The first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings will be released on November 3, marking a point in the 2026 college football season when the AP Top 25 Poll takes a back seat, but that doesn't mean we're going to start ignoring the always-controversial poll.
asserted
we → release → poll
Someone has to keep tabs on the AP voters who can't possibly watch all these games and are forced to scramble and put together a list of the best 25 teams in the country.
uncertain
who → have → country
With just two matchups featuring ranked opponents on the Week 8 slate, nobody was expecting too many fireworks, but the one boom we did get out in Los Angeles courtesy of USC, voters made sure to overreact.
asserted
voters → feature → USC
On the other side of the country, Wake Forest moved to 7-1 and continued its run of absolutely throttling opponents, but apparently, outscoring your last two opponents 92-14 doesn't matter much.
asserted
outscoring → move → opponents
Week 9 AP Top 25 Poll
- Miami (FL)
- Georgia
- Utah
- Notre Dame
- UCLA
- Indiana
- BYU
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- Texas
- Ohio State
- Ole Miss
- Texas Tech
- Wake Forest
- LSU
- Tennessee
- Houston
- USC
- Missouri
- Boise State
- Iowa
- New Mexico
- South Carolina
- Arizona
- Florida
Voters managed to put together the correct collection of the Top 5 teams in the country, but did so in the incorrect order.
asserted
Voters → manage → order
A shocking development, we know.
asserted
we → know → ?
While Miami played with its food in Chapel Hill on Saturday, the Hurricanes improved to 8-0 and are the most-talented and most-explosive of the three unbeaten teams remaining, making the No. 1 next to their name completely justified.
asserted
1 → play → name
Georgia did exactly what was expected of it by throttling Florida following a bye week after its inexplicable loss at home to Auburn.
asserted
what → do → Auburn
Then, you have Utah at No. 3, which is where we can officially start arguing, or at least begin nitpicking.
asserted
we → have → .
Utah has beaten exactly one team with a pulse, then No. 14 Houston at home, while the Bruins won on the road at then No. 13 Oregon.
asserted
Bruins → beat → Oregon
UCLA getting the nod for the three with Utah sliding to the four seems more sensible.
asserted
Utah → get → four
For starters, the Fighting Irish have lost a game unlike UCLA and Utah, and you could argue their most impressive win came in Week 1 on a neutral site against a now 5-3 Wisconsin team.
uncertain
win → lose → team
Notre Dame getting a touch of bias is as inevitable as water remaining to be wet.
asserted
water → get → bias
The Wake Forest disrespect must be stopped
The Demon Deacons embarrassed Virginia 51-7 on Saturday to move to 7-1 on the year, with their lone loss being a 13-point defeat to No. 1 Miami.
asserted
loss → stop → Miami
Despite having lost just once, putting together a 44-point win, and possessing an offense that has outscored opponents 187-31 over the last four weeks, Wake Forest did not budge in this week's poll.
asserted
Forest → lose → poll
Meanwhile, Kentucky and Alabama were both on byes this past weekend, but even they managed to move up one spot compared to last week.
asserted
they → manage → week
The reality of the situation is that Wake Forest is being penalized by its own schedule and a laughably weak ACC.
asserted
Forest → penalize → schedule
With how the dominoes are falling in the conference, Wake Forest could finish the season 11-1 with its most impressive win being a road victory at Purdue in Week 2.
uncertain
win → fall → Week
Yes, even above-average teams are supposed to handle Stanford, NC State, Cal and Virginia, but the way in which Wake Forest has embarrassed all four of those down-and-out squads is more impressive than the No. 14 next to its name.
asserted
Forest → suppose → name
USC is simply not a Top 20 team in college football
So, USC beats an Ohio State team without its starting quarterback and technically moves up THIRTEEN spots in the poll to No. 18?
asserted
USC → beat → .
The same USC team that lost at Wisconsin a week ago, the same Badgers team that lost 30-0 to Iowa on Saturday?
asserted
that → lose → Saturday
Is this the same USC team that was embarrassed at home by Oregon in Week 5 by two touchdowns?
asserted
that → embarrass → touchdowns
This is your classic prisoner of the moment situation with an unranked team beating the No. 2 team in the country, but the asterisk that needs to go alongside that Buckeyes team the Trojans beat is a significant one.
asserted
Trojans → beat → team
Some team has to be ranked 18th in the nation; it just shouldn't be a USC team whose fanbase wanted head coach Lincoln Riley fired seven days ago after pulling off the big upset of what may have been the worst slate of games of the entire college football season.
uncertain
what → have → season
Lobos love the number twenty-one
AP voters missed out on doing something hilarious this week.
asserted
voters → love → something
New Mexico improved to 7-1 on the year after going on the road and knocking off San Jose State on Halloween and kept a very weird streak alive.
asserted
Mexico → improve → streak
The Lobos have scored exactly 21 points in each of their last three games, beating Hawaii 21-10, North Dakota State 21-16 and San Jose State by the same 21-16 score.
asserted
Lobos → score → score
New Mexico should be ranked No. 21, not No. 22, based on this scoring trend alone.
asserted
Mexico → rank → trend
In all seriousness, Jason Eck's squad deserves some serious praise.
asserted
squad → deserve → praise
The Lobos are 16-5 since Eck took over in 2025, which isn't bad considering the program hadn't been to a bowl game since 2016 prior to his arrival in Albuquerque.
asserted
program → take → Albuquerque
The Aporia
