AP Top 25 football poll features another shakeup after four unbeaten teams lose
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Multiple AP Top 25 teams lost in Week 8, forcing major ranking reshuffles.
- Undefeated Miami, Texas Tech and Ole Miss all suffered losses affecting positions.
- Group of 5 Memphis and Nebraska likely exit AP Top 25 after upsets.
Every team in the Associated Press Top 25 played this weekend, and college football provided plenty more surprises in Week 8.
Five of last week’s top 25 remain unbeaten at 7-0, while four previously undefeated teams found themselves in the loss column. Seven teams in the poll lost their games, including two of last week’s top 5. Four of the seven losses suffered by top 25 teams came at the hands of unranked opponents.
As the season progresses, a clearer picture is beginning to take shape regarding the top teams and who could compete for a national title.
LSU (5-2) suffered the biggest drop, falling from No. 10 to No. 20 after its loss to Vanderbilt. Miami (5-1) and Texas Tech (6-1) both fell seven spots.
Michigan (5-2) re-entered the poll at No. 25 after defeating Washington (5-2), 24-7. It joined Arizona State and Illinois, who also jumped back into the rankings.
Southern California (5-2) and Utah (5-2) both dropped out. The Trojans fell to then-No. 13 Notre Dame — it moved to No. 12 — by 10 points on the road. The Utes lost to BYU (7-0) by three points, also on the road.
Georgia Tech moved to 7-0 for the first time since 1966 after its 27-18 win over Duke (4-3) in Durham, giving the Yellow Jackets their longest winning streak since 2009.
The SEC leads with 10 teams in the poll. The Big Ten has five, and the ACC and Big 12 have four each.
Miami is undefeated no more
Miami (5-1) picked up its first loss, 24-21, at home to Louisville (5-1) after its comeback effort fell short. The team is now 4-15 under coach Mario Cristobal when trailing after the third quarter.
The Cardinals jumped out to an early 14-0 lead — their first drive included a fake field goal and touchdown — and led by four points at halftime. Miami trailed the entire game after entering the Friday night showdown trailing by fewer than 10 minutes in its five previous games.
Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck threw four interceptions. The fourth pick came on the team’s final drive of the game, down three, to seal Louisville’s upset victory. Not pictured on the box score was a fifth interception that was reversed after a controversial roughing the passer flag extended the drive.
After the first two drives, Miami’s defense stepped up to keep the team in the game by adding five pass deflections and a forced fumble in the fourth quarter, which set up a touchdown drive. Unfortunately for Miami, that wasn’t enough.
The Hurricanes dropped seven spots to No. 9, but the rest of their resume was strong enough to keep them in the top 10.
Louisville snuck into the rankings — at No. 19 — for the first time this season. It picked up its first win over an AP Top 2 team since 2016, during Lamar Jackson’s Heisman campaign.
Arizona State stuns Texas Tech
Call it a game of top 25 musical chairs for the Sun Devils. Arizona State (5-2) gave Texas Tech (6-1) its first loss of the year after a 26-22 thriller in Tempe.
ASU led 19-7 early in the fourth quarter, but Tech scored 15 points and made things interesting. The Red Raiders scored two touchdowns in the final 3:45 before the Sun Devils found the end zone with 34 seconds remaining to retake the lead and secure the win.
Sam Leavitt returned to the backfield for Arizona State and passed for 319 yards. Jordyn Tyson and Jaren Hamilton both finished with 100-yard receiving games.
The Sun Devils started the season ranked but dropped out after losing on the road to Mississippi State in Week 2. They re-entered the poll after defeating TCU three weeks later. ASU had dropped from the poll — again — after its loss to Utah, but is once again back in at No. 24.
The Red Raiders remained ranked but found themselves in the middle at 14.
Ole Miss loses first game of the season
Then-No. 9 Georgia (6-1) handed then-No. 5 Ole Miss (6-1) its first loss of the season in comeback fashion. The Bulldogs picked up a 43-35 win at home after outscoring the Rebels 17-0 in the fourth quarter. They trailed by nine at the end of three.
The two teams traded points for the majority of the game. Ole Miss scored on its first five drives and did not punt until the final period. Georgia, meanwhile, scored on every drive of the matchup, finishing with a plus-15 time of possession and zero turnovers.
The Dawgs tallied 510 yards of total offense, including 221 on the ground. Gunner Stockton led both quarterbacks with 289 passing yards and four touchdowns without an interception.
Georgia dropped in the Week 5 poll after its loss to Arkansas, but has steadily climbed after rattling off three straight wins. The Bulldogs took over the No. 5 spot, while the Rebels dropped to No. 8.
Memphis stumbles against UAB
Memphis (6-1) lost to unranked Alabama-Birmingham (3-4), 31-24, after the Blazers put together a major goal-line stop in the final seconds. A week after UAB fired head coach Trent Dilfer, the team entered the game as a 21.5-point underdog and was winless in conference play. It was led by interim head coach Alex Mortensen.
The Tigers, who reached the 1-yard line twice on the final drive, committed two false starts and picked up a delay-of-game penalty to push them behind the chains.
UAB was led by quarterback Ryder Burton who threw 251 yards and three touchdowns. He found receiver Iverson Hooks, who contributed 172 receiving yards and scored three times. Running back Solomon Beebe ran for an 81-yard touchdown, as well.
With little margin for error among the Group of 5 teams, the Tigers dropped out this week.
Other notable results
Ohio State (7-0), one week after giving up a season-high 16 points to Illinois, routed Wisconsin (2-5), 34-0. The Buckeyes racked up nearly 500 yards of offense, while holding the Badgers under 150 total yards, and quarterback Julian Sayin threw four touchdown passes. The Buckeyes remained at No. 1 — the only team within the top 25 to retain its position.
Texas A&M (7-0) maintained its perfect record with a 45-42 win over Arkansas (2-5), its best start since 1994. The Aggies were outscored in two quarters, including a 15-point fourth quarter for the Razorbacks, due in part to its shaky run defense. Texas A&M allowed 268 yards on the ground but made the timely plays for the win. The game should not have been close, but the Aggies still moved up one spot to No. 3.
Texas (5-2) squeaked out a 16-13 overtime win over Kentucky (2-4) with a 45-yard field goal. The Longhorns picked up the victory behind just 179 yards of total offense and eight first downs. The Wildcats racked up 395 yards and 26 first downs but stalled on several drives. Texas dropped to No. 22 after its less-than-noteworthy performance.
Vanderbilt (6-1) upset LSU (5-2), 31-24, for its first win over the Tigers since 1990 and to secure bowl eligibility. The Tigers took an early lead with a first-quarter field goal with 9 1/2 minutes remaining in the first quarter, but No. 17 Vanderbilt responded with a touchdown on the following drive. The Commodores led for nearly 50 minutes of game time.
Picking up its second win over a ranked team, Vandy shot up the rankings to 10. LSU dropped to No. 20.
Virginia (6-1) looked sluggish for most of the evening but defeated unranked Washington State (3-4), 22-20, after a strong finish. The Cavaliers scored 12 points in the final period, including a game-winning safety, to overcome what was a 10-point deficit at the end of the third quarter. They remained ranked at 16, moving up two places.
Nebraska’s participation in the top 25 was short-lived after the Cornhuskers (5-2) fell to unranked Minnesota (5-2), 24-6, on the road Friday night. The Golden Gophers sacked Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola nine times in their win.
Week 9 AP Top 25 poll
Pos. Team (record) Previous
1. Ohio State (7-0) 1
2. Indiana (7-0) 3
3. Texas A&M (7-0) 4
4. Alabama (6-1) 6
5. Georgia (6-1) 9
6. Oregon (6-1) 8
7. Georgia Tech (7-0) 12
8. Ole Miss (6-1) 5
9. Miami (5-1) 2
10. Vanderbilt (6-1) 17
11. BYU (7-0) 15
12. Notre Dame (5-2) 13
13. Oklahoma (6-1) 14
14. Texas Tech (6-1) 7
15. Missouri (6-1) 16
16. Virginia (6-1) 18
17. Tennessee (5-2) 11
18. South Florida (6-1) 19
19. Louisville (5-1) NR
20. LSU (5-2) 10
21. Cincinnati (6-1) 24
22. Texas (5-2) 21
23. Illinois (5-2) NR
24. Arizona State (5-2) NR
25. Michigan (5-2) NR
This story was originally published October 19, 2025 at 11:23 AM.
