The AP Top 25 College Football Poll continues to fail spectacularly every single week. Yes, it is a large data set, informed by good people doing their best–in many cases–but it’s become quite clear that the majority of the voters simply do not watch almost any of the games before submitting their ballots. That yields some flat out strange results every week.

Given that fact, our team of highly dedicated college football and NFL Draft staff at A to Z Sports who do in fact watch as many games as humanly possible each week on top of covering their respective teams decided to come together and get the top 25 best teams ranked correctly. We’ve been calling this the “A to Z Top 25 College Football Poll”.

Each week this season we have been and will continue breaking down our top 25 teams briefly, then talking through which teams we are higher and lower on versus the AP Poll to give college football fans the best rankings in the business. Enjoy!

A to Z Top 25 College Football Poll – Week 9

1. Ohio State, 300 points (12 first place votes)
2. Indiana, 283
3. Alabama, 273
4. Texas A&M, 269
5. Georgia, 247
6. Oregon, 244
7. Georgia Tech, 217
8. Miami, 200
9. Vanderbilt, 197
10. Ole Miss, 195
11. Notre Dame, 186
12. Oklahoma, 175
13. BYU, 155
14. Texas Tech, 152
15. Missouri, 134
16. Virginia, 113
17. Tennessee, 103
18. Cincinnati, 82
19. USF, 78
20. LSU, 77
21. Louisville, 69
22. Texas, 44
23. Illinois, 34
24. Michigan, 22
25. Arizona State, 19
    
    Also receiving votes: USC 12, UNLV 7, Navy 6, Tulane 5, Nebraska 4, Boise State 3, Utah 2, Houston 2, Minnesota 1

The AP Poll did finally shuffle up their ranks quite a bit this week after remaining rather stagnant amidst a wild season for multiple weeks. However, they still got most everything wrong as they continue rewarding soft schedules and punishing teams for things that happened as early as Week 1.

Meanwhile, our A to Z Sports staff actually recognized the fact that Alabama has won six games in a row, defeating four highly ranked SEC opponents in the last four games alone–so we ranked the Crimson Tide third overall where they belong. Also, our team acknowledged the fact that Cincinnati has been posting a top ten offense in the country while also allowing more than 20 points on defense just twice all season long. The AP Poll barely had them ranked at all.

The A to Z staff was completely torn on what to do with both Texas A&M and Ole Miss following tough results this past week (Aggies barely beat Arkansas, Rebels lost late to Georgia), with a ton of variance there. In response, those two teams were ranked a bit lower than the AP Poll, but we still recognize they’re among the elite.

The AP Poll also continues to punish Notre Dame for their slow start and somehow holds the Red River Rivalry loss against Oklahoma too harshly (when their QB was 17 days post-surgery). The differences continue to run deep every single week here between our staff and the AP. Let’s take a look at all the teams where our A to Z Sports staff obviously got it right and the AP got it wrong (yet again).

Teams we were higher on than the AP Poll

Alabama Crimson Tide

“Alabama is coming off a tremendous run that makes their Week 1 loss even more baffling than it was in the moment. I’m willing to throw that result out after watching Kalen DeBoer rapidly develop Ty Simpson into a Heisman Trophy contender and projected top 2026 NFL Draft pick. This version of the the Tide quickly found the discipline, playmaking, and toughness that plagued it in 2024. When combined with their deep roster, that is what makes them higher on my board.” – Ian Valentino, A to Z Sports LSU

Vanderbilt Commodores

“Vanderbilt made history this week, being ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 1947. In case you are bad at history, the United States had just gotten out of World War 2 at that point. It’s a well-deserved ranking as well, as the ‘Dores have one of the best offenses in college football and a surprisingly stingy front that limits teams on the ground. Vanderbilt aced a huge test last week against LSU, and with their only loss being to an Alabama team quickly resembling a national title contender, their resume is as strong as anyone else in the country.

I understand why the AP ranked an undefeated Georgia Tech over Vandy, but not a Miami team that just lost to an unranked Louisville. I’m convinced that their offense can go toe to toe with virtually any team in the country, and they keep stacking up wins. If they beat Missouri this week, Vanderbilt becomes a serious contender for a College Football Playoff bid, which would be a historic achievement for the program. One that makes college football just that much better.” – AJ Schulte, A to Z Sports Oklahoma

Miami Hurricanes

“While questions might arise about the Hurricanes after Friday, Miami lost by 3 points to a one-loss team who’s now ranked in the top 25. The Hurricanes also have wins over two top 20 teams, which is more than most. Their month of September was as good as anyone’s and shouldn’t be disregarded after one tough game against a good Louisville team.” – Craig Smith, A to Z Sports Miami

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

“This has been quite the climb in a short time for Notre Dame in my rankings and overall, really. The Irish had no business being ranked after starting 0-2, even though the losses look much better now. As we fast forward to five wins in a row later, they have a very strong resumé compared to plenty of other teams. Their two losses are to top 15 teams, one of which is in the top 5 right now. Meanwhile, the Irish’s wins over USC and Boise State are aging well after recent weeks of play. Quarterback CJ Carr has taken clear steps forward, and the defense looks like they’re on the same page more often. Marcus Freeman’s squad deserves a top ten ranking at this point, and they’ll be in the CFP if they win out as expected.” – Adam Holt, A to Z Sports New Orleans Saints and LSU

Oklahoma Sooners

“The Oklahoma Sooners still have the best defense in the country, despite what any metric says. They have an offense that showed they can get the job done last Saturday, and while there is still a ton to work on for them, it’s clear the Texas game was an outlier, as they almost lost to Kentucky. This is a good football team, much better than the Ole Miss Rebels and a few of the other teams ranked higher than them in the AP Poll. With the way things look right now, I think eighth overall may be the perfect spot for OU (instead of 13th in the AP).” – Justin Churchill, A to Z Sports Oklahoma

Cincinnati Bearcats

“The Cincinnati Bearcats are one of the best teams in the country right now that’s not getting nearly enough credit. I ranked them 16th this week while the AP Poll had them 21st, and they could be ranked higher for me. Their quarterback Brendan Sorsby has scored 23 total touchdowns to just one interception thrown (in Week 1)–he’s on fire. Their offense ranks top ten in almost every single efficiency category imaginable. The only issue might be their defense. They’ve only given up more than 20 points this season twice thanks to the ultimate “bend-don’t-break” approach on that side of the ball, but they do give up quite a few yards and rank 65th in yards per play allowed among FBS teams. If their defense was a bit better they’d be on the fringe of top ten.” – Travis May, A to Z Sports College Football & NFL Draft Managing Editor

Michigan Wolverines

“Michigan’s loss to USC was an ugly one, but they bounced back in impressive fashion against the Washington Huskies. Washington is no pushover and probably should have been ranked earlier this season, but the Wolverines handled them with a 24-7 win. Bryce Underwood played an efficient game, and the defense forced Demond Williams into three turnovers. That’s the formula for how Michigan can continue to win ball games alongside their run game, and they should be able to roll through their next four matchups to sit at 9-2 heading into their showdown with the Ohio State Buckeyes.” – Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Ohio State

Teams we were lower on than the AP Poll

Texas A&M Aggies

“The Texas A&M Aggies are a good team. In fact, they are one of the best teams in the country. However, the defense that should be what Mike Elko’s team relies upon isn’t playing up to snuff right now. They only allowed 17 points to the Florida Gators, but DJ Lagway and company had their way with them in man coverage, and those struggles came into play against Arkansas, where they allowed Taylen Green to destroy them over the course of 60 minutes. Dropping them to sixth is more about how inconsistent the defense is for the Aggies with other teams playing significantly more consistent football, including the Alabama Crimson Tide, who might be the hottest team in the country. These Aggies are still primed to make the College Football Playoff, but there are some issues to fix.” – Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Florida

Ole Miss Rebels

“Trinidad Chambliss has been one of the best stories in all of college football, and he has the Ole Miss offense doing some really impressive things. He is the perfect quarterback for head coach Lane Kiffin, possessing the passing and rushing upside to make a ton of big plays. Chambliss’ impact is masking several deficiencies with this team right now, including an inconsistent run game. This team is going to need to show that they can be more consistent on early downs. The Rebel defense is also not nearly as good as the previous year, and could be their downfall in the end. They are a good team, but still have several big questions to answer.” – Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports Notre Dame

BYU Cougars

“BYU has passed every test thrown its way thus far, but that’s sort of the issue. Outside of Utah last week, there just hasn’t been much to write home about for the Cougars. I know you can only play who is on your schedule, but wins against Portland State, Colorado, and West Virginia don’t really move the needle for me. Having said that, should BYU run the table and take care of business against Texas Tech, Cincinnati, and UCF, they will have to be considered among the top 10 teams in the nation. Just not yet, in my opinion.” – Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Alabama

USF Bulls

“South Florida came in at 23rd this week for me. My highest ranking for them this year. Their blowout loss to Miami remains a significant hindrance because I just don’t know if they are a better football team than the teams I have above them. In that game they truly looked to be playing way out of their league which is a pretty daunting thing to shake. But you have to give them credit for not only beating the non-power four teams on their schedule but annihilating them. Their win over Florida got a bit better as of late, with the Gators picking up wins over Texas and Mississippi State in two of the last three weeks. I think this upcoming week against Memphis will tell us a lot about South Florida. Memphis just recently got knocked out of the top 25 and should show us if South Florida is a tier above them, as some around the country believe, or if they are in the same tier of teams, which would make my ranking of them feel validated.” – Destin Adams, A to Z Sports Indianapolis

Louisville Cardinals

“Louisville deserves some love after knocking off a top five Miami team. The Cardinals’ only loss this season came in overtime to a Virginia team that’s exceeding expectations so far in 2025. Lousville still has a lot to prove, but road wins against Pittsburgh and Miami have the Cardinals in position to make a run at winning the ACC. The schedule down the stretch is favorable for Louisville, though a late November road matchup against SMU looms large.” – Zach Ragan, A to Z Sports Tennessee

We’ll be back with more College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports every day of the year! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!