1 Word to Describe Every Top 25 Team's October
The most impactful month on the college football calendar has arrived, leaving October in the rear-view mirror.
However, what happened in October sets the stage for November.
Some of the highest-ranked teams in the country lost a game, and several lost multiple. Eight programs left the month unscathed and picked up valuable wins for their College Football Playoff resume.
As always, our task is finding a single word to encapsulate each ranked team's month on—and sometimes off—the field.
The order reflects the latest AP Top 25.
25-21. Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Washington State, Army
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25. Missouri Tigers: Rough
After clipping Boston College and Vanderbilt to close the opening month, Mizzou took a 4-0 record into October. Fast-forward to today, and the Tigers dropped two road games in embarrassing fashion. They lost 41-10 at Texas A&M and 34-0 at Alabama, effectively dropping out of both SEC and College Football Playoff contention.
24. Illinois Fighting Illini: Varied
If I told you Illinois would finish 2-1 in October with victories over Purdue and Michigan before a loss to Oregon, you wouldn't have blinked. Illini fans probably would have preferred a not-so-exciting overtime win against Purdue—especially given the 24-point lead in the second half—and a more competitive game at Oregon, but the results were expected. The perception of Illinois didn't much change positively or negatively, which isn't a bad thing.
23. Colorado Buffaloes: Unobtrusive
To date, the important part of Deion Sanders' tenure is that he's made Colorado relevant again. That matters. However, the Buffs struggled to back it up on the field amid the constant hype. September's ugly loss at Nebraska was a clear example of that. But in October, the Buffs steadily progressed after an understandable loss to Kansas State. Colorado is now 6-2 and looks like a true Big 12 threat.
22. Washington State Cougars: Upbeat
As the program floats in a strange Pac-12 bubble until the 2026 campaign, Washington State has emerged nicely from a very uncertain offseason. October brought three more victories for Wazzu, highlighted by a road win at Fresno State. Since the Cougs lost so handily to Boise State, I don't anticipate the CFP selection committee will look at them favorably. But, hey, Wazzu is 7-1! Every win helps the coaching staff sell the future of the program in a rebuilt Pac-12.
21. Army Black Knights: Dominant
Simple as that, really. Army walloped Tulsa 49-7, cruised past UAB 44-10 and raced out to a 31-0 lead in a 45-28 triumph over East Carolina. The upcoming month is Army's toughest part of the schedule by far, particularly with Notre Dame on the horizon. But if Army continues its October form and beats North Texas and UTSA, the Black Knights will be headed to the AAC Championship Game.
20-16. SMU, Ole Miss, Pitt, Kansas State, LSU
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20. SMU Mustangs: Relieving
Winning on the road is not easy, no matter the opponent. SMU spent the entirety of October in unfriendly stadiums, yet the Mustangs went a perfect 3-for-3 against Louisville, Stanford and Duke. It was a little nervy at times—at Duke, most notably—but SMU escaped the month with a 4-0 conference record and 7-1 overall mark.
19. Ole Miss Rebels: Underwhelming
I mean, it was fine. Won comfortably at South Carolina, dropped a tight game at LSU, trudged past Oklahoma. Seen better, seen worse. Nothing happened to make me think Ole Miss is either a safe bet at Arkansas or any less capable of upsetting Georgia. Just, you know, fine.
18. Pitt Panthers: Productive
Since the second game of the season, Pitt has straddled the line of exasperating and exciting. The trend continued in October with a fortunate win over Cal—which missed a late field goal in a 17-15 result—and an emphatic rout of Syracuse. Pitt's fate will largely be determined by November games at SMU and home to Clemson.
17. Kansas State Wildcats: Progress
Late in September, K-State disappeared in a 38-9 dismantling at the hands of BYU. The loss planted a seed of doubt around the preseason expectations of the Wildcats being a top contender in the Big 12. Colorado and rival Kansas made it tough, but K-State won both of those contests and a trip to West Virginia. Heading into November at 7-1 is exactly where I expected K-State to be.
16. LSU Tigers: Emotional
Comeback win over Ole Miss and painless rout at Arkansas, where Tennessee had lost? We're back, baby! Double-digit loss at Texas A&M? Oh no, we suck again. LSU isn't mathematically dead in the conference standings, but the Tigers must beat Alabama on Nov. 9 to keep their fading SEC and CFP dreams alive.
15-11. Boise State, Alabama, Indiana, Clemson, Iowa State
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15. Boise State Broncos: Impactful
Knocking off Utah State and Hawaii was both necessary and anticipated. However, the final game of the month sent Boise State to UNLV, the other Mountain West front-runner. Led by Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty, the Broncos won 29-24 and secured a favorable path to the conference championship game.
14. Alabama Crimson Tide: Unfamiliar
Two losses on the Crimson Tide's record...by October? Inconceivable. That hadn't happened since Nick Saban's first year (2007) with the program. Bama calmed the post-Tennessee storm with a shutout of Mizzou to close the month, but tensions are still high as a showdown with LSU awaits.
13. Indiana Hoosiers: Hype
If you didn't already know IU head coach Curt Cignetti, you probably found out last month. His now-infamous "I win. Google me" comment from signing day resurfaced as the Hoosiers improved to 8-0 and even hosted ESPN's College GameDay in Week 9. It's safe to say that more people are now planning to watch IU's showdown at Ohio State on Nov. 23.
T-11. Clemson Tigers: Powerful
Florida State was a thorn, but Clemson never trailed in a 29-13 victory. Then, the Tigers hammered Wake Forest 49-14 and took out Virginia 48-31. The important thing to know is that Clemson's first-string defense ceded no more than 14 points in any of those games. Although their schedule gets harder in November—home to Louisville and at Virginia Tech and Pitt—the Tigers are in a good position to compete for both an ACC title and CFP bid.
T-11. Iowa State Cyclones: Building
If you feel Iowa State is being slighted in the polls, I understand. Short of a more emphatic win against UCF, what else could the Cyclones have done? They otherwise rolled Baylor and won at West Virginia in October. Nevertheless, the bright side is simple: Keep winning, and the rest takes care of itself. Iowa State is taking a 7-0 record into a closing stretch of five games in five weeks.
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10-6. Texas A&M, BYU, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas
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10. Texas A&M Aggies: Fascinating
On paper, the summary looks awesome: Texas A&M obliterated ranked opponents Missouri and LSU with a win over Mississippi State sandwiched in there, closing October as the SEC's lone unbeaten in league play. However, the Aggies enter November with a QB dilemma. While trailing LSU, they benched Conner Weigman for Marcel Reed. The defense made several important plays, but Reed also sparked the offense. How will A&M handle this situation?
9. BYU Cougars: Loud
Last season, BYU finished 5-7 and missed bowl eligibility because of five straight losses to end the campaign. This year, the Cougars have thrived. They followed up a strong September with three more victories, including a dramatic last-minute win against Oklahoma State. BYU is 8-0, and none of its remaining opponents are ranked.
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Persuasive
Stanford is a below-average team, but Georgia Tech is a quality team, and Navy carried an undefeated record into its clash with Notre Dame. No stress for the Fighting Irish, though. They outscored the trio 131-34 and distanced themselves from that shocking loss to Northern Illinois.
7. Tennessee Volunteers: Dramatic
The important thing is Tennessee landed on the desired side in two of its three October contests. But, whew, could the Vols give their fans a break? Arkansas upset UT as Nico Iamaleava stunningly ran out of bounds instead of throwing a desperation pass into the end zone as time expired. Then, the Vols needed overtime to beat a struggling Florida team yet outplayed Alabama for a pair of rivalry wins.
6. Texas Longhorns: Uninspiring
Laying a smackdown on rival Oklahoma? Texas fans loved that. Mustering 259 yards with four turnovers in a home loss to Georgia and not scoring a touchdown in the second half of a tight win at Vanderbilt, on the other hand? Not so much. The defense—which cannot be blamed for the UGA loss—is outstanding, but Texas is entering November with uneasiness around a talented offense.
5-1. Miami, Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Oregon
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5. Miami Hurricanes: Tense
Two things are simultaneously true: Miami doesn't need to apologize for winning ugly, and the 'Canes have played with fire lately. Heisman Trophy contender Cam Ward has ignited a great offense, and the running game has started to pick up. However, the defense struggled in a chaotic one-point victory (and 25-point comeback) at Cal and 52-45 win at Louisville before dispatching rival Florida State. Miami has a clear path to 12-0, though the warning signs are present for another tense month.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes: Unsatisfying
Remember, we're drawing a hard line. The feeling around the Buckeyes could rapidly shift depending on what happens at Penn State. But in October, they weren't great. Will Howard's fateful run as time expired punctuated a loss at Oregon, and OSU needed a fourth-quarter score to survive at home against Nebraska.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions: Adventurous
Three games, three wins. As with Miami, that's the main thing. After comfortably beating UCLA, however, the Nittany Lions overcame a bunch of mistakes to clip USC in overtime and trailed Wisconsin in the second half. Penn State is 7-0 as a reasonably favorable final month arrives, but it starts with that showdown against Ohio State.
2. Georgia Bulldogs: Reassuring
By no means should we call it a dominant month for Georgia. Still, the Dawgs quieted the concerns that followed a high-scoring loss at Alabama with victories over Auburn and Mississippi State and a tremendous win at Texas. Georgia hadn't yet played to its reputation of always having a powerful defense, but the unit controlled the game at UT. Although the Bulldogs' regular-season win streak ended, the sky isn't falling.
1. Oregon Ducks: Promising
At this particular moment, Oregon is the only deserving choice for being the nation's top-ranked team. While taking down Ohio State was obviously the highlight of the month, the Ducks otherwise built a lead of 30-plus points in routs of Michigan State, Purdue and Illinois. Oregon is soundly on a path to the Big Ten Championship Game and a CFP invite.
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