Each week, the Sports' editorial team selects its Top 25 FBS college football teams for the Student Media Poll.
The SMP is a nationwide poll featuring 25 student journalists from schools nationwide.
The Post Sports will break down its ballot each week. Here is a breakdown of the top five, those dropped from the Top 25, and those added.
Top 5
1. Ohio State (6-0)
The defending national champions remain on top at the midway point of the college football season. The Buckeyes took on their first true road test of the season against Illinois, and even though their defense finally surrendered more than ten points, the offense stepped up for four touchdowns in the 34-16 win.
2. Miami (FL) (5-0)
The idle Hurricanes missed another hectic week of football and need to play their best football this week with Louisville coming to town. The Cardinals, also coming off the bye, have lost once this year but went into their week off with a huge road victory over Pittsburgh. Miami needs to rely on the steady play of quarterback Carson Beck to keep the winning rolling.
3. Indiana (6-0)
The Hoosiers did something that hadn’t been done in nearly three seasons. For only the second time in Dan Lanning’s tenure at Oregon, they went into Eugene and upset the Ducks. They didn’t only win, they controlled the game throughout and took advantage of mistakes in this 30-20 win.
Indiana is also home to the Heisman favorite, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who has 17 touchdown passes on the year, plus two more on the ground. He has led a top-five offense in points per game while being complemented with a top-five defense that allows just under 12 points per game, which should allow the Hoosiers to continue their dominant 2025 in the coming weeks.
4. Texas A&M (6-0)
The SEC is one of the two best conferences in the nation, and right now the Aggies stand tall as one of two undefeated teams remaining in the conference. They have had a couple of close calls so far this year, and the road will not get any easier in the back half of the season.
If they keep up the defensive pressure and strong play from quarterback Marcel Reed, they will be a hard team to take down this year, but the SEC always presents another challenge. This week, they travel to play Arkansas, and the four-loss Razorbacks have played teams close all year. The Aggies look to get over the hump and into title contention this year, and if that’s the case, this game can’t fall through the cracks.
5. Ole Miss (6-0)
The Rebels hold steady at number five this week. They saw two teams lose in front of them in week seven, but struggled themselves against Washington State. They were almost five-touchdown favorites to win and could only scrape by and win by a field goal.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was excellent in the 24-21 win; however, and got the game to the finish line once again. He threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, but the biggest impact was the ability to make big plays down the stretch as they extended the lead and put away the close victory.
Who I Added: 23 Tulane and 25 Nebraska
Two Group of Five bids could be possible; however, it is unlikely with both schools coming from the American. Tulane is the second team from the conference to enter the top 25, and despite a 45-10 loss at Ole Miss, it looks to finish the season strong and duke it out with South Florida for a playoff spot come December.
Has Matt Rhule finally turned around a program that hasn't played for a national title in nearly 30 years? The one-loss Cornhuskers look poised to make the jump after a strong start to the year, but a loss to Michigan looms large in their Big 10 standing.
Rhule also may be a distracting figure at the head of the team to finish out the season, with speculation of him being a popular pick to replace James Franklin at Penn State. This could be the downfall of a strong Nebraska team in 2025.
The Rest of the Top 25
6. Alabama (5-1)
7. Oregon (5-1)
8. Texas Tech (6-0)
9. LSU (5-1)
10. Georgia (5-1)
11. Georgia Tech (6-0)
12. Oklahoma (5-1)
13. Tennessee (5-1)
14. Utah (5-1)
15. Notre Dame (4-2)
16. BYU (6-0)
17. USF (5-1)
18. USC (5-1)
19. Missouri (5-1)
20. Vanderbilt (5-1)
21. Virginia (5-1)
22. Washington (5-1)
23. Tulane (5-1)
24. Michigan (4-2)
25. Nebraska (5-1)
Who I Dropped: Arizona State and Illinois
No Sam Leavitt is a big problem for the Sun Devils. Arizona State went without its regular quarterback against Utah, and the lack of veteran presence under center was obvious. Replacement quarterback Jeff Sims had a rough showing for the Sun Devils and threw for only 124 yards in a 42-10 blowout loss to Utah.
The Fighting Illini have had a rough start to the year with the way their schedule worked out. First, they were dismantled by Indiana on the road by over 50 points. Then, No. 1 Ohio State comes to town and handles them. Illinois is certainly not out of playoff contention, but it will most likely have to win out and get some help throughout the Big 10 for things to go its way.
