The AP Poll is here, and this time, the AP did better with the College Football ratings than last week. As the College Football Playoff rankings get closer and closer, we need to get them right.

So, as always, A to Z did its own rankings. And these are, of course, the right and best way you should be looking at the rankings.

A to Z Top 25 College Football Poll – October 19

1. Miami, 174 points (6 first-place votes)
2. Ohio State, 168 (1)
3. Georgia, 156
4. Indiana, 152
5. Utah, 147
6. UCLA, 137
7. Kentucky, 134
8. Notre Dame, 132
9. BYU, 116
10. Alabama, 112
11. Texas, 103
12. Ole Miss, 93
13. LSU, 86
14. Wake Forest, 82
15. Texas Tech, 76
16. Houston, 65
17. Florida, 52
18. Tennessee, 59
19. SMU, 52
20. Northwestern, 50
21. Boise State, 236
22. Missouri, 27
23. Arizona, 21
24. Oklahoma State, 20
25. Wisconsin, 8
    Also receiving votes: Iowa (4), Oregon State (2), New Mexico (1)

The differences between the AP Poll and the A to Z Poll

Arizona Wildcats

Arizona has earned its spot as the No. 23 team in the AP Poll with an impressive 6-1 start and a dominant 39-3 victory over Iowa State. Quarterback Noah Fifita leads an explosive offense, throwing for 308 yards and two touchdowns against the Cyclones. Wide receiver Isaiah Mizell has emerged as a big-play threat, catching eight passes for 134 yards and scoring a 71-yard touchdown. With additional contributions from running backs Quincy Craig and Kendrick Reescano, the Wildcats have the offensive balance to give opposing defenses plenty of problems.

Arizona’s defense deserves recognition, too. The Wildcats held Iowa State to only 221 total yards and three points while limiting the Cyclones to 52 rushing yards on 31 carries. Defensive back Malcolm Hartzog Jr. has been a standout, and Arizona’s pass rush has been productive, recording 19 sacks through its first six games. With playmakers on both sides of the ball and momentum heading into a major Big 12 showdown against Texas Tech, the Wildcats have shown they belong in the AP Top 25. – Ryan Roberts, A to Z Notre Dame

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech had one job with its 2026 regular-season schedule: don’t lose to a team it has no business losing to. The Red Raiders failed to accomplish that, losing to unranked Cincinnati in Week 8. Texas Tech doesn’t have BYU on its regular-season schedule and was always favored in every game it played.

Now, the Red Raiders have to bounce back against a ranked Arizona team, and some bettors will be cautious about picking Texas Tech to win. At 6-1, Texas Tech needs to win out to reach the Big 12 Championship Game, and another loss would likely knock it out of College Football Playoff contention. Texas Tech showed us in Week 8 that it isn’t a legitimate contender, and that’s all there is to it. – Brandon Little, A to Z Ohio State

LSU Tigers

Speaking for myself and the collective here, I think A to Z ranking us higher than the AP reflects as much about other teams as it does about LSU. The Tigers have two losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky. The Rebels are in the middle of the two-loss SEC bunch, and Kentucky is the story of college football this season. A slip-up in OT, along with how they decimated Clemson, Mississippi State, and others, boosts LSU.|

But in reality, the Big-12 losses this past weekend are what prop up the Tigers. BYU, Houston, and Texas Tech all lost, and given their schedule and conference, I find it hard to believe any of those teams are better than LSU, even though they were ranked ahead of the Tigers last week. We’ll see how good LSU actually is after the bye week and when Alabama comes to town. – Rob Gregson, A to Z Alabama

Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers are no doubt a good football team, but their inconsistency keeps them from being great. Simply put, if they were consistent in the trenches, they’d be undefeated. A top-10 win over the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide is a huge part of their resume. Still, their performance has been inconsistent in multiple games, including a win over Arkansas by a measly seven points and a loss to South Carolina this past weekend. We need more consistency from Tennessee to believe in them truly, and it may not come this season. – Tyler Forness, A to Z Florida

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

I had Notre Dame at 9 this week, simply because other resumes look stronger to me right now.  Utah and UCLA are undefeated, with the Utes just earning an impressive win over Houston, and Kentucky has a win over LSU.  BYU holds the head-to-head over the Irish as well.  Of course, if Notre Dame defeats Miami next week, that changes the calculus significantly, and the Irish would vault up.  But for now, I think they belong at 9. – Craig Smith, A to Z Miami

Kentucky Wildcats

Firstly, Kentucky is first in the SEC, the hardest conference so far with the most all-around competition. That alone deserves something. And they have some very impressive wins. They have beaten Texas A&M on the road, which is never easy, no matter how bad the Aggies are. They beat LSU, then went to Norman and won an ugly road game against a top defense. Their lone loss is to Alabama. So, yes, they deserve to be higher. We have them three spots higher than the AP Poll, and to me, that’s perfect. – Justin Churchill, A to Z Oklahoma

Houston Cougars

The Houston Cougars have one of the country’s best quarterbacks in Conner Weigman. Their only losses this year are by 2 points at Texas Tech and by 8 points at Utah. In both games, they were firmly in the mix to win throughout. The defense isn’t perfect, but they’re one of the few teams that has top-tier talent at most premium positions. The only reason the AP Poll won’t give them adequate respect is that they’re in the Big 12, and most voters clearly haven’t watched them play this season. Our A to Z Sports college football squad is right to rank them a couple spots higher, and frankly, I almost put them in my top 15 personally. – Travis May, College Football Editing Manager