Top 25 College Football Rankings: Mike's Week 9 Standings

October 27, 2026

Mike's top 25 college football teams for Week 9 of the 2026 college football season. His complete top 25 rankings, including Ohio State, Texas, Indiana, and more.

Four of my top seven teams lost this week. One of them still hasn't played anyone, and the other two have already played each other. It's Indiana and Ohio State's world. We all just live in it.

How mad is the CFP (and Big Ten, for that matter) going to be when it's Wisconsin and UCLA representing the conference instead of Oregon and Washington? It's not just about conferences. It's about brands. Part of the reason that the CFP let Miami in is that that's what the ACC wanted anyway. Asinine tiebreakers can pay off!

We don't have 12 good teams this year, but we have to pretend like we do so the SEC gets over-represented and ESPN gets PAID! That doesn't have anything to do with rankings. Let's do the rankings since that's what we're here for.

25. SMU (6-1)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 59-20 vs. California

The Cal game is the only good game that SMU has played this year, and it certainly isn't a big win. They're just lucky that everyone else keeps losing.

24. Oregon State (5-2)

Previous ranking: 25 (⇑1)

Result: BYE

The only Freshmen in CFB History with more than 14 receiving touchdowns in a season:

Michael Crabtree (22)
Jeremiah Smith (15)

Jesse Legree has 14 in just 7 games played. https://t.co/BDkb7YIfEf

— Underdog CFB (@UnderdogCFB) October 21, 2026

Oregon State's schedule is tougher than SMU's. Of course, the near-miss against Texas Tech doesn't look quite as good now, but this team is destroying everyone in the PAC right now. I honestly think they're better than Boise State, though most don't share my sentiment.

23. Cincinnati (5-2)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 37-24 vs. (3) Texas Tech

COLE TABB HAS CEMENTED HIMSELF AS A UC LEGEND

CINCINNATI IS GOING TO UPSET TEXAS TECH ? https://t.co/UwtWr4N0UD

— OnlyFax (@ONLYFAXXX365) October 24, 2026

Hey, that's a big win. Not all two-loss teams have a big win. Honestly, the two losses aren't all that bad either. West Virginia is going to a bowl, and Arizona is a threat to win this conference.

22. Missouri (5-2)

Previous ranking: 24 (⇑2)

Result: BYE

Missouri has been a little all over the place this year. If they can still get Ahmad Hardy back before a third loss, Missouri will remain in the thick of the CFP race.

21. Boise State (6-1)

Previous ranking: 23 (⇑2)

Result: W 31-10 at Washington State

The close loss to Oregon looks worse and worse. The wins over Memphis and Western Michigan keep the Broncos just ahead of Oregon State.

20. Florida (5-2)

Previous ranking: 20 ⇔

Result: BYE

Florida's win over Texas in Austin looks a little better than it did last week, and Florida wasn't anywhere near a football game. The rest could do the Gators some good.

19. LSU (6-2)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 38-17 at (21) Auburn

Yeah, maybe Auburn got screwed when that interception was overturned in the first half. That play changed the entire game. Still, if you're Auburn and you're a good team, you have to find a way to overcome that. It happened early enough in the game that the Tigers should have been able to overcome it.

And, a very bad decision from Sam Leavitt

Didn’t understand that one, with 2 other LSU receivers open

But, he’s bailed out by Auburn defender not having control (according to replay booth) https://t.co/4FJqgkvzKA

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) October 24, 2026

18. Northwestern (6-1)

Previous ranking: 16 (⇓2)

Result: W 42-14 vs. Rutgers

As with Notre Dame, at some point, Northwestern needs to beat someone. They'll get chances. Beating Oregon in Eugene may not mean a lot right now, but Iowa, Ohio State, and Minnesota give them chances to move them up the list.

17. Tennessee (6-2)

Previous ranking: 7 (⇓10)

Result: L 27-24 at South Carolina

You can't even blame this on an inexperienced quarterback. George MacIntyre did reasonably well. Tennessee had a couple of touchdowns called back and played well enough to win the game. LaNorris Sellers punished the Tennessee defense with his escapability. That wasn't supposed to happen.

16. Houston (6-2)

Previous ranking: 12 (⇓4)

Result: L 21-13 at (22) Utah

Houston has two really good losses, but no good wins. They are 2025 Notre Dame. We all know how that turned out.

15. Mississippi (5-2)

Previous ranking: 6 (⇓9)

Result: L 34-27 at (17) Texas

Mississippi looked awful in the first half. It says something that the team was able to play this to a tie with a few minutes left. It says even more that Texas ran all over them on the last two drives.

14. Alabama (6-2)

Previous ranking: 15 (⇑1)

Result: W 31-20 vs. Texas A&M

Alabama trailed A&M -- arguably the worst team in the SEC -- going into the fourth quarter. We know that the Tide can play with anyone. Apparently, they can also lose to anyone. It says something that Keelon Russell keeps leading them to victories. Losing to Georgia and losing to a rival on the road isn't enough to forget about them yet.

13. Texas (6-2)

Previous ranking: 17 (⇑4)

Result: W 34-27 vs. (6) Mississippi

Yeah, it's these guys again. Texas has two impressive wins over Ohio State and Mississippi. The Longhorns have two abhorrent losses to Oklahoma and Florida. That's what happens when you let AI and predictive metrics call plays.

I would like to say that Texas learned their lesson, but that would only be true if this team was fighting to get into a four-team playoff. With 12, Texas gets in with three losses, so there is no lingering, painful lesson to be learned.

12. Texas Tech (6-1)

Previous ranking: 3 (⇓9)

Result: L 37-24 at Cincinnati

When you spend that much money on a defense, and then it gets gutted by an offense that Arizona shut down, Tech deserves to drop like a stone. The Red Raiders did themselves no favors with the out-of-conference scheduling either. If we take the committee at its word, that could hurt this year.

Tech got rolled by a team that got blasted by Arizona and is still giving up points to West Virginia. The scoreboard is too kind in this one. It felt worse.

11. Arizona (6-1)

Previous ranking: 19 (⇑8)

Result: W 39-3 vs. Iowa State

I'm going to be purposely blunt here. Arizona demolished the Cincinnati team that beat Texas Tech and beat Iowa State by a lot more than Utah did. The only loss is to BYU. Arizona might be the second-best team in the Big 12 right now.

Noah Fifita is a 5 foot 10 quarterback, and people offered him millions of dollars to leave Arizona.

He stayed.

Saturday he was the highest graded quarterback in college football.

Here is the whole thing.

He is from Huntington Beach, California, and he went to Servite High School in Anaheim.

He threw for 7,273 yards and 83 touchdowns there. Both are school records.

MaxPreps ranked him the eighth best high school quarterback in the country.

Now look at who offered him a scholarship.

Arizona. California. Colorado State. Fresno State. Hawaii. Idaho State. New Mexico. Utah State.

Two of those were Power Five programs. He is 5 foot 10, and that was the whole list.

He picked Arizona.

He sat as a freshman. His first career touchdown pass went to Tetairoa McMillan, who had been his high school teammate.

Then in Week 4 of the next season the starter, Jayden de Laura, got hurt.

Fifita came in and won the game at Stanford. By the time de Laura was healthy, the job was gone.

He threw 25 touchdowns and six interceptions that year and was named the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. Against Arizona State he threw for 527 yards and five touchdowns, which is still the most in a game in Arizona history.

Then the coach who recruited him left for Washington.

The next season Arizona went 4 and 8 and Fifita threw 12 interceptions.

That is the moment almost everybody leaves.

Here is what he says about it.

"They've been loyal to me, they've trusted me, so I've been loyal to them."

The year after that Arizona won nine games and he threw 29 touchdowns and made first team All-Big 12.

On September 19 against Northern Illinois he completed 31 of 34 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns.

One of those completions went seven yards to Isaiah Mizell and made him the leading passer in the history of the school, past Nick Foles.

Mizell said he wanted to make the moment special because Fifita is his brother.

Then Saturday at West Virginia. Sixteen of 23 for 341 yards and three touchdowns, including one that went 72 yards. Arizona won 52 to 31.

Pro Football Focus graded that game a 93.1, the best of any quarterback in the Power Four.

Away from the field he feeds people in Tucson who do not have anywhere to eat, and he coaches kids in flag football. His house is where the team goes. His younger brother Dash is a freshman linebacker there.

Here is what his head coach Brent Brennan says.

"Noah Fifita is the best story in college football."

Everybody leaves now.

He has thrown for more yards than anybody in the history of his school, and he did all of it in one uniform.

— the Sports ON Tap (@thesportsontap) October 12, 2026

Arizona has a talented fifth-year quarterback who has played his whole career at one school. The RB room is back in business, and this defense is underrated. It's not my fault that AP doesn't watch football. Arizona has every reason to be above Texas Tech.

10. Notre Dame (6-1)

Previous ranking: 9 (⇓1)

Result: BYE

At some point, Notre Dame needs to win a game against a ranked team.

9. Wake Forest (6-1)

Previous ranking: 8 (⇓1)

Result: BYE

What if...what if Wake Forest's only loss is a close one to the best team in the country? Are we ready for that conversation, or no?

8. Kentucky (7-1)

Previous ranking: 12 (⇑4)

Result: W 34-17 vs. Vanderbilt

Kentucky's win over LSU looks solid. Getting blown out by Alabama at home still looks iffy. At any rate, Lexingtonians may be more excited about the brown, oblong one than the orange round one this year.

7. BYU (6-1)

Previous ranking: 1 (⇓6)

Result: L 39-31 at Central Florida (OT)

BYU follows up its biggest win in 42 years with a loss to a 3-3 team with a backup quarterback...and that's still not the worst loss of the one-loss teams. Maybe the sense of urgency just isn't there anymore with a 12-team playoff. Maybe Notre Dame really isn't that good. The Big 12 isn't going to get the concessions that the SEC and Big Ten get.

I've repeatedly called out the Big Ten and ACC officials for bailing out the biggest brands. It looks like the Big 12 did it this week. UCF should have had a kick to try and win this in regulation. A questionable call helped give Utah a nudge in the right direction. The difference is that Utah was able to take advantage where BYU couldn't.

6. UCLA (7-0)

Previous ranking: 11 (⇑5)

Result: W 28-10 vs. Michigan State

I have serious questions about UCLA's strength of schedule, but that matters less and less when highly ranked teams keep losing to bad teams. Have your day, UCLA. In the non-portal era, the Deshaun Foster hire would have set this program back a decade. I'm glad that the consequences aren't as severe anymore.

Unlike Ohio State, UCLA can keep winning without its starting quarterback. A lot of that has to do with the schedule. UCLA's final five games are against Nevada, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and USC. Woof!

5. Georgia (6-1)

Previous ranking: 10 (⇑5)

Result: BYE

Georgia may have lost to an unranked team at home, but at least it was in a storied rivalry.

4. Indiana (7-1)

Previous ranking: 4 ⇔

Result: W 13-6 at Michigan (OT)

Just because Indiana isn't as good as last year doesn't mean this group isn't a good team. The Hoosiers are inches of chalk away from still being undefeated, and Ohio State is in a very uncomfortable situation. They also won in the Big House for the first time since 1967. That's still a big deal. Michigan hasn't been good every year since 1967.

3. Utah (7-0)

Previous ranking: 22 (⇑19)

Result: W 21-13 vs. (12) Houston

See, Utah fans? You didn't need to get so mad! I promised that I would move the Utes up when they played someone. They did, and they won.

2. Miami (FL) (7-0)

Previous ranking: 5 (⇑3)

Result: W 52-23 vs. Pittsburgh

Look at me! Look at me! I beat Pitt! They didn't have their starting QB or RB, but who cares? I beat Pitt! Come to think of it, Pitt without its starting QB and RB is still one of the stronger opponents that Miami has faced.

Wake Forest is the only good team that Miami has beaten, and the Hurricanes didn't have to deal with Ousmane Kromah for the second half of the Florida State game. All that said, I have Wake Forest ranked ahead of Houston, and Miami beat them in Winston-Salem. With similarly embarrassing schedules, Miami is ahead of Utah.

1. Ohio State (6-1)

Previous ranking: 2 (⇑1)

Result: BYE

Ohio State's loss was on the road in Austin. Georgia lost to an unranked team at home. Kentucky got dismembered at home by Alabama. That's still the best loss. Oh, and Ohio State beat the defending national champions on their home field.

We don't know what Ohio State is going to look like without Julian Sayin. Until we do, the Buckeyes stay here.

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