Rece Davis names the best teams in college football right now

These are the best teams in college football, according to College GameDay host Rece Davis, who submitted his new AP top 25 poll heading into Week 9.

Rece Davis reveals his view of the best teams in college football heading into Week 9. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Rece Davis isn’t just the host of College GameDay; he’s also one of the more than 60 people who cast their ballots for the weekly AP top 25 college football rankings, and now he’s revealed his list of the best teams in the country heading into Week 9 action.

Though for a while he seemed skeptical to call Ohio State the No. 1 team in the country, the upset loss by Miami, his previous selection at the top of the poll, lost their game this past week, allowing the Buckeyes to finally move to the top of Davis’ rankings.

He wasn’t alone. After the Hurricanes’ loss, Ohio State earned 6o of the 66 first-place votes in the new AP top 25 rankings, with new No. 2 Indiana taking the other six.

Here’s a look at Rece Davis’ complete top 25 college football rankings as we move into the second half of the 2025 regular season.

Rece Davis ranks college football's best teams right now

1. Ohio State

The reigning national champions took care of business in a 34-0 shutout on the road against Wisconsin, their sixth-straight win by double-digits, showing once again why their defense is ranked No. 1 in scoring and No. 2 in total production nationally.

2. Indiana

Like most voters, Davis considers the Hoosiers the second-best team in the country, as Fernando Mendoza is hitting more than 73 percent of his passes and leads the nation with 21 touchdown passes, giving IU arguably even better quarterback play than it had last season when it made the playoff.

3. Texas A&M

Marcel Reed put on another show, throwing for 280 yards with 3 TDs and ran for a 55-yard touchdown as the Aggies finally put away Arkansas on the road to improve to 7-0 for the first time since 1994, but this defense looked a little leaky against the run, something to patch up heading into more consequential SEC play in the weeks to come.

4. Alabama

Six straight wins, including four straight against ranked SEC opponents, have the Crimson Tide right back within striking distance to make a run for Atlanta, with Ty Simpson looking like one of the 2 or 3 best quarterbacks in college football.

5. Georgia

Some concerns early on as the Bulldogs’ defense didn’t look its characteristic self after allowing Ole Miss to score on its first five possessions, but the unit tightened up while Gunner Stockton turned out the best game of his career, responsible for 5 touchdowns and now ranks second nationally in QBR.

Rece Davis’ AP top 25 rankings

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