The latest Sports 138 rankings have brought significant changes to the college football landscape following an eventful Week 9. Utah has made one of the biggest moves in the updated rankings, while Ohio State has suffered a major setback after losing to USC. The results have also strengthened the positions of several undefeated teams as the regular season enters November. Miami continues to hold the No. 1 position, with Georgia remaining close behind. However, Utah’s impressive performance against Cincinnati has pushed the Utes into the top three. UCLA has also maintained its unbeaten record and moved up another place, adding further competition near the top of the rankings.
Utah Breaks Into the Top Three as Miami Remains No. 1
Utah is one of the biggest success stories in the latest CBS Sports 138 update. The Utes improved to 8-0 after delivering a convincing victory over Cincinnati. Their strong performance followed an important home win against Houston, giving voters another reason to improve their position. As a result, Utah climbed four places, moving from No. 7 to No. 3. The team now sits behind Miami and Georgia, joining the leading contenders as one of the country’s strongest undefeated programs. Miami continues to occupy the top spot with unanimous support from CBS Sports and 247Sports voters. The Hurricanes are also 8-0 and have maintained their position despite growing competition from other unbeaten teams.
Georgia holds second place with a 7-1 record. Although the Bulldogs have not received unanimous support for that position, they maintain a comfortable advantage over Utah and UCLA in the CBS Sports voting. UCLA also enjoyed a positive Week 9. The Bruins improved to 8-0 following their victory and moved from No. 5 to No. 4. Notre Dame completes the top five after improving to 7-1. Ohio State experienced one of the biggest disappointments in the latest rankings. The Buckeyes entered the weekend at No. 2 but fell to No. 10 after losing to USC. The defeat has raised questions about Ohio State’s position among the leading College Football Playoff contenders. The Buckeyes now have a 6-2 record, leaving them with less room for mistakes during the remaining regular-season games.
USC, meanwhile, received a major boost from the result. The Trojans defeated Ohio State in a rain-affected contest and jumped from No. 31 to No. 17. Their 7-2 record still leaves work to do, but the victory has improved their position in the national rankings. Indiana also experienced a challenging weekend despite securing a win. The Hoosiers needed overtime to defeat Minnesota and dropped from No. 4 to No. 6. Their 8-1 record keeps them among the leading teams, although the latest movement shows how much voters value convincing performances. Notre Dame remains fifth, while BYU holds seventh place with a 7-1 record. Kentucky moved up two positions to No. 8, and Alabama stayed at No. 9 with a 6-2 record.
Kentucky, LSU and Other Teams Face a Tight Playoff Race
The middle section of the latest CBS Sports 138 rankings highlights how competitive the race for College Football Playoff positions has become. Kentucky is currently ranked eighth, but its average position across individual voter ballots is 9.4. LSU presents an interesting contrast. The Tigers sit at No. 14 in the overall rankings, even though their average ballot position is 12.7. This difference suggests that voters do not completely agree on how to evaluate several teams competing for playoff consideration. Records, strength of schedule and performances against quality opponents could become increasingly important as the season progresses.
Texas climbed three places to No. 11, while Ole Miss remained at No. 12. Texas Tech moved up to No. 13, followed by LSU at No. 14 and Wake Forest at No. 15. Tennessee occupies 16th place. Further down, Iowa climbed to No. 18, Missouri reached No. 19 and Houston moved to No. 20. Boise State improved to No. 21, while Arizona slipped to No. 22. Northwestern dropped to No. 23, New Mexico rose to No. 24 and South Carolina completed the top 25. The rankings show that several programmes still have opportunities to improve their national standing. However, with the season moving closer to its final weeks, every remaining result could carry greater importance.
Oregon and USC Record Major Gains in the Latest Rankings
Several teams outside the top 25 also made headlines through significant changes in their positions. Oregon recorded the biggest improvement among the highlighted teams, climbing 15 places to No. 29. The Ducks responded strongly against Northwestern after an early deficit, improving their record to 5-3. Their victories over Boise State, USC and Northwestern have also helped strengthen their case as a competitive team despite their three losses. USC made another major move, rising 14 places to No. 17. Its victory over Ohio State has given the Trojans fresh momentum as they continue competing for a stronger position in the Big Ten and national playoff picture.
South Carolina also moved up 13 places to No. 25. The Gamecocks have responded to a difficult start in SEC play with consecutive victories over Florida, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Their latest win came on the road against Oklahoma, providing another boost to their ranking. Not every team enjoyed a positive update. Oklahoma dropped nine places to No. 45 following its defeat to South Carolina. SMU suffered a 10-place decline to No. 28 after losing to Syracuse, while Virginia fell 11 positions to No. 64 amid a difficult run of results. These changes demonstrate how quickly teams can move up or down the rankings during the second half of the college football season. Strong wins can improve a team’s position, while unexpected defeats can create serious problems for programmes hoping to remain in the national conversation.
What the Latest Rankings Mean for the College Football Playoff
The latest CBS Sports 138 rankings provide an indication of how college football experts currently view the national competition. However, they should not be confused with the official College Football Playoff rankings. The CBS Sports 138 is a separate ranking system based on ballots submitted by CBS Sports and 247Sports contributors. The official playoff selection process uses its own committee rankings and evaluation system. The latest AP Top 25 also offers a different perspective. For example, the AP poll places Notre Dame at No. 4 and UCLA at No. 5, while the CBS Sports 138 ranks UCLA fourth and Notre Dame fifth. Ohio State also sits at No. 11 in the AP poll, compared with No. 10 in the CBS ranking.
With November football underway, the competition is becoming increasingly important. Miami, Georgia, Utah and UCLA have established themselves among the leading teams, but the remaining schedule could still change the national picture. For Ohio State, the immediate challenge is to recover from its loss and improve its position. USC, meanwhile, will look to build on its impressive victory, while Utah will aim to protect its unbeaten record and maintain its place near the top. The coming weeks should provide a clearer picture of which teams have the strongest cases for the College Football Playoff.
