AP Poll Predictions: Week 10
Only on Halloween could a corpse come back to life, welcome back Texas
Dropped from the Rankings: #15 UNC, #16 Kansas State, #18 Penn State
#25 Liberty- (6-0) Bye. The Flames had the week off but finally break into the top 25 thanks to attrition, the flames were the only undefeated team with over 3 wins left unranked
#24 Tulsa- (3-1) W 34-30 vs ECU. The AAC officials admitted there were mistakes made that likely handed Tulsa a last minute win over ECU but the Golden Hurricane remain undefeated in conference play, having only lost to OK State.
#23 Michigan- (1-1) L 24-27 vs Michigan State. The Wolverines blew it after a dominant first week win against Minnesota. Just when Michigan looked like the playoff contender everyone expected, they go and do this. Blue-Chip bias is the only thing that will keep them in the rankings.
#22 Texas- (4-2) W 41-34 vs #6 OK State. People made this game out to be an ultimatum on Tom Herman; by golly he did it. Texas beat a top 10 opponent on the road for the first time since 2010 and vaulted themselves back into Big 12 title contention. Sam Ehlinger is the most clutch player in college.
#21 Boise State- (2-0) W 49-30 vs Air Force. The Broncos let AF hang around longer than they should have but ultimately handled business to remain undefeated. The impending date with BYU looms large for Boise.
#20 Iowa State- (4-2) W 52-22 vs Kansas. The Cyclones shellacked a lowly Kansas squad this week to remain atop the Big 12 standings and in the driver seat of their conference's destiny.
#19 Oklahoma- (4-2) W 62-28 vs Texas Tech. Spencer Rattler continues to improve after a disastrous start to the season. The offensive explosion is not just driven by Rattler however as Rhamondre Stevens had 3 TDs on the ground this week. Oklahoma will only get better as the year progresses so watch out for the Sooners.
#18 SMU- (6-1) W 51-37 vs Navy. The Mustangs bounced back from a crushing loss to Cincinnati last week by blowing up Navy. Shane Buechele and Ulysses Bentley IV combined for 450 yards and 5 TDs. SMU is still a strong contender in the AAC and may face Cincy again in the championship with a shot at redemption.
#17 Marshall- (5-0) Game vs FIU postponed. Freshmen QB Grant Wells continues to lead a dangerous Herd offense bolstered by an impressive defense. Marshall also has the best chance of any currently undefeated team to finish the season undefeated per ESPN.
#16 USC- (0-0). The Trojans have yet to play but the preseason expectations remain high, for Clay Helton's sake they better meet them.
#15 Oklahoma State- (4-1) L 34-41 vs Texas. The Pokes ground game couldn't find a rhythm as Chuba Hubbard finished with only 72 yards on the ground. This was a massive blow not only to Oklahoma State's playoff chances, but the Big 12's as a whole. Unless the Cowboys can run the table in impressive fashion, the Big 12 gets left out this year.
#14 Coastal Carolina- (6-0) W 51-0 vs Georgia State. WOW what a difference having Grayson McCall back at QB makes. The Chants dominated on both sides of the ball blanking a young but talented Panthers team. The same Panthers team that took Louisiana to the wire. Who would've expected Coastal to go from being picked to finish at the bottom of the Sun Belt East to ranked in the top 15??
#13 Indiana- (2-0) W 37-21 vs Rutgers. Undefeated Indiana vs Undefeated Rutgers, what the hell is going on in the Big 10? Indiana showed that last week's overtime win vs Penn State was no fluke as they managed a rising Rutgers squad to stay unbeaten.
#12 Oregon- (0-0). The defending Pac 12 champs kick off next week for the first time as favorites to win the conference title again.
#11 Miami- (5-1) Bye. The Canes remain #3 in the ACC and hope Clemson can take down Notre Dame next week to help them in the conference rankings.
#10 BYU- (7-0) W 41-10 vs WKU. The win is a foregone conclusion as BYU is absolutely taking the Hilltoppers to the woodshed. Zach Wilson continues to make his case as a legitimate Heisman contender as BYU looks to find a way into the CFB Playoff should they remain undefeated.
#9 Wisconsin- (1-0) Game vs Nebraska canceled. Wisconsin is currently racked by positive COVID tests which for Big 10 teams means minimum 21 day quarantine. QB Graham Mertz is one of those that has tested positive as well as the backup QB putting into question Wisconsin's next 2 games also. Can the Badgers maintain their ranking if they don't play or do play but with limited personnel?
#8 Florida- (3-1) W 41-17 vs Missouri. The Gators after an extended COVID absence, didn't seem to miss a beat as they routed the Tigers. Kyle Trask put on another Heisman worthy performance to the tune of 21/36 for 345 yards & 4 TDs, including 47 yards on the ground. The defense looked much improved as well, a crucial component to beating Alabama in a potential SEC Championship game.
#7 Texas A&M- (4-1) W 42-31 vs Arkansas. The Aggies took down a surging Razorback squad in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the score suggests. Kellen Mond showed the talent he has shown in flashes prior, going 21/26 for 260 yards and 3 TDs. If A&M can keep up this level of production they should be in prime position for a prominent bowl bid.
#6 Cincinnati- (5-0) W 49-10 vs Memphis. Memphis was receiving the 26th most AP voted prior to this week; they got rocked. Cincy proved that they stand alone atop the AAC after blowing out SMU last week too. The Bearcats haven't risen this high since 2009 and with OK State's loss, slide oh so close to playoff contention. If they can win out, the committee will have a hard time keeping them out.
#5 Georgia- (4-1) W 14-3 vs Kentucky. The Dawgs need to figure out their QB situation. What the hell ever happened to JT Daniels? Wasn't he the Heisman darling of USC just a year ago? I don't understand what is going on in Athens because if they can't solve their offensive woes then they stand no chance against Florida or an Alabama rematch.
#4 Notre Dame- (6-0) W 31-13 vs Georgia Tech. ND had a great day today, not because they crushed GT, because they got news that Trevor Lawrence would not be available for their match up next week. Clemson has shown their flaws the past two weeks and the Irish stand ready to pounce. Can Ian Book be efficient enough to top Clemson and lead ND back to the playoffs?
#3 Alabama- (6-0) W 41-0 vs Miss State. Damn...the Bulldogs suck so hard. That is in no way meant to denigrate the performances of Mac Jones, Najee Harris, and Devonta Smith who all absolutely lit it up. Waddle's absence was felt but Devonta Smith picked up the slack BIG TIME with over 200 receiving yards and 4 TDs. Alabama is cruising through their schedule and may not face any stiff competition until their eventual meeting with Florida.
#2 Clemson- (7-0) W 34-28 vs Boston College. Clemson had to scratch and claw their way back from a 28-10 deficit, keeping Phil Jurkovec and the BC offense scoreless in the second half. We also got to glimpse into the future of Clemson as DJ Uiagalelei filled in for Trevor Lawrence and impressed! Travis Etienne, despite a costly fumble near the BC goal line, shouldered a lot of the weight this weekend as he led in both rushing and receiving. Whether the defense can buck up in time for next week's crucial bout with Notre Dame remains to be seen. Brett Venables will get em right.
#1 Ohio State- (2-0) W 38-25 vs #18 Penn State. Having OSU leapfrog Bama and Clemson is super subjective but Clemson struggled mightily and Bama just pummeled a piss poor team. The Buckeyes may have only played two games but they are passing the eye test at level unmatched. Ohio State jumped out to an early lead and never relinquished despite a late 4th quarter push by PSU. Justin Fields is a cheat code, the guy racked up another 300+ yards with 4 TDs to accompany it as the Buckeyes look like the clear cut leader in the Big 10. Who would've thought the Buckeyes would need to get past Indiana to secure the Big 10 East?