College Football Rankings: Projecting AP Poll Top 25 after Week 9

Sometimes it’s like this. A tasty-looking menu ends up delivering a crappy meal, and Week 9 was mostly a bowl of slop before a deliriously wild game between LSU and Texas A&M late Saturday night. 

Mike Elko’s decision to bench Conner Weigman for Marcel Reed early in the third quarter proved brilliant, as the Aggies went 5-for-5 on scoring drives with the freshman quarterback to turn a 17-7 deficit into a 38-23 comeback win. Texas A&M is now alone atop the SEC standings and looks like a scary College Football Playoff team. 

But otherwise, Week 9 was not all that entertaining! 

Boise State-UNLV offered up some fun Friday Night Lights After Dark, but how many folks truly stayed up to watch that game? The rest of the weekend slate provided a few upsets, some ho-hum results, and several real duds. 

That’s why we savor each weekend in this sport so much. We only get so many bites at the apple. 

Oregon impressively handled its business, so there will be no change atop the latest AP Poll Top 25 projections. But LSU will drop outside the Top 10. 

Several teams in the back half of the rankings fell, so there still stands to be movement within the rankings.

Here’s how I think the Week 9 AP Poll Top 25 could look come Sunday morning:

1. Oregon (Last week: 1)

In their most impressive performance of the season (and that’s including beating Ohio State), the Ducks certainly looked like the No. 1 team in America with their 38-9 blitzing over No. 20 Illinois. Behind four Dillon Gabriel touchdowns (three passing, one rushing), Oregon raced out to a 28-3 halftime lead. With both their speed and power, the Ducks just bullied the Fighting Illini, picking off Luke Altmyer twice, and sacking him three times, while rushing for 229 yards. 

Gabriel had another 295 yards passing and moved to No. 2 all-time on the NCAA’s yards list behind Houston’s Case Keenum.

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: The Ducks are now 3-0 against ranked teams this season — a feat no other team in the Top 25 can claim this season. 

2. Georgia (Last week: 2)

Idle.

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: Kirby Smart’s team has been banged up, but reports out of Athens suggest that All-American guard Tate Ratledge is on track to return to action next weekend against Florida in the Cocktail Party. The senior was injured in the win over Kentucky and had tightrope surgery on his ankle, missing UGA’s last four games.

3. Penn State (Last week: 3)

Trailing 10-7 at halftime, Penn State had to turn to backup quarterback Beau Pribula with Drew Allar sidelined with a knee injury and the backup made enough plays to rally the Nittany Lions to a solid 28-13 win to stay undefeated. Nittany Lions safety Jaylen Reed sparked the comeback with a 19-yard pick-six and then Pribula led two touchdown drives in the third quarter to punctuate the victory. 

Penn State held Wisconsin to just three points after halftime, continuing a recent trend of dominating opponents in the third quarter this season (66-6, per the AP). In addition to losing Allar, whose availability next week is in question, the Nittany Lions also lost star pass rusher Dani Dennsi-Sutton. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: James Franklin continues to be a cash cow as a road favorite at Penn State (22-13-1), but now he faces a test he’s failed too many times — winning as a home-dog against the likes of Ohio State, who comes to Happy Valley next weekend. 

4. Ohio State (Last week: 4)

The Buckeyes survived an uninspiring showing against Nebraska, holding off the Cornhuskers’ upset bid with a 21-17 win. Ryan Day moved to 45-0 against unranked teams, but Saturday’s win didn’t come easy, as Ohio State’s offense was mostly in a rut outside of a couple of long touchdown throws. Against a defense that allowed over 200 rushing yards and five scores in a blowout loss to Indiana, Ohio State couldn’t run the ball against Nebraska (2.1 yards per carry, 64 total yards). The Buckeyes couldn’t get a first down in the third quarter, and they struggled to protect Will Howard (two sacks, multiple hurries allowed) without left tackle Josh Simmons.

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: All week, the Buckeyes preached about rediscovering their havoc ways after recording just two tackles for loss in the loss to Oregon — and they sure did. They hounded Nebraska’s freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola into a bad interception that ended the game with just over a minute remaining, adding three sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and a goal-line stand on 4th-and-1.

5. Texas (Last week: 5)

The Longhorns didn’t earn any style points with their 27-24 win at No. 25 Vanderbilt, but they avoided a second-straight loss with a gritty victory over a very solid Commodores’ team. Quinn Ewers was up-and-down (17-straight completions at one point with three touchdowns but also two picks), Texas’ OL allowed four more sacks, and the Longhorns were penalized 10 times for 108 yards. Yet they won because their defense held Diego Pavia to just 143 yards on 16 of 29 passing with two picks and got off the field on 3rd-and 4th-down (Vandy was just 4 of 14). 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: Texas has its final bye week before a stretch run that includes road games at a pesky Arkansas team and Texas A&M on Thanksgiving weekend. 

6. Miami (Last week: 6)

Rarely is a 22-point win over your in-state rival considered a shoulder-shrug effort, but the Hurricanes messed around with Florida State for 30 minutes before pulling away in the second half for a 36-14 victory. Leading just 17-7 at halftime, Miami rode Damien Martinez (season-best 148 rushing yards and two scores), a pair of Andres Borregales field goals and a ‘Philly Special’ touchdown catch by quarterback Cam Ward to a comfortable blowout. 

Miami’s explosive offense was frustrated by FSU’s salty defensive scheme (lots of two-deep safeties, drop-eight coverage), as Ward was limited to a season-low 208 yards passing. He was also sacked four times and did not throw a touchdown for the first time all year. Still, the Hurricanes stayed unbeaten and can claim a Sunshine State state title with wins over FSU, UCF and Florida this season.

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: Miami’s remaining schedule doesn’t exactly feature a host of land-mines (zero ranked opponents remaining), but the ‘Canes cannot afford a letdown loss since Clemson, Pitt and SMU all are still undefeated in ACC play, too. 

7. Tennessee (Last week: 7)

Idle. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: After rallying to beat Alabama last weekend, the Vols will exit their bye week with a real runway to the College Football Playoff. They have just one ranked opponent left on their schedule — and the trip to No. 2 Georgia will also be the only time they leave the Volunteer State the rest of the year.

8. Clemson (Last week: 9)

Idle. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: The Tigers enjoyed their second and final bye week of the 2024 season before finishing the season with a tricky stretch that starts with a better-than-its-record Louisville, a resurgent Va. Tech, undefeated No. 20 Pitt and South Carolina.

9. Texas A&M (Last Week: 14)

How about that? With a month remaining in the 2024 slate, Texas A&M — led by first-year head coach Mike Elko — sits atop the SEC standings after a resounding 38-23 comeback win over LSU. Elko benched quarterback Conner Weigman for Marcel Reed, and the redshirt freshman sparked the Aggies to a dominating second-half rally — scoring five times on five possessions. Reed ignited Texas A&M’s offense (and the Kyle Field crowd), as LSU had no answers for the dual-threat quarterback’s legs. He finished with 62 yards rushing and three scores and was 2-of-2 passing for 70 yards — turning a 17-7 deficit into a blowout win. Tailback Le’Veon Moss atoned for a first-half fumble with two scores and 85 rushing yards, too. 

Texas A&M has now won seven straight games and is in the driver’s seat to make the SEC Championship. These Aggies are firmly in the College Football Playoff conversation.

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: The Aggies secondary struggled in the first half against Garrett Nussemeir, but they picked off LSU’s quarterback three times after halftime, sparking the comeback win.

10. BYU (Last week: 11)

The Cougs dominated the ‘middle-eight’ en route to a comfortable 37-24 “upset” over UCF on Saturday. Despite being 7-0 and ranked just outside the Top 10, Kalani Sitake’s team was actually a slight underdog on the road to the Knights, but Jake Retzlaff tossed a 63-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left in the second quarter and then he led a 75-yard drive after halftime that ended with a 1-yard toss — turning a 17-7 game in a 31-10 lead. 

BYU would then mostly just run out the clock, finishing with over 250 yards rushing and more than 40 minutes of time of possession. The Cougs out-gained UCF by 100 yards, and they picked off Jacurri Brown twice and successfully ran an awesome fake field goal where holder Sam Vander Haar tossed the ball between his legs to kicker Will Ferrin for an eight-yard run and first down. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: BYU will now head into its final bye week firmly in the College Football Playoff conversation with two weeks to prepare for arch-rival Utah and the Holy War.

11. Iowa State (Last week: 10)

Idle.

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: Iowa State is off to its best start since 1938, and coming out of their open date, they remain the frontrunner to make the Big 12 title game with Kansas State their lone ranked opponent on the November slate.

12. Notre Dame (Last week: 12)

The Irish sank Navy’s Cinderella season with an emphatic 51-14 rout that handed the Midshipmen their first loss in 2024. Notre Dame’s defense had six takeaways (including five fumble recoveries against a team that hadn’t put the ball on the ground all season), and it out-gained Navy in the rushing department (265 vs. 222). Riley Leonard was 13 of 21 for 178 yards and two scores, adding 83 yards rushing and a touchdown. Tailback Jeremiyah Love ripped off several big runs including a 64-yard touchdown after Navy had made it a 14-7 game early in the second quarter. That was as close as the Midshipmen would threaten the Irish, as they trailed 31-7 at halftime. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: The Irish have scored at least 31 points in four straight games, and their defense has allowed just three scoring drives in the last three first halves. 

13. Indiana (Last week: 13)

With ESPN College GameDay in town to highlight the program, Indiana matched its best start in school history with a comfortable 31-17 win over Washington to move to 8-0. Former James Madison defensive back D’Angelo Pounds kickstarted the win with a 67-yard pick-six, and a second Pounds’ interception setup another touchdown drive. The Hoosiers turned to backup quarterback Tayven Jackson (11 of 19 124 yards with two total touchdowns), but the offense was propelled by tailback Justin Ellison’s 123 yards and a score. 

Jackson was intercepted to start the third quarter, allowing Washington to cut its deficit to 17-14, but then the Hoosiers took the air out of the football and dominated time-out possession. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: The last time Indiana was 8-0 was 1967, but the Hoosiers have won all eight games this season by double-digits and they still haven’t trailed for a single minute. 

14. Alabama (Last week: 15)

That’s how you respond to a loss. The Crimson Tide shook off a slow start to blank No. 18 Missouri 34-0 and stay alive in the CFP hunt. Despite two losses on the ledger before November for the first time since 2007, Alabama has some momentum again entering a bye week before the Top 15 showdown at LSU. It was an ugly start for the Tide offensively, with their first four drives accounting for just 63 yards, one field goal and 0-4 on third down. They couldn’t run the ball and Jalen Milroe was sacked multiple times. 

But then Malachi Moore intercepted Drew Pyne’s first pass after replacing Brady Cook at quarterback, and Alabama turned the takeaway into a touchdown just before halftime and they never looked back. Milroe scored one of three rushing touchdowns in the second half, as the Tide rolled up 213 yard on the ground in the final two quarters alone. Their defense also pitched a shutout with two more picks and a fourth-down stop. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: The Crimson Tide completely bottled up Mizzou’s passing game, holding the Tigers to just 72 yards and three picks. Luther Burden was a total non-factor, catching three passes on three targets … for three yards.

15. Boise State (Last week: 17)

The Broncos have the inside track to the College Football Playoff after holding on to beat a feisty UNLV team 29-24 on Friday night in Las Vegas. In perhaps the biggest G5 game ever, the Rebels loaded up the box to stop tailback Ashton Jeanty but Boise State’s star still powered the Broncos to a win. He scored the game-sealing touchdown on 4th-and-goal early in the fourth quarter and helped the Boise State run out the clock late with a tough, gritty run. 

The Heisman Trophy favorite was held to just 128 yards on 33 carries — 3.9 yards per attempt, easily the lowest output of Jeanty’s season. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: The Broncos were just 3 of 15 on third down, but they were perfect on fourth down (4 of 4) including scoring twice on 4th-and-goal. 

16. Pitt (Last week: 19)

The Panthers held a pick-six party on Thursday night, intercepting Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord five times — with three going for first-half touchdowns in a 41-13 rout. Pitt,  now 7-0, had just 215 total yards, but it didn’t matter because of all the takeaways, sacks (4) and tackles for loss (10). Quarterback Eli Holstein was 11 of 15 for 108 yards and two touchdowns, but the Alabama transfer was injured on a fourth-quarter run and did not return to the game. Pat Narduzzi did not postgame that Holstein was “fine” and simply held out for precautionary reasons. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: The Panthers are 3-0 in ACC play, and the next three weeks will determine whether they’re anything more than a darkhorse contender for a spot in Charlotte. They play at No. 22 SMU next week and host Clemson two weeks later.

17. Kansas State (Last week: 16)

It wasn’t easy or pretty, but the Wildcats won their 16th-straight Sunflower Showdown against in-state rival Kansas with a 51-yard field goal inside the final two minutes. Chris Tennant’s clutch kick (his second of the fourth quarter) capped Kansas State’s comeback win to preserve the team’s Big 12 title aspirations. 

Despite out-gaining Kansas, the Wildcats were out-played for much of the night. Kansas State’s offense ran hot-and-cold (16 straight points before a mostly quiet third quarter), while its defense was plagued by poor tackling and an inability to get off the field on third down (Kansas was 8 of 13). But Avery Johnson did make enough clutch plays (over 310 total yards and three touchdowns) and the Wildcats took advantage of Kansas’ miscues (a dropped touchdown, a special teams gaffe that resulted in a safety). 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: The Wildcats’ Big 12 title hopes could come down to the season finale against No. 10 Iowa State in Ames.

18. LSU (Last week: 8)

The Tigers offered up a masterclass in how to collapse on the road due to self-inflicted errors, turning a 17-7 halftime lead in a 38-23 loss thanks to special teams miscues (two missed field goals, a botched snap), three second-half picks and a defense that looked like it had never seen the read-option before. 

Garrett Nussmeier was fantastic in the first half, but LSU’s quarterback threw three picks that turned into 21 points for Texas A&M in the second half. The Tigers couldn’t (and barely tried) to run the ball, and then the had no answers for the Aggies’ read-option offense once backup quarterback Marcel Reed came into the game. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: As Brian Kelly noted postgame, LSU now has “zero margin for error” and likely must win out to have any hopes of making the CFP this season. 

19. Ole Miss (Last week: 18)

For 30 minutes, it appeared as if the Rebels were going to totally end any College Football Playoff hopes before Halloween. But following a dispiriting first half against Oklahoma, Lane Kiffin’s squad responded with a strong showing after halftime to rally for a 26-14 win. The Rebels scored two touchdowns in the third quarter (a Caden Prieskorn 24-yard pass, and a JJ Pegues 1-yard plunge), and their defense hounded Jackson Arnold for nine sacks (seven coming in the second half). 

In continuing a recent trend, the Rebels could not run the ball again Saturday (2.2 yards per carry, 69 yards total), relying solely on quarterback Jason Dart (311 passing yards, one touchdown) to carry the load. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: Ole Miss entered the game No. 2 nationally in tackles for loss, and they’ll take the nation’s lead into Week 10 with 15 more stops behind the LOS against Oklahoma. Linebacker Suntarine Perkins led the way with a monster game (11 tackles, three sacks and five TFLs).

20. SMU (Last weekend: 22)

The Mustangs needed overtime to get past a 6-1 Duke team on the road, slipping past the Blue Devils 28-27 after getting a game-winning stop on a 2-point conversion to remain unbeaten in ACC play. The Mustangs somehow survived six turnovers (including three picks and two fumbles by quarterback Kevin Jennings) to stay undefeated in ACC play. 

Jennings finished with 300 total yards and three scores, but his inability to protect the football kept Duke in the game. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: SMU is 4-0 in ACC play and will host No. 19 Pitt in a monster Top 25 game next weekend. 

21: Army (Last week: 23)

Idle. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: Bryson Daily leads the nation in rushing touchdowns with 19 — one more than Ashton Jeanty. The Black Knights’ quarterback also has another seven yards passing.

22. Colorado (Last week: Unranked)

These Buffs are legit! Colorado won for the fourth time in five games to remain in the hunt for the Big 12 Championship race, as Travis Hunter returned to action with another Heisman Trophy statement performance. 

The two-way star finished with 153 yards receiving and two touchdowns on nine catches, adding another three pass breakups on defense as Colorado beat Cincy 34-23. The Buffs continued to show a semblance of a run game (134 yards) while Shedeur Sanders was fantastic with 25 of 30 passing for 323 yards with two scores against the top scoring defense in the Big 12. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: Colorado is now bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016 — but the Buffs have their eyes on a much bigger prize entering the final month of the 2024 season. 

23. Washington State (Last weekend: Unranked)

The Cougs moved to 7-1 win with a fourth-quarter rally against Fresno State late Saturday night. In a 29-26 comeback victory, John Mateer continued his duel-threat magic with 257 passing yards and two scores plus another 50 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground. Wazzu trailed SDSU by two scores in the fourth quarter before Mateer led a pair of touchdown drives to take the lead, including a 2-yard run with just over five minutes left in the game.

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: With four more touchdowns, Mateer now has 28 total scores on the season, which ranks in the Top 5 nationally.

24. Tulane (Last week: Unranked)

The Green Wave won a 45-37 shootout over North Texas to remain undefeated in AAC play. Despite losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma, Jon Summrall’s team is still a darkhorse contender for the G5 spot in the CFP. Tulane had nearly 500 yards of offense, with tailback Makhi Hughes rushing for a career-high 195 yards and a score and quarterback Darian Mensah throwing for three scores. The defense letdown late, though, allowing North Texas to score twice in the final four minutes to turn a 21-point deficit into a one-score game. 

Tulane recovered the onside kick to win its fifth straight.

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: The Green Wave came into the game with a Top 15 pass defense, allowing just 6.0 yards per attempt and 10 picks. But they were shredded by Chandler Morris for 449 yards, three scores and zero interceptions. 

25. Vanderbilt (Last weekend: 25)

Will the ‘Dores really be punished for losing by three points to a Top-5 Texas team? Once again, Clark Lea’s team fought valiantly in a close defeat at home, and despite the loss to Texas, Vandy’s resume (with a win over Alabama) remains more impressive than Illinois. In a week where lots of teams in the back half of the Top 25 lost, Vandy should remain ranked entering November. 

ONE NUGGET TO KNOW: Diego Pavia made some big plays Saturday (team-leading 143 yards passing, 67 yards rushing and three scores), but his two picks loomed large as the ‘Dores were unable to makeup the lost possessions.

Projected to drop out: No. 20 Illinois, No. 21 Missouri, No. 24 Navy