The Latest: Big waves are coming for the top 10 of the AP Top 25

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The latest AP Top 25 college football rankings are almost here.

Week 8 of college football proved that nothing is promised in the AP Top 25 after nine ranked teams suffered losses — including four in the top 10 — and three unranked teams delivered upsets against ranked opponents.

No. 2 Miami was the first to fall, shocked at home by unranked Louisville in the Hurricanes’ first defeat of the season. (In case you thought you could count unranked teams out, three more delivered upsets against ranked teams this weekend.)

By Saturday night, winning streaks also broke for No. 5 Ole Miss at No. 9 Georgia and No. 7 Texas Tech at Arizona State.

And No. 10 LSU lost for the second time this season, this time to No. 17 Vanderbilt.

But it wasn’t all bad news for those near the top of the rankings: No. 3 Indiana crushed Michigan State 38-13 and No. 6 Alabama beat No. 11 Tennessee.

After matchups like these, expect major waves in the poll. So which teams climb?

Follow live updates from The Associated Press below for poll projections, game recaps, analysis and voter answers to fan questions, all in one place.

Here’s the latest:

Stock up: Indiana, Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt, BYU, Georgia Tech.

Stock down: Miami, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, LSU, Nebraska, Memphis.

Louisville is likely to crack the Top 25 for the first time this season after overthrowing Miami on its home turf.

The Cardinals got off to a hot start and maintained the lead all game long despite Miami’s late efforts.

Arizona State has been in and out of the rankings this season, most recently dropping out of the poll after a loss to Utah. But this week the Sun Devils knocked off a top 10 Texas Tech team in a game that wasn’t short of excitement.

Texas Tech scored two touchdowns in two minutes and took the lead with two minutes on the clock. Arizona State responded with an efficient touchdown-scoring drive to secure the 26-22 win.

By SCOTT HAMILTON

I get what you’re saying re: Notre Dame. But the Irish’s two losses were to elite teams by a combined four points. And Notre Dame has done what it needs to do since — execute on a weekly basis against a schedule of Power 4 opponents and Group of Six power Boise State.

The Irish have won those games by an average of 25.5 points. I’ll be shocked if the Irish don’t make the College Football Playoff — and equally shocked if Notre Dame doesn’t win a game or two in it.

Scott Hamilton is a sports columnist for The Charleston Post and Courier and has been an AP Top 25 voter for eight years. You can follow him on X: @scotthamiltonpc.

By SCOTT HAMILTON

I’m really bullish on both Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech for multiple reasons.

First and foremost, they’re both really good football teams. Maybe not man for man — LSU’s roster is way better than Vandy’s. But both Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech are wonderful examples of the sums being more than the parts. Every player on each team has a role, knows his role and works to execute that role to the best of his ability.

Both teams are also extremely well coached — they know who they are and what they are and embrace it. I also really like how the schedules play out for both teams going forward, especially Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets have four conferences games left (two at home, two on the road) against opponents who are a combined 13-15 overall, 5-10 in the ACC. Then they finish up with their traditional game against Georgia.

Barring a complete collapse, I don’t see how Georgia Tech doesn’t have big plans over the holidays.

By SCOTT HAMILTON

It promised to be an eventful weekend and it definitely delivered.

There were five ranked games and three were determined by one score. Even the other two were more competitive than the final margins.

But those are the easy ones to gauge for obvious reasons — you’re not gonna penalize a ranked team for narrowly losing to another ranked team. Often times, you just flip their spots (seriously).

As far as the others, you have to weigh a few different factors: location, injuries, etc., for that specific game and then look back at the losing team’s entire body of work up to that point.

LSU is a great example. Both of the Tigers’ losses have come to ranked teams on the road (at Ole Miss, at Vanderbilt), so it’s hard to be too punishing; but they also don’t really have a bundle of quality wins to really elevate them. So I put them at No. 25 and will go from there when LSU plays at Texas A&M next week.

Five Top 25 teams maintained an undefeated record through Week 8: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 3 Indiana, No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 12 Georgia Tech and No. 15 BYU.

Ohio State shut out Wisconsin 34-0. Indiana cruised past Michigan State with a 38-13 win. Texas A&M escaped a close one against Arkansas, pulling out a 45-42 victory. Georgia Tech beat ACC foe Duke 27-18 and BYU held off Utah, coming out on top with a 24-21 win.

No. 2 Miami, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 10 LSU lost in Week 8 of college football play, paving the way for a major reshuffle in the top 10 of this week’s poll.

They were the first losses of the season for Miami, Ole Miss and Texas Tech. The Hurricanes were stunned at home by Louisville, which picked off quarterback Carson Beck four times on Friday night and secured a 24-21 win.

Vanderbilt outscored LSU 31-24 on Saturday, an effort spearheaded by Commodores’ quarterback Diego Pavia. Ole Miss dropped 43-35 to Georgia on the road in an offensive shootout. And Arizona State handed Texas Tech a 26-22 loss in a last-minute thriller.

No organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than The Associated Press, since 1936.

AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters comprise around 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets. The goal is to have every state with a Football Bowl Subdivision school represented by at least one voter.

Voting is a straight points system: A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote is worth 24 points, down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote.

Then it’s just a summary of which teams are 1-25 based on the totals. Others receiving votes are also noted.

Voting is done online, and the tabulation is automated.

Five Top 25 teams maintained an undefeated record through Week 8: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 3 Indiana, No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 12 Georgia Tech and No. 15 BYU.

Ohio State shut out Wisconsin 34-0. Indiana cruised past Michigan State with a 38-13 win. Texas A&M escaped a close one against Arkansas, pulling out a 45-42 victory. Georgia Tech beat ACC foe Duke 27-18 and BYU held off Utah, coming out on top with a 24-21 win.

No. 2 Miami, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 10 LSU lost in Week 8 of college football play, paving the way for a major reshuffle in the top 10 of this week’s poll.

They were the first losses of the season for Miami, Ole Miss and Texas Tech. The Hurricanes were stunned at home by Louisville, which picked off quarterback Carson Beck four times on Friday night and secured a 24-21 win.

Vanderbilt outscored LSU 31-24 on Saturday, an effort spearheaded by Commodores’ quarterback Diego Pavia. Ole Miss dropped 43-35 to Georgia on the road in an offensive shootout. And Arizona State handed Texas Tech a 26-22 loss in a last-minute thriller.

No organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than The Associated Press, since 1936.

AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters comprise around 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets. The goal is to have every state with a Football Bowl Subdivision school represented by at least one voter.

There is a 1-to-25 point system, with a team voted No. 1 receiving 25 points down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote. After that, it’s simple: The poll lists the teams with the most points from 1 to 25, and others receiving votes are also noted.

Voting is done online, and the tabulation is automated.