College football Week 9 power ratings: Miami, Ole Miss fall while Louisville, BYU make first appearance

There is a lot of movement in the power rankings this week after Miami was upset by Louisville and Georgia defeated Ole Miss. While the Hurricanes are going down, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt are on the rise. 

Each week during the season, I'll break down the rankings by tiers so bettors can see where I cut off each group. I'll also move teams based on results, discuss changes in the betting market and set the hypothetical point spread from Tier 1 compared to the rest of the tiers. 

Stop by the SportsLine college football Discord channel or hit me up on X at @TheTomCasale to let me know if you agree or disagree with the rankings. 

College football Week 9 power ratings 

Tier 1

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Alabama Crimson Tide

Miami falls out of Tier 1 after losing at home to Louisville as close to two-touchdown favorites. The one constant over the last two months has been Ohio State. The Buckeyes have held the top spot since beating Texas back in August and likely won't get challenged until the season finale at Michigan. I think most people would agree that Ohio State and Alabama are the two top teams heading into Week 9.

Tier 2 (+3 from Tier 1)

3. Georgia Bulldogs
4. Indiana Hoosiers
5. Oregon Ducks
6. Texas A&M Aggies

The teams in Tier 4 are rated close together and just a step below Ohio State and Alabama. I give Georgia a slight nod because of its wins over Ole Miss and Tennessee, along with a close loss to No. 2 Alabama. Texas A&M can further strengthen its impressive resume with a win at LSU on Saturday. 

I would make these teams slight underdogs against Ohio State and Alabama on a neutral field, although they are all serious contenders to win the National Championship.

Tier 3 (+5 from Tier 1)

7. Oklahoma Sooners
8. Miami Hurricanes
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
10. Texas Longhorns

Tier 3 is what I consider the most dangerous group moving forward. All these teams have stumbled at some point during the season, but they are good enough to compete for a title. 

The team that is most intriguing to me is Notre Dame. I mentioned after the Fighting Irish's two close losses to Miami and Texas A&M that I thought they would still run the table and make the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame got past its toughest remaining test on Saturday with a win over USC. Barring a major upset, the Irish are in the 12-team field and worth a look at +1200 to win the National Championship. 

Tier 4 (+7 from Tier 1)

11. Vanderbilt Commodores
12. Missouri Tigers
13. Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss falls down a tier after blowing a fourth quarter lead and somehow not covering +7.5 against Georgia. The Rebels have a chance to move back up the rankings though if they can upset Oklahoma on Saturday. That is likely an elimination game for the College Football Playoff. 

I really like what I see out of Missouri and Vanderbilt. The two teams meet in Nashville this week with the Commodores -3 at home. This is another elimination game in the SEC. The loser will have a tough time making the playoff, while the winner is in good shape to make the field and will likely move up to Tier 3 next week.

Tier 5 (+9 from Tier 1)

14. Texas Tech Red Raiders
15. LSU Tigers
16. Michigan Wolverines

I moved Texas Tech down to Tier 5 after the Red Raiders lost on the road to Arizona State. However, I still believe Texas Tech is the best team in the Big 12 and will represent the conference in the playoff.

I don't see either LSU or Michigan making the playoff this season. The Tigers and Wolverines would each need to run the table, which won't be easy considering LSU plays No. 2 Alabama and the Michigan faces No. 1 Ohio State. 

I make these three teams roughly 9-point dogs on a neutral field against either Ohio State or Alabama with Texas Tech having the most upside.

Tier 6 (+13 from Tier 1)

17. BYU Cougars
18. Louisville Cardinals
19. Tennessee Volunteers
20. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

BYU and Louisville each make their debut in the power rankings after upset wins last week. Some people may wonder why the Cardinals are ahead of undefeated Georgia Tech. The reason is strength of schedule. Louisville beat Miami and lost a close game to my No. 25 ranked team, Virginia. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech's best wins are over Wake Forest, Duke and Clemson. I don't have any of those teams in my Top 30.

These are all quality teams with BYU and Georgia Tech both leading their conferences right now. However, for betting purposes, they would all be close to two-touchdown underdogs on a neutral field against Ohio State and Alabama.

Next three: Arizona State Sun Devils, USC Trojans, Utah Utes, Florida Gators, Virginia Cavaliers