The Week 9 college football slate was loaded with quality matchups and playoff implications. We saw several teams effectively get their ticket to the College Football Playoffswhile others were eliminated in heartbreaking fashion.

Undefeated Navy saw its playoff underdog bid ignite with a crushing 51-14 loss to Notre Dame. Meanwhile, Texas A&M delivered a beating to LSU in College Station, putting the Tigers’ playoff hopes in jeopardy. No. 1 Oregon beat No. 24 Illinois, cementing the Ducks at No. 1 overall, provided Dan Lanning’s team can avoid missteps down the stretch . And, perhaps more particularly, Texas squeaked past Vanderbilt in a ranked matchup that few would have seen coming before the season.

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

Here is the new AP Top 25.

1. Oregon Ducks (8-0)
2. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1)
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0)
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1)
5. Miami Hurricanes (8-0)
6. Texas Longhorns (7-1)
7. Tennessee Volunteers (6-1)
8. Notre Dame fighting the Irish (7-1)
9. BYU Cougars (8-0)
10. Texas A&M Aggies (7-1)
11. Cyclones in the State of Iowa (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. Mustang SMU (7-1)
21. Black Knights of the Army (7-0)
22. Washington State Cougars (7-1)
23. Colorado Buffaloes (6-2)
24. Illinois battles the Illini (6-2)
25. Missouri Tigers (6-2)

And here are the teams on the bubble, also receiving votes:

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

It certainly feels like Missouri is riding on its reputation and the strength of its conference, as the Tigers haven’t accomplished much this season. The Tigers’ claim to fame was a close win over unranked Vanderbilt in Week 4 before the Commodores really took off. Saturday’s 34-0 loss to Alabama It was only the second time Missouri faced a ranked opponent this season, and it ended with the Tigers’ second loss to a ranked opponent.

Mizzou just doesn’t have the offense to hang with the SEC heavyweights. Saturday’s game was essentially a playoff game for College Football Playoff purposes. Neither team could afford a loss, especially not one of this magnitude. The Crimson Tide defense has been in shambles as of late, so leaving a goose egg on the scoreboard is a bad look for Eliah Drinkwitz’s team.

This begs the question…why is Mizzou still ranked? What exactly did the Tigers do, other than barely beating Vandy and a scrappy but bad Auburn team, to crack the top 25? With so many deserving teams in 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 bombing Syracuse on Thursday night. This game was marketed as a potential playoff qualifier and Pitt passed the test with flying colors. The defense held Syracuse QB Kyle McCord in check, throwing five interceptions (including three on consecutive 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 due to injury, but he is not expected to miss any time. The Panthers’ schedule is pretty tough here, so expect Pitt’s mettle to be tested over the next five weeks. SMU is scheduled for Week 10 in another low-key, high-stakes ACC showdown, while Clemson, Louisville and Boston College all loom as potential spoilers down the stretch.

It might be difficult for Pittsburgh to emerge from this ordeal unscathed, so perhaps, for the AP, voters are hedging their bets. But this Panthers team is the real deal, so don’t be shocked if Pitt continues.

This UGA win is a convincing feather in Kalen DeBoer’s cap, but Alabama has mostly been a mess in recent weeks. Let’s not forget that the Crimson Tide jumped out to a 28-0 lead over the Dawgs, only to almost spoil the game in the second half. Since then, Alabama has lost to Vanderbilt, almost lost to South Carolina and lost to Tennessee.

Saturday’s 34-0 loss to top-ranked Missouri is a high-profile win on paper, but for all the reasons above, we probably shouldn’t pay attention to it. This Tigers team is a complete fraud, so moving Alabama up one spot and positioning the Crimson Tide as a “dark horse” in the playoffs seems like a slight overreaction.

Of course, that will depend on how Alabama finishes the season. Next week’s showdown with No. 16 LSU is Alabama’s final ranked game of the season, before a slate of relative softball to close it out. A loss to LSU puts the Crimson Tide in the Top 25 bubble and effectively eliminates them from the College Football Playoff. A win likely puts Bama back in the 12-team field, whether it’s deserved or not.

Favoritism in Alabama is unfortunately a real thing.

Indiana is 8-0 in the Big Ten with some dominant wins under its belt. The Hoosiers aren’t traditionally a powerhouse football program, but the resume speaks for itself. There hasn’t been a single team in the conference with a more dominant front-to-back performance thus far, and that includes both Penn State and Ohio State.

I’m not here to suggest we put Indiana in the top 3, but the Hoosiers probably deserve a tentative spot among the 12 teams. The Associated Press won’t ultimately determine the playoff picture, but there is some symbolism in that 12th-ranked threshold. Indiana has done everything necessary to get over it, scoring at least 30 points in all of its games thus far.

The Hoosiers’ 56-7 win over Nebraska a few weeks ago makes for a convenient point of comparison after Ohio State barely managed a 21-17 win over the same Cornhuskers on Saturday. Indiana has done nothing but trample quality opponents all season. With Michigan State, Michiganand of course Ohio State all about the role, we’ll see if the Hoosiers are indeed made of the right stuff. If Indiana can cross the finish line undefeated, we’re talking about an easy top-four team.

The Miami Hurricanes are 8-0 and atop the ACC, so there’s really no concrete argument against their top-five finish. Not in terms of objective facts. That said, it’s not difficult to turn on a Hurricanes play and punch plenty of holes in Mario Cristobal’s team.

Miami’s 36-14 win over Florida State last Saturday looks much better on paper than it was in reality. Cam Ward, once a Heisman favorite, couldn’t create much rhythm against the ACC’s shiftiest defense. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes defense has been a mess of late. Louisville lost 45 points the week before, Cal lost 38 the week before and Virginia Tech scored 34 the week before that. that. Of all the Power Five schools undefeated in the playoffs, few are more openly vulnerable than Miami.

Perhaps the endless stream of points coming from Cam Ward is enough to cover up limited defense, but the Hurricanes simply aren’t imposing their will to the same level as other top contenders. That unbeaten record is undeniably impressive, but Miami has yet to truly face a great team and even mediocre teams give the Canes all they can handle.

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

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

The next five weeks will give Clemson a chance to prove itself against some real threats, including No. 18 Pitt 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 may well pay off. If we end up with Miami-Clemson in the ACC championship game, I know who I’m picking.