Week 8 turned the AP Top 25 into a moving target.
Three teams in the top 10 went down on Saturday, and the ripple effect hit almost every part of the rankings. BYU and Texas Tech, both unbeaten heading into the weekend, took the biggest tumbles among the frontrunners. Miami stayed put at No. 1, but the rest of the top of the poll kept shifting around it.
BYU’s rise to No. 2 lasted only a week. The Cougars dropped six spots to No. 8 after UCF beat them 39-31 in double overtime, the wildest game of the season so far. Texas Tech followed a similar path, sliding from No. 8 to No. 13 after Cincinnati handed the Red Raiders their first loss, 37-24.
Texas made the week’s biggest leap. The Longhorns moved up eight spots to No. 11 after a 34-27 win over Ole Miss, which fell from No. 7 to No.
- The Rebels had an early chance to take control, but they couldn’t hold it.
Ole Miss led 24-3 at halftime before Texas flipped the script. The Rebels answered with 21 straight points to knot things at 24 in the fourth quarter, but the Longhorns settled it late, and an interception on Ole Miss’ final offensive snap ended it. The loss dropped Ole Miss to 5-2, and the road ahead only gets tougher with Georgia on Nov. 7, plus Auburn, Oklahoma and Mississippi State still on the schedule.
Elsewhere in the SEC, Tennessee took another hit. The Volunteers dropped from No. 11 to No. 16 after a 27-24 loss to South Carolina, another ranked team falling to an unranked opponent. Kentucky moved up three spots to No. 9 after beating Vanderbilt, and Alabama climbed three places to No. 10 after its 31-20 win over Texas A&M.
The upper half of the poll also got reshuffled by teams that handled business or got help from chaos elsewhere. Ohio State rose from No. 3 to No.
- Georgia, on a bye, moved from No. 5 to No.
- Indiana climbed two spots to No. 4 after beating Michigan in overtime, and Notre Dame slipped to No.
Utah was one of the week’s biggest winners. The Utes jumped from No. 10 to No. 6 after beating Houston 21-13, with the defense doing its part and quarterback Devon Damper turning in 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns despite throwing two interceptions.
Houston, meanwhile, fell four spots to No. 18.
UCLA kept its unbeaten streak rolling as well, moving from No. 9 to No. 7 after a 28-10 win over Michigan State. The Bruins ran for 245 yards and limited the Spartans to 47 rushing yards. They are now one of only three undefeated teams left in the Football Bowl Subdivision, along with Miami and Utah.
Miami remained the nation’s No. 1 team after rolling past Pittsburgh 52-23, and the Hurricanes picked up 59 of the 70 first-place votes. With Miami, Utah and UCLA the only unbeaten teams left, the playoff picture is tightening fast.
The latest poll gives a pretty clear picture of the moment: a few teams are separating themselves, but most of the rankings are still one big weekly reset away from changing again.
In Other News...
Pete Golding Defends The Ole Miss Decision Fans Can't Ignore
Ole Miss fought all the way back from a 24-3 hole against Texas, but the rally ended in heartbreak when Lucas Carneiros 58-yard field goal attempt was blocked late. The Rebels had given themselves a chance after digging out of a deep early deficit, and the finish came down to a choice that was as much about game management as it was about distance.
Pete Golding backed the decision to send Carneiro out there on fourth-and-long, pointing to previous decisions and the flow of the game as reasons the staff trusted the kick. Trinidad Chambliss had already put the Rebels in a tough spot with multiple interceptions, including a costly one before halftime, and the loss left plenty for Ole Miss to sort through after a game that was both resilient and frustrating. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Suddenly Has A Bigger Kewan Lacy Concern Than Auburn
Kewan Lacys availability has become a major issue for Ole Miss heading into the Auburn game on Oct. 31, and the concern is now bigger than just one matchup. The running back will not play against Auburn after suffering a dislocated left shoulder in the third quarter against Texas, adding another setback to a shoulder that has already been a problem for him.
Pete Golding confirmed there is no chance Lacy suits up for Auburn, though the door is not fully closed on a return after Week 9. Given the history with that same shoulder, including offseason surgery in 2025, Ole Miss is left waiting to see how much time Lacy actually needs before he can get back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Entered A Poll Debate SEC Fans Know Too Well
The Week 9 Coaches Poll landed with the usual mix of affirmation and argument, and for SEC fans, it instantly became another round of familiar water-cooler debate. Miami checked in at No. 1 after a decisive win over Pitt, while the league once again packed the rankings, with nine SEC teams in the poll and Georgia sitting at No. 3 and Alabama at No. 10.
Kentuckys place in the conversation is the kind that tends to stir the most noise this time of year, especially when the full rankings and the teams receiving votes are laid out for everyone to compare. It is the sort of poll release that gives plenty of fan bases something to celebrate and just as many something to argue about, which is about as SEC as it gets. [Read more 🡒]