The AP Top 25 College Football Poll has been a massive disappointment all season long, but it’s finally outdone itself. No logic. No consistency. Ridiculous overreactions. The whole list is a mess of nonsense, with just a couple short weeks until the College Football Playoff Committee releases its first set of rankings.

Our staff here at A to Z Sports finally couldn’t take it anymore, so we decided to put together our own set of college football rankings, calling it the “A to Z Top 25 College Football Poll.” We put our college football expert collective together and have officially fixed the abomination that was this week’s AP Top 25.

We’ll break down our (correct) Top 25, then hear from multiple beat reporters on how and why we all differed so greatly from the AP. Enjoy.

A to Z Top 25 College Football Poll – October 19

1. Miami, 172 points (4 first place votes)
2. Ohio State, 167 (2)
3. BYU, 161 (1)
4. Indiana, 143
5. Texas Tech, 140
6. Georgia, 135
7. Ole Miss, 130
8. Notre Dame, 126
9. UCLA, 122
10. Tennessee, 119
11. Utah, 118
12. Kentucky, 98
13. Houston, 97
14. Alabama, 86
15. USC, 72
16. Wake Forest, 59
17. LSU, 58
18. Florida, 55
19. Iowa, 54
20. Texas, 44
21. Northwestern, 32
22. Missouri, 28
23. Boise State, 26
24. Auburn, 16
25. SMU, 15
    
    Also receiving votes: James Madison (14), Oklahoma State (8), Oregon (6), Nebraska (5), Oregon State (3), North Dakota State (1)

Most weeks there are only a few teams who are ranked incorrectly, but this week it was essentially the entire board. Our team agreed that Miami was the number one overall team (albeit with less consensus than the AP Poll). We were spot-on ranking Ole Miss 7th, UCLA 9th, Kentucky 12th (although we were all over the place with the Wildcats), and Missouri at 22nd. However, that’s where the similarities ended.

The AP Poll was fine leaving Notre Dame ranked 4th overall ahead of undefeated Texas Tech, one-loss Indiana (to Ohio State), and Georgia (who somehow fell apart against Auburn). We were not, considering the rest of the Irish schedule. The AP Poll disrespected the entiretey of the Big 12, ranking the Red Raiders and Houston far too low. And they somehow ranked Florida behind Texas despite the Gators having just beaten the Longhorns on Saturday.

It was an absolute disgrace of a rankings slate for the AP Poll. Here’s where we fixed things up a bit.

Teams we were higher on than the AP Poll

Auburn Tigers

“Auburn is finally putting it together with the new coaching staff, melding the old USF pieces with the returning players together into a frustrating team to face. They may have lost close games to Tennessee & Florida, but were handling Georgia for much of the game before catching a perfect late break to actually pull off the win over the Bulldogs. Their remaining schedule is brutal, so they might not stay ranked for long, but the Tigers absolutely deserve a spot after taking down a top-notch Georgia squad. If you’re sitting with a 4-2 record having just taken down a top-five ranked team, you’re among the top 25 in the country. Absurd that the AP left them out entirely.” – Travis May, College Football Managing Editor

Florida Gators

“The one thing about the AP Poll that I don’t understand is when teams are relatively close, and the ‘experts’ still put the team that just lost the head-to-head above the team that won. The Gators should be ahead of the Longhorns, and I don’t see an argument to flip it. Not only did the Gators go in and win the game on the road, where the defense suffocated Arch Manning consistently throughout the game, but Tramell Jones Jr. dominated high-leverage downs all game long with ease.”

“This Texas team is expensive and very talented with coaches who are good at what they do. What doesn’t make sense is that they aren’t actually good at football together. They blew the game against an anemic offense in Oklahoma just a week before, and Arch Manning isn’t playing good football. If his last name was Smith or Johnson, the talk about benching him would be even stronger right now. The Gators arguably have the best duo of wins on the season, slaughtering Ole Miss and beating Texas, both ranked in the top-10. Even with the blowout losses, those wins are meaningful for a team who is 5-2 on the season.” – Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Florida

Indiana Hoosiers

“Indiana may have lost in Week 7, but they showed they can punch with a heavyweight in a game they could have won against Ohio State. It was the first game against a ranked opponent for the Hoosiers this season, and although Ohio State didn’t play well, Indiana showed they’re a force again in 2026. Curt Cignetti’s offense has upgraded weapons from last year’s team with wide receivers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh. Quarterback Josh Hoover is a substantial step down from Fernando Mendoza, but the weapons around him make up for it. USC will test Indiana in a few weeks but I just don’t see the Hoosiers losing another regular-season game.” – Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Ohio State

Tennessee Volunteers

“My ranking for the Tennessee Volunteers is relatively simple. The Vols found their identity on Saturday against Alabama, and that identity is one of the best in college football. If quarterback George MacIntyre plays against Texas, or if Faizon Brandon was even close to his early-season self, we’re probably talking about an undefeated Vols team with wins over Auburn (who just beat No. 1 UGA), Alabama, and Texas. Instead, the only blemish on Tennessee’s resume is a close loss to the then No. 1 team in the country. The way the Vols run the ball on offense, that can beat a lot of teams.”

“But their complexity on defense, powered by stars like Xavier Gilliam, is what’s going to make this team hard to beat every time they line up. The gauntlet portion of Tennessee’s schedule has begun. If they somehow get through unscathed, or with one loss, the Vols will be one of the toughest outs in the CFP.” – Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Alabama

Texas Tech Red Raiders

“What in the world do the Texas Tech Red Raiders have to do to get some respect from the AP Top 25? They’re 6-0. Their defense hasn’t allowed more than 26 points all year. Their offense has scored at least 28 points every single game. They rank above the power-conference average in every critical rate stat except pass success rate allowed (and they’re close there too). Is their quarterback situation extremely impressive? No, but that’s true of nearly every college football team right now (looking at you, Texas). Is their roster stacked with household names? Nope. It doesn’t matter. They just keep winning, impressively, without even breaking a sweat in every game except against Houston, where they took care of business in the end too.” – Travis May, College Football Managing Editor

Teams we were lower on than the AP Poll

Iowa Hawkeyes

Our team was extremely torn on Iowa. It’s not that they’re a bad team, but many of our writers doubted their ability to beat the best in the country. Our Notre Dame writer, Ryan Roberts saw things differently, though. Are we wrong for ranking Iowa a few spots lower than the AP?

“Iowa deserves to be ranked No. 16 (where Ryan had him) in the country (we had him 19th) because the Hawkeyes have built a résumé that combines quality wins, a physical identity and the ability to win games away from home. At 5-1, Iowa has already beaten rival Iowa State 16-13 and knocked off then-No. 18 Michigan 20-19 on the road, scoring the game-winning touchdown with just two seconds remaining. The Hawkeyes followed that dramatic victory with an emphatic 41-24 road win over Washington, proving they can do more than grind out low-scoring games. Quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski has shown what this offense can do when it finds its rhythm, completing 14 of 19 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns against Washington. Running back Kamari Moulton was equally impressive, exploding for a career-high 208 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Those performances demonstrate that Iowa has enough offensive firepower to complement its trademark toughness.”

“The biggest reason Iowa belongs at No. 16, however, is that its defense gives it a legitimate foundation to compete with ranked teams every week. Through six games, the Hawkeyes are allowing just 14.5 points and 293.3 total yards per game, while surrendering only 84.7 rushing yards per contest. They have also recorded 19 sacks, tied for the fourth-most in the country, showing they can disrupt opposing quarterbacks and dictate the pace of games. Yes, the 31-14 loss to Ohio State exposed the gap between Iowa and the nation’s elite, but one loss to a national championship contender should not erase the quality of the Hawkeyes’ overall body of work. With five wins, a road victory over a ranked Michigan team and a dominant performance at Washington, Iowa has earned its place among the country’s top 16 teams. The Hawkeyes might not have the flashiest offense in college football, but their defensive production, rushing attack and ability to win tough games make them a dangerous opponent for anyone on the schedule.” – Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports Notre Dame

Miami Hurricanes

We weren’t “lower” on the Miami Hurricanes in terms of overall ranking (we had them first just like the AP Poll), but our team collectively just barely gave them the nod over Ohio State and BYU, as opposed to giving them the vast majority of first-place votes. Still, our Miami Hurricanes writer is bullish on them being a legitimate number one:

“Miami is number one because they’ve handled everything they’ve been asked to do thus far. It might not have been pretty, but Miami avoided the upset bid against rival Florida State even while playing far from their best. And they did it on a day when top-10 teams dropped like flies. As we saw in 2024 with eventual national champion Ohio State losing to Michigan (finished 8-5) and Georgia beating Georgia Tech (7-6) in eight overtimes to make the playoff, rivalry games are sometimes just that tough.”

“The Hurricanes have three conference road wins, including a 33-20 victory over a ranked Wake Forest team that’s looking better by the week. And in other games, including Clemson, they dominated in a manner that a top team should. Miami also has a balanced and electric offense that almost no one in the country can match, featuring arguably the sport’s best quarterback in Darian Mensah and best overall player in wide receiver Malachi Toney.” – Craig Smith, A to Z Sports Miami

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

“Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish almost pulled off the win in a tough road environment against BYU. Unfortunately, almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades (ask your grandpa). A loss is a loss, and Notre Dame has zero wins over any ranked teams. Wins over Wisconsin and North Carolina look decent, but until the Irish win a game against a real competitor, there is no reason to rank them fourth overall like the AP Top 25 did this week. Our team dropped them down to 8th, and even that was being generous given the body of work. The good news is, Notre Dame has a couple real shots to prove they’re a College Football Playoff contender, when they play Miami and SMU in November. Quarterback CJ Carr has been playing extremely well, and the defense has looked solid outside of the BYU and North Carolina contests.” – Travis May, College Football Managing Editor

Texas Longhorns

“Our Florida Gators writer already summed it up pretty well already with the AP Poll and their backwards rankings, but our team ranked the Longhorns lower than the AP Poll for good reason (and some only ranked them 25th). Arch Manning is playing terrible football for the majority of games. The ground attack that was supposed to be much improved hasn’t been. Steve Sarkisian looks like he’s actually making quarterbacks worse over time (Quinn Ewers, now Manning). The only thing the Longhorns do have going for them is their elite defense, but now their star edge defender Colin Simmons is going to be missing time with an ankle injury. Not great, Texas. One more bad week and they’re off the board entirely.” – Travis May, College Football Managing Editor

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