College Football Rankings Week 9: Oklahoma State and Oregon rise, Tennessee retains No. 1 spot after Week 8

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Oregon quarterback Bo Nix runs the ball as the Oregon Ducks take on the UCLA Bruins Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. SECONDARY 102222 Eug Oregon Ucla Football 10

Week 8 of the 2022 college football season is in the books and it provided plenty of entertainment. With a pair of matchups between teams in the top 25, our Week 9 college football rankings are looking very different as we pass the midway point of the season.

There weren’t any surprises in the early slate of the college football schedule. The Tennessee Volunteers crushed UT Martin and the Ohio State Buckeyes dismantled the Iowa Hawkeyes, allowing both programs to maintain their place in our top 25 rankings for Week 9. We did see a wild one at Memorial Stadium, with Dabo Swinney benching quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and it sparked a comeback for the Clemson Tigers over Syracuse.

Saturday’s evening slate was even better. Penn State rolled over Minnesota, the Alabama Crimson Tide used Mississippi State as its “get right” game and the TCU Horned Frogs vs Kansas State clash provided a back-and-forth that came down to the final minutes. Let’s not forget the Oregon Ducks thumping the UCLA Bruins and the Oklahoma State Cowboys proving once again that Texas isn’t back.

With quite a few ranked opponents going down on Saturday, there is a lot of movement in the middle of our college football rankings for Week 9. However, our picks for the best team in college football remain the same.

Dropped from Top 25 Rankings: Texas Longhorns (22), Mississippi State Bulldogs (23), UCF Knights (24)

Just Missed: South Carolina Gamecocks, Oregon State Beavers, Maryland Terrapins, Washington Huskies

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Top 25 matchups in Week 9

The top-25 matchups are based on Sportsnaut’s rankings.

Let’s dive into our Week 9 college football rankings.

25. Liberty Flames (25)

Kept out of the AP top 25 rankings coming into the weekend, it should hopefully no longer be the case for the Liberty Flames. Trailing 14-3 after the first quarter, Liberty responded with 38 unanswered points as running back Dae Dae Hunter (244 scrimmage yards) and the Flames’ defense (258 total yards allowed) decimated a BYU team that entered as a 7-point favorite. Hugh Freeze’s team will now stroll into a well-earned bye with two weeks to prepare for a road tilt against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

24. North Carolina Tar Heels (UR)

It’s exceptionally rare for a freshman quarterback to put himself into the conversation for the Heisman Watch, but Drake Maye is building quite a compelling case. The North Carolina native is on pace to shatter Sam Howell’s numbers from his freshman season (3,641 pass yards, 38-7 TD-INT, 160.7 QB rating). The gaudy stats should keep being stockpiled for Maye in the next two games (vs Pittsburgh, @ Virginia), setting the stage for a must-see shootout of North Carolina vs Wake Forest on Nov. 12.

23. NC State Wolfpack (20)

Week 9 might represent the final days for the NC State Wolfpack to be represented in the top 25 rankings. Star quarterback Devin Leary is lost for the season, a devastating blow for this offense and the locker room. Leary’s absence shouldn’t necessarily cost them against Virginia Tech (2-5), but it makes defeating Wake Forest on Nov. 5 seemingly impossible.

22. Syracuse Orange (13)

On the one hand, we could praise the Syracuse Orange for going into Memorial Stadium and taking the Clemson Tigers down to the wire. However, D.J. Uiagaelelei and the Tigers’ offense tried giving this game away (four takeaways), providing Syracuse with a 21-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Blowing all of that is the reason why it’s a steep fall for the orange in the college football rankings.

21. Tulane Green Wave (UR)

The Tulane Green Wave finally make it into the college football rankings and they certainly earned it. Led by quarterback Michael Pratt and running back Tyjae Spears, Tulane already knocked off Kansas State this season. In Week 8, the Green Wave wiped out a respectable Memphis program after allowing the Tigers to fight back in the second back. Heading into the bye week, Tulane is on pace for its best season since it went 12-0 in 1998.

20. Illinois Fighting Illini (19)

We’ll start with the good news. Based on the upcoming schedule, the Illinois Fighting Illini are in a great spot to reach at least nine wins and it could achieve double-digit wins for the first time since 2001. As for the negative, the win over Minnesota is the only “signature victory” on the Fighting Illini schedule, that is unless they stun the world and beat Michigan at Michigan Stadium.

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19. Kentucky Wildcats (18)

It’s one of the matchups we’ve been waiting for since the start of October, Mark Stoops against the Tennessee Volunteers offense. Stoops’ background on defense has worked wonders at Kentucky, culminating in a unit that ranks fifth in ESPN’s Defensive Efficiency (83.4). We’re not ruling out a Week 9 upset, but a third loss would erase the Wildcats from Sportsnaut’s top-25 rankings.

Related: Week 9 college football schedule

18. Cincinnati Bearcats (21)

The Cincinnati Bearcats have clawed their way back into a familiar position, sitting near the top of the American Athletic Conference. Ripping off six consecutive wins since that season-opening defeat at Arkansas, Luke Fickell got his program back on track. Things are about to get a lot more difficult moving forward, starting next Saturday against a quality UCF team.

17. Kansas State Wildcats (15)

Considering Adrian Martinez went down early in this one, Kansas State deserves a ton of credit for battling TCU until the end. The difference between Martinez and backup quarterback Will Howard was evident, especially late in the game. It’s still a tough loss for the Wildcats and another feels inevitable with Oklahoma State coming to Manhattan next Saturday.

16. LSU Tigers (UR)

The LSU Tigers feel like one of the most volatile teams in the country. There are weeks they crush Mississippi State and Ole Miss, but then you witness the Tennessee, Auburn and Florida State games. It’s hard to predict what we’re going to get each week from Jayden Daniels and Brian Kelly. Considering the Alabama Crimson Tide await on Nov. 5, we’re not too optimistic LSU hangs around in the college football rankings for long.

Related: LSU Tigers schedule

15. Ole Miss Rebels (8)

A perfect start came to an end Saturday night and it’s a fitting conclusion considering everything that happened. Star running back Zach Evans didn’t play, Jaxson Dart proved ineffective as a passer once again and the Ole Miss defense seemed to forget that Jayden Daniels was a dual-threat quarterback. Headed to Kyle Field in Week 9, the descent down the top 25 rankings might just be beginning for Ole Miss.

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14. Penn State Nittany Lions (17)

After getting its doors blown off by the Michigan Wolverines, the Penn State Nittany Lions responded by doing the same to Kansas State. It was certainly a nice effort and we recognize that this is a very good team, but look at the looming matchup. Ohio State looks unstoppable this season and James Franklin is 2-14 against top-10 teams in the college football rankings. Do the math, this could get ugly.

13. Utah Utes (16)

If Cameron Rising maintains the level he’s at right now, the Utah Utes are going to be a problem. The defense isn’t nearly as good as in previous seasons, but Rising is one of the best passers in program history. He should rise to the occasion against Washington State and then carry it over into November vs Arizona and Stanford. Fittingly, it would create a must-see clash at Autzen Stadium on Nov. 19.

12. UCLA Bruins (9)

Chip Kelly missed his shot at revenge and the UCLA Bruins kissed any shot at a perfect season goodbye. It felt like Saturday’s game changed on Oregon’s onside kick, turning a potential shootout into a Ducks’ takeover. It certainly didn’t help that UCLA had no answer to stop Bo Nix, but at least it outscored Oregon in the second half. Considering the opponent and all that transpired around the country, it’s only a slight dip for UCLA in the college football rankings.

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11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12)

A healthy Sam Hartman makes the West Forest Demon Deacons one of the most underrated teams in the nation. He went toe-to-toe with Clemson a few weeks ago and he’s been excellent ever since. The Demon Deacons haven’t been challenged for a few weeks now and we anticipate that trend remains the same until they battle NC State on Nov. 5.

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10. USC Trojans (10)

We certainly can’t view the USC Trojans as a playoff contender, especially considering the state of the defense in Southern California. With multiple top-10 teams going down, though, a one-loss program with Caleb Williams at quarterback deserves to be viewed as one of the best football teams in the nation. We’ll see if there are any defensive improvements after the bye, but USC fans shouldn’t hold their breath.

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9. Oklahoma State Cowboys (14)

Credit to the Oklahoma State Cowboys for putting the TCU loss behind them and immediately responding against the Texas Longhorns. We’ve been critical of the Cowboys defense this season, but it held Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns’ offense to three points in the second half and that proved instrumental to the win. Oklahoma State reclaims a top-10 spot in the college football rankings and it could pass USC by defeating Kansas State.

Related: College Football Standings

8. Oregon Ducks (10)

The Oregon Ducks suddenly look like a force to be reckoned with. Dan Lanning’s game plan to contain the UCLA offense worked and quarterback Bo Nix delivered his best game of the season. During this six-game winning streak, Oregon boasts an average margin of victory of 23.3 points and that figure is still 16.8 if you remove a thrashing over Eastern Washington. We’re certainly not ready to think about Oregon making the CFB Playoff, but this is a step in the right direction.

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7. Clemson Tigers (7)

The Clemson Tigers have won 37 consecutive games at Memorial Stadium, the longest winning streak at home in ACC history. Saturday’s victory over Syracuse was a fitting way to snag the record. With his offense struggling, Dabo Swinney benched D.J. Uiagalelei and the change helped the Tigers overcome four giveaways to take out the Orange. Heading into the bye, fans can spend two weeks hyping up Cade Klubnik.

Related: Clemson Tigers schedule

6. TCU Horned Frogs (7)

It’s officially time to start thinking about an undefeated regular season for the TCU Horned Frogs. In his first year at the helm, Sonny Dykes has this team clicking. TCU certainly benefitted from Kansas State needing to depend on its backup quarterback, but let’s not forget the Horned Frogs just took down Oklahoma State a week ago. We don’t expect West Virginia to seriously threaten TCU and it should be favored against Texas Tech (Nov. 5), Texas (Nov. 12) and Baylor (Nov. 19). Would a 12-0 TCU team make it into the CFP Semifinals? It’s doubtful.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (5)

That’s the type of rebound you expect from the Alabama Crimson Tide after a frustrating loss. Bryce Young took it to the Mississippi State Bulldogs early on Saturday, accounting for 173 yards and two touchdowns as the Crimson Tide rolled out to a 24-0 lead before halftime. A trip to Death Valley against a confident LSU Tigers offense will provide a bit of a challenge, but two weeks to prepare for Jayden Daniels and Co. should be more than enough for Nick Saban.

Related: Alabama Crimson Tide schedule

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4. Michigan Wolverines (3)

As if heading into the bye week with a perfect record wasn’t enough for the Michigan Wolverines, they now return in Week 9 to face a hapless Michigan State Spartans program. There’s no question who should win the Paul Bunyan Trophy in a convincing fashion. A week off is what pushes the Wolverines behind Ohio State in our college football rankings this week, but there’s plenty of time for the rivals to reverse things.

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3. Ohio State Buckeyes (4)

Entering Saturday, the Ohio State Buckeyes ranked first in FPI (28.7) thanks to an explosive offense and a defense that is rounding into form. The victory over Iowa only reinforced how everyone should view the Buckeyes. Ohio State dropped a 50-burger on one of the best defenses in the nation, with C.J. Stroud overcoming two early turnovers and the Buckeyes’ defense really eating the Hawkeyes alive. We haven’t really seen Ohio State be tested this season, but that will change on the road against Penn State.

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2. Georgia Bulldogs (2)

The Georgia Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the AP college football rankings and the rationale is understandable. Through seven games, the Bulldogs’ defense is allowing just 247.1 total yards (third-fewest in FBS) and 9.1 points (second-fewest in FBS) per game. Georgia ranks No.3 in ESPN FPI (28.0) with a 31.6% chance to go undefeated. This is undeniably one of the best teams in college football, but we’d pick Tennessee over Georgia on a neutral field if both teams are healthy and that’s not a knock on the Bulldogs.

1. Tennessee Volunteers (1)

The Tennessee Volunteers are the best college football team right now and we aren’t dropping them from No. 1 in the top 25 rankings until they lose. Entering Week 9, Tennessee is averaging 50.1 points per game and 751.1 total yards per game, the best offense in college football. While we anticipate Kentucky keeping things close, give us the team that can spread a defense out and attacks it however it wants at Neyland Stadium.

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