October 25, 2026 — Miami leads an early Week 9 college football AP Top 25 voter ballot after a stunning Saturday saw five ranked teams lose to unranked opponents. BYU’s double-overtime defeat against UCF and USC’s heavy loss to Wisconsin headline a weekend that could reshape the national rankings and College Football Playoff race.
Associated Press voter Brett McMurphy released his latest ballot Sunday, keeping Miami at No. 1, followed by Georgia, Ohio State, UCLA and Indiana. BYU slipped to sixth on his ballot, while USC dropped out of his Top 25 entirely.
Important: McMurphy’s selections represent one AP voter’s assessment, not the official Week 9 poll. The full rankings were scheduled for release Sunday afternoon.
College Football AP Top 25 Week 9: Early Top 10 Rankings
McMurphy’s Week 9 ballot places the following teams in the top 10:
- Miami Hurricanes
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- UCLA Bruins
- Indiana Hoosiers
- BYU Cougars
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Utah Utes
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Ole Miss Rebels
Miami entered Week 8 ranked first in the official AP poll, with BYU second and Ohio State third. Georgia was fifth, UCLA ninth and Kentucky 12th.
McMurphy’s ballot suggests significant movement behind Miami, although those changes cannot be treated as official until the complete voting results are published.
Five Major Week 8 Upsets Shake Up College Football
The weekend delivered five victories by unranked teams against ranked opponents, the most such upsets in a single week this season.
- UCF 39, BYU 31 (2OT): UCF handed second-ranked BYU its first defeat.
- Cincinnati 37, Texas Tech 24: The eighth-ranked Red Raiders lost their unbeaten record.
- South Carolina 27, Tennessee 24: The Gamecocks defeated No. 11 Tennessee on a last-second field goal.
- Minnesota 13, Iowa 10: No. 15 Iowa suffered a narrow conference defeat.
- Wisconsin 24, USC 7: The Badgers delivered a damaging loss to the 16th-ranked Trojans.
UCF’s victory was particularly significant because it marked the program’s first win against an AP top-five opponent.
For perspective on how late-game moments can transform a college football season, Michigan’s earlier dramatic Hail Mary victory over Western Michigan offered another example of a result decided in the final seconds.
Miami Remains No. 1 as UCLA and Utah Stay Unbeaten
Miami strengthened its position with a 52-23 victory over Pittsburgh, improving to 7-0. UCLA defeated Michigan State 28-10, while Utah beat Houston 21-13.
Those results leave Miami, UCLA and Utah as the only unbeaten FBS teams following Week 8.
Georgia and Ohio State remain prominent national contenders despite carrying one loss each. Indiana, the defending national champion, also stays among McMurphy’s top five.
The Hoosiers’ position reflects the program’s continued prominence following its championship season, which helped coach Curt Cignetti earn recognition among the top college football coaches entering 2026.
Read More: College Football News
BYU and USC Face Growing Playoff Pressure
BYU’s defeat creates new uncertainty in the Big 12, especially after Texas Tech also lost. Utah’s unbeaten record gives the Utes an increasingly important position in the conference championship discussion.
USC faces a different challenge. The Trojans must recover quickly before their October 31 matchup against Ohio State, one of the country’s leading contenders.
Neither defeat automatically eliminates a team from postseason consideration. Remaining schedules, conference standings and future results will determine how much damage these losses ultimately cause.
Official AP Top 25 Rankings Release Time
The official Week 9 AP Top 25 was scheduled for approximately 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 25, equivalent to 11 a.m. Pacific and 11:30 p.m. India Standard Time.
Fans can check the NCAA’s AP Top 25 rankings page for the official team order, voting points and records.
The AP poll is separate from the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings, which ultimately help determine the postseason field.
For Miami, the immediate priority is protecting its unbeaten record. For BYU, Texas Tech and USC, the coming games will test whether they can recover before the playoff race reaches its decisive November stretch.
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