Ranking 134 college football teams after Week 9: Top 10 Indiana’s dream season comes true

Editor’s Note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.

Indiana is no longer just a fun college football story. Which is to say: Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers are not a courageous starter. They are the real deal. They are a machine. And it’s time to realize that they are a real threat to make the College Football Playoff.

After beating Washington and becoming the first FBS team in 26 years to start 8-0 without ever trailing, Indiana is ranked No. 9 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 134.

It’s really wild that a program that went 3-9 last season was favored to beat and then beat last year’s national runner-up, and that Indiana will likely be favored over the national champion in a few weeks from last year, Michigan. The school record for wins is nine, and the Hoosiers would need a complete collapse to not at least tie that record.

Without talented quarterback Kurtis Rourke, the Hoosiers turned to the ground, and running back Justice Ellison had 123 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries against the Huskies. Winning in any other way is impressive, but it would be helpful if Rourke comes back sooner rather than later.

And for those ready to join in, “Who did they play?” – it is true that the schedule was not that difficult. But ESPN’s analytics, which rank Indiana’s strength at No. 106, also rank the Hoosiers’ record strength at No. 10, rewarding them for how they did considering the strength of the opponent. It still matters how you perform on your schedule, and once again Indiana hasn’t trailed for a second all season.

It’s been a dream season in Bloomington, and with a remaining schedule that ranks 17th in the nation, opportunities for more impactful wins will come, including against Ohio State.

Here is this week’s edition of The Athletic 134.

1-10

The only changes here come at the bottom of the bracket, where Indiana has moved up to No. 9 and Notre Dame has returned to the top 10 after a 51-14 win against ranked Navy. That, combined with the fact that Texas A&M hasn’t lost since its Week 1 loss to the Irish, means Notre Dame is right back in the CFP picture. Many people wrote off the Irish after their loss to Northern Illinois, but welcome to the twelve-team CFP era where schools can play their way back into the mix.

Expect another shakeup in the top five after Ohio State visits Penn State this week. And by the way, BYU has two wins against 7-1 teams this season. The Cougars still don’t get enough respect in the polls.

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11-25

Texas A&M moves all the way to No. 11 after its 38-23 win against LSU. The Aggies are the only team undefeated in SEC play. Clemson and Iowa State both fell while doing nothing, but that was simply because Notre Dame and Texas A&M now had much better wins after the weekend.

Pitt is ranked No. 17 after a 41-13 win against Syracuse. I wanted to push the Panthers further forward, but the teams ahead of them won too. Their trip to SMU next Saturday is their first chance at a big win. Welcome to the top 25, Colorado. The Buffs are now 6-2 after beating Cincinnati. They’ve just been a really solid team this season with less people paying attention.

Somehow, Missouri remains in the top 25 at No. 23 despite a 37-0 loss to Alabama. I didn’t expect to keep the Tigers here, but so many teams right behind them in last week’s rankings also lost, and Mizzou still has the win against Vanderbilt to hang its hat on (yes, that’s a real sentence ). Arkansas also jumps into the top 25 after a blowout win against Mississippi State and losing to a number of teams before the Razorbacks. It also helps that two of Arkansas’ three losses came to top-20 teams, and the Razorbacks got a win against Tennessee.

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AP Top 25: Penn State, OSU ready for top-5 game; Colorado enters

26-50

Navy only dropped to No. 27 after the loss to Notre Dame, largely because of the win over No. 28 Memphis. Army remains outside the top 25 because it has yet to record a win against an FBS team with a winning record. The Black Knights only “fell” because Colorado and Arkansas went up. As I always say, don’t overreact to a fall while inactivity. It’s just about what other teams did.

Tulane rises to No. 34 after a win at North Texas. Nebraska drops just one spot to No. 38 after sweeping Ohio State; the Huskers’ win against Colorado is looking better and better. Minnesota jumps up to No. 41 after a dominant 48-23 win against Maryland.

TCU is back in the top 50 at No. 44 after a comeback win against Texas Tech. Cincinnati drops to No. 46 because of the loss to Colorado and because of the loss to Texas Tech, which the Bearcats are trailing because of their head-to-head record.

GO DEEPER

College Football Playoff Lessons from Week 9: Ohio State walks a tightrope, new SEC leader

51-75

A week after Maryland defeated USC, both held their own here after the Terps lost to Minnesota and the Trojans defeated Rutgers. It’s an example where last week’s results still have a lot of influence on two 4-4 teams. North Carolina got back on track with a 41-14 win against Virginia to move up to No. 53. Cal’s 44-7 win against Oregon State moves the Golden Bears to No. 60 and an inactive NC State to No. 59 as the Wolfpack defeated Cal a week ago.

Auburn rises from No. 81 to No. 61 after beating Kentucky, which continues to fall, now at No. 62. Utah also continues to decline, now down to No. 68 after a loss to Houston and on a decline that seems likely to continue with the Utes quarterback injuries. But their wins against Baylor and Oklahoma State keep them from falling further. Baylor’s win against Oklahoma State moves the Bears to No. 69 and Oklahoma State to No. 71. Old Dominion hammered Georgia Southern 47-19 to break the Sun Belt East wide open and move up to No. 73, while Liberty’s shocking loss to previously winless Kennesaw State dropped the Flames to No. 75, all but ending their College Football Playoff hopes.

GO DEEPER

College Football Playoff Lessons from Week 9: Ohio State walks a tightrope, new SEC leader

76-100

UCF has fallen to No. 76 after a five-game losing streak. Kansas remains at No. 84 after Kansas State needed a late 51-yard field goal to beat the Jayhawks. Western Michigan is ranked No. 86 and tops the MAC as the only undefeated team in league play, but No. 87 Miami (Ohio), No. 88 Ohio and No. 89 Bowling Green aren’t far behind, especially after the Falcons’ loss . Toledo 41-26 and Ohio beat Buffalo. The MAC is all mixed up, and that’s reflected in the rankings here, especially after Notre Dame slayer Northern Illinois lost to Ball State and fell to No. 93.

I can’t believe I had to type “1-7” here for Florida State’s record. The No. 99 Seminoles remain the worst Power 4 teams along with No. 98 Mississippi State and No. 100 Purdue.

101-134

Would you believe that No. 100 Colorado State is actually undefeated in Mountain West play and has a pretty clear path to the conference championship game? Because the Aries do that. USF drops to No. 102 as the Bulls were inactive and several teams below them had notable wins. Ball State’s win against NIU moves the Cardinals up to No. 107. UTSA falls to No. 112 after leading 35-7 at halftime following a loss to No. 111 Tulsa. Nevada also falls into this group at No. 117 after a loss to Hawaii. Akron defeated Eastern Michigan and moved up to No. 125.

Congratulations to Kennesaw State on its first win as an FBS program and against an FBS program as the Owls stunned Liberty. That puts Kennesaw State at No. 127 and leaves No. 134 Kent State as the last winless FBS team.

The Athletic 134 series is part of a partnership with Allstate. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories prior to publication.

(Photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)