The Week 9 AP Top 25 Poll mocks Wake Forest and is a ridiculous overreaction to USC’s win over the Buckeyes.

The first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Nov. 3, marking a point in the 2026 college football season where the AP Top 25 poll takes a back seat, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to start ignoring the always-controversial poll. Someone needs to keep an eye on the PA voters who can’t watch all these games and are forced to scramble and put together a list of the top 25 teams in the country.

With only two matchups featuring ranked opponents on the Week 8 roster, no one expected too many fireworks, but in the one boom we had in Los Angeles thanks to USC, voters made sure to overreact.

On the other side of the country, Wake Forest improved to 7-1 and continued its streak of absolutely throttling opponents, but apparently beating your last two opponents 92-14 doesn’t matter much.

AP Top 25 Poll for Week 9

1. Miami (FL)
2. Georgia
3. Utah
4. Notre Dame
5. UCLA
6. Indiana
7. BYU
8. Kentucky
9. Alabama
10. Texas
11. Ohio State
12. Ole Mademoiselle
13. Texas Technology
14. Waking up forest
15. LSU
16. Tennessee
17. Houston
18. U.S.C.
19. Missouri
20. Boise State
21. Iowa
22. New Mexico
23. South Carolina
24. Arizona
25. Florida

Voters managed to put together the right collection of the top 5 teams in the country, but did it in the wrong order. A shocking development, we know.

As Miami played with its food in Chapel Hill on Saturday, the Hurricanes improved to 8-0 and are the most talented and explosive of the three remaining undefeated teams, making the No. 1 next to their name completely justified.

Miami Hurricanes (FL) wide receiver Malachi Toney (1) scores as North Carolina Tar Heels linebacker Derek McDonald (15) defends in the fourth quarter at Kenan Stadium. (Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)

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Georgia did exactly what was expected of it by throttling Florida after a bye week following its inexplicable home loss to Auburn. Then you have Utah at No. 3, which is where we can officially start discussing, or at least start nitpicking.

Utah is 8-0, but the Utes’ 8-0 isn’t as impressive as UCLA’s. Utah beat exactly one team with a pulse, then No. 14 Houston at home, while the Bruins won on the road at then No. 13 Oregon. UCLA getting the nod for the three while Utah sliding to the four seems more reasonable.

Notre Dame is ranked too high at No. 4. For starters, the Fighting Irish lost a game unlike UCLA and Utah, and arguably their most impressive win came in Week 1 at a neutral site against a now 5-3 Wisconsin team. Notre Dame getting a touch of bias is as inevitable as water staying wet.

Wake Forest’s disrespect must stop

The Demon Deacons embarrassed Virginia 51-7 on Saturday to improve to 7-1 on the year, their only loss being a 13-point loss to No. 1 Miami. Despite losing just once, coming off a 44-point victory and boasting an offense that has outscored opponents 187-31 over the past four weeks, Wake Forest hasn’t budged in this week’s poll.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Gio Lopez (3) returns to pass during a college football game between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Louisville Cardinals on September 26, 2026 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, Kentucky and Alabama were both byes last weekend, but even they managed to move up a spot from last week.

The reality of the situation is that Wake Forest is penalized by its own schedule and a ridiculously weak ACC. With the way the dominoes are falling in the conference, Wake Forest could finish the season 11-1, with its most impressive victory being a road victory at Purdue in Week 2.

Yes, even above-average teams are expected to handle Stanford, NC State, Cal and Virginia, but the way Wake Forest embarrassed these four struggling teams is more impressive than the No. 14 next to its name.

USC just isn’t a Top 20 team in college football

So USC beats an Ohio State team without its starting quarterback and technically moves up THIRTEEN spots in the poll to #18? The same USC team that lost at Wisconsin a week ago, the same Badgers team that lost 30-0 to Iowa on Saturday? Is this the same USC team that was embarrassed at home by Oregon in Week 5 by two touchdowns?

It’s your classic prisoner-of-the-moment situation with an unranked team beating the No. 2 team in the country, but the asterisk that must accompany that The Buckeyes team being beaten by the Trojans is important.

USC Trojans tight end Mark Bowman (19) tackles Ohio State Buckeyes safety Jaylen McClain (8) during a college football game between Ohio State and the USC Trojans on October 31, 2026, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Some teams must be ranked 18th in the country; this just shouldn’t be a USC team whose fan base wanted head coach Lincoln Riley fired seven days ago after pulling off the big upset of what might have been the worst slate of games of the entire college football season.

Lobos love the number twenty-one

PA voters couldn’t do anything hilarious this week.

New Mexico improved to 7-1 that year after going on the road and knocking out San Jose State on Halloween and maintaining a very strange streak.

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The Lobos have scored exactly 21 points in each of their last three games, beating Hawaii 21-10, North Dakota State 21-16 and San Jose State by the same score 21-16. New Mexico should be ranked No. 21, not No. 22, based on this rating trend alone.

Seriously, Jason Eck’s team deserves serious praise. The Lobos are 16-5 since Eck took over in 2025, which isn’t bad considering the program hadn’t featured a bowl game since 2016 before he arrived in Albuquerque.