How are they salting your game? I think you may be missing the bigger picture. If you ignore the 8's and 9's and talk to the 5's and 6's or the older married lady or whoever, the 8's and 9's will wonder why you're not talking to them. Make all the girls in the class like you, not just the hottest ones.
Best thing to do is to talk to a 9 and break rapport and start talking to a 5 and totally ignoring the 9. Even if she talks to you pretend like you don't hear and if she presses just give her really simple uninterested answers, while acting lie the uglier girl is the only girl in the room (excited and enthusiastic responses). That's how you build value, not by chatting with them and sitting next to them all the time, and value is the key to attraction, especially in college.