TOP 25 NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS – WEEK 10

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, and what another great week of college football we had with a new king of the rankings! In a shocking turn of events Tennessee and Georgia swap 1st and 3rd rankings in the first CFP poll from their respective rankings in the AP Poll, as the Volunteers are ranked #1 for the first time since 1998. Seven of the top 25 ranked teams lost this weekend but only those outside the top 9, and there were no major upsets, but there was a major win as Kansas State dominated the Oklahoma State Cowboys 48-0. Tennessee really put themselves into the elite category with a firm 44-6 win against a quality Kentucky squad. Hendon Hooker looks every bit the next Vince Young and could lead the Volunteers to a long desired national championship campaign which is being promoted in social media platforms, you can get a lot of tiktok likes and views to gather the best engagement for this campaign.

Penn State started to show some fight initially in slowing down CJ Stroud and the high-powered Buckeye offense BUTTTTT they couldn’t keep them down long enough. The Buckeyes hung 28 points in the 4th quarter alone and squashed Penn State’s last chance at the playoffs. Michigan State was leading Michigan at the end of the first quarter, but the Wolverines rallied behind the hog Blake Corum who adds another 100+ rushing yard game to the resume. Louisville had an amazing home upset win over Wake Forest led behind some consistent play by Cardinals QB Malik Cunningham. It also helps when Sam Hartman, Wake Forest QB, throws 3 interceptions. Mr. Irrelevant at 25th ranking South Carolina couldn’t beat Missouri without their stud Spencer Rattler, and they drop out of the rankings. Let’s dive in:

1. Tennessee Volunteers 

Tearing it up to the top of the rankings as red-hot Hendon Hooker continues to excel at quarterback. He’s also getting some quality defensive play to go with the stellar offense. They crushed 19th ranked Kentucky 44-6 for a massive SEC win at home. They will face 3rd ranked Georgia as they hope to slay the second of kings in college football after taking down Alabama earlier in the season. The Vols open as +8 dogs on the road at Georgia.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

CJ Stroud is building that Heisman campaign firmly after a massive 44-31 win over Big 10 rival and 13th ranked Penn State. Even though they were down 14-13 at half, the explosive offense connected for many scores in the second half behind Stroud’s arm. They have an easy test next week as they travel to 1-7 Northwestern, who hope to avoid a rout as the Buckeyes enter as –38 favorites to destroy the Wildcats.

3. Georgia Bulldogs

The Bulldogs continued their perfect season with a 42-20 victory in Jacksonville against a decent Gators team. This weekend is a different story as they welcome 1st ranked Tennessee in a huge SEC clash. Georgia opens as –8 favorites as they books seem to think they are clearly the better team. This weekend we will see who is correct – the CFP Committee or the oddsmakers.

4. Clemson Tigers

Fresh off a bye week, DJ Uiagalelei hopes to find that offensive spark again as they travel to the home of the pesky Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The Tigers open as –3.5 favorites in what should be a close ACC-ish clash.

5. Michigan Wolverines

The Wolverines slide down a spot to #5 after a mediocre win against Michigan State, 29-7. They will travel to Rutgers as –26 favorites and hope to run the score up early on the struggling Scarlet Knights. It will be interesting to keep an eye on this team as Michigan State players were filmed punching and throwing out a Michigan player from their locker room, as Harbaugh claims he was “assaulted.”

6. Alabama Crimson Tide

Nick Saban has a fully rested and motivated squad for LSU as they come out of a much-needed bye week to challenge the 10th ranked Tigers. The Crimson Tide open as –13.5 favorites who hope to run it up even more as they try to climb back into the Top 4, since either the #1 or #3 team is guaranteed to suffer a loss on Saturday. 

7. TCU Horned Frogs

The Horned Frogs traveled to West Virginia University and faced a tough test in this Mountaineers unit. TCU won 41-31 and will carry an 8-0 record into their next matchup at home against a solid Texas Tech team, that has the Horned Frogs opening as -9.5 favorites.

8. Oregon Ducks

42-24 was the score after the Ducks traveled to California and beat the Golden Bears comfortably. It’s going to be an easier matchup this week as they travel to Colorado and face a struggling team with a 1-7 record that has Bo Nix & the boys –31.5 favorites on the road.

9. USC Trojans

It started off rough for the Trojans in Arizona, but Caleb Williams once again rallied the offense and threw up 5 TDs as they won 45-37 over the Wildcats. They climbed up a spot in the rankings and open as –21.5 favorites at home vs Cal which should be a much easier game than what Arizona just put them through. The offense for the Trojans has been everything as advertised but this defense needs to find another level to become a national championship caliber group.

10. LSU Tigers

The highest ranking of the Brian Kelly era so far as they climbed during their bye week. They will face their toughest test of the season as they welcome Alabama to the Bayou in a game that has the Tigers opening as +13.5 dogs at home. This is the second time Brian Kelly will have faced the Crimson Tide and he desperately wants it to go better than last time.

11. Ole Miss Rebels

After beating Texas A&M in a close 31-28 SEC clash, the Rebels moved up the rankings 4 spots. They will take this big momentum into a bye week and rest up for the following week.

12. UCLA Bruins

The Bruins handled the Stanford Cardinal easily at home 38-13, as they continue to seek A top 10 ranking since their only loss. They will travel to Arizona State as –13.5 favorites and hope to win by even more as this could be the weekend they move up.

13. Kansas State Wildcats

No Adrian Martinez, no problem. Kansas State backup QB Will Howard has played well since Martinez went down, as this weekend he thrashed the 9th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys 48-0. He was aided with some quality defense to shut down a strong QB in Spencer Sanders. After that massive win, The Wildcats will welcome 24th ranked Texas, as the Longhorns open as –2.5 road favorites against the Wildcats.

14. Utah Utes

Utes earned a long week of rest as they toppled the Washington St Cougars 21-17 on Thursday in the early slate of games even without their starting QB Cameron Rising – who was absent for mysterious reasons. They will welcome the Wildcats of Arizona as –17.5 home favorites.

15. Penn State Nittany Lions

Dropping two spots as they fell 44-31 to 2nd ranked Ohio State in a Big 10 rivalry game. The Nittany Lions will have a much easier opponent this week as they travel to Indiana with a –14 line as road favorites.

16. Illinois Fighting Illini

Bret Bielma has this team rolling again as they stormed through a struggling Nebraska Squad by a score of 26-9. They will face an easier challenge next week with a massive –16 line as home favorites against a weak Michigan State squad.

17. North Carolina Tar Heels

42-24 beatdown of Pittsburgh has North Carolina moved up 4 spots in the rankings. Drake Maye has been a stud on offense and is building NFL stock along the way to a top 15 ranking. They hope to continue this surge this week on the road at Virginia as –7.5 favorites.

18. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Spencer Sanders and the Cowboys had no shot against 22nd ranked Kansas State as they fell horribly 48-0 on the road. They hope to get back on track with a big win vs a tough Kansas squad as the Cowboys open at –3 favorites despite slowly slipping down the rankings after two tough losses in 3 weeks.

19. Tulane Green Wave

Fresh off a bye week the rising Green Wave hope to continue their success as they travel to Tulsa with a –7.5 opening line as road favorites.

20. Syracuse Orange

The Orange are hurting after back-to-back losing weeks – this time to the Notre Dame Irish by a score of 41-24 at home. They can rally next week on the road at Pittsburgh as +3.5 dogs in a top tier ACC matchup.

21. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

An 11-spot drop after losing on the road to Louisville 48-21 in a game that had Sam Hartman struggling all game. They head into another tough ACC road game as they travel to 22nd ranked NC State with a –3.5 line as road favorites.

22. NC State Wolfpack

It wasn’t a pretty win over Virginia Tech, but it was a much needed one as the Wolfpack struggled to keep a top 25 ranking since losing Denis Leary weeks ago. The Wolfpack won 22-21, but it will be another tough challenge this week as they welcome 21st ranked and ACC rival Wake Forest who have the Wolfpack as home underdogs at +3.5

23. Oregon State Beavers

The Beavers are fresh off a bye week and hope to continue winning as they travel to a tough Washington Huskies squad that has the Beavers as 3.5-point road underdogs.

24. Texas Longhorns

Fresh of a bye week into a top 25 matchup that has the Longhorns as –2.5 road favorites taking on 13th ranked Kansas State.

25. UCF Knights

25-21 victory over the 21st ranked Cincinnati Bearcats has put UCF into the rankings for the first time this season as Mr. Irrelevant. They hope to continue their ranked campaign into Memphis as they enter the matchup as –3.5 favorites.