AP Top 25 Poll Prediction After Halloween Upsets

The biggest upset of the weekend came in Southern California as the unranked USC Trojans soundly defeated the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday. What are the AP Poll implications?

USC was among a few Big Ten teams that dropped completely out of the rankings, including Oregon and Iowa, and all three have a chance at re-joining the AP Poll. The Trojans are expected to climb as high as the top 15, while nothing is guaranteeed for the Hawkeyes and the Ducks.

Biggest AP Top 25 Poll Questions

ap top 25 poll rankings prediction oregon ducks reaction northwestern wildcats dan lanning ohio state usc trojans — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning yells to his team as the Oregon Ducks host the Northwestern Wildcats on Oct. 31, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oregon upset No. 20 Northwestern at home while Iowa defeated No. 25 Wisconsin 30-0 at home, scoring 30 points on a Badgers defense that previously held USC to 7 points after a bye week. Might the Trojans have been looking ahead to their game against Ohio State?

USC pulled off the upset over the Buckeyes, regardless, shaking up the top of the AP Poll. However, the most shuffling likely occurs at the bottom with Northwestern, No. 19 SMU, No. 22 Arizona, No. 24 Oklahoma State, and Wisconsin all losing.

No. 22 Arizona nearly pulled off an upset win over No. 13 Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders pulled away with 24 points in the second half to defeat the Wildcats.

In the other ranked matchup on Saturday, No. 3 Georgia took care of business against No. 17 Florida, beating the Gators 27-8 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Bulldogs likely become the No. 2 team in the nation, but how far does Florida fall?

What will the new teams be in the AP Poll? New Mexico sits at 7-1 and likely gets in after surviving against San Jose State. Iowa and Oregon are both prime candidates from the Big Ten to re-enter the rankings after taking down Wisconsin and Northwestern, respectively. If Arizona or Florida drops out of the AP Poll entirely, then even more new teams will be ranked come Sunday.

Oregon, like USC, could be back in the AP Poll after falling out completely. The Ducks rebounded against a ranked opponent in Northwestern, and the team will have another chance to prove itself against Ohio State. As for Iowa, the Hawkeyes rebounded from their loss to Minnesota with the dominant result over Wisconsin.

Other teams that were receiving votes like Cincinnati and Oregon State lost, meaning South Carolina could be a surprise team when it comes to the later half of the rankings.

AP Top 25 Poll Prediction

1. Miami
2. Georgia
3. Indiana
4. Notre Dame
5. Utah
6. UCLA
7. BYU
8. Kentucky
9. Alabama
10. Texas
11. Ohio State
12. Ole Miss
13. Texas Tech
14. USC
15. Wake Forest
16. LSU
17. Tennessee
18. Houston
19. Boise State
20. Missouri
21. Iowa
22. Florida
23. Oregon
24. New Mexico
25. Arizona

Oregon Ducks AP Poll Implications

Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks survived a scary scene on Halloween, defeating the No. 20 Northwestern Wildcats in Autzen Stadium. While betting odds from DraftKings Sportsbook viewed the Ducks as favorites over the Wildcats, Oregon's win over Northwestern was considered an upset from the perspective of the AP Poll. Might Oregon take Northwestern's place in the rankings?

The Ducks have some positive momentum after making a change at play-caller, but how the Oregon offense fares on the road against Ohio State remains to be seen. Where the Buckeyes fall to in the AP Poll also remains to be seen, but both Ohio State and Oregon will be playing with razor thin margins of error when facing off in week 10.

Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin is out indefinitely, and Ducks quarterback Dante Moore is not expected to return this season. Oregon has had its fair share of struggles when working with backup quarterbacks, and Ohio State's offense struggled to find the end zone against USC with quarterback Luke Fahey leading the charge.

This article will be updated upon the release of the AP Top 25 Poll.

AP Top 25 Poll Week 8

1. Miami
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Indiana
5. Notre Dame
6. Utah
7. UCLA
8. BYU
9. Kentucky
10. Alabama
11. Texas
12. Ole Miss
13. Texas Tech
14. Wake Forest
15. LSU
16. Tennessee
17. Florida
18. Houston
19. SMU
20. Boise State
20. Northwestern
22. Arizona
23. Missouri
24. Oklahoma State
25. Wisconsin

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