College Football Rankings: How Far Ohio State Fell, USC Rose — Plus, 4 New Teams

Only one of the three remaining undefeated teams — the Miami Hurricanes — feels capable of winning the national championship. To those two others, Utah and UCLA, you’ll have every opportunity to prove me wrong. All you have to do is keep winning. However, that’s been especially tough this season. Injuries to important players at important positions have changed who we expect to be good or even great. The move for the sport to just one bye week instead of two has made the health of the roster paramount, and the volatility within the Power Four hasn’t helped. For instance, half of the SEC is within a game of playing in the SEC championship game. That has made ranking the top-25 teams a rather cool puzzle to attempt to solve each week. The point of this ranking, of this exercise, is to identify the best teams in the sport week to week and reasonably rank those teams according to their respective schedules, their respective leagues, injuries they’ve sustained and star players that might become the difference between winning and losing at the highest level of this rather amazing sport. That means two-loss teams are ranked here. So are three-loss teams. Such is the fate of sport with 138 teams and only three unbeatens left. That also means asking hard questions about the strength of conferences, like the Big Ten vs. the Big 12. I’ll provide explanations. I’ll not ask you to agree with me — only to know that this ranking has and always will be in good faith and much study. But mostly, it’s for you, ball-knower. Week 9 game: 30-27 loss vs. Syracuse Week 10 game: vs. Virginia Tech This is not a good look, SMU. And it’s more of the same from you. You’re great at home (5-0) and a problem on the road (1-2). Perhaps the only grace you’re allowed is this Syracuse team beat a decent North Carolina squad last week. If you were not 6-2 in conference play — trailing only Miami and Wake Forest — you wouldn’t be ranked. Rein it in, Mustangs. Stat to know: Despite the loss to Syracuse, quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for 351 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 2,413 passing yards on the season. Odds to make CFP: +1100 (28th)Odds to win national title: +35000 (tied for 25th) Week 9 game: 21-16 win vs. San Jose StateWeek 10 game: At Nevada The Lobos’ only loss so far this season was to a Power Four team (Oklahoma) on the road, and we’re talking about a 14-6 loss, not a blowout. I realize that most folks believe Boise State will walk straight through the Pac-12 to take the Group of Six spot reserved for conference-affiliated programs not among the Power Four. But New Mexico has an impressive win against North Dakota State and a defense that has held every team it’s played to 16 points or fewer through eight games. Stat to know: Through eight games, New Mexico ranks first in the FBS in scoring defense (11.88 points/game allowed), fourth in total defense (258.1 yards/game allowed) and fifth in both rushing defense (81.6 yards/game allowed) and yards allowed per carry (2.63). Odds to make CFP: +170 (tied for 14th)Odds to win national title: +60000 (27th) Week 9 game: ByeWeek 10 game: At Florida Atlantic Stat to know: UTSA has taken care of the ball, tying for the 14th-fewest giveaways in the FBS (six) while also ranking tied for 14th in turnover margin (+6). Odds to make CFP: +600 (22nd)Odds to win national title: +120000 (tied for 36th) Week 9 game: 27-8 loss vs. Georgia Week 10 game: vs. Oklahoma The Gators lost to Georgia, and, yes, the scoreboard made the game appear closer than it was on the field. However, they still have wins against Ole Miss and on the road at Texas. Their schedule has featured four top-25 teams in eight games. They’re not great, but they are worthy of a ranking here compared to, say, Northwestern, which has yet to put a ranked win on the board (and a best “win” that’s actually a close loss to Indiana). Stat to know: Quarterback Aaron Philo was benched after only completing five passes for 26 yards and two interceptions in the loss to Georgia. Odds to make CFP: +360 (20th)Odds to win national title: +10000 (18th) Week 9 game: 51-7 win vs. VirginiaWeek 10 game: vs. Merrimack The Demon Deacons have scored 38 or more in every game they’ve played except their loss to No. 1 Miami, and that is the one game that gives me pause. This is a good football team, a top-25 team. But Wake Forest is not the kind of team that can win the national title. We know this because the Deacs already lost to the Hurricanes. However, they might get a chance to shut me up if they reach the ACC title game and face Miami once more. Wake Forest might be the second-best team in the ACC. But if it played a Big 12 schedule or a Big Ten schedule, it would not be the second-best team in either of those leagues. Stat to know: Wake Forest has now won five straight games and scored at least 38 points in four straight. The Demon Deacons have scored 30 or more points in seven of their eight games this season, with their loss to Miami being the lone exception. Odds to make CFP: +120 (14th)Odds to win national title: +8000 (15th) Week 9 game: 46-45 vs. Texas StateWeek 10 game: vs. Colorado State The Broncos survived a late-night thriller against Texas State at home. The win did nothing to convince me they deserve that guaranteed Group of Six spot in the CFP, but allows them to keep pole position among a trio of G6 teams that could ultimately be selected. Giving up 42 points in two quarters of football after establishing a 28-3 lead isn’t the kind of fact that instills confidence in me. But they’re here. For now. Stat to know: Against Texas State, the Broncos played two quarterbacks, Maddux Madsen and Max Cutforth, who combined for 367 passing yards and four touchdowns. Cutforth replaced an injured Madsen and threw three touchdown passes in the game’s final seven minutes. Odds to make CFP: -100 (12th)Odds to win national title: +50000 (tied for 22nd) Week 9 game: 30-0 win vs. WisconsinWeek 10 game: At Northwestern The Hawkeyes’ only losses are to Ohio State and a Minnesota team I ranked only after the Gophers narrowly beat Iowa last week. Now, we have to acknowledge that Iowa not only executed rather precise plays involving the forward pass, but also its normally excellent defense pitched a shutout while still hitting the under on the betting line. Stat to know: Quarterback Hank Brown had 190 passing yards in the first half, the most first-half passing yards by an Iowa quarterback since Nate Stanley, who threw for 212 yards in the first half against Illinois in 2019. Odds to make CFP: +400 (21st)Odds to win national title: +20000 (tied for 20th) Week 9 game: ByeWeek 10 game: vs. Alabama Stat to know: Quarterback Sam Leavitt has produced 30 explosive plays, including 26 passes of at least 20 yards and four rushes of at least 15 yards. Odds to make CFP: -170 (eighth)Odds to win national title: +720 (fourth) Week 9 game: 34-10 win vs. ArkansasWeek 10 game: vs. Texas The Tigers saw their star tailback, Ahmad Hardy, play for the first time all year. Hardy had been limited after suffering a gunshot wound to his leg last summer. He carried the ball three times for 42 yards with a long of 37. Missouri’s next two games will be much tougher than Arkansas, though. The Tigers host Texas, play at Georgia and then host Kentucky over the next three weeks. A third loss would be a significant strike to their College Football Playoff hopes. Stat to know: Running back Jamal Roberts is the first SEC player to reach 1,000 rushing yards this season, totaling 1,005 yards and nine touchdowns through eight games. He tied Cody Schrader (2023) as the fastest Missouri player to reach the mark since 2000. Odds to make CFP: +900 (tied for 24th)Odds to win national title: +15000 (19th) Week 9 game: ByeWeek 10 game: vs. Cincinnati Stat to know: Wide receiver Amare Thomas has turned 33 of his 41 receptions into first downs (80.5%), the highest rate in the FBS among players with at least 40 catches this season. Odds to make CFP: +700 (tied for 23rd)Odds to win national title: +20000 (tied for 20th) Week 9 game: 27-20 win vs. Arizona StateWeek 10 game: vs. Utah Arizona State is not good, and this is the second week in a row where the Cougars got caught in a fistfight against an opponent they should’ve knocked out early. This win is good enough to keep them in the chase for the Big 12 championship game, but they have to remain a one-loss team to be sure the CFP selection committee considers them worthy. Over the past two weeks, BYU has looked less like a team that beat Notre Dame and more like a team that would lose to Ole Miss. Stat to know: BYU had six sacks from six different players in its 27-20 win over Arizona State, its most since the 2019 Hawaii Bowl and most in a regular-season game since recording eight against Cincinnati in 2015. Odds to make CFP: +170 (tied for 14th)Odds to win national title: +7400 (14th) Week 9 game: ByeWeek 10 game: vs. Kentucky Stat to know: Running back DeSean Bishop enters November with four straight 100-yard rushing games in SEC play, averaging 159.3 yards over that stretch. That includes a career-high 220 yards and three touchdowns against Auburn, 138 at Arkansas, 159 against Alabama and 120 against South Carolina. Odds to make CFP: +300 (tied for 18th)Odds to win national title: +6400 (tied for 11th) Week 9 game: 34-26 win vs. ArizonaWeek 10 game: vs. West Virginia The change from former starting quarterback Will Hammond to Thomas Castellanos looked peculiar, until the Red Raiders began to function noticeably better on offense this week rather than last week against Cincinnati. Castellanos wasn’t especially great statistically apart from three touchdowns, but his poise was felt. His experience as a fifth-year player might have given coach Joey McGuire’s team the kind of steady hand it needs to mount a charge for the CFP for the second season in a row. Stat to know: Texas Tech had two 100-plus yard rushers against Arizona (running back J’Koby Williams and quarterback Thomas Castellanos). This marks the first time Texas Tech has featured both a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard rushing quarterback in the same game since October 3, 1998, when running back Ricky Williams (159 yards) and quarterback Rob Peters (106 yards) did it against Baylor. Odds to make CFP: +250 (17th)Odds to win national title: +9000 (tied for 16th) Week 9 game: 30-18 loss vs. USCWeek 10 game: vs. Oregon The Buckeyes had three possessions inside the USC red zone in the first half and settled for field goals on every trip, which has been a problem for Ohio State all year. It’s as if the Buckeyes forget how to score touchdowns once the goal line is quite literally inches away. Now they are in the same boat as USC, meaning they, too, must win out to ensure they reach the CFP because, without injured starter Julian Sayin at quarterback, the Buckeyes are not likely to make the CFP with three or more losses. Stat to know: Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith now has the most receiving touchdowns in Big Ten history with 40, passing Michigan’s Braylon Edwards. Odds to make CFP: -240 (tied for sixth)Odds to win national title: +900 (tied for fifth) Week 9 game: 30-18 win vs. Ohio StateWeek 10 game: Bye Lincoln Riley survived, and so did his Trojans. In a game that could’ve led to the end of his career in South Central, USC came up with the kind of performance I thought it was capable of at the start of the season. Riley also picked up his first win against a top-5 opponent as head coach at USC and just the second of his career. The other win was a 31-16 win at Ohio State in 2017. Now, he’ll have to do that at least once more when USC plays Indiana and perhaps UCLA. Stat to know: Wide receiver Trent Mosley now has 100-plus receiving yards in four of his first six career games as a true freshman, the most by any Big Ten freshman this season. Odds to make CFP: +360 (tied for 18th)Odds to win national title: +7000 (tied for 11th) Week 9 game: 45-15 win vs. AuburnWeek 10 game: vs. Georgia Even without star running back Kewan Lacy, the Rebels feel like a team no one should want to play, especially in the first round of the CFP. And that has more to do with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss than anything else. While he probably won’t win the Heisman Trophy, he’s a shoo-in as a finalist based on his play this season. But, more than that, he’s clutch — the closest player to New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson we have in the sport today. Stat to know: Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is now one of three FBS players this season with multiple games with 250 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and both a passing and rushing touchdown. Odds to make CFP: -150 (tied for 10th)Odds to win national title: +1800 (ninth) Week 9 game: 31-3 win vs. Mississippi StateWeek 10 game: vs. Missouri Mississippi State was not a match for Texas without star Kamario Taylor at quarterback, and the Longhorns defense continues to be the only unit on that team that plays like it’s capable of winning the national title. Steve Sarkisian’s squad is doing enough to keep itself in the CFP conversation, though. Stat to know: Quarterback Arch Manning completed 16 of 20 passes (80%) for 220 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, posting his highest completion percentage in a start this season. Odds to make CFP: -150 (tied for 10th)Odds to win national title: +1050 (seventh) Week 9 game: ByeWeek 10 game: At LSU Stat to know: Quarterback Keelon Russell has completed 67% of his passes for 2,057 yards and 15 touchdowns, adding 251 rushing yards and five scores. He has three 300-yard passing games this season. Odds to make CFP: -280 (fifth)Odds to win national title: +1100 (eighth) Week 9 game: 49-25 win vs. CincinnatiWeek 10 game: vs. BYU Utah looked eager to leave its close-call to Houston last week in the past, and the Bearcats did almost everything to oblige, including allowing a 28-point second quarter. Utah plays sound, fundamental football. It’s elite defensively. In a playoff game against UCLA, I’m not sure who would win. However, I know the last three national champions have come out of UCLA’s Big Ten, and no Big 12 team has reached the national title game since 2022. For now, Utah is right where it should be. Stat to know: Quarterback Devon Dampier completed 22 of 29 passes (75.9%) for 260 yards and three touchdowns while adding 45 rushing yards against Cincinnati. He now has 1,876 passing yards, 393 rushing yards and 23 total touchdowns this season. Odds to make CFP: -240 (tied for sixth)Odds to win national title: +3400 (10th) Week 9 game: ByeWeek 10 game: At Tennessee Stat to know: Quarterback Kenny Minchey has completed 69% of his passes for 1,755 yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception, averaging 7.56 yards per attempt with a 151.6 passer rating. He has also rushed for two touchdowns, giving him 16 total this season. Odds to make CFP: +180 (16th)Odds to win national title: +9000 (tied for 16th) Week 9 game: 27-0 win vs. NevadaWeek 10 game: vs. Minnesota A shutout, Bruins? Be still, my heart! No one has seen one of those from a UCLA defense in nearly 20 years (vs. Oregon, 16-0, 2007). Perhaps you really are 2026’s Indiana? This is also the first time in more than 20 years that UCLA has begun the season 8-0 (2005). That’s also four wins in a row for Bob Chesney’s team by 10 points or more. We can start talking about the possibility of this team going undefeated the rest of the way. Stat to know: UCLA’s +20.1 scoring differential per game and +15 turnover differential are both its best through eight games since 1997. Odds to make CFP: -160 (ninth)Odds to win national title: +7000 (13th) Week 9 game: 23-16 OT win vs. MinnesotaWeek 10 game: vs. USC That makes five games in a row where Indiana has needed to come back or hold off a team on the final possession of the game to seal a victory. And if not for the heroics of backup quarterback Grant Wilson, wide receiver Charlie Becker and kicker Paddy McAteer — a field goal from 60 yards out! — the Hoosiers would’ve lost their second-straight and first to an unranked opponent in 29 games. But the W goes up, and the Hoosiers are safely a top-10 team. But is that all they are? The defending national champions haven’t done enough to convince me. They’re a safe bet to make the CFP, and that’s enough heading into November. Stat to know: Receiver Charlie Becker recorded his fourth 100-yard receiving game this season and seventh of his career. His other 100-yard games in 2026 came against Ohio State (165), Western Kentucky (127) and Rutgers (107). Odds to make CFP: -1000 (third)Odds to win national title: +1000 (tied for fifth) Week 9 game: 35-13 win vs. NavyWeek 10 game: vs. Miami The Fighting Irish trailed, 13-7, in the second quarter of this game before getting serious. And this team is formidable when it plays to its strengths, particularly running the ball offensively. Against the Midshipmen, running back Nolan James, Jr. rushed for 107 of the 204 yards Notre Dame accumulated on the ground en route to a gaudy 7.0 yards per carry. Get mad about Notre Dame’s soft schedule if you like. I doubt there is a team in the country who actually wants to play this squad right now, aside from Miami — which might actually want the 2004 USC Trojans because the Hurricanes have been just that good. Stat to know: Quarterback CJ Carr has thrown 18 touchdowns and just one interception on 222 pass attempts this season. Among FBS quarterbacks with at least 150 attempts, he ranks second in interception percentage (0.45%) and third in touchdown-to-interception ratio (18-1). He has gone 145 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Odds to make CFP: -550 (fourth)Odds to win national title: +550 (second) Week 9 game: 27-8 vs. FloridaWeek 10 game: vs. Ole Miss Georgia didn’t need any help, Florida. You still gave it, and your drive chart looks like a slasher film, as UGA was just stalking you, taking from you or forcing you to punt. But that’s exactly who the Bulldogs have been under Kirby Smart — right down to running quarterback counters late in the game. The best defensive team south of the Mason-Dixon Line is still in Athens, and that makes the Bulldogs formidable. If the SEC championship game was played today, Georgia would face Kentucky. Stat to know: Running back Dwight Phillips Jr. leads the SEC in yards per carry among players with at least 50 carries this season, averaging 7.55 yards on 55 attempts. In Saturday’s Florida win, he rushed for 67 yards on eight carries (8.38 yards/carry). Georgia averaged 5.17 yards per carry as a team while holding Florida to just 1.93. Odds to make CFP: -6000 (tied for first)Odds to win national title: +350 (first) Week 9 game: 38-35 win vs. North CarolinaWeek 10 game: vs. Notre Dame Miami can’t wait to play Notre Dame for no other reason than the Hurricanes are tired of us yelling about who they haven’t played. But right now, they would probably take a game against the 2004 USC Trojans if it meant them receiving the same amount of respect for being undefeated. Stat to know: Running touchdown Mark Fletcher Jr. scored three touchdowns against North Carolina to become Miami’s all-time touchdown leader, breaking a tie with Edgerrin James and Stephen McGuire. The record had stood since 1992. Odds to make CFP: -6000 (tied for first)Odds to win national title: +600 (third)