Week nine in the 2025 College Football season brings us closer to finding out who will make the CFP. Last week, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt put themselves into contention. Could they stay in the race this week?
Let’s look back at the action.
The Aggies beat the struggling Tigers
With all the attention on Vandy, Ole Miss, and Indiana, no one has given much attention to the number three-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. They come into this week still unbeaten and have generally played high-scoring football against easier teams. This week, they faced their first test of their conference schedule against the number 20-ranked LSU Tigers. LSU was expected to do well this year, but has already lost two games. One more defeat and any hopes of the CFP will be dead.
The Aggies were able to take the lead from their first drive of the game. Quarterback Marcel Reed was able to lead his offense down to the Tigers’ 41-yard line. Here, he ran for the endzone to record a 41-yard rushing touchdown to give his team the lead.
LSU were able to respond to this score. Early Heisman Trophy contender (now not) Garrett Nussmeier brought the offense down into the Aggies’ red zone. Then, he found Trey’Dez Green for a five-yard touchdown pass to level the scores. This state of parity did not last long, as Reed found KC Concepcion for a 15-yard touchdown pass on the following drive to give the Aggies the lead again.
Embed from Getty ImagesThere was then a period where this normally strong Aggies offense made numerous mistakes. First, they were forced into their own endzone for a safety. Then, on the next two drives. Reed threw intercepted passes. Both of these would prove costly. First, Harlem Berry would find the endzone for a seven-yard touchdown to give LSU the lead. Then, the second INT resulted in a 30-yard field goal from Damian Ramos to add to this lead
This meant the Tigers led the Aggies 18-14 at halftime.
Texas A&M opened the second half strong and retook the lead they had lost due to their mistakes before halftime. Reed and company made their way down to the Tigers’ five-yard line before the quarterback found the endzone for a rushing touchdown. In response, the best LSU could do was punt the ball.
The Aggies added to their lead on their next two drives. First, Reed found Jamarion Morrow for a 24-yard touchdown pass. This was followed by a one-yard rushing touchdown from Nate Boerkircher to take the game out of reach of the Tigers.
Embed from Getty ImagesA further score from the Aggies, thanks to an 11-yard rushing touchdown from Morrow, only cemented the win. LSU was able to score a consolation touchdown to end the game, but by then it was too late.
The number three-ranked Texas A&M Aggies had defeated the number 20-ranked LSU Tigers 49-25.
This win keeps their undefeated season alive and makes the Aggies one of the few remaining undefeated teams in college football. They may already have one foot in the SEC Championship game; their opponent will be decided in the coming weeks. They improved to 8-0 (5-0 SEC) for the season. As for LSU, they fall to 5-3 (2-3 SEC) and put themselves out of contention for the CFP. Another wasted season from Brian Kelly.
Next week, both teams are on a bye week.
All Over for Oklahoma?
The number eight Ole Miss Rebels have been in good form recently. They experienced a minor fault last week in their defeat to the Georgia Bulldogs, but overall, they seem like a contender for the national championship. Potentially joining them in this hunt are the Oklahoma Sooners. Excluding their performance against the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma has been a solid team, but the defeat to then-unranked Texas could be what prevents them from making the CFP if they do not win out. Who would win this important game?
The Rebels had the first possession of the game and scored their first points. Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the offense down to the Sooners’ 28-yard line, where the drive would stall. This set up kicker Lucas Carneiro with a 45-yard field goal attempt, which he made. In response, the Sooners matched the Rebels’ move. Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell would find the uprights from 42 yards out to level the scores.
Ole Miss would quickly respond to this leveling and retake the lead through a 28-yard rushing touchdown from Kewan Lacy. This lead would last a few drives, until Sooners’ quarterback John Mateer found Isaiah Sategna III for a 76-yard passing touchdown.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe next drive from the Sooners would not go their way. Down on their own endzone, Oklahoma would be forced into the endzone for a safety, handing the Rebels two points. Ole Miss would add to these points on their next drive, when Carniero found the uprights from 22 yards out.
The five-point lead became even larger before halftime when Lacy found the endzone for a two-yard rushing touchdown. This meant that as the teams returned to the locker rooms, the Rebels had a 22-10 lead over the Sooners.
The second half of the game began slowly for both teams. The Sooners were able to slowly get themselves back into the game on their second drive of the half, when Sandell kicked a 42-yard field goal. Ole Miss immediately responded with a 29-yard field goal to limit any gains from this segment.
Then, the Sooners found their offense. Xavier Robinson found the endzone for a 65-yard rushing touchdown to make it a one-possession game. Then, on their next drive, Robinson scored a nine-yard rushing touchdown to give them a one-point lead. However, the failed two-point conversion kept the lead at one going into the fourth quarter.
Embed from Getty ImagesOle Miss would immediately take the lead back when Chambliss found Trace Bruckler for an eight-yard touchdown pass. The Rebels also failed their two-point conversion attempt, which kept the Sooners in the game.
However, Oklahoma was unable to do anything on its final drives of the game. This pair, with one more field goal from the Rebels, sealed the win.
The number eight-ranked Ole Miss Rebels had defeated the number 13 Oklahoma Sooners 34-26.
This win keeps the Rebels in the race for the SEC Championship game and on track for a spot in the CFP if these performances continue. As for the Sooners, their CFP status is now in jeopardy. They now need to hope to be the best two-loss team in the country if they want to make a low seed. With the win, the Rebels improve to 7-1 (4-1 SEC), while the Sooners fall to 6-2 (2-2 SEC).
Next week, Ole Miss faces South Carolina, while Oklahoma plays Tennessee
What Happened to the Other Ranked Teams?
UCLA @ #2 Indiana
The No. 2-ranked Indiana Hoosiers faced the UCLA Bruins this week, who have caused a few upsets this season. There were no upsets this week. The Hoosiers demolished the Bruins 56-6 to keep their undefeated season alive.
#4 Alabama @ South Carolina
The number four-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide has been able to bring itself back into the national championship picture after an opening week defeat. This week, their hopes of a revival continued against the South Carolina Gamecocks. This was a very close game that went down to the final drive. A late rushing touchdown from Germie Bernard gave the Crimson Tide a 29-22 win to keep their undefeated SEC schedule alive.
Wisconsin @ #6 Oregon
The number six-ranked Oregon Ducks kept their hopes of playing spoiler to either Ohio State or Indiana alive with an easy win over the Wisconsin Badgers. In an uneventful match, the Ducks recorded a 21-7 win.
Syracuse @ #7 Georgia Tech
The number seven-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are very much a contender for the national championship and come into their game against the Syracuse Orange undefeated. Georgia Tech’s quarterback Haynes King was involved in five touchdowns in their 41-16 win over the Orange.
Embed from Getty ImagesStanford @ #9 Miami
The number nine-ranked Miami Hurricanes kept their CFP chances going with a win over the Stanford Cardinal. A dominant performance from the Hurricanes gave them a 42-7 win.
#15 Missouri @ #10 Vanderbilt
The number 10-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores could seriously make a run for the national championship this week. This week, they kept their desire to win it all alive with a narrow win over the number 15-ranked Missouri Tigers. A late rushing touchdown from quarterback Diego Pavia gave them a 17-10 win.
#11 BYU @ Iowa State
The number 11-ranked BYU Cougars put themselves into a good position to win the Big 12 conference with a dominant performance over the Iowa State Cyclones. Cougars QB Bear Bachmeier had another strong game, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns in their 41-27 win. This keeps their undefeated record alive.
Oklahoma State @ #14 Texas Tech
The number 14-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders had a very easy game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Cowboys have struggled for the last two years, and this continued this week. Two very early touchdown scores from the Red Raiders set them up for a dominant 42-0 win.
#16 Virginia @ North Carolina
The 16th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers have had a good start in the ACC and could face Georgia Tech in the championship game. This week, they faced the Bill Belichick-led North Carolina Tar Heels, who have struggled this season. They did not appear to struggle in this game, with Gio Lopez rushing for a touchdown that sent the game to overtime. The Tar Heels could have won the game if their two-point conversion attempt in overtime had been successful. It was not giving Virginia a 17-16 win.
#17 Tennessee @ Kentucky
There was a very entertaining affair when the number 17-ranked Tennessee Volunteers faced the Kentucky Wildcats. This was a very high-scoring affair, with 90 points scored overall. Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns in Tennessee’s 56-34 win over the Wildcats.
Embed from Getty Images#18 South Florida @ Memphis
The 18th-ranked South Florida Bulls faced the Memphis Tigers (who very well could have ended this week ranked as well). Coming into the fourth quarter, the Bulls had a 14-point lead over the Tigers. A fourth-quarter comeback from Memphis gave them a 34-31 win over ranked South Florida.
Boston College @ #19 Louisville
The number 19-ranked Louisville Cardinals (coming off their win over the Miami Hurricanes) faced the struggling Boston College Eagles. The Eagles did not appear to give up in this game, but the result that everyone expected happened. The Cardinals beat the Eagles 38-24, keeping their ACC championship game hopes alive.
Baylor @ #21 Cincinnati
The number 21-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats faced the Baylor Bears this week. Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby was involved in three touchdowns as Cincinnati recorded a 41-20 win over Baylor.
#22 Texas @ Mississippi State
Last week, the 22nd-ranked Texas Longhorns struggled against the Kentucky Wildcats. They would eventually win this game in overtime. This week, they faced the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who have not beaten an SEC opponent this year. Easy win, right? No. This was another struggle for the Longhorns, who were 17 points down on the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter. Then, the Arch Manning-led team launched a comeback, capped off by a 79-yard punt return touchdown from Ryan Niblett to take the game to overtime. Texas won this game 45-38, but it is again a reminder that this team is not the powerhouse we thought it would be coming into the season.
#23 Illinois @ Washington
The number 23-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini have had a mixed start to the season. The Washington Huskies have also had a mixed start. They met this week in a game that the Huskies dominated. Four touchdowns from Demond Williams Jr. gave the Huskies a 42-25 win over Illinois, which is likely to lose its ranked status.
Houston @ #24 Arizona State
The Houston Cougars faced the number 24-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils this week. This should have been a game where the Cougars were the ranked team, due to their better record. They were the better team on the day and took a 24-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. A late comeback from the Sun Devils was not enough, as Houston recorded a 24-16 win.
#25 Michigan @ Michigan State
It was the Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy as the number 25-ranked Michigan Wolverines faced rivals, the Michigan State Spartans. Wolverines running back Justice Haynes scored two touchdowns and ran for 152 yards in their 31-20 win as the Wolverines retain a “ugly” trophy for the fourth consecutive year.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat was a look back at week nine in the 2025 College Football season. Next week, Vandy faces Texas, Ohio State welcomes the struggling Penn State, and Georgia faces Florida in a rivalry game.