AP Top 25 Preview: Texas Tech and Indiana set to rise in poll after upset wins

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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) runs during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Texas Tech running back Cameron Dickey celebrates a touchdown against Utah during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Jeffrey D. Allred) — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) runs during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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7:51 PM on Saturday, September 20

By MAURA CAREY

Six AP Top 25 teams, all within the top 15, watched college football from the comfort of their dormitories or homes with an early bye week. Nineteen ranked teams and plenty of hopefuls took the field on Saturday in a slate featuring three ranked matchups.

No. 17 Texas Tech won the turnover battle in a 34-10 road victory against No. 16 Utah. Texas Tech made a convincing argument to move up in the poll. The highest-ranked Big 12 team, No. 12 Iowa State, had a bye week, giving Texas Tech a shot to leap over the Cyclones in the rankings.

No. 11 Oklahoma handed former Sooners’ quarterback Jackson Arnold and No. 22 Auburn a 24-17 loss. Oklahoma scored a touchdown and notched a safety in the final five minutes of the game, putting the Sooners on top of a close one.

No. 24 Notre Dame earned its first win of the season after a heartbreaker to No. 10 Texas A&M, beating Purdue 56-30.

The Big Ten delivered the most shocking outcome of the day as No. 19 Indiana rolled past No. 9 Illinois 63-10.

Look for them to move up

Texas Tech is sure to move up after beating Big 12 foe Utah. The Red Raiders maintained the lead throughout the game and held the edge in total yards, first downs and time of possession. Even more impressive, they did it with backup quarterback Will Hammond after Behren Morton exited early with an injury.

Indiana is on its way up after a 63-10 win against Illinois. Fernando Mendoza completed all but two passes, throwing for 267 yards and five touchdowns. It was Mendoza's second-straight five touchdown outing and Indiana's first win over a top 10 team in five years. The Hoosiers are on the way to their highest ranking of the season.

Look for them to drop

Turnovers hurt Utah all afternoon. Utes quarterback Devon Dampier threw for 162 yards and two interceptions, and Ryan Davis and Wayshawn Parker each fumbled once. The Utes are likely to fall after an uninspiring performance at home.

Illinois is expected to take a hard hit and could fall out of the rankings entirely after a stunning 63-10 loss to Indiana, the worst loss of Coach Bret Bielema's tenure.

Wild card

No. 21 Michigan could go either way after beating an unranked Nebraska team. Nebraska is a credible opponent that has been closing in on the Top 25 for weeks, but a narrow win against an unranked challenger might not be enough in voters’ eyes to move Michigan out of the 20s.

Knocking on the door

Syracuse delivered a well-rounded 34-21 win over Clemson in Death Valley, bumping the Tigers to 1-3 and 1-2 at home. Quarterback Steve Angeli continued to impress, throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Syracuse’s defense forced a fumble, an interception and made Clemson punt four times. The Orange made a strong case, but is a win against an unranked team enough?

TCU beat a once-ranked SMU team 35-24 on Saturday. The Horned Frogs have been knocking on the door for weeks, most recently receiving 67 votes in the poll. Could they cross the finish line this week?

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