The Week 9 AP Top 25 Poll has sparked debate: after defeating Ohio State without its starting quarterback, USC rose to 18th, while Wake Forest, which has won seven of its eight games, did not change its position in the poll. The author of the article, published on Fox News' OutKick Sports section, believes voters reacted too emotionally to the result.
In the eighth week of play, only two pairs of ranked teams faced each other, so few dramatic changes were expected. The main story was Ohio State's loss, which the author calls the second-best team in the country. According to him, USC lost to Wisconsin last week, and Wisconsin, in turn, lost to Iowa 30-0. That is why, in the author's view, the assessment of the strength of the opponents raises questions. He also recalls that in Week 5 USC lost at home to Oregon by two touchdowns, and a week before that game the team's fans called for head coach Lincoln Riley to be fired.
According to the article, Wake Forest crushed Virginia 51-7, scoring 187 points over the last four weeks while allowing 31. The team's only loss was to Miami, which holds first place in the rankings, by 13 points. Despite this, Wake Forest remained at 14th. The author explains this position by Wake Forest's weak schedule and the weakness of the ACC: in his assessment, opponents such as Stanford, NC State, Cal and Virginia should have provided a more serious test, and routs of these teams carry more weight than a ranking position. He notes that, depending on how the conference season unfolds, Wake Forest could finish with 11 wins and 1 loss, and its most significant victory would be the road win over Purdue in Week 2.
The author also takes a critical view of the top of the rankings. Miami, he says, is the most talented and explosive of the three remaining undefeated teams, so first place looks justified. Georgia, after a rest following its unexpected home loss to Auburn, convincingly beat Florida and kept its high position. Utah, at 8-0, holds third place, but the author considers the team's wins less impressive: its opponents were mostly weak teams and No. 14 Houston at Houston's home field. UCLA, also 8-0, won on the road at No. 13 Oregon, and in the author's opinion deserves third place rather than Utah. He also considers Notre Dame's fourth place overrated: the team has already lost, and its most significant win was a Week 1 neutral-site game against Wisconsin, which now stands at 5-3.
Kentucky and Alabama, which did not play last weekend, each moved up one position. The article singles out New Mexico: the team, which beat San Jose State on the road on Halloween, is 7-1. The Lobos scored exactly 21 points three times in a row, beating Hawaii 21-10, North Dakota State 21-16 and San Jose State with the same 21-16 score. The author believes New Mexico would deserve 21st place instead of 22nd if this statistic is taken into account. He also notes that under Jason Eck, since 2025, the team has won 16 games and lost 5, although the program had not appeared in a bowl game since 2016, before the coach arrived in Albuquerque.