The Week 9 college football slate was loaded with quality matchups and postseason implications. I’ve seen several teams actually punch their ticket to College Football Playoffwhile others fell out of the race in heartbreaking fashion.

Unbeaten Navy saw its postseason bid go up in flames with a crushing 51-14 loss to Notre Dame. Meanwhile, Texas A&M beat LSU in College Station, putting the Tigers’ postseason hopes in jeopardy. No. 1 Oregon defeated No. 24 Illinois, cementing the Ducks as the No. 1 overall seed as long as Dan Lanning’s team can avoid further missteps. And, perhaps most notable of all, Texas squeaked past Vanderbilt in a ranked duel that few would have seen before the season.

The Associated Press voters have released their new rankings ahead of Week 10. Not much has changed at the top, but there are several new teams entering the mix, threatening to wreak havoc on the postseason race. Remember, only 12 teams can make it to the end.

Here’s the new one Top 25 AP.

1. Oregon ducks (8-0)
2. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1)
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0)
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1)
5. The Miami Hurricanes (8-0)
6. Texas Longhorns (7-1)
7. Tennessee Volunteers (6-1)
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1)
9. BYU Cougars (8-0)
10. Texas A&M Aggies (7-1)
11. Iowa State Cyclones (7-0)
12. Clemson Tigers (6-1)
13. Indiana Hoosiers (8-0)
14. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2)
15. Boise State Broncos (6-1)
16. LSU Tigers (6-2)
17. Kansas State Cougars (7-1)
18. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-0)
19. Ole Miss Rebels (6-2)
20. SMU Mustangs (7-1)
21. Army of the Black Knights (7-0)
22. Washington state cougar (7-1)
23. Colorado buffalo (6-2)
24. Illinois Fight the Illini (6-2)
25. Missouri Tigers (6-2)

And here are the teams on the bubble, who also received votes:

Let’s dive into the teams ranked too high and too low.

It certainly feels like Missouri is enjoying the reputation and power of the conference, as the Tigers haven’t accomplished much this season. The Tigers’ claim to fame is a narrow win over unranked Vanderbilt in Week 4 before the Commodores really take off. Saturday’s 34-0 loss Alabama it was just the second time Missouri faced a ranked opponent this season and it marked the Tigers’ second loss to a ranked opponent.

Mizzou just doesn’t have the offense to hang with SEC heavyweights. Saturday’s game was essentially an elimination game for College Football Playoff purposes. No team could afford a loss, especially not a loss of this magnitude. The Crimson Tide defense has been in absolute meltdown lately, so leaving a goose egg on the scoreboard is a bad picture for Eliah Drinkwitz’s team.

That begs the question… why is Mizzou still ranked? What exactly did the Tigers do besides barely squeak past Vandy and a bad Auburn team to earn a top-25 spot? With so many deserving teams on the bubble and the SEC overrepresented by default, there’s really no explanation for the Tigers’ continued presence in these rankings.

Pittsburgh is 7-0 with a clear path to the ACC Championship Game after sweeping Syracuse on Thursday night. That game was marketed as a potential postseason qualifier and Pitt passed the test with flying colors. The defense held Syracuse QB Kyle McCord in check, recording five interceptions (including three on back-to-back possessions to open the game). Meanwhile, Eli Holstein and the Pitt offense continue to put up numbers.

Holstein was actually forced out of the game with an injury, but is not expected to miss any time. The Panthers’ schedule is pretty tough here, so expect Pitt’s mettle to be well tested over the next five weeks. SMU is on the Week 10 slate in another high-stakes ACC matchup, while Clemson, Louisville and Boston College loom as potential spoilers down the stretch.

It might be hard for Pittsburgh to get through this gauntlet unscathed, so AP voters are probably hedging their bets. But this Panthers team is the real deal, so don’t be shocked if Pitt keeps going.

That UGA win is a compelling feather in Kalen DeBoer’s cap, but Alabama has largely been a mess in recent weeks. Not to forget, the Crimson Tide built a 28-0 lead over the Dawgs, only to throw the game very close in the second half. Since then, Alabama has lost to Vanderbilt, almost lost to South Carolina and lost to Tennessee.

Saturday’s 34-0 rout of top-ranked Missouri is a high-profile win on paper, but for all of the reasons above, we probably shouldn’t read into it. This Tigers team is a total fraud, so giving Alabama a spot and positioning the Crimson Tide as a postseason “dark horse” feels like a slight overreaction.

It will, of course, come down to how Alabama finishes the season. Next week’s matchup with LSU no. 16 is Alabama’s final ranked game of the season, ahead of a slate of relative softballs to close it out. A loss to LSU puts the Crimson Tide at the top of the Top 25 bubble and effectively eliminates them from the College Football Playoff. A win likely puts Bama back in the 12-team mix, whether it’s deserved or not.

Unfortunately, favoritism in Alabama is a real thing.

Indiana is 8-0 in the Big Ten with several dominant wins under its belt. The Hoosiers aren’t traditionally a powerhouse program in football, but the resume speaks for itself. There has never been a single team in the conference with a more dominant back-to-back performance, and that includes both Penn State and Ohio State.

I’m not here to suggest moving Indiana into the top-3, but the Hoosiers probably deserve a tryout spot in the 12-team field. The Associated Press won’t determine the playoff bracket when all is said and done, but there is some symbolism in that No. 12 threshold. yet.

The Hoosiers’ 56-7 win over Nebraska a few weeks ago serves as a convenient point of comparison after Ohio State barely squeaked out a 21-17 victory over those same Cornhuskers on Saturday. Indiana has stomped on quality opponents all season. With Michigan State, Michiganand, of course, Ohio State all on the docket, we’ll see if the Hoosiers really are made of the right stuff. If Indiana can get to the finish line undefeated, we’re talking about an easy top-four team.

The Miami Hurricanes are 8-0 and sit atop the ACC, so there’s really no real argument against top five billing. Not in terms of objective fact. That said, it’s not difficult to start a Hurricanes game and poke a lot of holes in Mario Cristobal’s team.

Miami’s 36-14 win over Florida State last Saturday looks a lot better on paper than it actually was. Cam Ward, the one-time Heisman front-runner, has been unable to build much of a rush against the ACC’s leakiest defense. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes’ own defense has been a mess of late. Louisville dropped 45 points the week before, Cal dropped 38 the week before, and Virginia Tech posted 34 the week before. that. Of all the undefeated Power Five schools in the postseason mix, few are more openly vulnerable than Miami.

Maybe the endless stream of points flowing from Cam Ward is enough to cover a limited defense, but the Hurricanes just don’t impose their will at the same level as other top contenders. That undefeated record is undeniably impressive, but Miami has yet to play a great team, and even mediocre teams give the Canes all they can handle.

Don’t look now, though Clemson Tigers they are the real deal. Cade Klubnik evolved from a preseason red flag into one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football, even winning Heisman buzz. The Tigers lost to UGA in Week 1, but Dabo Swinney’s team has been stubbornly excellent since then.

When it comes to bad losses, it’s much easier to forgive a Week 1 mistake than a Week 9 mistake. Clemson hasn’t faced strong competition since UGA, but weekly blowouts are a good way to restore confidence in the program your. The Tigers take care of the teams they need to take care of, leaving very little doubt about the outcome of these games.

The next five weeks will give Clemson a chance to prove itself against real threats, including No. 1 Pitt. 18 in Week 12 and South Carolina in the final game of the season. Swinney has been criticized for not using the transfer portal, but his “organic” team-building strategies could pay off. If we end up with Miami-Clemson in the ACC championship game, I know who I’m picking.