Projecting AP Top 25 After College Football Week 9: Indiana, Miami Survive Halloween Scares, USC Haunts Ohio State

In a fashion both befitting of the kind of season it’s been and of Halloween, college football’s Week 9 delivered tricks, treats, scares and frights. There were tricks, such as this labyrinthine play from Minnesota in its narrow loss to Indiana. There were treats, such as the blow-for-blow, 51-49 track meet produced by Oklahoma State and Iowa State, won by the Cyclones. There were scares, such as Miami and Indiana escaping unranked opponents with victories. And yes, there were genuine frights, like the Buckeyes, bogged down by their quarterback woes, losing to the down-on-their-luck USC Trojans.

What does it all mean? There will be some shuffling in the AP Top 25 poll, particularly at the bottom. Here’s how we think it will play out.

Projected the AP Top 25 rankings after Week 9

1. Miami Hurricanes (8–0, 6–0 ACC)

Week 9: Beat North Carolina, 38–35
Week 10: At Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

This was Miami quarterback Darian Mensah’s best game of the season against a Bill Belichick defense that bracketed his best receiver, Malachi Toney, for much of the game. Mensah, who averaged 9.4 yards per attempt, threw just seven incomplete passes and still found Toney for two of his three passing scores, played a near-perfect game, taking what the Tar Heels defense gave him. Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for some tough yards and found the end zone three times, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter that put the Hurricanes in the lead for good.

The Miami front seven was quiet for much of the game but give them credit for stepping up and making a play—a sack fumble that stalled a North Carolina drive and led to points in the fourth quarter—when it was needed. Miami’s biggest test of the season against Notre Dame looms next week.

2. Georgia Bulldogs (7–1, 5–1 SEC)

Week 9: Beat No. 17 Florida, 27–8
Week 10: At Mississippi, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

Georgia’s 27–8 win over No. 17 Florida was as good a confirmation as any of the phrase “defense wins championships.” Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton struggled against the Gators defense and threw for just 101 yards. Georgia was 6 of 15 on third downs.

None of it mattered. The Bulldogs defense racked up four sacks, four takeaways and held the Florida rushing attack, the engine of the team’s offense, to just 1.9 yards per attempt. As the Georgia offense struggled to gain any traction by itself, the defense lent a helping hand, as three first-half Florida turnovers turned into 17 microwavable points for the offense. The duo of Nate Frazier and Dwight Phillips Jr. led the way for a rushing attack that rumbled for 217 yards and helped wear down the Gators defense in the fourth quarter. Up next is an opportunity for the Dawgs to avenge last year’s Sugar Bowl loss to Ole Miss.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7–1)

Week 9: Beat Navy, 35–13
Week 10: Vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

The clocks went back one hour Sunday morning, giving much of the country an extra hour of sleep. Notre Dame, for the better part of the first half against Navy, looked like it was getting an early start on daylight saving time. The injury-riddled Fighting Irish defense couldn’t get off the field against Navy’s clock-burning rushing attack, while an uneven CJ Carr and the offense looked out of sorts.

Marcus Freeman’s frustration at the end of the first half was telling. “... We can’t panic,” Freeman said of his defense’s plan against the Midshipmen ground game during his halftime interview. “You can’t start calling things that your guys don’t know how to execute, so we gotta make sure we clean up what they have to do, and then they gotta play physical.”

Equally telling was the Notre Dame response. The Fighting Irish put the game in the hands of running backs Nolan James Jr. (107 rushing yards, two scores) and Jonaz Walton (51 rushing yards and a score) while the defense clamped down to hold Navy to 56 second-half yards. Was the first half a much-needed dose of adversity or another warning sign? Time, and a pivotal Week 10 clash against Miami, will tell.

4. Indiana Hoosiers (8–1, 5–1 Big Ten)

Week 9: Beat Minnesota, 23–16
Week 10: Bye

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti joked after yet another narrow win that Indiana, being in the “entertainment business,” wanted to keep things interesting. That they did. The Hoosiers, who so rarely beat themselves, seemed intent on doing so for much of the game, from special teams miscues to uncharacteristic penalties.

And while quarterback Josh Hoover has undoubtedly earned the respect of every Indiana fan for toughing through injury, they—and apparently Cignetti—could no longer watch the team’s nonexistent passing attack, which at one point elicited boos from the Memorial Stadium crowd. Enter backup Grant Wilson, who made two unbelievable throws that, along with an ice-in-his-veins, 60-yard kick from Paddy McAteer, helped save the Hoosiers. The Indiana defense, which stopped the Golden Gophers on 12-of-15 third downs and came up with the game-ending sack on fourth-and-goal, continues to make plays when it counts.

Yet, there’s no doubt that Indiana badly needs the upcoming bye week, both to lick its wounds and fine-tune its operation.

5. Utah Utes (8–0, 5–0 Big 12)

Week 9: Beat Cincinnati, 49–25
Week 10: Vs. BYU, noon ET Saturday

Utah Utes, AP Top 25 — Morgan Scalley’s Utah Utes won in convincing fashion over Cincinnati in Week 9. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fresh off of a huge conference win over Houston last week and facing a Cincinnati team that had handed Texas Tech its first loss of the season, Utah faced a bit of a trap game in Week 9. Credit to first-year coach Morgan Scalley, because the Utes didn’t take the bait.

Utah hit the Bearcats with the head-body-head combination of an opening three-and-out on defense followed by two 70-plus yard touchdown drives to open up a 14–3 lead. A pair of offensive and defensive touchdowns later and Utah took a 42–6 lead into the locker room at halftime. Quarterback Devon Dampier beat the Cougars with his legs last week. He beat the Bearcats with his arm this week.

Tight end Hunter Andrews, who broke out for 112 yards and two scores, gives Dampier another method with which to decode defenses. And speaking of defense, Scalley’s unit was downright dominant in the first half against an offense that was hot entering the game. A Holy War clash against BYU brimming with College Football Playoff implications looms large next week.

6. UCLA Bruins (8–0, 5–0 Big Ten)

Week 9: Beat Nevada, 27–0
Week 10: At Minnesota, TBD Saturday

Another slow start for the offense? No problem. The UCLA defense continues to wreck games, this time forcing turnovers on each of Nevada’s first three possessions of the game, the last a pick-six that represented the first touchdown scored of the game.

Quarterback Ty Dieffenbach hasn’t been spectacular, but in four games he’s turned the ball over once and has taken just three sacks, representing an upgrade of sorts over the play the Bruins had been getting from Nico Iamaleava. Meanwhile, running back Wayne Knight, like underrated Halloween candy, isn’t raved about nationally but just keeps on delivering with 50-plus rushing yards for the seventh time in eight games.

UCLA is off to its best start since 2005. Now, if the Bruins can just get the fans to realize it.

7. BYU Cougars (7–1, 4–1 Big 12)

Week 9: Beat Arizona State, 27–20
Week 10: At Utah, noon ET Saturday

After an upset loss to UCF last week, BYU desperately needed a bounce-back performance. Holding a commanding 17–3 lead and the ball with 1:25 remaining in the first half, the Cougars looked to be squarely in the driver’s seat en route to a decisive win. Then, things got spooky. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier stalled a promising looking drive after he was picked off.

A three-and-out followed by a Cougars’ fumble on its second drive of the second half opened the door for the Sun Devils to climb back into the game. The BYU defense came up with a huge stop in the fourth quarter, and Bachmeier took care of the rest.

Carrying the ball five times and completing each of his three pass attempts, including one to the legendary Legend Glasker, Bachmeier took the Cougars on an 11-play, 95-yard touchdown drive that gave BYU a lead it would not relinquish. BYU squeaked out a win here, but the LJ Martin–less running game (47 yards on 30 carries) is forcing a huge workload onto the capable shoulders of Bachmeier. Martin can’t return soon enough from a lower body injury.

8. Kentucky Wildcats (7–1, 5–1 SEC)

Week 9: Bye
Week 10: At Tennessee, 6:15 p.m. ET Saturday

Kentucky enjoyed the treat of sitting at home on a bye week during a Halloween slate where seven Top 25 teams lost, and a few others suffered real run-ins with a defeat. The Wildcats have won six straight heading into a tough road date with Tennessee.

9. Texas Longhorns (6–2, 3–2 SEC)

Week 9: Beat Mississippi State, 31–3
Week 10: At Missouri, noon ET Saturday

Sure, it was against a Mississippi State team, sans Kamario Taylor, that has now dropped four straight. But Texas was dominant in this one. Arch Manning, since being publicly called out by Steve Sarkisian, has lifted his level of play. He was pristine against the Bulldogs (four incomplete passes, three touchdowns), aside from a third-quarter fumble.

But the biggest story was the Texas defense, which looked eerily similar to the unit that dominated the Tennessee Volunteers back in September. The Longhorns racked up seven sacks—three for the disruptive Rasheem Biles—and generated a highlight play for the ages when 6'3", 333-pound Maraad Watson rumbled and bumbled his way 61 yards for a scoop-and-score big man touchdown. Texas reenters the top 10 ahead of a pivotal SEC stretch that includes road trips to Missouri and Death Valley against LSU.

BIG MAN TOUCHDOWN FOR MARAAD WATSON🤘 pic.twitter.com/kiqiDlfxu8
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) November 1, 2026

10. Ohio State Buckeyes (6–2, 4–1 Big Ten)

Week 9: Lost to USC, 30–18
Week 10: Vs. Oregon, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

Ohio State’s Week 9 loss to USC was a little bit like watching a horror movie. You feared that freshman quarterback Luke Fahey would struggle, even against a bad USC defense and after a bye week to prepare. And while Fahey endured his fair share of struggles with accuracy, it was the whole operation around him coming undone with a bevy of penalties and a costly turnover in USC territory late in the third quarter that evoked images of a horror flick on Halloween night.

Positive: Ryan Day & Co. dialed up the running game to the tune of 204 yards. Negative: Jeremiah Smith caught 10 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown—and it still didn’t feel like he was a big enough part of the game plan. Fahey at times lent reasons for optimism in this one, but there’s no doubt that the Buckeyes are vulnerable heading into a clash with Oregon.

11. Alabama Crimson Tide (6–2, 4–2 SEC)

Week 9: Bye
Week 10: At LSU, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

12. Ole Miss Rebels (6–2, 4–2 SEC)

Week 9: Beat Auburn, 45–15
Week 10: Vs. Georgia, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday

13. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7–1, 4–1 Big 12)

Week 9: Beat No. 22 Arizona, 34–26
Week 10: Vs. West Virginia, 9:30 p.m. ET Saturday

14. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7–1, 5–1 ACC)

Week 9: Beat Virginia, 51–7
Week 10: Vs. Merrimack, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

15. LSU Tigers (6–2, 3–2 SEC)

Week 9: Bye
Week 10: Vs. Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

16. Tennessee Volunteers (6–2, 3–2 SEC)

Week 9: Bye
Week 10: Vs. Kentucky, 6:15 p.m. ET Saturday

17. Houston Cougars (6–2, 3–2 Big 12)

Week 9: Bye
Week 10: Vs. Cincinnati, TBD Saturday

18. Boise State Broncos (7-1, 4-0 Pac-12)

Week 9: Beat Texas State, 46–45
Week 10: At Colorado State, 6 p.m. ET Saturday

19. Iowa Hawkeyes (6–2, 3–2 Big Ten)

Week 9: Beat No. 25 Wisconsin, 30–0
Week 10: At Northwestern, TBD Saturday

20. USC Trojans (7–2, 4–2 Big Ten)

Week 9: Beat No. 2 Ohio State, 30–18
Week 10: Bye

21. Missouri Tigers (6–2, 3–2 SEC)

Week 9: Beat Arkansas, 34–10
Week 10: Vs. Texas, noon ET Saturday

22. New Mexico Lobos (7–0, 4–1 Mountain West)

Week 9: Beat San José State, 21–16
Week 10: At Nevada, 9 p.m. ET Friday

23. South Carolina Gamecocks (5–3, 3–3 SEC)

Week 9: Beat Oklahoma, 42–25
Week 10: Vs. Texas A&M, 3 p.m. ET Saturday

24. Florida Gators (5–3, 3–3 SEC)

Week 9: Lost to No. 3 Georgia, 27–8
Week 10: Vs. Oklahoma, 7:45 p.m. ET Saturday

25. Oregon Ducks (5–3, 3–2 Big Ten)

Week 9: Beat No. 20 Northwestern, 34–26
Week 10: At Ohio State, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday

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