October 25, 2026
If there was any doubt that the back half of October would deliver, Saturday settled it. Five ranked teams lost to unranked opponents, two of them inside the top 10, and the result was a new Associated Press Top 25 in which nearly every team changed position. Only one program stayed exactly where it started: No. 1 Miami.
The Hurricanes, now 7 and 0, strengthened their grip on the top spot, collecting 59 first place votes in Sunday's poll, up from 40 the previous week. Ohio State moved up to No. 2 and received 10 first place votes without playing a snap, as the Buckeyes were among the teams on a bye week. Notre Dame, also idle, climbed to No. 5.
The new AP Top 10
- Miami (7 and 0)
- Ohio State (6 and 1)
- Georgia (6 and 1)
- Indiana (7 and 1)
- Notre Dame (6 and 1)
- Utah (7 and 0)
- UCLA (7 and 0)
- BYU (6 and 1)
- Kentucky (7 and 1)
- Alabama (6 and 2)
Five ranked teams, five unranked opponents
The headline loss came in Orlando, where No. 2 BYU fell to UCF in double overtime. The Cougars had been Miami's closest challenger, holding 20 first place votes a week earlier. Voters dropped them six spots to No. 8, placing them behind Notre Dame, the same team BYU had beaten just one week before.
No. 8 Texas Tech was handled on the road at Cincinnati, a loss that knocked the Red Raiders out of the top 10 and down to No. 13. Tennessee, ranked No. 11, lost to South Carolina on a field goal as time expired and slid to No. 16.
In the Big Ten, No. 15 Iowa fell to Minnesota and dropped out of the poll entirely. The most lopsided result belonged to Wisconsin, which routed No. 16 USC. The Trojans fell out of the rankings, and the Badgers entered at No. 25, their first appearance in the AP Top 25 since September 2023.
The climbers
Texas made the biggest move of the week. Sitting at No. 19 and facing questions about its season, the Longhorns beat then No. 7 Ole Miss 34 to 27 and jumped eight spots to No. 11. Ole Miss fell five places to No. 12.
Utah was rewarded for a 21 to 13 win over Houston, rising from No. 10 to No. 6. The Utes are now the only unbeaten team left in the Big 12 and earned one first place vote.
UCLA continued one of the season's most compelling stories. The Bruins overcame a slow start to beat Michigan State and improve to 7 and 0 after an offseason roster rebuild and injuries at quarterback. SMU also turned heads with a 59 to 20 win over California, moving up four spots to No. 19.
What it means for the playoff picture
With a third of the previous top 10 losing on Saturday, the College Football Playoff conversation has shifted. Two of the Big 12's last unbeaten teams went down in the same afternoon, and conference contenders who were counting on a clean résumé now have little room for error. Losses to ranked opponents, like Ole Miss at Texas, tend to carry more weight with selectors than losses to unranked teams, which makes the Texas Tech and BYU results especially costly.
The brand lens
Weeks like this one are a reminder that in college football, attention moves fast. Programs like Wisconsin and UCF earned a national spotlight overnight, and the athletes who delivered those wins are now in front of a much larger audience. For student athletes, that is exactly why a personal brand should be built before the breakout moment, not after it. For brand partners, it is a signal that the best value often sits with programs on the rise, where engagement is growing and audiences are paying attention for the first time.
Up next
Week 9 continues the push toward November, with ranked teams looking to steady themselves after one of the most unpredictable Saturdays of the season. Stay with the Simply Success Sports Newsroom for continued college football coverage and analysis.
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Sources:
Yahoo Sports: AP Top 25 entering Week 9
Yahoo Sports: Week 8 upsets and McMurphy ballot
CBS Sports: Texas and Utah take big jumps
Sports Illustrated: Texas jumps, BYU sinks
Dallas Morning News via Yahoo
CBS Sports 138: UCLA rises
FBSchedules: Week 8 TV selections
