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AP Top 25 Poll Shuffles After Upset-Filled Weekend of College Football

Updated AP Top 25 Poll after a Saturday filled with ranked teams losing. Where do then-ranked No. 2 Miami Hurricanes, No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels, and No. 7 Texas Tech Red Raiders rank? The USC Trojans are unranked after losing to No. 12 Notre Dame.
Charlie Viehl|
Oct 18, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half at Mountain America Stadium.
Oct 18, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half at Mountain America Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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USC TrojansNotre Dame Fighting IrishTexas Tech Red RaidersArizona State Sun DevilsTennessee VolunteersAlabama Crimson TideGeorgia BulldogsOle Miss Rebels

Week 8 of the college football saw plenty of exciting matchups, and then-ranked No. 2 Miami Hurricanes, No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels, and No. 7 Texas Tech Red Raiders are no longer undefeated. Louisville surprised Miami and coach Mario Cristobal on Friday night, and the Red Raiders fell to Arizona State on the road.

In three ranked matchups in the SEC, the lower-ranked team won twice with No. 9 Georgia beating Ole Miss, and No. 17 Vanderbilt beating No. 10 LSU. The Commodores are now a top-10 team in the latest AP Poll. No. 15 Missouri travels to Vanderbilt in week 9 for what should be a pivotal conference matchup.

Then-ranked No. 20 USC Trojans fell to No. 13 Notre Dame in a back-and-forth rivalry game, and the Fighting Irish took advantage of some costly mistakes made by USC. Notre Dame is the highest-ranked two-loss team in the nation after beating the Trojans, and USC fell out of the top-25 completely.

AP Top 25 Poll rankings USC Trojans Miami Hurricanes Alabama Crimson Tide Tennessee Volunters Ole Miss Georgia Notre Dame
Oct 18, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on after the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | David Leong-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, No. 4 Alabama took care of business against No. 17 Tennessee, causing the Volunteers to drop six spots in the rankings.

Week 9 AP Poll

1. Ohio State (7-0)
2. Indiana (7-0)
3. Texas A&M (7-0)
4. Alabama (6-1)
5. Georgia (6-1)
6. Oregon (6-1)
7. Georgia Tech (7-0)
8. Ole Miss (6-1)
9. Miami (5-1)
10. Vanderbilt (6-1)
11. BYU (7-0)
12. Notre Dame (5-2)
13. Oklahoma (6-1)
14. Texas Tech (7-1)
15. Missouri (6-1)
16. Virginia (6-1)
17. Tennessee (5-2)
18. South Florida (6-1)
19. Louisville (5-1)
20. LSU (5-2)
21. Cincinnati (6-1)
22. Texas (5-2)
23. Illinois (5-2)
24. Arizona State (5-2)
25. Michigan (5-2)

The top-three is clear No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, and No. 3 Texas A&M staying undefeated, and No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 11 BYU are close behind.

AP Top 25 Poll rankings USC Trojans Miami Hurricanes Alabama Crimson Tide Tennessee Volunters Ole Miss Georgia Notre Dame
Oct 18, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars wide receiver Parker Kingston (11) runs for a touchdown against Utah Utes linebacker Levani Damuni (3) during the second half at LaVell Edwards Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Georgia moved over No. 6 Oregon to take the No. 5 spot, but the Bulldogs still sit behind Alabama.

No. 9 Miami is now ranked behind No. 8 Ole Miss while No. 14 Texas Tech fell seven spots after losing their first game of the season.

MORE: USC Coach Lincoln Riley Criticizes 'Stupid Call' that Led to Game-Changing Fumble

MORE: USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley 'Sick' After Failed Opportunities in Loss to Notre Dame

MORE: Why Star Wide Receiver Was USC's MVP in Loss vs. Notre Dame

New Teams in AP Top 25 Poll

Despite a number of ranked teams losing, there might not be many new faces in the newest AP Top 25. However, losses by No. 20 USC, No. 22 Memphis, No. 23 Utah, and No. 25 Nebraska does open the door for many previously unranked programs.

In the newest AP Poll, No. 19 Louisville, No. 22 Illinois, No. 23 Arizona State, and No. 25 Michigan entered the rankings.

AP Top 25 Poll rankings USC Trojans Miami Hurricanes Alabama Crimson Tide Tennessee Volunters Ole Miss Georgia Notre Dame
Notre Dame linebacker Jaylen Sneed (3) rushes Southern California quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) in the first half of a NCAA football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

USC had multiple chances to knock off Notre Dame, but the Trojans came up short in South Bend. Trojans coach Lincoln Riley and his team have one ranked game remaining against No. 8 Oregon.

Utah is unranked after losing to BYU, and Memphis lost to UAB, giving South Florida a good chance to be the highest-ranked Group of 5 team at the end of the year.

No. 25 Nebraska was unable to score a touchdown against Minnesota as the Golden Gophers pulled off the upset.

Week 8 AP Poll

1. Ohio State
2. Miami
3. Indiana
4. Texas A&M
5. Ole Miss
6. Alabama
7. Texas Tech
8. Oregon
9. Georgia
10. LSU
11. Tennessee
12. Georgia Tech
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma
15. BYU
16. Missouri
17. Vanderbilt
18. Virginia
19. South Florida
20. USC
21. Texas
22. Memphis
23. Utah
24. Cincinnati
25. Nebraska

Published | Modified
Charlie Viehl
CHARLIE VIEHL

Charlie Viehl is the deputy editor for the Oregon Ducks, Colorado Buffaloes, and USC Trojans on SI. He has written hundreds of articles for SI and has covered events like the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician, holding a degree in Music and Philosophy from Boston College. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.

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