BY MAURA CAREY
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.
All top 10 teams remained in the win column — a stark difference from Week 8, when four top 10 teams stumbled.
The excitement this week existed outside the top 10, where Washington overthrew No. 23 Illinois, Memphis topped No. 18 South Florida, Houston knocked off Arizona and Texas and Virginia escaped overtime thrillers.
Look for them to move up
— 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.
— No. 17 Tennessee outscored Kentucky 56-34 in another impressive offensive performance led by quarterback Joey Aguilar. The Vols could benefit from No. 13 Oklahoma and No. 15 Missouri losing this week and move into the top 15 as a result.
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.
— No. 20 LSU could see its lowest ranking this season after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M. The Tigers were outplayed on both sides of the ball. It was a tough outing for Garrett Nussmeier, who was sacked five times for 44 yards in losses. Nussmeier was pulled late in the fourth quarter for backup quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., who was then sacked twice in one drive.
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.
— No. 11 BYU made a strong case to crack the top 10 with a dominant 41-27 win against Iowa State, keeping its undefeated streak alive. But a strong week for the upper tier of the AP Top 25 could prevent the Cougars from top 10 status.
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.
— Houston could swap places with No. 24 Arizona State after a 24-16 win on Saturday night. Quarterback Conner Weigman had a standout performance, throwing for 201 yards and a touchdown and running the ball for a team-high 111 yards and two scores. The Cougars improved to 7-1.
