Ohio State poised for ranking drop after 30-18 loss to USC

The Associated Press Top 25 poll is bracing for a dramatic restructuring Sunday afternoon following a turbulent Week 9 of college football that claimed seven ranked teams, highlighted by No. 2 Ohio State’s 30-18 loss at Southern California.

For the fourth week, a No. 1 or 2 team lost to an unranked opponent. Playing without their injured quarterback Julian Sayin, the Buckeyes stumbled in Los Angeles to pick up their second loss of the season. Ohio State is now poised for a significant drop in the rankings just as Oregon prepares to visit Columbus next Saturday.

While the top of the ballot remains anchored by Miami, which narrowly escaped North Carolina with a 38-35 victory to hold onto the top spot for a third straight week, the rest of the top tier is shifting. Capitalizing on the Buckeyes’ defeat, No. 6 Utah routed Cincinnati 49-25, putting the Utes in position to crack the top five for the first time since 2019.

The lower half of the poll faces an even harsher reckoning. Six teams occupying spots 17 through 25 suffered defeats during Week 9:

Ohio State poised for ranking drop after 30-18 loss to USC — Photo: baytobaynews.com

No. 17 Florida fell to No. 3 Georgia.
No. 19 SMU lost to Syracuse.
No. 20 Northwestern dropped its matchup to Oregon.
No. 22 Arizona was defeated by No. 13 Texas Tech.
No. 24 Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State.
No. 25 Wisconsin was shut out 30-0 at home by Iowa.

These widespread losses open the door for fresh faces to enter the rankings when the ballots are finalized. Iowa is expected to return to the Top 25 after a brief one-week absence following its decisive shutout over Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Southern California is positioning itself for a potential return after securing its first top-five win since the Rose Bowl against Penn State—marking the program’s highest-ranked victory since defeating Oklahoma in the 2004 season’s national championship game. Further down the ledger, New Mexico is drawing attention as a contender for its first-ever ranking on the strength of a 7-1 start.