College football Top 25 after Week 9, 2026

Unchanged. Miami is the only unbeaten team with two road wins over teams with winning records, 33-20 at Wake Forest, now 7-1, and 41-13 at Clemson, and it beat Pittsburgh, 6-3, by 29. North Carolina led 28-24 with 11:46 left. Mark Fletcher Jr. scored from 2 to retake the lead, Marquise Lightfoot's strip-sack was recovered by Justin Scott at the UNC 37, and Darian Mensah hit Malachi Toney for 9 yards with 2:33 left. Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. recovered the onside kick after the Tar Heels scored again. Mensah went 22 of 29 for 274 yards and three touchdowns, and Miami didn't turn it over. Next: at Notre Dame.

Up two. No team has beaten more teams ranked here: Ohio State, now fourth, and Ole Miss at home, and Tennessee 20-17 in Knoxville, plus UTSA, 7-1. Both losses are by three, to Oklahoma in Dallas and Florida at home, and Georgia beat both of those teams. That's the case for the Bulldogs, and it doesn't outweigh three wins over ranked teams. Mississippi State gained 187 yards. Arch Manning went 16 of 20 for 220 yards and three touchdowns, the last a 42-yarder to Emmett Mosley V, Maraad Watson returned a fumble 61 yards for a 17-0 halftime lead, and Rasheem Biles had three sacks. Next: at Missouri.

Up two. Georgia has two wins over teams ranked here, 20-17 at Alabama and Saturday's over Florida, plus 41-13 over Oklahoma, which beat Texas. The loss is 27-24 at home to Auburn, 4-4, and it's why Georgia sits behind Texas, which has more good wins. Florida turned it over four times. Georgia led 17-0 when Chris Cole returned a Tramell Jones Jr. fumble 66 yards with 29 seconds left in the half. Demello Jones, Ellis Robinson IV and Braylon Conley intercepted passes, Georgia ran for 217 yards, and Florida didn't score until 6:59 remained. Gunner Stockton was 13 of 23 for 101 yards. Next: at Ole Miss.

Down two. Ohio State's road wins at Indiana, now 8-1, and Iowa, 6-2, are still better than any win by the unbeaten teams behind it, and its losses are by a point at Texas and by 12 at USC. That keeps it ahead of Utah, UCLA and Indiana, which it beat. Luke Fahey threw all 38 of Ohio State's passes. USC scored on its second play, a 69-yard pass from Jayden Maiava to Trent Mosley, and led 20-9 at halftime. Ohio State outgained USC 464-338 and held the ball for 39:28 but kicked four field goals, and Isaiah West lost a fumble at the USC 32 down 20-9; USC scored three plays later. Oregon visits Saturday.

Up three. Indiana has five wins over teams with winning records, more than anyone: Northwestern, North Texas and Minnesota at home, 20-17 at Nebraska and 13-6 in overtime at Michigan. None of them is ranked, and the one loss, 19-15 at home to Ohio State, is why it's behind the Buckeyes. Minnesota's Luke Drzewiecki kicked a 60-yard field goal for a 16-13 lead with 19 seconds left. Grant Wilson hit Charlie Becker for 33 yards, Paddy McAteer made a 60-yarder as time ran out, and Wilson threw 25 yards to Becker on the first play of overtime. Minnesota reached the 3 before sacks by Jeff Utzinger and Tobi Osunsanmi. Idle Saturday.

Up nine. Utah is unbeaten with two wins over teams with winning records, Houston, 6-2, at home and Saturday's at Cincinnati, which had beaten Texas Tech by 13 a week earlier. Its other road wins, at Iowa State and Colorado, are over teams at .500 or worse. That résumé is thinner than those of the one-loss and two-loss teams above it and about the same as UCLA's; Utah's wider margins in its two best wins put it a place ahead. It led 42-6 at halftime. Rabbit Evans returned a fumble 51 yards and Elijah Davis an interception 39 for touchdowns, Devon Dampier threw three touchdown passes, two to Hunter Andrews, and Utah gained 534 yards. BYU visits Saturday.

Down four after a shutout, and the drop is about the teams around it, not Saturday. UCLA's two wins over teams with winning records are 17-15 at Oregon and 17-7 over Wisconsin, both 5-3, and its other six opponents are a combined 17-33. Georgia added Florida, Indiana added a fifth good win, Ohio State's road wins at Indiana and Iowa outrank anything UCLA has, and Utah won its two best games by wider margins. Nevada gained 176 yards and threw four interceptions, and Derrick Barksdale returned one 26 yards for a touchdown. Ty Dieffenbach threw for 178 yards and a touchdown and ran for another. Next: at Minnesota.

Down two while idle. Alabama's best win is 45-17 at Kentucky, now 7-1, and it beat South Carolina, which won by 17 at Oklahoma on Saturday, 49-18. The losses are by three at home to Georgia, five places ahead, and by 16 at Tennessee. The Vols won that game but have fewer good wins, and with résumés that far apart head-to-head doesn't decide it. The unbeaten teams just ahead have no win as good as the one in Lexington, but they haven't lost, and two losses keep Alabama behind them. Keelon Russell has 2,057 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. Next: at LSU.

Down two while idle. Kentucky has two wins over teams ranked here, LSU 35-34 in overtime in Lexington and South Carolina by the same score in Columbia, and three road wins over SEC teams, at South Carolina, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. The 45-17 home loss to Alabama keeps it a place behind the Tide, and the unbeaten teams ahead have as many wins over teams with winning records without a loss. One fewer loss and the extra road wins put Kentucky ahead of Ole Miss, which also beat LSU. Kenny Minchey has 1,755 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception. Next: at Tennessee.

Unchanged. Ole Miss has three wins over teams with winning records, LSU and Missouri at home and Louisville in Nashville, and both losses came on the road, by seven at Texas and by 24 at Florida. Florida is seven places back despite that result because it has three losses, all by 19 or more, and Missouri, which beat Florida, lost 31-3 in Oxford. Auburn cut it to 17-15 with 6:20 left in the third quarter. Trinidad Chambliss ran 26 yards for a touchdown, then threw scoring passes of 6 yards to Caleb Cunningham and 28 to Horatio Fields, and Ole Miss scored the last 28 points. It converted 13 of 16 third downs. Georgia visits Saturday.

Up seven. Texas Tech now has three wins over teams with winning records, Arizona and Houston at home and 35-24 at Oregon State, and the loss is 37-24 at Cincinnati, which lost by 24 at home to Utah on Saturday. BYU, a place behind, also beat Arizona but has two good wins to Texas Tech's three. Arizona led 17-7 in the second quarter after a 94-yard touchdown pass. Kenny Johnson's 27-yard catch put Texas Tech ahead 24-23 late in the third, and J'Koby Williams ran 64 yards for a touchdown with 2:05 left. Williams ran 14 times for 175 yards, Thomas Castellanos ran for 117 and threw two touchdowns, and Texas Tech ran for 328. West Virginia visits Saturday.

Unchanged. BYU's best wins are over Notre Dame, 7-1, and Arizona, 6-2, both in Provo, and the loss is in double overtime at UCF, 4-4. Texas Tech is a place ahead with three wins over teams with winning records to BYU's two, and the win over Notre Dame keeps the Cougars ahead of the Irish. Sione Moa recovered a fumble in the end zone for the first score. Arizona State tied it 17-17 late in the third quarter, and Matthias Dunn's 45-yard field goal and Moa's 1-yard run with 2:09 left won it. BYU had six sacks and ran for 47 yards; Bear Bachmeier threw for 236. Next: at Utah.

Up 11. Oregon has four wins over teams with winning records, Boise State, 7-1, Nebraska and Northwestern, 6-2, at home and 41-27 at USC, which beat Ohio State. Only Indiana has more. The losses, by two to UCLA and on the road at Oklahoma State and Illinois, both 5-3, are why it isn't higher, and the win at USC puts it a place ahead of the Trojans. Northwestern led 23-13 in the third quarter. Dylan Raiola threw a 17-yard touchdown to Jamari Johnson, Brandon Smith scored from 2, and 11 seconds after Northwestern's field goal made it 27-26, Raiola hit Dakorien Moore for 75 yards. Raiola went 22 of 31 for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Next: at Ohio State.

New. USC's 30-18 win over Ohio State is its first over a team ranked here, and it has three more over teams with winning records at home: Washington, Fresno State and Louisiana, each 5-3. The losses, 41-27 at home to Oregon and 24-7 at Wisconsin, are why Ohio State, with better road wins and better losses, stays 10 places ahead, and the Oregon result puts USC a place behind the Ducks. Jayden Maiava's 69-yard pass to Trent Mosley scored 39 seconds in, and USC led 20-9 at halftime. Ohio State outgained USC 464-338, but USC recovered a fumble at its own 32 and scored three plays later, and held on downs at its 12 in the final minute. Idle Saturday.

Up seven. South Carolina has beaten two teams ranked here, 38-19 at Florida and 27-24 over Tennessee, and added Saturday's road win over Oklahoma, which beat Texas. Those head-to-head results put it ahead of both. The losses, 41-34 at home to Mississippi State, 49-18 at Alabama and 35-34 in overtime to Kentucky, keep it behind the teams above it. LaNorris Sellers went 19 of 24 for 301 yards and three touchdowns, including 84 yards to DJ Black and 79 to Mazeo Bennett Jr., and ran 13 times for 96 yards and two more. He also threw two interceptions, one returned 30 yards for a touchdown. South Carolina led 28-10 at halftime and gained 521 yards. Texas A&M visits Saturday.

Down two while idle. Tennessee's case is 26-10 over Alabama and 24-14 over Auburn, both in Knoxville, and both losses are by three, to Texas at home and at South Carolina. South Carolina's win at Oklahoma moved it past the Vols, and the head-to-head result keeps it there. Alabama, with the same record and more good wins, stays ahead despite losing in Knoxville. Tennessee's other wins are over Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State, a combined 7-17, and Furman, an FCS team. DeSean Bishop has 957 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Kentucky visits Saturday.

Down eight. Florida has two wins over top-10 teams, 27-24 at Texas, now second, and 52-28 over Ole Miss, plus FAU, 5-3, and 44-39 at Auburn. But all three losses are by 19 or more, 45-17 at Missouri, 38-19 at home to South Carolina and Saturday's, and that's why the Gators are behind Texas and Ole Miss despite beating both. Missouri is six places back because Florida is its only win over a team with a winning record. Against Georgia, Florida turned it over four times, three on interceptions, and didn't score until Tramell Jones Jr.'s 2-yard run with 6:59 left. Jadan Baugh ran 17 times for 38 yards. Oklahoma visits Saturday.

Down seven while idle. Both of LSU's losses came on the road to teams ranked above it, by eight at Ole Miss and by one in overtime at Kentucky, but its best wins, Clemson and Louisiana Tech, both at home, are thinner than those of the teams that moved past it. Oregon, USC, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida each have a win over a team ranked here; LSU doesn't. It has won its other games by 21 or more: Texas A&M, Mississippi State and McNeese at home and 38-17 at Auburn. Sam Leavitt has 2,173 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions, plus eight rushing touchdowns. Alabama visits Saturday.

New. Iowa has three wins over teams with winning records, two on the road, 20-19 at Michigan and 41-24 at Washington, and Saturday's shutout of Wisconsin, which had beaten USC. The losses are 31-14 at home to Ohio State and 13-10 at Minnesota, 5-3. Hank Brown went 20 of 24 for 222 yards with touchdown passes to DJ Vonnahme and Tony Diaz, Caden Buhr kicked three field goals, the last from 54 yards, and Wisconsin gained 235 yards and turned it over three times. Iowa has held its FBS opponents other than Ohio State to 11.5 points a game. Next: at Northwestern.

Down seven. Notre Dame's only win over a team with a winning record is 41-13 over Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, and Wisconsin lost 30-0 at Iowa on Saturday. Its road wins, at North Carolina and Purdue, are over teams at .500 or worse, and the loss is by four at BYU, which keeps it behind the Cougars. The teams that moved past it have more good wins. Navy led 13-7 after Jackson Gutierrez's 2-yard run with 1:52 left in the half. Nolan James Jr. answered with a 52-yard touchdown run, and Notre Dame scored the last 28 points; James ran nine times for 107 yards and two scores. Navy threw for 33 yards. Miami visits Saturday.

Down two while idle. Houston has two wins over teams with winning records, Oklahoma State and Oregon State, both at home, and both losses are on the road to teams ranked above it, by two at Texas Tech and by eight at Utah. Losing to both is why it sits behind both. Oklahoma State's 51-49 loss at Iowa State took some value from Houston's best win, and Notre Dame, with one fewer loss and wider margins, is a place ahead. Conner Weigman has accounted for 26 touchdowns, 20 passing and six rushing, with two interceptions. Cincinnati visits Saturday.

Down one. Boise has three wins over teams with winning records, Memphis at home and Western Michigan and Fresno State on the road, and the loss is 34-27 at Oregon, which keeps it behind the Ducks. Texas State led 39-28 with 8:58 left after Jayden Bradley returned a Maddux Madsen interception 20 yards. Max Cutforth took over midway through the next drive and threw three touchdown passes, two to Rasean Jones; Mana Tuioti's interception set up the second. After Texas State went back ahead on a 72-yard pass, Cutforth hit Akeem Wright for 18 yards with 2:40 left, and the Bobcats turned it over on downs at their 32. Next: at Colorado State.

New. Missouri's best win, 45-17 over Florida, is better than any win by the teams behind it, and it beat Texas A&M 27-6. It sits six places behind the Gators despite beating them because Florida also won at Texas and beat Ole Miss, while Missouri's other wins are over Kansas, Arkansas, Troy and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, an FCS team. The losses are 31-24 at Mississippi State, 4-4, and 31-3 at Ole Miss. Darris Smith recovered a fumble in the end zone for a 10-0 lead, Arkansas lost three fumbles and threw an interception, and Jamal Roberts ran 23 times for 138 yards and scored twice. Texas visits Saturday.

Down eight. Arizona's wins over teams with winning records are 34-7 over Cincinnati and 52-31 at West Virginia, both 5-3, and both losses are on the road to teams ranked above it, 28-17 at BYU and Saturday's. Cincinnati lost again, by 24 at home to Utah. Noah Fifita went 33 of 45 for 417 yards without a turnover, and his 94-yard pass to Isaiah Mizell, who caught seven for 182, put Arizona ahead 10-7. Kedrick Reescano's 1-yard run made it 23-17 in the third quarter, but the extra point was blocked, Arizona ran for 12 yards and Texas Tech ran for 328. TCU visits Saturday.

Unchanged. Wake Forest has four road wins over power-conference teams, at Purdue, Louisville, NC State and California, but Louisville, 5-3, is still the only team it has beaten with a winning record. The loss is 33-20 at home to Miami. Seven wins over FBS teams keep it ranked; the quality of them keeps it at the bottom. It led 44-0 before Virginia scored late in the third quarter. Ty Clark III ran for three touchdowns, Gio Lopez went 13 of 21 for 229 yards and a touchdown to Carlos Hernandez, who caught eight passes for 136, and Wake Forest gained 538 yards. Merrimack visits Saturday.