> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://theprecedentmedia.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # USC Takes Down Ohio State, and Miami Moves to #1 - URL: https://theprecedentmedia.com/weekend-precedent-2026-27-week-9/ - Published: 2026-11-01T19:50:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T14:21:34.000Z - Description: Seven AP-ranked teams lost on Halloween, Indiana needed overtime again, and only Miami (FL), Utah and UCLA are still perfect. - Author: Bob Sloop - Tags: College Football *The Precedent: College Football* Every league's Ratings on one page, and how The Precedent's Rating works: [theprecedentmedia.com/ratings](https://theprecedentmedia.com/ratings/) For college football news and my thoughts on it, catch the latest video available every Sunday night on the [Precedent Media YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/@theprecedentmedia?ref=theprecedentmedia.com). A quick note on the numbers. Every team rank in this article comes from The Precedent Ratings, which count each team's wins, losses and its opponents' records, with the AP Poll used only for comparison. Teams with the same rating share a rank. Statistics use FBS-vs-FBS games only, and early in the season many teams are still tied, so read the lower ranks loosely. ## Weekend Recap Twelve underdogs won outright this week, and seven teams ranked in the AP Poll lost, starting with #2 Ohio State at USC. Florida, SMU, Northwestern, Arizona, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin went down too. At the top of The Precedent Ratings, Indiana's second straight overtime win wasn't enough to hold #1, and Miami (FL), which survived its own scare at North Carolina, moved back into the top spot. **By the numbers** - 56 games played - Home teams won 36 of 56 (64 percent), against a season average of 63 percent, with two more at neutral sites - 20 one-score games (36 percent; the season average is 40 percent) - 51.1 points per game, combined, against a season average of 52.4 - 3 unbeaten teams remain, the same three as a week ago - 1 team is still winless, Northern Illinois - 8 games were won by the team trailing at halftime, and 4 by the team trailing entering the fourth quarter - 4 games went to overtime **USC 30, Ohio State 18** USC jumped ahead in the first quarter and was never caught, stretching the lead to 18 points by the end of the third. Ohio State played without its injured starting quarterback, and freshman Luke Fahey made his first career start. USC won outright as a 6.5-point home underdog, eight days after losing 24-7 at Wisconsin. It rose from #21 to #13 in The Precedent Ratings and entered the AP Poll at #18, while Ohio State slipped from #9 to #11 here and fell from #2 to #11 in the AP. **Iowa 30, Wisconsin 0** Iowa scored on its first two drives and had the game in hand by halftime, and its defense stopped Wisconsin on fourth down at the 1-yard line to keep the shutout intact. Hank Brown completed 20 of 24 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Iowa, a 2.5-point favorite, beat the line by 27.5 points and climbed from #30 to #22 in The Precedent Ratings and into the AP Poll at #21\. Wisconsin fell from #13 to #21 here and out of the AP top 25. **Texas Tech 34, Arizona 26** Arizona went into halftime ahead 17-10, helped by a 94-yard touchdown pass from Noah Fifita to Isaiah Mizell, and Texas Tech took over after the break and pulled away in the fourth quarter. Tommy Castellanos got the start at quarterback and ran for 113 yards and a score to go with two touchdown passes. Texas Tech, a 3.5-point favorite, covered and moved from #15 to #14 in The Precedent Ratings; it stays #13 in the AP. Arizona moved from #33 to #31 here and from #22 to #24 in the AP. **Indiana 23, Minnesota 16 (OT)** Indiana pulled starting quarterback Josh Hoover at halftime, and Grant Wilson played the rest of the way. Minnesota went ahead late on a 60-yard field goal, Indiana answered with a 60-yarder of its own to force overtime, and Wilson threw a touchdown on the first play of the extra period. A week after beating Michigan 13-6 in overtime, Indiana, a 20.5-point favorite, again won without covering. It slipped from #1 to #2 in The Precedent Ratings and from #4 to #6 in the AP. **Utah 49, Cincinnati 25** Utah had this one decided by halftime, up 42-6 on the road against a Cincinnati team that had beaten Texas Tech by 13 a week earlier. Utah was a 7-point favorite and covered with room to spare. It jumped from #18 to #9 in The Precedent Ratings and from #6 to #3 in the AP, and it is 8-0\. Cincinnati fell from #11 to #20. **Miami (FL) 38, North Carolina 35** North Carolina never let Miami get comfortable and kept answering in the fourth quarter. Miami sealed it by recovering North Carolina's third onside kick, after penalties wiped out the Tar Heels' recoveries on the first two. Miami, a 14-point favorite, didn't cover, but it moved from #3 to #1 in The Precedent Ratings with its Rating unchanged at 0.500, and it stays #1 in the AP. North Carolina rose from #53 to #48. **Oregon 34, Northwestern 26** Northwestern led for most of the afternoon, and Oregon didn't take control until the fourth quarter, when it scored twice and held the Wildcats to a field goal. Oregon, a 3.5-point favorite, covered. It climbed from #20 to #12 in The Precedent Ratings but is still outside the AP top 25\. Northwestern stays #43 here and dropped out of the AP Poll from #20. **Georgia 27, Florida 8** Georgia shut Florida out in the first half and led 24-0 at the break in Atlanta, and Florida didn't score until the fourth quarter. Georgia, an 11.5-point favorite, covered. Georgia slipped from #12 to #16 in The Precedent Ratings despite the win, and Florida fell from #9 to #17\. In the AP, Georgia moved from #3 to #2 and Florida fell from #17 to #25. **Troy 24, James Madison 21 (OT)** James Madison led by two touchdowns at halftime and never scored again. Troy tied it in the third quarter and won it with a field goal in overtime, the largest upset of the week as a 19.5-point underdog. Troy jumped from #120 to #95 in The Precedent Ratings, and James Madison fell from #14 to #26. Other results: Notre Dame led Navy by just a point at halftime, then pulled away to win 35-13, short of a 30.5-point line. Texas beat Mississippi State 31-3 and held a lead all the way through this time. Iowa State beat Oklahoma State 51-49 as a 9.5-point underdog after Oklahoma State scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, and Syracuse beat SMU 30-27 as a 9.5-point underdog. TCU was shut out in the first half by Kansas, then scored twice in the third quarter and won 22-16\. Boise State blew a 25-point halftime lead to Texas State, then rallied behind backup quarterback Max Cutforth, who threw three fourth-quarter touchdowns, to win 46-45\. South Carolina won 42-25 at Oklahoma as a 3.5-point underdog, Baylor won 41-9 at UCF in its first game since firing Dave Aranda, UCLA shut out Nevada 27-0, and Duke beat Boston College 47-2. **The biggest deficits overcome, measured at the end of a quarter** - Troy over James Madison, 24-21 (OT), after trailing by 14 - TCU over Kansas, 22-16, after trailing by 13 - South Florida over UAB, 30-10, after trailing by 10 - Tulane over Charlotte, 38-31 (OT), after trailing by 10 - Delaware over Western Kentucky, 35-21, after trailing by 7 - Illinois over Maryland, 20-17, after trailing by 7 **Teams that trailed entering the fourth quarter and won** - Illinois over Maryland (down 4) - Washington over Nebraska (down 4) - Oregon over Northwestern (down 3) - Tulane over Charlotte (down 3) Of the 56 games with a line, favorites won 44 and covered 30, and one pushed. **Underdogs that won outright** - Troy over James Madison, 24-21 (19.5) - Iowa State over Oklahoma State, 51-49 (9.5) - Syracuse over SMU, 30-27 (9.5) - Washington over Nebraska, 17-10 (7.5) - Sacramento State over Kent State, 31-10 (7.0) - USC over Ohio State, 30-18 (6.5) - Clemson over Florida State, 36-24 (6.0) - Fresno State over Oregon State, 38-22 (6.0) - Coastal Carolina over Georgia State, 31-20 (4.0) - South Carolina over Oklahoma, 42-25 (3.5) - Kennesaw State over Middle Tennessee, 44-28 (2.5) - Air Force over UConn, 35-26 (1.5) **Favorites that fell furthest short of the line** - Kent State, favored by 7.0, lost by 21 (28.0 short) - James Madison, favored by 19.5, lost by 3 (22.5 short) - Oregon State, favored by 6.0, lost by 16 (22.0 short) - Oklahoma, favored by 3.5, lost by 17 (20.5 short) - Middle Tennessee, favored by 2.5, lost by 16 (18.5 short) **Favorites that beat the line by the most** - Duke, favored by 7.0 over Boston College, won by 45 (38.0 better) - Wake Forest, favored by 12.5 over Virginia, won by 44 (31.5 better) - Baylor, favored by 1.5 over UCF, won by 32 (30.5 better) - Iowa, favored by 2.5 over Wisconsin, won by 30 (27.5 better) - Liberty, favored by 14.0 over FIU, won by 39 (25.0 better) ## Rankings Talk **Biggest gap with the AP Poll** Notre Dame is #4 in the AP Poll and #34 in The Precedent Ratings. It is 7-1 and has the best average scoring margin in the country, +27.0 points per FBS game, but its FBS opponents are a combined 21-37\. Its one win over a team now in the top 25 here came against Wisconsin in the opener, its loss came at BYU, and this week's win came over a Navy team that is 1-6 against FBS opponents, which is why Notre Dame slid from #23 to #34 after winning by 22. Oregon is #12 in The Precedent Ratings and outside the AP top 25\. It is 5-3 with an average scoring margin of just +1.6, but its FBS opponents are a combined 38-14, the sixth-toughest schedule in the country. Its three losses came against unbeaten UCLA, Illinois and Oklahoma State, and its wins include Boise State, USC and now Northwestern. The ratings keep spreading out. There are now 108 distinct ratings among 138 teams, up from 106 a week ago, and 6 teams remain at 0.000, down from 8\. Miami (FL) leads at 0.500, with Indiana at 0.483 and Texas at 0.475. The week's story is the conferences. The SEC is still the top-rated conference at 0.350, and the Big Ten (0.314) and Big 12 (0.300) are close behind it and close to each other. The Big Ten and SEC each have seven teams in The Precedent's top 25 and the Big 12 has five, but the Big 12 has three of the top 10 (BYU, Houston and Utah) to the Big Ten's one (Indiana), and its top-25 teams have an average rank of 11.0, against 14.9 for the Big Ten and 9.9 for the SEC. In the top 15 the Big Ten and Big 12 have four each. The AP has five teams from each of the two conferences. **Biggest risers** - Kennesaw State, #131 to #127\. It beat Middle Tennessee 44-28 for its first win over an FBS team. - Troy, #120 to #95\. It won in overtime at James Madison, which was 6-1 against FBS teams. - Coastal Carolina, #124 to #110\. It won 31-20 at Georgia State as a 4-point underdog. - Colorado, #118 to #97\. It beat Kansas State 27-24 in overtime. - Georgia Southern, #100 to #76\. It beat Appalachian State 19-3, holding the Mountaineers without a touchdown. **Biggest fallers** - Kansas State, #81 to #104\. It lost in overtime at Colorado, which had won only one game against an FBS team. - Cincinnati, #11 to #20\. It lost 49-25 at home to unbeaten Utah. - Middle Tennessee, #79 to #97\. It lost to Kennesaw State, which had not beaten an FBS team. - Oklahoma, #22 to #35\. It lost 42-25 at home to South Carolina. - Oklahoma State, #35 to #50\. It lost 51-49 at Iowa State as a 9.5-point favorite. - UCF, #45 to #66\. It lost 41-9 at home to Baylor. ![CFB_WinningBig_2026-27_Week09.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/90/eb9070b6-ca06-4717-bfa1-10fec9f6774e/content/images/2026/11/CFB_WinningBig_2026-27_Week09.png) Liberty has the third-best scoring margin in the country, +23.0 a game, but sits at #55 because it has played the second-easiest schedule. Kentucky is the opposite case at the top, #4 in The Precedent Ratings with a scoring margin that ranks 47th. ![CFB_PrecedentVsAP_2026-27_Week09.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/90/eb9070b6-ca06-4717-bfa1-10fec9f6774e/content/images/2026/11/CFB_PrecedentVsAP_2026-27_Week09.png) Notre Dame and UCLA, both in the AP top five, are #34 and #23 here. Going the other way, Oregon, Memphis and North Dakota State are all in The Precedent's top 18 and outside the AP top 25. ## The Rankings Teams with the same rating share a rank and are listed alphabetically. ![CFB_Top25_2026-27_Week09.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/90/eb9070b6-ca06-4717-bfa1-10fec9f6774e/content/images/2026/11/CFB_Top25_2026-27_Week09.png) ![CFB_ConferenceRatings_2026-27_Week09.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/90/eb9070b6-ca06-4717-bfa1-10fec9f6774e/content/images/2026/11/CFB_ConferenceRatings_2026-27_Week09.png) The full Precedent Ratings for every team and the conference standings, updated every morning: [College Football Ratings](https://theprecedentmedia.com/college-football-ratings/) ยท [College Football Standings](https://theprecedentmedia.com/college-football-standings/) The order of the top three conferences didn't change, with the SEC at 0.350, the Big Ten at 0.314 and the Big 12 at 0.300\. The Pac-12 moved past the American into sixth. ## Loose Ends - Jeremiah Smith's touchdown catch at USC was the 40th of his career, a Big Ten record, in a game Ohio State lost. - Arizona's Noah Fifita threw for 417 yards and Isaiah Mizell caught passes for 182 in the loss at Texas Tech, including the 94-yard touchdown. - Four FBS head coaches have been replaced during the season, at Maryland, NC State, Baylor and Sam Houston. This weekend Baylor won 41-9 at UCF, NC State beat California 31-10, and Maryland lost 20-17 to Illinois. - Iowa and Wisconsin were meeting for the 100th time. - Miami (FL) is the only ACC team in the top 22 of The Precedent Ratings, at #1\. Wake Forest is tied for #23. - North Dakota State, in its first FBS season, is #18 at 7-2, and it has the second-easiest remaining schedule in the country. - Florida has played the toughest schedule so far and UMass the easiest. Missouri has the toughest remaining schedule, and four of the five toughest belong to SEC teams. - The biggest line of the week was Notre Dame, a 30.5-point favorite over Navy. Notre Dame won by 22. - Three teams are still unbeaten, Miami (FL), Utah and UCLA. ## Looking Ahead There are no unbeaten-versus-unbeaten games next week, but two of the three unbeatens face top-10 opponents by The Precedent or the AP. Utah hosts #5 BYU, and Miami (FL) plays at Notre Dame, #4 in the AP. UCLA plays at Minnesota. Top games for next week by The Precedent Ratings: - BYU (#5) at Utah (#9), Saturday, 11:00 AM - Alabama (#8) at LSU (#6), Saturday, 2:30 PM - Oregon (#12) at Ohio State (#11), Saturday, 2:30 PM - Cincinnati (#20) at Houston (#7), Saturday, time not yet set - Texas (#3) at Missouri (#27), Saturday, 11:00 AM - Georgia (#16) at Ole Miss (#15), Saturday, 6:30 PM - Miami (FL) (#1) at Notre Dame (#34), Saturday, 6:30 PM - Kentucky (#4) at Tennessee (#30), Saturday, 5:15 PM - Oklahoma (#35) at Florida (#17), Saturday, 6:45 PM - West Virginia (#55) at Texas Tech (#14), Saturday, 8:30 PM All times are Central. Thursday's Weekend Viewing Guide breaks the full slate into time windows and lists the top four games in each. Thanks for reading The Precedent. If you enjoyed this issue, share it with someone who would too.