Ohio State out of the top 10 for the first time in five years, UCLA in the top five for the first time in 25, and New Mexico ranked at last
Ohio State falls nine spots to No. 11 after losing at USC, UCLA reaches No. 5 at 8-0, and New Mexico is ranked for the first time in program history — with the games behind every move and the 2027 draft stock they shifted.
Ohio State's 30-18 loss at USC was the fourth straight week in which the No. 1 or No. 2 team fell to an unranked opponent. 1
The Buckeyes dropped from No. 2 to No. 11 on the ballot released Sunday, Nov. 1, out of the top 10 for the first time in five years. 1
UCLA rose to No. 5, its highest rank in 25 years. New Mexico entered at No. 22, the first ranking in a program that has played football since 1892. 1
Miami held No. 1 for the third straight week, with 62 of 70 first-place votes, after escaping North Carolina 38-35. Georgia moved up to No. 2 with seven votes, Utah to No. 3 with one. 1
Four newcomers came in: No. 18 USC, No. 21 Iowa, No. 22 New Mexico and No. 23 South Carolina. Northwestern, SMU, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin went out. 2
This issue covers that ballot and the games of Oct. 29–31 it grades. ESPN files the weekend as Week 9, and the game labels below follow it. 3
Official AP Top 25: full ballot and movement
| Rank | School (first-place votes) | Record | Points | Previous | Movement and driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami (Fla.) (62) | 8-0 | 1,740 | 1 | Held No. 1 after beating North Carolina 38-35. 45 |
| 2 | Georgia (7) | 7-1 | 1,648 | 3 | Up one after beating Florida 27-8 in Atlanta. 46 |
| 3 | Utah (1) | 8-0 | 1,540 | 6 | Up three after scoring 42 first-half points in a 49-25 win over Cincinnati. 47 |
| 4 | Notre Dame | 7-1 | 1,476 | 5 | Up one after beating Navy 35-13. 34 |
| 5 | UCLA | 8-0 | 1,473 | 7 | Up two after shutting out Nevada 27-0; highest rank since 2001. 48 |
| 6 | Indiana | 8-1 | 1,446 | 4 | Down two after needing overtime to beat Minnesota 23-16. 49 |
| 7 | BYU | 7-1 | 1,358 | 8 | Up one after beating Arizona State 27-20. 34 |
| 8 | Kentucky | 7-1 | 1,253 | 9 | Up one while idle. 4 |
| 9 | Alabama | 6-2 | 1,107 | 10 | Up one while idle. 4 |
| 10 | Texas | 6-2 | 1,057 | 11 | Up one after beating Mississippi State 31-3. 34 |
| 11 | Ohio State | 6-2 | 1,049 | 2 | Down nine, the week's largest fall, after the 30-18 loss at USC. 410 |
| 12 | Ole Miss | 6-2 | 953 | 12 | Held 12th after beating Auburn 45-15. 4 |
| 13 | Texas Tech | 7-1 | 931 | 13 | Held 13th after beating Arizona 34-26. 4 |
| 14 | Wake Forest | 7-1 | 898 | 14 | Held 14th after beating Virginia 51-7. 4 |
| 15 | LSU | 6-2 | 814 | 15 | Held 15th while idle. 4 |
| 16 | Tennessee | 6-2 | 719 | 16 | Held 16th while idle. 4 |
| 17 | Houston | 6-2 | 590 | 18 | Up one while idle. 4 |
| 18 | USC | 7-2 | 539 | NR | Entered after beating Ohio State, the biggest win of Lincoln Riley's five seasons. 14 |
| 19 | Missouri | 6-2 | 475 | 23 | Up four after beating Arkansas 34-10. 34 |
| 20 | Boise State | 7-1 | 451 | 20 | Held No. 20 after beating Texas State 46-45. 34 |
| 21 | Iowa | 6-2 | 401 | NR | Entered after a 30-0 win at Wisconsin, its fifth straight in the series. 14 |
| 22 | New Mexico | 7-1 | 179 | NR | Entered after winning 21-16 at San Jose State; first ranking in program history. 14 |
| 23 | South Carolina | 5-3 | 163 | NR | Entered after beating Oklahoma 42-25, its third straight win. 14 |
| 24 | Arizona | 6-2 | 154 | 22 | Down two after losing 34-26 at Texas Tech. 34 |
| 25 | Florida | 5-3 | 94 | 17 | Down eight after losing 27-8 to Georgia. 46 |
Also receiving votes: Northwestern 79, Oregon 55, UTSA 43, SMU 27, Virginia Tech 12, Duke 10, Minnesota 8, Liberty 4, Oklahoma State 3, Louisville 1. 4
Ohio State's run in the top 10 ran from Sept. 26, 2021, when it slipped to No. 11, through 86 consecutive polls. 1
The Buckeyes' fall makes four straight weeks in which the No. 1 or No. 2 team lost to an unranked opponent. 1
The No. 2 team has now lost three straight weeks, something that last happened in 2007. 1
UCLA's No. 5 is its highest since it was No. 4 after a 6-0 start in 2001. The Bruins are 8-0 under first-year coach Bob Chesney. 1
Utah's No. 3 matches its highest ranking since Oct. 18, 2015, when it was 6-0. Indiana now owns the longest active streak of top-10 appearances at 22 weeks. 1
New Mexico has played football since 1892. The Lobos are 7-1 for the first time since 1982, in Jason Eck's second season. 1
They are also the Mountain West's first ranked team since Boise State was No. 25 in the 2025 preseason poll. The Broncos now play in the Pac-12. 1
Ohio State finished eight points behind Texas at No. 10. Notre Dame holds No. 4 over UCLA by three. 4
The Big 12 and the Big Ten each place five teams, the ACC two. The SEC has 10, Notre Dame is independent, Boise State carries the Pac-12 and New Mexico the Mountain West. 1
The Coaches Poll, released the same day, keeps Ohio State in its top 10 at No. 10 and gives Miami 68 first-place votes, Georgia four and Kentucky one. 11
The coaches rank Indiana third and Notre Dame sixth, the reverse of the AP's order, and place New Mexico 25th rather than 22nd. 11
They also keep Northwestern 23rd and SMU 24th, the two teams the AP dropped after losses. 11
The games behind the movement
USC 30, Ohio State 18: a freshman's first start in the rain
Ohio State played without Julian Sayin, who hurt his arm two weeks earlier against Indiana. Luke Fahey, a freshman, made his first career start and went 21-of-38 for 260 yards. 10
USC scored on its second snap. Trent Mosley took a screen 69 yards for a touchdown and finished with five catches for 101 yards. 10
The Trojans led 20-9 at halftime. Ohio State reached the USC 1 before the break and settled for a field goal, and the USC defense did not allow a touchdown for the first 57 minutes. 10
Mark Bowman's 70-yard catch and run in the third quarter, hurdling a defender and breaking tackles, set up King Miller's 1-yard touchdown for a 27-9 lead. 10
Jeremiah Smith caught a 1-yard touchdown from Fahey with 2:12 left, then the two-point try failed. Caden Chittenden's 32-yard field goal closed it at 30-18. 10
That catch was the 40th touchdown reception of Smith's career, breaking Braylon Edwards' Big Ten record. 10
Ryan Day on the loss: "At the end of the day, as a team, we weren't able to play well enough to support a young freshman quarterback who has his first start on the road like this." 10
Lincoln Riley: "That's two of the best teams in the country on the field right there. It's going to come down to who plays the situations best, and we did it tonight." 10
It was Riley's biggest win in five seasons at USC, and it came a week after a flat loss to Wisconsin had his future back in the local press. 7
USC is 7-2 and goes to Indiana on Nov. 14. Ohio State is 6-2 with multiple losses before November for the first time since 2011. 3
Miami 38, North Carolina 35: an escape in Chapel Hill
North Carolina led 28-24 on Demon June's 1-yard run with 11:46 left. Mark Fletcher Jr. answered on fourth down from the 2 with 7:49 to play. 5
On the next possession, Marquise Lightfoot stripped Billy Edwards Jr. from behind and Justin Scott recovered with 5:33 left. 5
Darian Mensah then found Malachi Toney for 9 yards and a 38-28 lead with 2:33 remaining, after Elija Lofton's leaping catch over a defender kept the drive alive. 5
Edwards threw for a season-high 341 yards and four touchdowns, two to tight end Jelani Thurman. North Carolina is 0-12 against No. 1 teams. 5
Mario Cristobal: "You just keep playing. Because you don't know what play is going to turn the whole thing around. And certainly the fumble was a massive turnaround." 5
Miami is 8-0 and 6-0 in the ACC, and visits Notre Dame on Saturday. 3
Indiana 23, Minnesota 16 (OT): two 60-yard field goals in the last 19 seconds
Minnesota's Luke Drzewiecki made a career-long 60-yard field goal with 19 seconds left for a 16-13 lead. 9
Charlie Becker's 33-yard catch on the next play from scrimmage set up Paddy McAteer, who made a career-long 60-yarder as time expired. 9
It was the second season in Big Ten history with two made field goals of 60 yards or more, and both came in this game. ESPN Research called it the first FBS game in at least 30 years with two. 79
Josh Hoover started with an injured right shoulder, threw his second interception of the season, and was pulled at halftime after going 8-of-19 for 119 yards. 9
Grant Wilson, a seventh-year backup, went 9-of-17 for 156 yards and hit Becker for 25 yards on the first play of overtime. Indiana's defense then stopped Minnesota. 9
Becker finished with eight catches for 149 yards. Curt Cignetti: "This is entertainment, so I thought we'd bring some entertainment to this game." 9
Georgia 27, Florida 8: four turnovers indoors
The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party moved to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta while EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville is renovated. Georgia made it six straight in the series anyway. 6
Florida turned the ball over four times. Aaron Philo threw two interceptions and was benched, and Tramell Jones Jr. was sacked by Quintavius Johnson, with Chris Cole returning the fumble 66 yards for a touchdown 29 seconds before halftime. 6
Georgia led 24-0 at halftime and outrushed Florida 217-48. Jadan Baugh, the SEC's leading rusher with 13 touchdowns, managed 38 yards on 17 carries. 6
Kirby Smart: "If you can't run the ball and they struggled to run it, it makes you one-dimensional. … It was a huge momentum play because it's really a 14-point swing." 6
Jon Sumrall, Florida's coach: "They didn't need our help tonight, but we gave it to them, and they won the game." 6
Utah 49, Cincinnati 25: the most complete game of the Utes' season
Utah scored 42 points before halftime. Devon Dampier finished 22-of-29 for 260 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. 7
The Utes are 8-0 for the first time since 2010 and one of three unbeaten teams left in the FBS, along with Miami and UCLA. 37
Cincinnati had beaten Texas Tech a week earlier. This time it lost by 24 and fell out of the receiving-votes list. 47
UCLA 27, Nevada 0: three interceptions before the first quarter ended
UCLA intercepted Nevada on each of the Wolf Pack's first three drives. Derrick Barksdale returned the third 26 yards for a touchdown. 8
The Bruins finished with four interceptions, the last by Ty Lee with 53 seconds left to keep the shutout. It was UCLA's first home shutout in 19 years. 8
Bob Chesney: "After every win you feel like there is so much work left to be done. … Probably not one guy on this team feels that way." 8
UCLA is 8-0 and 5-0 in the Big Ten, and plays at Minnesota on Saturday. 3
New Mexico 21, San Jose State 16: a ranking after 134 years
The Lobos moved in at No. 22 after winning at San Jose State. It is the first AP ranking in a program that has played since 1892. 1
New Mexico is the only Mountain West team unbeaten in conference play and a contender for the Group of Six playoff spot alongside Boise State, which stayed at No. 20. 1
The remaining schedule ranks 104th in the nation. Two numbers sit behind the 7-1: quarterback Toa Fa'avae has thrown six interceptions, and the Lobos have scored exactly 21 in each of their past three wins. 2
They play at Nevada on Friday. 3
The rest of the ranked results
Ranks below are the ones each team carried into the weekend.
- No. 8 BYU 27, Arizona State 20: the Big 12 later said officials erred by awarding BYU a first-quarter touchdown, when Sione Moa recovered Bear Bachmeier's fumble after the whistle and ran it in; the ball should have been at the 2. 2
- No. 13 Texas Tech 34, No. 22 Arizona 26: a 13th straight home win, tied for the longest streak in program history. Arizona is 0-2 against ranked teams. 3
- Iowa 30, No. 25 Wisconsin 0: a fifth straight win over the Badgers, and a one-week return to the poll for the Hawkeyes. 13
- South Carolina 42, Oklahoma 25: three straight conference wins, the Gamecocks' longest streak since 2024, and a first ranking since September 2025. 13
- No. 5 Notre Dame 35, Navy 13: a 22nd straight win over an unranked opponent. 3
- No. 11 Texas 31, Mississippi State 3: Arch Manning was sacked five times in the win. 3
- No. 23 Missouri 34, Arkansas 10: a 29th straight win over an unranked opponent. 3
- No. 12 Ole Miss 45, Auburn 15: four different Rebels ran for touchdowns. 3
- No. 14 Wake Forest 51, Virginia 7: the 44-point margin is the second largest in series history. 3
- No. 20 Boise State 46, Texas State 45: a seventh straight game of 30 points or more. 3
- Syracuse 30, No. 19 SMU 27: a last-minute loss that knocked the Mustangs out of the poll. 1
- Oregon, No. 20 Northwestern: Northwestern led into the fourth quarter in Eugene and could not finish it. 1
- Iowa State 51, No. 24 Oklahoma State 49: a walk-off field goal after an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty gave the Cyclones a short field. 1
Where the playoff bracket points now
AP builds a 12-team bracket from its own ballot each week. On this one, the top four seeds and byes go to Miami, Georgia, Utah and Notre Dame. 12
The first-round games are No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Kentucky, No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 UCLA, No. 10 Texas at No. 7 BYU and No. 11 Ohio State at No. 6 Indiana. 12
Ole Miss, ranked 12th by the AP, is the first team out: Boise State takes the Group of Six slot and pushes the Rebels aside. Texas Tech and Wake Forest are next. 12
Ohio State at Indiana carries the week's strangest detail. The Buckeyes were No. 2 seven days ago and would now have to win in Bloomington to reach a quarterfinal. 12
The committee releases its own first ranking Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, and it continues weekly until the bracket is set Dec. 6. 212
2027 NFL Draft: what the week changed
| Player | What happened Oct. 29–31 | The analyst's view, and when it was set | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana | Eight catches for 149 yards, including the 33-yarder that set up the tying kick and the 25-yard overtime winner 9 | Reid: "trending toward being a top-10 pick," No. 6 on his Oct. 1 board 1314 | Rising |
| Nick Marsh, WR, Indiana | Four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota 13 | Reid's WR3, No. 18 on his board, projected to "clip the top 20" 13 | Rising |
| Chris Cole, LB, Georgia | Nine tackles, a sack and a 66-yard fumble-return touchdown against Florida 13 | Reid's No. 5 overall, with a "Grand Canyon-sized gap" to the next linebacker and top-10 potential 13 | Rising |
| LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina | 96 rushing yards and two scores against Oklahoma, the second straight week at exactly 96 13 | Moved from early-to-mid Day 3 to "potentially Round 2" over four games 13 | Rising |
| Kingston Lopa, S, Cal | Two pass breakups against NC State; five interceptions this season, tied for the FBS lead 13 | Kiper's No. 3 safety and a second-round name to watch 13 | Rising |
| A.J. Holmes Jr., DT, Texas Tech | Another sack, against Arizona, for five in three weeks 13 | Early-to-mid Day 2 grades now, and Reid expects him to keep climbing 13 | Rising |
| Will Heldt, Edge, Clemson | A sack against Florida State; seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss in eight games 13 | A Day 2 grade from Kiper, who likes him standing up or with a hand down 13 | Holding |
| Justin Bowick, WR, Oklahoma State | Seven catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the 51-49 loss 13 | Third round for Kiper, fourth for Reid with late-Day-2 upside 13 | Rising |
| Eli Gillman, RB, Montana | Passed 1,000 yards for a third straight season; career rushing touchdowns 63 and 64 13 | Late Day 3, with scouts now looking at an FCS back 13 | Rising |
Becker and Marsh play in the same offense and scored in the same game. Reid's board has them sixth and 18th, the two highest receivers behind Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith. 13
Reid and Kiper do not agree on where Becker belongs: Reid's board has him sixth, Kiper's October Big Board 11th. The Draft Bible's updated board puts him 10th. 131516
The Draft Bible published its own updated board on Oct. 30. Jeremiah Smith stays No. 1 there, Colin Simmons second and Drew Mestemaker third. 16
Smith set the Big Ten career record for touchdown catches on Saturday, his 40th. The board that ranks him first was published the day before. 1016
Three injury notes arrived this week. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who took a severe concussion last month, is done for the season, and his draft future is unsettled. 16
Texas left tackle Trevor Goosby had surgery on a torn left patellar tendon and will miss the rest of the year. He had been viewed as a potential first-round talent. 16
Iowa running back Kamari Moulton is out for the season with an upper-body injury and will likely return to school. Missouri's Ahmad Hardy, back at practice after a gunshot wound to his leg in May, was expected to play at Arkansas. 16
A fumble return, a 60-yard kick and a 149-yard afternoon are facts from this weekend. A board placement carries the day it was published. 1316
What's next
Six ranked matchups sit on the Nov. 7 slate, and the top two seeds in AP's bracket projection both go on the road. 1
- No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The teams hold the same rankings they did for the 1988 game in South Bend, a 31-30 Notre Dame win. 1
- No. 2 Georgia at No. 12 Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m. on ABC. Georgia is trying to avenge last season's 39-34 loss to the Rebels in the Sugar Bowl playoff quarterfinal. 1
- No. 7 BYU at No. 3 Utah, noon on ABC. The Holy War is a top-10 matchup for the first time, and the winner takes command of the Big 12. 17
- No. 8 Kentucky at No. 16 Tennessee, 6:15 p.m. on ESPN. Tennessee has won five straight in the series; Kentucky has won six straight and is tied with Georgia atop the SEC. 1
- No. 10 Texas at No. 19 Missouri, noon on ESPN. Their first meeting as SEC members, and probably a playoff knockout game. 1
- No. 9 Alabama at No. 15 LSU, 3:30 p.m. on ABC. Both need it to stay alive, and Alabama has won three straight in the series. 1
Ohio State hosts Oregon at 3:30 on CBS, USC is off until Nov. 14 at Indiana, and UCLA plays at Minnesota at noon on Fox. 3
New Mexico plays at Nevada on Friday night, and Houston hosts Cincinnati. 3
References
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4NCAA College Football AP Top 25 Poll
sportsdata.usatoday.com
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10USC stuns No. 2 Ohio State 30-18
apnews.com
- 11NCAA College Football Coaches Poll, Nov. 1, 2026
sportsdata.usatoday.com
- 12
- 13
- 14Jordan Reid's 2027 top 50
espn.com
- 15Mel Kiper's 2027 Big Board
espn.com
- 16All Access: NCAA Week 9 Scouting Guide
allaccessfootball.com
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