College Football

College football rankings: 5 teams have separated from the pack

Updated Oct. 29, 2023 1:49 a.m. ET

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

With the College Football Playoff selection committee set to reveal its initial Top 25 on Tuesday, the top five teams in the sport through Week 9 have shown themselves: Michigan, Georgia, Ohio State, Florida State and Washington.

The questions remaining?

— Which one-loss team will the CFP committee value most for the No. 6 spot?

— Which undefeated Power 5 team will it value the least?

Washington is still riding its win against Oregon in maintaining its spot among the nation's elite.

However, the Huskies' near-misses against Arizona State and Stanford could end up counting against them — even more than Florida State will be hurt by its squeakers against Clemson and Duke, not to mention its signature win against a two-loss LSU team.

Here are my Top 25 rankings after Week 9.

1. Michigan (8-0)

Idle

The Wolverines will host Purdue on Nov. 4.

2. Georgia (8-0)

Defeated Florida, 43-20

What would the Dawgs do without Brock Bowers? Just roll up 486 yards of offense in an easy win over their rivals.

Georgia DOMINATES on both ends against Florida

3. Ohio State (8-0)

Defeated Wisconsin, 24-10

Marvin Harrison Jr. continued his Heisman campaign with six catches for 123 yards with two TDs in the win.

4. Florida State (8-0)

Defeated Wake Forest, 41-16

Jordan Travis contributed to his Heisman résumé by completing 22 of 35 passes for 359 yards with four total TDs.

5. Washington (8-0)

Defeated Stanford, 42-33

The last time the Huskies began 8-0 (2016), they made the College Football Playoff.

6. Oregon (7-1)

Defeated Utah, 35-6

The Ducks defense became the first to hold a ranked opponent without a TD since 2012.

Breaking down an impressive outing by Bo Nix, Oregon

7. Oklahoma (7-1)

Lost to Kansas, 38-33

This was Kansas' first win against Oklahoma since 1997, its first top-10 win since 2008, and its first top-10 win in Lawrence since 1984.

Oklahoma struggles against a good Kansas team

8. Texas (7-1)

Defeated BYU, 35-6

The Texas defense didn't allow a TD and held BYU to 2-for-13 on third down.

9. Alabama (7-1)

Idle

The Crimson Tide will host LSU on Nov. 4.

10. Penn State (7-1)

Defeated Indiana, 33-24

After throwing the first INT of his career at Penn State, Drew Allar threw a 57-yard TD pass to seal a close-fought victory for the Nittany Lions.

How Drew Allar helped Penn State avoid the upset

11. Ole Miss (7-1)

Defeated Vanderbilt, 33-7

Ole Miss held Vandy to just 229 total yards — 60 passing — and one score.

12. Missouri (7-1)

Idle

The Tigers play Georgia on Nov. 4.

13. LSU (6-2)

Idle

The Tigers play Alabama on Nov. 4.

14. Notre Dame (6-2)

Defeated Pittsburgh, 58-7

The Fighting Irish have averaged 53 points a game since losing to Louisville.

15. Utah (6-2)

Lost to Oregon, 35-6

With its second loss in conference play, the Utes' chance of defending their Pac-12 title feels all but gone.

16. UCLA (6-2)

Defeated Colorado, 28-16

Despite turning the ball over four times in the first half, UCLA comfortably held CU in check as the defense sacked Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders seven times.

Highlights: UCLA shuts down Colorado

17. Louisville (7-1)

Defeated Duke, 23-0

The Cardinals are vying for a chance to play in the ACC title game and look like the league's second-best team through nine weeks of the season.

18. Tulane (7-1)

Defeated Rice, 30-28

The Green Wave have won 19 of their last 22 games.

19. Air Force (8-0)

Defeated Colorado State, 30-13

The 8-0 start is the best for the Falcons since beginning the 1985 season 10-0, and it ties the school record for consecutive wins dating back to last season (13). Theirs is the fourth-longest active winning streak in the sport.

20. James Madison (8-0)

Defeated Old Dominion, 30-27

Jordan McCloud passed for 340 yards and four TDs as JMU remained unbeaten.

21. Kansas (6-2)

Defeated Oklahoma, 38-33

This was KU's biggest win since 2008 and the most important of the Lance Leipold era.

Kansas fans storm the field after stunning win over Oklahoma

22. Oregon State (6-2)

Lost to Arizona, 27-24

After narrow losses to Washington and USC, the Wildcats finally broke through with a win against a ranked team, keeping DJ Uiagalelei in check in the process.

23. Tennessee (6-2)

Defeated Kentucky, 33-27

Despite giving up 373 passing yards and two TDs to UK QB Devin Leary, the Vols held on to defeat the Wildcats and retain third place in the SEC East with games left against UConn, Missouri, Georgia and Vanderbilt.

24. USC (7-2)

Defeated California, 50-49

The Trojans put up more than 500 yards of offense and allowed more than 500 yards of offense. USC was down 43-29 early in the fourth quarter but rallied to win.

25. Oklahoma State (6-2)

Defeated Cincinnati, 45-13

The Pokes have won four straight in no small part due to the emergence of Ollie Gordon. He rushed for 271 yards against the Bearcats after rushing for 282 last week against West Virginia.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The Number One College Football Show." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube.