BCS shakes up Top 25 college football rankings for Week 9

There were some notable differences between the BCS top 25 college football rankings and the other various national polls as the first poll was revealed as we move into the second full month of the 2025 regular season.

What would the BCS rankings have looked like this week?

Here’s what the old BCS computers would have made of the top 25 college football rankings moving into Week 9, thanks to the folks at BCSKnowHow.com.

BCS top 25 college football rankings for Week 9

25. USC. While the other pollsters dropped the Trojans out of their rankings after a loss to Notre Dame, the BCS computers would have kept them in.

24. Michigan. But they put the Wolverines above the USC team they lost to, coming off a win against Washington, and going into a winnable game against Michigan State.

23. Illinois. Still hanging on in the Big Ten standings, the Illini look to get above .500 in conference play this weekend in a road game against the Huskies.

22. Cincinnati. One of the two teams still undefeated in Big 12 play, the Bearcats host Baylor this weekend as a favorite, but a date against BYU is coming soon that will test this team.

21. USF. The only Group of Five team in the BCS rankings, and thus the current favorite to make the playoff from that cohort, the Bulls will be tested against one-loss Memphis on Saturday.

20. LSU. Sitting at two losses, the Tigers are on the verge of irrelevance despite coming into this season as a favorite to contend for the SEC, but have a chance to change the narrative against undefeated Texas A&M this weekend.

19. Texas. Arch Manning and the Longhorns’ offense is M.I.A. this season, but they’re still 2-1 in conference play and heading into Mississippi State, winless in SEC games this year.

18. Tennessee. Losses to Georgia and Alabama in SEC play could hurt the Vols’ resume in the playoff committee room, but there’s plenty of room to still make a good impression the rest of the way.

17. Virginia. Still undefeated in ACC competition, the Cavaliers are double-digit favorites on the road against Bill Belichick’s disastrous Tar Heels.

16. Louisville. Coming off a big win at Miami, the Cardinals have a chance to put on some style points as nearly 30-point favorites against one-win Boston College.

15. Missouri. Just their second road game of the season, the Tigers face a big test against a Vanderbilt team playing some of its best football ever.

14. Texas Tech. The loss at Arizona State took some of the shine off the Red Raiders, but they’re big favorites against a lousy Oklahoma State team.

13. Oklahoma. College football’s top-ranked defense goes up against a behemoth in the Ole Miss offense, and the Sooners are 18-2 under Brent Venables as a favorite at home.

12. Vanderbilt. In the AP top 10 for the first time since 1947, the Commodores look like the real deal, powered by Diego Pavia and a potent offense.

11. Notre Dame. On a five-game win streak since that 0-2 start, the Fighting Irish have a path to the playoff provided they don’t mess up again.

10. BYU. Sitting in first place in the Big 12, the undefeated Cougars go to Iowa State before a big matchup at Texas Tech after that.

9. Miami. Still in the top 10 this week despite a turnover-plagued loss to Louisville, the Hurricanes welcome a Stanford squad that just beat Florida State.

8. Georgia Tech. One place lower than in the AP rankings, the Yellow Jackets aren’t expected to play a ranked team until the finale against Georgia.

7. Ole Miss. Coming off their first loss of the season, the Rebels head into a second-straight road test against a ranked SEC foe, this time opposite the Sooners’ ferocious defense, all while Lane Kiffin remains the subject of rumors that he’s the favorite for the Florida job.

6. Oregon. College football’s most dominant team on the scoreboard this year, the Ducks are beating teams by an FBS-best 27 points per game, but that loss to Indiana could loom large later on.

5. Georgia. The reigning SEC champs are riding high after knocking off then-undefeated Ole Miss, on the back of Gunner Stockton’s best game.

4. Alabama. Six in a row since the Week 1 loss, including four straight against ranked SEC teams, the Crimson Tide look to dominate a flailing South Carolina this week.

3. Texas A&M. Undefeated for the first time since 1994, the Aggies remain the SEC’s last undefeated team, and they’ll take that perfect record into LSU on Saturday.

2. Indiana. Playing their best football as a program, the Hoosiers are big favorites at home against a UCLA squad that has won 3 straight games since its coaching change.

1. Ohio State. Still perfect, the reigning national champs are doing what they can do, dominate against overmatched Big Ten opponents.

Compare and contrast: This week’s AP top 25 rankings