AP Top 25 football poll volatile as top teams suffer losses to unranked opponents
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Week 10 produced six ranked-team losses, three to unranked opponents.
- Upsets shifted poll movement: Miami, Georgia Tech, Houston forecast to fall.
- Indiana and Ohio State preserved unbeaten records; rankings likely stable.
Once again, college football was a hot mess, but it provided for plenty of entertainment in Week 10.
Six of the 20 active teams in the AP Top 25 lost. Of those losses, three came against unranked opponents, two of which were by the ACC’s two top 10 teams. Three of the six losses were also by two possessions or more.
Texas A&M (8-0), Alabama (7-1), Oregon (7-1), BYU (8-0) and Missouri (6-2) did not play. They return to action next Saturday.
Mustangs down Hurricanes in OT
Miami (6-2) fell to SMU (6-3), 26-20, in overtime on the road after the Mustangs’ second-half surge. SMU recorded 19 points in the second half and overtime period to upset the Hurricanes and move to 4-1 in ACC play.
Miami looked undisciplined at various points of the game, racking up 96 yards in penalties. One such penalty came with one minute remaining in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs, on fourth down and long, received a free first down and turned the penalty into a game-tying field goal.
Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck threw for 274 yards for two touchdowns and two interceptions, one in overtime.
Miami to dropped eight spots to No. 18, while SMU received votes.
Yellow Jackets pick up first loss
Later in the day, Georgia Tech (8-1) lost to unranked N.C. State (5-4), 48-36, after the Wolfpack scored the most points by an opponent this season.
The Yellow Jackets were led with a stellar performance from quarterback Haynes King, who threw for 408 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another 103 yards and two scores. However, that was still not enough to overcome the Wolfpack.
N.C. State was led by backup running back Duke Scott, who ran for 196 yards and one touchdown. He started in place of the ACC’s leading rusher Hollywood Smothers, who was out with an injury. Quarterback CJ Bailey also threw for 340 yards, two touchdowns and skittered into the end zone for a rushing TD.
Georgia Tech still has a strong resume and remains ranked, but it joined the Hurricanes and dropped eight spots. The Yellow Jackets came in at No. 16.
Country roads take me home
West Virginia finally picked up a Big 12 win. The Mountaineers (3-6) defeated No. 22 Houston (7-2), 45-35, on the road in an offensive shootout.
WVU jumped out to an early lead, at one point taking a two-touchdown advantage. The Cougars tied the game at 21 points in the second quarter but never led, and the defense could not stop the Mountaineers rushing attack. West Virginia ran for 246 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Scotty Fox also threw one touchdown pass.
Meanwhile, Houston QB Conner Weigman threw 309 yards. He contributed four touchdown passes and two interceptions. Additionally, the Cougars rushed for just 82 yards.
Houston, similar to Arizona State, has been in and out of the polls all season. This week was no different. The Cougars dropped out after the loss.
Virginia stays perfect in league play — technically
Virginia (8-1) pulled off a 31-21 win over California (5-4) in Berkeley, its seventh win in a row. The Cavaliers are 5-0 in ACC play, and sit atop the conference standings. Their lone loss of the season came to N.C. State in Week 2, but that was scheduled as a nonconference matchup.
In the trip to Cal, quarterback Chandler Morris passed for 262 yards without a touchdown. The run game, however, contributed a trio — Ja’Mari Taylor accounted for two — to bolster the scoring. Kam Robinson added a pick six.
With two of the four ranked ACC teams and Tennessee losing, the Cavaliers jumped three places to No. 12.
Other notable results
No. 1 Ohio State (8-0) ran over unranked Penn State (3-4), 38-14, which still does not have a win over another power program. The Buckeyes’ defense started slow and led by three points at halftime before breaking away in the second.
Ryan Day’s program held the Nittany Lions scoreless after the break, while punching in a trio of its own touchdowns. The Buckeyes remained at the top of the poll.
No. 2 Indiana (9-0) throttled Maryland, 55-10, to remain one of the few undefeated teams in college football. Propelled by a 35-point second half, the No. 2 Hoosiers continued their hot streak on the road. Like Ohio State, Indiana maintained its hold at their current spot.
No. 5 Georgia narrowly escaped unranked Florida and picked up a slim, 24-20 win. The Bulldogs (7-1) struggled to stop the Gators throughout the night. Georgia allowed Florida to take a 10-7 lead in the first quarter. The Dawgs allowed the Gators to take a lead early in the fourth after field goal and needed a touchdown to secure the victory.
Georgia did not drop from its spot, despite the lackluster outing against a bad Florida team.
Notre Dame (6-2) beat struggling Boston College (1-8), 25-10, in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Fighting Irish overcame a scoreless first quarter and found enough offense to come away with the win. Both teams finished with fewer than 300 yards of total offense, but three BC turnovers to one by Notre Dame was enough to push the Irish past the finish line. The Irish rose to No. 10.
Texas (7-2) defeated Vanderbilt (7-2) at home, 34-31, holding on after the Commodores’ comeback attempt. Vandy trailed 24-3 midway through the second quarter before cutting its deficit to 14 points at halftime. A strong third period allowed the Longhorns to go up by 24, but the Texas defense gave up three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth. It recovered an onside kick to end the game.
The Longhorns jumped seven spots to No. 13, while the Commodores fell to 15.
Oklahoma (7-2) knocked Tennessee (6-3) out of College Football Playoff contention with its 33-27 win at Neyland Stadium. The Sooners scored in every quarter to pick up the upset road win over the No. 14 Volunteers. Oklahoma climbed to No. 11 going into Week 11. The Vols had the biggest drop of the week, falling nine place to No. 23. With three losses, it wouldn’t have been completely surprising to see them unranked, but their resume was strong enough to save them.
Utah (7-2) dismantled Cincinnati (7-2) in a 45-14 rout to give the Bearcats their first Big 12 loss of the year and snap their seven-game winning streak. The No. 24 Utes dominated the game in the air and on the ground, recording more than 400 yards of offense. Cincinnati, meanwhile, had three turnovers and quarterback Brendan Sorsby completed just 11 of his 33 pass attempts. Cincy managed to stay ranked, though it plummeted eight spots to No. 25, and the Utes leaped to No. 17.
Memphis beat Rice (4-5), 38-14, on Friday to pick up its eighth win of the season. The Tigers (8-1) controlled the entire game, holding a 31-7 lead at halftime. They moved up three spots, coming in at No. 22.
With some space at the bottom of the poll, a handful of programs made a case to be ranked, but Washington (6-2) earned the spot at 24.
San Diego State (7-1), Iowa (6-2), Pittsburgh (7-2), South Florida (6-2), North Texas (8-1) and even Navy (7-1), despite picking up a first loss to UNT, all have strong resumes and received votes, but did not crack the top 25. James Madison (7-1) finished just shy of the top 25, as well.
The Aztecs are undefeated in the Mountain West, and the Dukes are undefeated in the Sun Belt. The others only have one loss in their respective conferences. Iowa, once again, is the only unranked team in the Big Ten with its record.
Week 11 AP Top 25 poll
This story was originally published November 2, 2025 at 11:11 AM.
