TOP 25 NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS – WEEK 9

What a week 8 we had ladies and gentlemen! The playoff picture currently looks similar besides one glaring difference in the SEC. From the usual Alabama crimson, we now see the Tennessee orange, as the Crimson Tide find themselves stuck at 6th for another week. Ohio State sure put on a show vs a really good Iowa defense. CJ Stroud has evolved into his final form and is currently the Heisman favorite at +100. With the Buckeyes defense being solid and the offense one of the nation’s best, you have to like those odds. Hendon Hooker is no slouch though; he is easily lined up to contend for the crown all season.

Since we are staying on SEC teams, only 1 upset happened, and it was the “Bayou Bengals” beating 7th ranked Ole Miss. Rebels QB Jaxson Dart did not have a great game, and the Tigers unloaded the heavies on the weak Rebels defense. Clemson strives closer to being ACC king once again with a win over 16th ranked Syracuse, one of the ACC’s best. DJ Uiagalelei continues to underperform but the Tigers clawed their way to another win behind weak QB play. Tulane managed to win vs Memphis and keep their spot in the rankings unlike James Madison. It’s South Carolina now who holds the Mr. Irrelevant ranking after a long stint off the leaderboard.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Enjoyed a nice bye week as kings of college football, and they won’t have to go far this week as they meet SEC foe Florida at the neutral site in Jacksonville that annually plays host to the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”. Gators fans may need a few more cocktails than usual, as the Bulldogs open as –22 favorites.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

54-10 smackdown of Iowa as CJ Stroud led the Buckeyes to the promise land. They will hope to continue their impressive campaign as they travel to Beaver Stadium to take on 13th ranked Penn State as –16.5 road favorites.

3. Tennessee Volunteers

Demolished UT-Martin 65-24 in a one-sided game. They will surely find a tougher opponent in SEC powerhouse and 19th ranked Kentucky. That game has the Volunteers on the road as – 12.5 favorites. Will Levis and the Wildcats are coming off a bye rested and ready to pull off an upset behind their star running back Chris Rodriguez.

4. Michigan Wolverines

Enjoying a bye week of rest, the Wolverines can stay home as they welcome the struggling Michigan State Spartans. Michigan opens as –22 favorites and with how this team is rolling, Harbaugh is going to have his squad fired up and ready to roll behind Blake Corum.

5. Clemson Tigers

Resounding 27-21 victory over 14th ranked Syracuse that puts the Tigers as the clear ACC favorite. However, DJ Uiagalelei struggled once again and Cade Klubnik had to step in and close out another Tigers victory. Hopefully they can figure things out as they head into their bye week.

6. Alabama Crimson Tide

Bryce Young had a quality game as the Crimson Tide beat the 24th ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs 30-6 at home. Saban will rally the guys for a late season push as they head into their bye week to rest and plan.

7. TCU Horned Frogs

MASSIVE 38-28 Big 12 win over upstart 17th ranked Kansas State. The Horned Frogs were able to erase an early 18-point deficit to win at home. They will travel on the road to West Virginia where the Max Duggan show opens as a road favorite with a –7 spread.

8. Oregon Ducks

Bo Nix had quite a game as he led the Ducks at home to a 45-30 victory over 9th ranked UCLA. Oregon will continue working toward their playoff hopes at California, where they open as –17 road favorites to a struggling Golden Bears squad.

9. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Spencer Sanders put on one helluva performance as he led the Cowboys to a massive 41-34 home win over 20th ranked Texas. The Cowboys travel to Adrian Martinez’s Wildcats as the Oklahoma State gang open as +1 road dogs in what’s expected to be a huge Big 12 shootout.

T-10. Wake Forest Demon Deacons 

Sam Hartman continues to shine as he throws for 5 TDS in a 43-15 home victory over Boston College. The Demon Deacons travel to Louisville as –4.5 favorites in which they will battle a quality QB in Malik Cunningham in an expected ACC offensive explosion.

T-10. USC Trojans

Also tied at 10th is Lincoln Riley’s Trojans squad who enjoyed a nice bye week. They travel to Arizona where they opened as –15 road favorites. Caleb Williams should shine against a weak Wildcats squad.

12. UCLA Bruins

The Bruins suffered a 45-30 loss on the road to Oregon which is the first one for Chip Kelly’s team. They hope to rebound at home vs Stanford, as they open at –16.5.

13. Penn State Nittany Lions

Big 45-17 home victory over Minnesota, in a game that many people put Penn State on upset alert. The Nittany Lions will have the toughest test of the season as they welcome the 2nd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes as massive +16.5 underdogs. Can Penn State upset this Buckeyes powerhouse?

14. Utah Utes

Coming off fresh from a bye week, the Utes, led by Cameron Rising, will travel to Washington State to take on the Cougars in a tilt that has Utah as –8 favorites.

15. Ole Miss Rebels

Unfortunate road loss to LSU, 45-20, and first of the season as Ole Miss struggled on offense behind the weak play of Jaxson Dart. The Rebels and Dart hope to rebound on the road against Texas A&M as the Rebels open as –2.5 favorites vs the Aggies.

16. Syracuse Orange

Close 27-21 ACC loss to the conference kings, 5th ranked Clemson, in a dramaticfashion that had DJ Uiagalelei benched in the 3rd quarter. The Orange will welcome Notre Dame into their home this week. Syracuse opens as –2.5 point favorites, and hope to rebound after the loss to the Tigers.

17. Illinois Fighting Illini

The Illini are fresh off a bye week as they travel to Nebraska as –7.5 road favorites. Bret Bielema has this squad firing on all cylinders and I think these guys will roll over a struggling Cornhuskers team.

18. LSU Tigers

The Tigers are back in the rankings as LSU beats 7th ranked Ole Miss at home in a 45-20 blowout in the Bayou. They can enjoy this win for another week as they rest up during a bye.

19. Kentucky Wildcats

Fresh off a bye week the Wildcats will have a massive challenge as they travel to 3rd ranked Tennessee as +12.5 road dogs. Will Levis and Chris Rodriguez have been incredible but it’s going to be the defense who win or lose this game as they will have the unenviable task of trying to contain Hendon Hooker.

20. Cincinnati Bearcats

The Bearcats edged out SMU 29-27 behind Ben Bryant’s arm and the defense containing Tanner Mordecai. They will have another tough challenge this week as they travel to Orlando, Florida as +1 dogs vs UCF.

21. North Carolina Tar Heels

The Tar Heels will welcome the Pittsburgh Panthers in a quality ACC matchup that has UNC –3.5 home favorites. They are fresh from a bye week and hope to continue the offensive success behind Drake Maye.

22. Kansas State Wildcats

Adrian Martinez had the Wildcats rolling. Then on Saturday he was injured on the first drive, and the Wildcats suffered a 38-28 defeat to 8th ranked TCU. They hope to bounce back at home vs Oklahoma State. Spencer Sanders vs Adrian Martinez is quality football, so lets hope Martinez is able to suit up. This Big 12 bash has the Wildcats as a –1 favorite.

23. Tulane Green Wave

The Green Wave rolled over Memphis in a 38-28 win at home, as Michael Pratt continues to be solid. They can enjoy the victory for a little while longer and rest up as they head into their bye week.

24. NC State Wolfpack

The Wolfpack are fresh off a bye and hope to bounce back into the win column as they welcome Virginia Tech as –13.5 home favorites. The Hokies have been struggling and the Wolfpack have hopefully gelled with their new QB whose filling in for injured senior Denis Leary.

25. South Carolina Gamecocks

Spencer Rattler has the Gamecocks ranked for the first time this season after a massive 30-24 home win vs Texas A&M. They hope to stay ranked as they welcome SEC foe Missouri for a game which has the Gamecocks listed as –5 home favorites.