AP Poll Reorders College Football's Playoff Gatekeepers

Half of the six unbeaten Football Bowl Subdivision teams entering Week 8 lost, and the AP Top 25 reshuffled the hierarchy around those still standing. Miami, Utah and UCLA stayed unbeaten. The rankings also shifted the College Football Playoff race, where a panel’s votes help determine which programs remain in the spotlight.

No. 2 BYU lost 39-31 to UCF in double overtime. No. 8 Texas Tech fell 37-24 at Cincinnati, while James Madison lost 34-31 at Appalachian State on Friday. Miami beat Pitt 52-23, UCLA defeated Michigan State 28-10 and Utah beat Houston 21-13.

Who Controls the Ranking

The AP poll released Sunday, Oct. 25, ranked Miami No. 1 for a second straight week, with 59 first-place votes from the media panel. Ohio State moved from No. 3 to No. 2 while idle, collecting 10 first-place votes. Georgia rose from No. 5 to No. 3 during its open date.

Indiana climbed to No. 4 after beating Michigan 13-6 in overtime. Notre Dame, idle, slipped one place to No. 5. Utah jumped from No. 10 to No. 6, its highest ranking since 2022, while UCLA rose from No. 9 to No. 7, its highest AP ranking since 2015. BYU dropped six places to No. 8, and Texas Tech fell five spots to No. 13.

The AP says its 69 voters are writers and broadcasters who cover college football. AP employees don’t vote; the organization chooses voters from across the country and asks them to weigh performance, head-to-head results and regional bias. Their ballots create a public ranking with consequences for the Playoff race.

Five teams in the poll lost to unranked opponents. Three top-10 teams lost Saturday, taking the total number of top-10 losses over the previous three weeks to 10, tied with 2007 and 1959 for the most in a three-week span in poll history. A No. 1 or No. 2 team also lost to an unranked opponent for the third consecutive week, a run last seen in 2007.

The Upsets Reshuffle the Field

The AP poll’s top 10 featured Miami, Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana, Notre Dame, Utah, UCLA, BYU, Kentucky and Alabama. No. 7 Mississippi lost 34-27 to No. 19 Texas. South Carolina beat No. 11 Tennessee 27-24, Minnesota beat No. 15 Iowa 13-10 and Wisconsin beat No. 16 USC 24-7.

According to the AP, Cincinnati’s win over Texas Tech marked its first home victory over a top-10 team as an unranked team since it beat No. 7 Rutgers in 2006. James Madison’s loss to Appalachian State opened the race for the Group of Six’s Playoff spot. The poll’s gatekeeping isn’t limited to established names: UTSA stood at 7-1 and unranked, while Cincinnati received 11 votes.

After the loss, Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell posted, “There is no excuse or reason to lose a game like this.” The Athletic described Campbell as a billionaire and Texas Tech booster/owner. Cincinnati’s stadium played George Strait’s “All My Ex’s in Texas,” and the team tagged Campbell in a final-score post.

The Institutions Keep Score

In the Coaches Poll, Miami held No. 1 with 67 of 74 first-place votes. Ohio State ranked No. 2, Georgia No. 3 and Indiana No. 4. Utah entered the top five for the first time since Dec. 1, 2019. UCLA ranked No. 7 and received the remaining first-place vote; Texas Tech dropped to No. 14.

Poll changes came alongside institutional decisions about coaches and jobs. NC State fired Dave Doeren after a 98-74 tenure. Baylor fired Dave Aranda after losing 25-24 at Kansas and named defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman interim coach. The Athletic reported that six Saturdays remained before selection Sunday.

The players’ work still produces the numbers ranking systems sort. UCLA rushed for 245 yards against Michigan State. Utah took sole possession of first place in the Big 12 and became the conference’s only unbeaten team. Miami’s win over Pitt was its first game as the No. 1 team since 2002. Teams played on the field; above them, poll voters and playoff authorities arranged the pecking order.