosting Louisville. It’s a rough end to the schedule, but this will truly test how good this team is. 9. Alabama (+1) Alabama had the week off and they’ll take their 6-2 record to Baton Rouge this coming week for what could be the game of the weekend against LSU. Both teams have two losses, so this could be a playoff elimination game. Following their matchup against LSU, Alabama should be favored against Vanderbilt, Chattanooga and Auburn the rest of the way. They’re still in the top 10 of the AP Poll for now, but we’ll see how things change after playing the Tigers. 10. Texas (+1) Amid all of the other high profile games this weekend, Texas was under the radar Saturday night. Without the spotlight, they dominated Mississippi State 31-3 to improve to 6-2 and keep pace with others atop the AP Poll. Arch Manning was solid, going 16-of-20 passing for 220 yards and three touchdowns as Texas cruised to victory. The run game wasn’t there though, as Raleek Brown carried it eight times for 30 yards. Next up is a road date with Missouri on Saturday afternoon. 11. Ohio State (-9) Ohio State dropped in the AP Poll after being stunned by USC on the road, 30-18. Despite being down QB Julian Sayin, many thought the Buckeyes would get out of LA unscathed. Not so fast my friend! Backup QB Luke Fahey went 21-of-38 for 260 yards and a touchdown and Bo Jackson ran 21 times for 121 yards. Jeremiah Smith even had 10 catches for 83 yards and one touchdown, but offense wasn’t totally in sync and the defense put the team in a hole going down 27-9 going into the fourth quarter. 12. Ole Miss Ole Miss returned to action on Saturday and earned a dominant victory over Auburn at home. That’ll help them stay close to Texas, among others, in the AP Poll. Ole Miss is now 6-2 on the season, keeping their CFP hopes alive. Trinidad Chambliss went 22-of-34 passing for 263 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for a touchdown, as well as 65 yards. With no Kewan Lacey, Shekai Mills-Knight led the way with 16 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. 13. Texas Tech Texas Tech didn’t move in the AP Poll this week following their win over Arizona in a ranked matchup. Thomas Castellanos got the start at quarterback and did enough for the Red Raiders offense. Cody Campbell’s message must’ve rung throughout the facilities this week, considering Texas Tech lost to Cincinnati last week. Now, the Red Raiders are still in position for the Big 12 title, as well as the College Football Playoff. 14. Wake Forest Wake Forest is just quietly climbing up the AP Poll week to week as the most under-the-radar team in the ACC, if not the country. The Demon Deacons are now 7-1 with a 51-7 win over Virginia at home. Gio Lopez went 13-of-21 passing for 229 yards and one touchdown. Jamar Searcy ran eight times for 78 yards and a touchdown but it was Ty Clark III who had eight carries for 48 yards and three touchdowns! 15. LSU LSU, like Alabama, got a bye week before their biggest game of the season to date. They’ll host the Crimson Tide at 3:30 p.m. ET, to which Lane Kiffin questioned the kickoff time. Still, LSU is starting to creep back into the CFP title race with how well they’re playing as of late. Sam Leavitt, when he’s turnover free, is a playmaking machine. After Alabama, the schedule doesn’t get easier as they host Texas, go to Tennessee and go to Arkansas. 16. Tennessee Tennessee was yet another AP Poll ranked team that was on a bye during Week 9. The Vols were coming off a loss to South Carolina on the road, so they definitely needed to regroup during an off week. Now, Tennessee is back in action against a higher ranked Kentucky team on Saturday night. This game could very well determine Tennessee’s fate when it comes to the College Football Playoff as well. 17. Houston (+1) After losing to Utah, Houston stayed in the AP Poll but went into a bye week. Now they’ll host Cincinnati this coming Saturday in a key Big 12 matchup. Can the Cougars keep pace with the top of the conference? After playing Cincinnati, Houston will hit the road to take on Colorado, then West Virginia, before hosting Baylor to end the season. Can this team still get in position for the CFP or Big 12 title? 18. USC (NR) USC is back in the AP Poll with a vengeance! The Trojans took down previously ranked No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 at home for, arguably, the signature win over Lincoln Riley’s Trojan tenure and are now 7-2 on the season. They are still on the outside looking in for the Big Ten Championship Game, but the CFP hopes are alive for USC. Jayden Maiava threw for 222 yards and a touchdown while King Miller led the way on the ground with 78 yards and a touchdown. 19. Missouri (+4) Missouri took care of Arkansas 34-10 on the road Saturday to improve to 6-2 on the season and stay in the AP Poll. Ahmad Hardy made his season debut after a gunshot wound in the offseason and ran three times for 42 yards, so that was great to see! Austin Simmons went 20-of-31 passing for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Jamal Roberts led the way on the ground with 23 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown. This sets up for a Mizzou-Texas showdown on Saturday. 20. Boise State Boise State survived! The Broncos beat Texas State 46-45 in a back and forth shootout with the Bobcats in Pac-12 play. At 7-1, Boise State is in position to still be the top G6 team and make the College Football Playoff. In Saturday’s win, Maddux Madsen threw for 236 yards, one touchdown and first interception of the season. Max Cutforth also had to come in due to injury and he threw for 131 yards and three touchdowns! 21. Iowa (NR) Iowa got themselves back into the AP Poll top 25 rankings with a shutout win over Wisconsin, beating the Badgers 30-0. QB Hank Brown had himself a day, going 20-of-24 passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns in what looked like the best Iowa quarterback performance in quite some time. The Hawkeyes defense forced three turnovers and limited Wisconsin to just 235 yards overall. The Badgers were just four-of-13 on third down and also allowed two sacks. Iowa will head to Northwestern next weekend after the Wildcats just fell to Oregon. 22. New Mexico (NR) As far as G6 teams in the AP Poll, New Mexico enters this week! The Lobos beat San Jose State 21-16 on the road and overcame three interceptions from QB Toa Fa’avae. Kiefer Sibley ran 12 times for 102 yards to lead the way on the ground. In the end, New Mexico led 21-9 going into the fourth quarter and hung on for the victory. The remainder of the way? At Nevada, vs. UNLV, at Wyoming and vs. Air Force. Ultimately, they probably have to win out to keep pace with Boise State among the G6 teams. 23. South Carolina (NR) South Carolina squeezed back into the AP Poll top 25 rankings with a 42-25 win over Oklahoma in Norman. Just like that, Shane Beamer’s is 5-3 and the seat could be cooling off a bit. LaNorris Sellers threw for 301 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. But, he ran 13 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns. He’s been on fire lately. The Gamecocks end the year with Texas A&M, Arkansas, Georgia and Clemson. 24. Arizona (-2) Arizona stayed in the AP Poll this week despite losing to Texas Tech on the road. The Wildcats are now 6-2 on the season but couldn’t keep up with the Red Raiders on Saturday in a ranked matchup. Noah Fifita threw for 417 yards and a touchdown while Kedrick Reescano ran nine times for 18 yards and two scores. Isaiah Mitchell had seven catches for 182 yards and the lone touchdown thrown by Fifita. 25. Florida (-8) Florida stayed in the AP Poll despite a less-than-inspiring loss to Georgia over the weekend. In that rivalry game, it was all Bulldogs early. Georgia beat down the Gators 27-8 and actually led 24-0 at halftime, forcing a quarterback change. Aaron Philo was five-of-seven passing for 26 yards and two interceptions. They went to Tramell Jones, who was 18-of-25 for 172 yards and a pick, while running for a touchdown. Jadan Baugh was bottled up for 17 carries and 38 ayrds. Others receiving votes in AP Poll: Northwestern 79, Oregon 55, UTSA 43, SMU 27, Virginia Tech 12, Duke 10, Minnesota 8, Liberty 4, Oklahoma State 3, Louisville 1