Ohio State’s defeat at USC opened a hole near the top of Bleacher Report’s college football rankings, but the teams around the Buckeyes came close to creating a much larger reshuffle. Miami survived in Chapel Hill, Indiana needed overtime against Minnesota and BYU escaped Arizona State. Winning was enough to keep all three in the publication’s leading group.
The clearest consequence belonged to Ohio State. The Buckeyes dropped from second to 13th after their 30-18 loss, while Miami retained first place ahead of Georgia, Utah, Indiana and UCLA. Joel Reuter published the outlet’s updated expert rankings on November 1 following the Week 9 games.
These are Bleacher Report’s editorial rankings, not an announced Associated Press poll or a College Football Playoff selection committee ranking. The distinction matters when comparing the order with earlier ballots or projections. The Eastern Herald’s reporting on a previous AP poll forecast similarly separated a prediction from an official result.
Bleacher Report set out the new order in its assessment, which also carried an editor’s note saying changes could follow the conclusion of Boise State’s game against Texas State. The version reviewed for this article still listed that game without a result and placed Boise State 17th at 6-1. Its entry should therefore be read as provisional rather than a completed account of the weekend.
USC did the most visible damage to the upper order. The Trojans rose from 24th to 18th, recovering from their previous loss to Wisconsin by scoring twice in the first quarter and keeping Ohio State out of the end zone until late in the fourth. USC allowed 464 yards but only one touchdown, a difference between territory surrendered and points conceded that shaped the result.
The Buckeyes played with true freshman Luke Fahey in place of the injured Julian Sayin. Fahey completed 21 of 38 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown without an interception, but Ohio State did not score its touchdown until 2:12 remained. The quarterback problem created by Sayin’s injury had already become a central issue before the trip to USC.
At 6-2, Ohio State now faces Oregon in its next game. Bleacher Report’s fall of 11 places reflects the cost of another defeat in its own evaluation, not a formal ruling on the Buckeyes’ postseason prospects. USC, meanwhile, gets a bye before meeting Indiana.
Miami’s place at the summit survived a different kind of test. The Hurricanes trailed North Carolina 28-24 early in the fourth quarter before winning 38-35. Consecutive touchdown drives, with a forced fumble between them, allowed Miami to leave unbeaten at 8-0 despite a strong passing performance from North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.
The next assignment is Notre Dame, ranked seventh by Bleacher Report after its 35-13 victory at Navy. That matchup gives Miami a chance to strengthen its position against another team near the top of this particular ranking. Notre Dame’s season has already included the 28-24 defeat against BYU covered earlier by The Eastern Herald.
Georgia moved to second after beating Florida 27-8. Four takeaways helped the Bulldogs through an uneven offensive game, including a 66-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Chris Cole. Georgia goes to Ole Miss next, with the Rebels placed 15th after their win over Auburn.
Utah climbed from fifth to third by winning 49-25 at Cincinnati. The Utes built a 42-6 halftime lead, scored twice on defense before the break and finished with 268 rushing yards. At 8-0, they now host sixth-ranked BYU, giving the next round of games a second matchup between teams in Bleacher Report’s top seven.
Indiana stayed fourth, but its 23-16 overtime victory was anything but comfortable. Paddy McAteer’s 60-yard field goal as regulation expired kept the Hoosiers alive after Minnesota had made a 60-yarder of its own just 19 seconds earlier. Backup quarterback Grant Wilson then found Charlie Becker for the go-ahead touchdown on the first play of overtime.
UCLA completed the top five after shutting out Nevada 27-0 to reach 8-0. Below BYU and Notre Dame, Kentucky ranked eighth, LSU ninth and Tennessee tenth. Alabama and Texas occupied 11th and 12th, immediately ahead of Ohio State. Those positions describe the outlet’s current judgment rather than guaranteed playoff places.
The lower end also changed. New Mexico entered at 25th after a 21-16 win at San Jose State, joining 24th-ranked UTSA at 7-1. Missouri, South Carolina and Iowa were other previously unranked entrants. Their arrival shows how losses elsewhere can create room for teams outside the leading national conversation.
New Mexico’s defense supplied a particularly clear basis for its inclusion: Bleacher Report noted that no opponent had reached 20 points against the Lobos this season. Its lone defeat was 14-6 against Oklahoma. UTSA had a bye and remained behind Boise State in the outlet’s discussion of contenders from outside the power conferences.
The top of the list survived several close calls, while Ohio State absorbed the largest fall among the leading contenders discussed here. The source’s unfinished Boise State entry leaves one specific reporting limit: this version of Bleacher Report’s order does not yet incorporate a final result for that game.
