AP Top 25 poll preview: Alabama edges South Carolina; Longhorns escape in overtime
Week 9 of college football has largely unfolded as expected, even with several close calls. No. 7 Georgia Tech rolled past Syracuse 41-16, No. 4 Alabama edged South Carolina 29-22, No. 10 Vanderbilt beat Missouri 17-10 and No. 2 Indiana cruised to a 56-6 rout of UCLA.
By the late games, all top 10 teams remained in the win column — a stark difference from Week 8, when four top 10 teams lost.
Look for them to move up
— No. 8 Ole Miss did its job on Saturday, delivering a 34-26 road win against No. 13 Oklahoma as 5.5-point underdogs. Oklahoma climbed back from a 22-10 halftime deficit to take a brief third quarter lead, but the Rebels bounced back with a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter, solidifying the win.
— No. 21 Cincinnati improved to 7-1 on Saturday with a convincing 41-20 win against Baylor. The Bearcats pulled ahead 24-0 midway through the second quarter and kept their foot on the pedal throughout the second half.
Look for them to drop
— No. 18 South Florida gave up a 31-17 lead in the fourth quarter, allowing Memphis to charge downfield for a field goal, two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion to take a late 34-31 lead. The Bulls had a chance to send the teams to overtime in the final seconds, but the 52-yard field-goal attempt went wide, and South Florida suffered its first loss since Week 3.
— No. 23 Illinois could be on its way out of the rankings after a 42-25 loss to Washington. It's Illinois' second straight loss and third overall.
Wild card
— No. 16 Virginia narrowly beat UNC despite being outplayed in several areas. UNC had the edge in first downs (20-16) and total yards (353-259).
— For the second straight outing, No. 22 Texas won after regulation. The Longhorns scored three touchdowns and a field goal in the fourth quarter to overcome a 31-14 deficit and force overtime, where a strong defensive stand carried Texas to a 45-38 victory.
Knocking on the door
— The chances of Memphis breaking the AP Top 25 again appear promising after a 34-31 win against No. 18 South Florida. The Tigers improved to 7-1, potentially offsetting last week's 31-24 loss to UAB.
— Navy kept its undefeated streak alive with a 42-32 win against Florida Atlantic. Navy has been knocking on the door for weeks, receiving 28 votes in last week's poll.
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