AP College Football Poll 2015: Week 9 Top 25 Rankings Announced

But Saturday evening marked the end of perfection for two top-10 teams and eliminated the College Football Playoff hopes of a highly-ranked one-loss team.

Let’s start with Utah. One of those was a pick-six that USC LB Cameron Smith returned 54 yards. Texas A&M lost for a second game in a row, and the only thing working for them is that both losses were against ranked SEC teams, and pollsters always forgive teams playing in the SEC. The Utes were undefeated while the Trojans were just 3-3 and playing under an interim head coach after Steve Sarkisian’s firing.

Biggest hurdle: Florida State. This week it was Georgia Tech upsetting No. 9 Florida State on a 78-yard return of a blocked field goal.

TCU (7-0). Had a bye and let the Trevone Boykin Flying Death Machine get a tuneup. Quarterback Deshaun Watson continues to demonstrate that last season’s ACL tear didn’t rob him of any of his dynamism, while Clemson’s defense remains one of the best in the country despite major turnover from past year.

Louisville: The Cardinals have been a disappointment in 2015, but three of their four losses have come against teams that are now ranked: No. 6 Clemson, No. 9 Florida State and No. 22 Houston.

The first College Football Playoff rankings are released November. 3. Why stop at four when you can go for eight, or 16, even? Now, we’re not so sure what to make of this Utah team that once had everyone convinced they were great.

Ka’imi Fairbairn, UCLA: How was your Thursday?

The ball rolled free, and was scooped up by Spartan redshirt freshman defensive back Jalen Watts-Jackson, who proceeded to run it back for a touchdown, giving the Spartans a 27-23 victory and capping one of the most improbable victories in recent college football history. He’s also put himself within the school record for career points.

AAC: The conference’s heavy hitters all went to work this week. As previously mentioned, Memphis beat Tulsa 66-42, Houston blew out UCF 59-10, and Temple staged a furious fourth quarter run to top East Carolina 24-14.

He’s right about all of that when the destiny is the Pac-12 South Division, wherein Utah holds first place by one game. over three troublemakers just below, and the Pac-12 itself, wherein a title match held today would involve Utah (6-1) and surging Stanford (6-1), teams that got summertime forecasts of fifth place and a distant second place, respectively.

Washington State: Fear the Cougars. Wazzu is 5-2 after a 45-42 win at Arizona. It’s the first three-game winning streak in the Pac-12 for the Cougars since the 2003 season. Probably not after a season-opening loss to FCS Portland State, but the Cougars are now one win away from bowl eligibility.

At the top, Ohio State, Baylor, and Clemson continued their stellar seasons each winning big on Saturday. Barrett accounted for 324 yards of total offense and was responsible for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing). Bret Bielema-coached teams are 16-0 when scoring 50 or more points and 35-0 when scoring 40 or more. It’s just that the Mizzou offense is one of the worst in the country. UPDATE: With 8 minutes left in the first half, the score is 10-28.

It’s the Buckeyes who have remained atop the polls, having yet to lose a game since winning the title a year ago, but even they haven’t been their typically-dominant selves. The Minutemen dropped to 1-6 (0-3 MAC) with the loss. Duke outlasted host Virginia Tech and Arkansas survived at home against Auburn. He hasn’t rushed for fewer than 150 yards in a game this season and has found paydirt in all seven contests.

Michigan and Florida State certainly didn’t. Kansas State is 3-4 to start a season for the first time since 2004 and there’s not much relief in sight with Baylor up next on November. 5.