Saturday’s Week 8 college football slate might not have been quite as chaotic as what went down last weekend, but it came close. We witnessed undefeated seasons for the BYU Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders come to an end while top-15 Iowa and Tennessee also went down to unranked opponents.
Let’s dive into our Week 9 college football rankings. We’re evaluating how all top 25 teams performed in Week 8 and looking ahead to next weekend’s action.
1. Miami Hurricanes
It’s good to see Darian Mensah play closer to the form we saw in the first few weeks of the season. With that said, Saturday’s victory at home doesn’t ease any of the concerns many around the country rightfully have about this Miami Hurricanes defense, and it doesn’t help that the run game was a non-factor in this one. The Hurricanes (7-0) should have more than enough answers for what Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels defense throws at them in Week 9. Miami still looks like a vulnerable team and it wouldn’t stun anyone if the top-ranked Hurricanes become the next undefeated team to go down in two weeks.
2. Georgia Bulldogs
Last Saturday’s loss against Auburn is a reminder that in today’s version of college football, the margin for error for top-ranked teams is thinner than it’s been in previous years. Now for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, what’s crucial is returning from the bye and not letting the issues spiral. Gunner Stockton should have a nice bounce-back performance in Week 9 against Florida’s defense, but that Nov. 7 trip to Oxford to take on Ole Miss is the real litmus test that’ll help determine if the Bulldogs are a national title contender.
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Coming out of the Week 8 bye, Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish shouldn’t have any trouble on Halloween against Navy. Of course, nothing that really happens in that matchup will answer the questions surrounding the Fighting Irish defense along with the poise of quarterback CJ Carr. That’ll come on Nov. 7 when Miami comes to town, where we’d hope to see Freeman and defensive coordinator Chris Ash use man coverage more and get more out of a pass rush that will have edge defender Boubacar Traore back out there.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
It’s impossible to ignore injuries when comparing the best college football teams right now. Julian Sayin is out indefinitely, likely through a stretch of the College Football Playoff, meaning either Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair will be the Ohio State Buckeyes starting quarterback in the weeks to come. It puts more pressure on the Buckeyes defense and run game in the next two weeks versus USC (Oct. 31) and Oregon. Ohio State should obviously be favored in both games, but a second loss in the regular season no longer feels out of the question.
5. UCLA Bruins
It is another win led by the UCLA Bruins‘ defense and ground game. Wayne Knight did not deliver the caliber of performance that will generate national headlines, but he was part of a well-rounded effort that saw all three of the Bruins’ running backs find the end zone at home. Meanwhile, UCLA’s defense allowed a first-quarter touchdown that came on a drive that started in the red zone because of a fumble. Outside of that, the Bruins put on a defensive clinic against Michigan State. UCLA (7-0) is now one win away from winning as many games (eight) in two months as it did under Deshaun Foster and Tim Skipper combined. Most impressively, the program is still maintaining this undefeated streak after losing Nico Iamaleava for the season.
6. BYU Cougars
After a program-defining win at Notre Dame, the BYU Cougars had the misfortune in Week 8 of cross-country travel to take on a pesky Central Florida team. Still without running back LJ Martin, who provided balance to this offense, Bear Bachmeier couldn’t get much going on the ground. The bigger issue, obviously, was a BYU defense that often seemed incapable of getting a stop on the Knights’ offense. It certainly feels like being near the top of the college football rankings is a curse at this point. BYU (6-1) now gets to head home to face Arizona State, all the while the buzz for BYU at Utah on Nov. 7 loses much of its luster.
7. Indiana Hoosiers
Not exactly a confidence-inspiring victory from the Indiana Hoosiers in Ann Arbor. Josh Hoover (8-for-18, 81 passing yards and 0-1 TD-INT) brought nothing positive through the air, and running back Turbo Richard is now averaging just 2.9 yards per carry and 41.3 rushing yards per game in his last three contests, a span in which the Hoosiers offense has averaged just 16 PPG. Indiana (7-1) is getting by right now, but a soft schedule might now be the only reason Curt Cignetti’s team wins double-digit games in 2026.
8. Kentucky Wildcats
Will Stein and the Kentucky Wildcats keep on rolling, managing to avoid the same weekly trap that seems to take out a few SEC teams every weekend. Kentucky has beaten South Carolina, something Florida and Tennessee can’t speak to, and it made LSU look very mortal just a few weeks ago. Stein’s team will be tested in a few weeks at Neyland Stadium, but having extra time to prepare for that matchup and the Vols defense might be exactly what they need to make it a seven-game win streak.
9. Utah Utes
Updated after Saturday night’s Houston Cougars vs Utah Utes matchup (10:15 PM ET kickoff)
10. Houston Cougars
Updated after Saturday night’s Houston Cougars vs Utah Utes matchup (10:15 PM ET kickoff)
11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
One of the best stories in college football this season is what quarterback Gio Lopez is doing with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He has been one of the best passers in the nation (1,947 passing yards, 17-1 TD-INT and 85.5 ESPN QBR), this coming after an ugly stint in Chapel Hill. Wake Forest (6-1) does not have much in the way of signature wins right now, but that could change in the next few weeks with matchups against Virginia (Oct. 31) and SMU (Nov. 14).
12. Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns blew another two-score lead in the second half on Saturday night, but this time they also brought back the fourth-quarter magic that helped them beat Ohio State. We still can’t get over Arch Manning’s penchant for awful decision-making, which again resulted in two interceptions on Saturday. Fortunately for Texas, Raleek Brown and Ryan Wingo came through to save the Longhorns’ offense. Still, Manning and Steve Sarkisian remain this club’s weak links right now.
13. Ole Miss Rebels
Outside of that 16-minute segment when the Ole Miss Rebels put up 21 unanswered points, this was largely an ugly showing from Mississippi on Saturday night. Trinidad Chambliss was abysmal and running back Kewan Lacy has been unable to capture the greatness that made Ole Miss’ offense so difficult to contain last season. Given the inconsistency on this side of the ball and the woes the Rebels have largely had for most of the year defensively, we’d suspect a third loss is coming within the next few weeks.
14. LSU Tigers
Making the trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium, Sam Leavitt and the LSU Tigers were never in any real danger of experiencing the same fate as Georgia. The win is always something to feel good about, but what head coach Lane Kiffin will love coming out of Saturday is how effective the Tigers offense was in the red zone. Entering Week 8, LSU ranked 70th in red-zone scoring rate and field goals were a big part of that. Against Auburn, LSU put up 31 points in the first half with four red-zone touchdowns and a field goal. That’s precisely the kind of confidence-builder the Tigers needed entering the bye. When LSU returns, it will welcome Alabama to town on Nov. 7.
15. Tennessee Volunteers
We remain inclined to believe that George MacIntyre shouldn’t be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers. He’s certainly not the primary reason the Vols lost on Saturday at South Carolina, that can be blamed on pre-snap infraction penalties that wiped out multiple touchdowns. However, MacIntyre first botched the fourth-down attempt that would’ve sealed the win and then showed no awareness of Dylan Stewart on the strip-sack fumble that set up the Gamecocks’ game-winning field goal. Tennessee can kiss its playoff chances goodbye, it doesn’t have the quarterback to win out.
16. Alabama Crimson Tide
It is in what has become an all too familiar theme for the Alabama Crimson Tide as of late, they could not run the football effectively on Saturday. Daniel Hill and Trae’shawn Brown were utterly neutralized on their limited touches, meaning it was a big play for Keelon Russell through the air or nothing at all. Fortunately for Kalen DeBoer, this defense once again generated some big takeaways, including a pick-six to open the scoring. Alabama (6-2) snaps its losing streak ahead of its Week 9 bye, but there are plenty of reasons to worry about whether or not this team has what it takes to go into Death Valley in two weeks and win.
17. Boise State Broncos
It was a 10-10 game entering the fourth quarter, and then the Boise State Broncos flipped that switch back to the team we have seen for a majority of the year. Dylan Riley put things on ice, ripping off 33- and 72-yard touchdown runs to extend his streak of six consecutive games with 100-plus scrimmage yards. With the number of two-loss teams around the country, Boise State gets its top-20 spot even with its biggest wins of the year coming against Memphis and Western Michigan.
18. Northwestern Wildcats
The Northwestern Wildcats keep on rolling. A week after a trip to Michigan State required a fourth-quarter comeback, Aidan Chiles made sure his team was in complete control back home on Saturday against Rutgers. Northwestern (6-1) now has five victories by double-digit points this season heading into its trip to Eugene on Halloween. Given the Ducks’ defensive woes this season and the uncertainty regarding quarterback Dante Moore’s status for Week 9, there’s a great case to be made for the Wildcats to either be favored or just slight underdogs at Autzen Stadium.
19. Texas Tech Red Raiders
In what should have come as a surprise to no one who has watched the Texas Tech Red Raiders this season, this team was grossly overrated. It finally showed up on the box score in Week 8. Red Raiders quarterback Will Hammond threw an interception, moving his line to a 6-6 TD-INT mark through seven games, and Cincinnati ran all over Texas Tech’s defense (255 yards and 6.4 yards per carry). The loss was inevitable for the Red Raiders, and we’re inclined to think returning home to face Arizona could result in consecutive losses for the program. If defeat doesn’t come next week, that second loss is just around the corner.
20. SMU Mustangs
The SMU Mustangs had to sweat a bit early against Cal on Saturday afternoon. Then, returning from halftime trailing 20-17, SMU’s defense forced a three-and-out and the offense responded to the stop with a 61-yard touchdown drive to take the lead. That set the tone for 42 unanswered points, with Kevin Jennings (3-0 TD-INT, 223 passing yards) and running backs Kendrick Raphael (104 yards and 2 touchdowns) and Christian Rhodes (41 yards and 2 touchdowns) taking over in the final two quarters. SMU is back out on the road next week, taking on a Syracuse defense that gives up plenty of big plays.
21. Arizona Wildcats
What a final season it’s become for Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita. He put on a passing clinic at home on Saturday night versus Iowa State, with the rapport with Isaiah Mizell again on full display. With a pair of top-ranked Big 12 teams going down on Saturday, including Texas Tech, the road to potentially reaching the Big 12 Championship Game is starting to clear up for Arizona.
22. Missouri Tigers
Here’s the issue with the Missouri Tigers’ resume at this point. Their losses have now come against a pair of teams, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, that now have five combined losses. There is the big win at home over Florida, but we’ve seen how volatile the Gators have been this season. Given Eli Drinkwitz’s issues versus ranked teams, it feels like a virtual certainty Mizzou drops at least two of its next four games and it could be even worse thanks to a three-game stretch versus Texas, Georgia and Kentucky.
23. Florida Gators
It’s probably a good thing the Florida Gators were on a Week 8 bye, as their up-and-down 2026 season seemingly would’ve hit the drop in the teeter-totter in another chaotic Saturday. Then again, Georgia is coming to The Swamp next Saturday and there’s a trip to Kentucky two weeks later. So that third loss before the third week in November is probably coming.
24. Wisconsin Badgers
It feels pretty safe to say at this point that Luke Fickell has earned another year of job security. The Wisconsin Badgers weren’t great defensively at home on Saturday night, but the defense did snag two pivotal interceptions and did a great job keeping USC’s offense in check. The Badgers (5-2) can also point to their losses coming against a pair of top-10 teams, Notre Dame and UCLA, as something to boost the resume. Let’s see how the Badgers fare in Iowa next weekend, as a win could start up some top-20 talk.
25. Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Oklahoma State Cowboys find their way back inside the top 25 rankings, but that might say more about the lack of impressive wins for the likes of the USC Trojans and Iowa Hawkeyes. Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins and Justin Bowick put up a 40-burger at home against Colorado on Saturday night, a nice rebound after that heartbreaking loss in Houston last week. We still are dumbfounded by how this team lost to Tulsa in the regular-season opener, though.