Week 9 recap: USC beat No. 2 Ohio State and the order moved

What happened, in short

The week’s defining result came from USC, which beat No. 2 Ohio State 30–18. Around it, 7 ranked teams lost, 5 to unranked opposition. 2 games matched two ranked teams. This recap explains the results that changed the season picture; it is not a complete results list.

AI

Where the week turned

USC 30, Ohio State 18

No. 2 Ohio State lost 18–30 to USC on Saturday, October 31. It was a Big Ten game, decided by 12 points. USC enters the AP Top 25 at No. 18, with a 7-2 record. Ohio State drops from No. 2 to No. 11 in the AP poll, at 6-2.

What it means: It is also a conference defeat, so it counts twice: once in the national order and once in the Big Ten standings, where USC now holds the head-to-head result.

Syracuse 30, SMU 27

Syracuse beat No. 19 SMU 30–27 at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY on Saturday, October 31. It was an ACC game, decided by 3 points. SMU, No. 19 entering the weekend, is no longer in the AP Top 25 at 6-2.

What it means: One defeat against an unranked opponent was enough to take SMU out of the AP Top 25. In the standings it still counts once, like any other.

Georgia 27, Florida 8

On Saturday, October 31, No. 3 Georgia won against No. 17 Florida, 27–8, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. It was an SEC game, decided by 19 points. Georgia rises from No. 3 to No. 2 in the AP poll, at 7-1. Florida drops from No. 17 to No. 25 in the AP poll, at 5-3.

What it means: Both teams arrived ranked and the higher-ranked one won. A win over a ranked opponent is the kind of result that is still cited when a season’s case is made at the end of the regular season.

Oregon 34, Northwestern 26

No. 20 Northwestern lost 26–34 to Oregon on Saturday, October 31. It was a Big Ten game, decided by 8 points. Northwestern, No. 20 entering the weekend, is no longer in the AP Top 25 at 6-2.

What it means: For a team near the bottom of the poll, this is how a ranking ends: a single loss to an unranked side, and Northwestern is no longer listed.

Iowa State 51, Oklahoma State 49

Iowa State beat No. 24 Oklahoma State 51–49 on Saturday, October 31. It was a Big 12 game, decided by 2 points. Oklahoma State, No. 24 entering the weekend, is no longer in the AP Top 25 at 5-3.

What it means: Oklahoma State had no margin in the poll to absorb a loss like this one, and it came by 2 points.

Texas Tech 34, Arizona 26

On Saturday, October 31, No. 13 Texas Tech won against No. 22 Arizona, 34–26. It was a Big 12 game, decided by 8 points. Texas Tech stays at No. 13 in the AP poll, at 7-1. Arizona drops from No. 22 to No. 24 in the AP poll, at 6-2.

What it means: The order held: the higher-ranked team won, by 8. For Arizona, losing to a team ranked above it costs less in the poll than a loss to an unranked side would.

How the AP order moved

Miami remains No. 1 at 8-0. The largest rise belongs to Missouri, from No. 23 to No. 19. The largest fall among teams still ranked belongs to Ohio State, from No. 2 to No. 11. New to the Top 25: USC (No. 18), Iowa (No. 21), New Mexico (No. 22), South Carolina (No. 23). Out of it: SMU (was No. 19), Northwestern (was No. 20), Oklahoma State (was No. 24), Wisconsin (was No. 25). These are the AP poll’s positions through games of October 31, 2026, as published on the NCAA’s rankings page. The AP poll is a vote of media members; it describes opinion and does not select the playoff field.

Conference picture

In the ACC, Syracuse beat SMU. In the Big 12, Iowa State beat Oklahoma State; Texas Tech beat Arizona. In the Big Ten, USC beat Ohio State; Oregon beat Northwestern. In the SEC, Georgia beat Florida. Conference results are the only ones that count toward a conference title, which is why a league game carries a second consequence that a non-conference game does not.

Playoff context

No 2026 College Football Playoff Selection Committee ranking was available on the NCAA’s CFP rankings page when this edition was prepared. Until one is, every ranking quoted in this recap is the AP poll, which does not seed the playoff.

What comes next

The week 10 preview carries the next slate, led by Miami vs Notre Dame and BYU vs Utah. The rankings desk carries the full AP Top 25.

How this recap was built

Every score, date and ranking on this page comes from the NCAA’s own records: the FBS scoreboard for the week, each game’s NCAA game center, and the AP poll as the NCAA’s rankings page publishes it. Season records are counted from the NCAA’s final scores and checked against the AP record column. The paragraphs marked “What it means” are this desk’s reading of those facts. No line, price or selection is published, and no result is framed as a forecast that came true.