Week 9 college football rankings: Ohio State proves it’s No. 1, Alabama and Utah soar after Week 8

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Oct 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) points out a flag that overturned a turnover during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Week 8 of the college football season delivered an array of must-see matchups that everyone wanted to see. Not only did the Ohio State Buckeyes and Alabama Crimson Tide win on Saturday, they made statements that are reflected in our Week 9 college football rankings.

Many of the best teams in college football right now have signature victories. From the Washington Huskies to the Florida State Seminoles, this is resume-building time and some of the nation’s top football powerhouses are delivering in big spots. That was no different on Saturday.

Let’s dive into our top 25 college football rankings after Week 8.

Week 9 college football rankings

25. Louisville Cardinals

The stunning loss a week ago dropped the Louisville Cardiansl from our top 25 rankings, but they return after the Week 8 bye. Simply put, anything resembling the issues Louisville experienced versus Pittsburgh – 3 turnovers, 5-fo-13 on third downs – will result in a loss next Saturday to Duke.

24. Tulane Green Wave

A little too close for comfort on Saturday for the Tulane Green Wave, but that 6-1 record leaves the locker room with all they need to focus on. North Texas put up an admirable fight on the road, scoring 21 third-quarter points, but quarterback Michael Pratt demonstrated why Tulane might be undefeated right now if he had played against Ole Miss.

23. Liberty Flames

New coach, same outstanding on-field success. While the Liberty Flames defense had a rough performance in Week 8, Kaidon Salter (140 pass yards, 160 rush yards) and Quinton Cooley (134 rush yards, 3 TDs) came through with some of their best outings of the season. If you want to watch some good football on Tuesday, tune in for Liberty vs Western Kentucky.

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22. James Madison Dukes

Senior quarterback Jordan McCloud came through once more, powering the James Madison Dukes to their seventh consecutive victory. The Dukes aren’t receiving any real national attention right now, which isn’t surprising from a Sun Belt team in October. However, staying undefeated heading into the final week in October is a massive challenge and James Madison is one of the very few football teams who can still say they haven’t lost.

21. USC Trojans

The USC Trojans haven’t changed and it should’ve been obvious after they narrowly escaped with victories over Colorado and Arizona. Caleb Williams needed to be close to perfect in Week 8 and for the second consecutive game, he didn’t look like a quarterback who should be put in the same conversation as John Elway and Peyton Manning. Once Williams leaves for the NFL, Lincoln Riley and the Trojans will go back to just trying to be a top-25 team.

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20. Duke Blue Devils

Riley Leonard clearly wasn’t close to 100 percent on Saturday, but the Duke Blue Devils still held a 20-17 lead through three quarters. Unfortunately, Florida State’s depth, talent and home-field advantage swung things in the final minutes. The Blue Devils now have two losses before November, but this team has proven itself time and time again. We’d bet on a rebound performance next week in Louisville.

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19. Missouri Tigers

The Missouri Tigers have roared back since their lone defeat against LSU, ripping off consecutive double-digit wins against SEC opponents. While we wouldn’t go remotely as far as putting Georgia on upset watch in Week 10, Missouri could keep it pretty close against a team missing Brock Bowers.

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18. Air Force Falcons

The Air Force Falcons are 7-0 for the first time since 1997 and their winning streak now sits at 12 consecutive games dating back to last season. While Saturday’s victory over Navy wasn’t the most impressive performance of the season, Air Force rose to the occasion against a military rival. Up next, a much more difficult test on the road against Colorado State.

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17. Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers never came out of the tunnel after taking a halftime lead over Alabama. The moment it all felt over for the Volunteers in Week 8 came early in the third quarter on Isaiah Bond’s wide-open touchdown. It delivered a shot in the arm to Alabama’s confidence and Tennessee was outscored 27-0 in the second half.

16. North Carolina Tar Heels

Games like this are remembered for years. The North Carolina Tar Heels essentially controlled their fate and a schedule that seemed relatively easy schedule set the stage for UNC to roll into Nov. 11 with an undefeated record. Instead, North Carolina’s defense allowed 436 total yards and 26 first downs to Virginia (2-5), while Drake Maye threw another pick and the Tar Heels’ offense went 4-for-13 on third downs. Realistically, North Carolina won’t have another opportunity like this for years.

15. LSU Tigers

It’s now or never for the LSU Tigers. Based on how Jayden Daniels and the offense have performed this year, we have all the confidence in the world that LSU can put up plenty of points on Alabama’s defense. Unfortunately for the Tigers, that defense hasn’t demonstrated any reason to believe it can go into Tuscaloosa and deliver enough stops to beat the Crimson Tide.

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14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

It’s been a weird season for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The 17-14 loss to Ohio State looks even better in hindsight and victories over Duke and USC strengthen Notre Dame’s resume. Yet we still can’t explain what happened against Louisville and it’s likely going to be the thing that haunts this program for the rest of the season.

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13. Utah Utes

It’s pretty incredible to see the Utah Utes keep winning games with a backup quarterback. Even if you want to credit part of this offensive eruption on USC’s defense, Bryson Barnes stepped up with a career-best performance when the Utes needed it the most. Of course, it will take replicating that effort against an Oregon Ducks defense that makes USC’s unit look like it belongs in the FCS.

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12. Penn State Nittany Lions

James Franklin is now 0-10 against ranked opponents as the Penn State Nittany Lions head coach. Safe to say, he’s living up to his reputation as a coach that can’t win the big game. Drew Allar also deserves plenty of blame for the Week 8 loss, but it’s also easy to argue the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff made it easy for the Ohio State Buckeyes defense by essentially throwing everything behind the first-down marker.

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11. Oregon State Beavers

The Oregon State Beavers already have two wins over ranked opponents this season and they came close to taking out Washington State on the road. Now coming out of the bye week, the Beavers’ defense will be tested in a few weeks by the Colorado Buffaloes (Nov. 4), but this team has shown enough for us to believe it could be 9-1 before it takes on the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks.

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10. Ole Miss Rebels

A 14-14 halftime tie against Auburn raised some doubts about the Ole Miss Rebels. Jarquez Hunter was finding all kinds of open space against the Rebels’ defense, while quarterback Jaxson Dart struggled to create some distance on the scoreboard from Auburn. Lane Kiffin can thank Quinshon Judkins and Tre Harris for saving the day and pushing Ole Miss into the top 10.

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9. Oregon Ducks

Performances like that one certainly won’t help the Oregon Ducks climb back up the college football rankings, but they did enough to win. With Bo Nix missing a few more throws than usual, Bucky Irving led the way for the Ducks’ offense. Oregon will need to clean things up offensively as it prepares to face the Utah Utes defense.

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8. Alabama Crimson Tide

If the version of the Alabama Crimson Tide from the second half against Tennessee sticks, Nick Saban’s team is back in the playoff picture. Jalen Milroe made plays with his legs, hit some crucial throws downfield and overcame an offensive line that is still leaky. Far more importantly in advance of a matchup against LSU, the Crimson Tide’s defense looked better than we’ve seen in some time.

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7. Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns rarely like to make it easy on themselves and Week 8 wasn’t to different. On the road in Houston, the Longhorns’ defense once again experienced some issues defending the pass. Donovan Smith diced the secondary up, spreading the football around and finding multiple holes in the Longhorns’ secondary. Fortunately for Texas, the best version of Quinn Ewers showed up and it’s because of him that the Longhorns’ playoff hopes aren’t evaporating heading into the final weekend in October.

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6. Oklahoma Sooners

All victories count, especially when you’re one of a small number of undefeated teams in college football. Woth that said, escaping with a two-point victory over 3-4 UCF isn’t a good look for the Oklahoma Sooners. The defense looked more reminiscent of last season’s unit, allowing nearly 400 total yards to Central Florida and losing the time of possession battle. Fortunately for the Sooners, Dillon Gabriel came through once more in a big moment.

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5. Georgia Bulldogs

The Brock Bowers injury is a massive blow for the Georgia Bulldogs offense. While there’s still a lot of talent and depth on this roster, losing one of the best players in college football will always be a setback for a team. Georgia loses some of its margin for error and that’s a bit of a problem for a team that has a habit of ‘playing with its food’ against lesser competition. We still think Georgia has a great shot at making the CFP, but those looming tests against Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee look much tougher now.

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4. Michigan Wolverines

For now, there’s a tier separating the Michigan Wolverines from the top three teams in our college football rankings. While the Wolverines’ defense has been sensational this year and J.J. McCarthy leads an offense that rarely makes mistakes, the Wolverines have had one of the softest schedules in the nation this year. Washington, Ohio State and Florida State have all proven themselves, we’re still waiting on that from UM.

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3. Washington Huskies

The Washington Huskies can only consider themselves lucky they won on Saturday. Michael Penix Jr. (2 INT, 2 fumbles) had the worst performance of his career and this seemingly unstoppable Huskies’ offense couldn’t score a single touchdown. Keep in mind, all of this happened against 1-6 Arizona State in Washington. Perhaps this was just an instance of the Huskies letting their guard down after beating the Oregon Ducks, but it nearly proved devastating to their playoff hopes. Washington has a get-right game against Stanford in Week 9, but its offense must be at peak performance on Nov. 4 versus the USC Trojans to remain in the CFP.

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2. Florida State Seminoles

Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis might not have the numbers of a Heisman Trophy candidate, but he has more signature wins than anyone in the mix. Travis did plenty of damage through the air on Saturday night, but it was his big plays on the ground that really stood out in Week 8. It led FSU to another top-25 win, further demonstrating why they belong in the College Football Playoff.

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1. Ohio State Buckeyes

That’s why the Ohio State Buckeyes are the best team in college football. Even in a matchup against one of the best defenses in the nation, Marvin Harrison Jr. (162 yards, 1 TD), Cade Stover (70 yards) and Miyan Williams (62 yards, 1 TD) came through with big plays on scoring drives. Of course, the real standout in Week 8 was the Buckeyes’ defense that held Penn State to 240 total yards and 1-of-16 on third downs. Ohio State is the best team in college football and betting on them at No. 1 for the last two weeks has paid off.

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