Week 10 provided some long-sought clarity to several key conference and division races. In the PAC-12 North, Oregon asserted its dominance by slaying some personal demons with a thumping of recent nemesis Stanford. Duke (yes, THAT Duke) remained on track to defend its ACC Coastal Division Championship. TCU took care of business (barely) in Morgantown, keeping its CFP aspirations alive. Arizona State claimed sole possession of the top spot in the PAC-12 South race, and set up its CFP elimination game against Notre Dame next Saturday in the Valley of the Sun. In the SEC West, Mississippi State and Auburn survived, Ole Miss did not, and Alabama rested. There will still be much intrigue in that division the rest of the way.
Let’s get to the rankings.
LWOS Week 10 College Football Rankings
| 1 | Mississippi State (11) | Gutsy win by Mississippi State after going down 10-0 against an Arkansas team looking to break a 16-game SEC losing streak. The matchup against Alabama in two weeks is looking bigger and bigger as the season progresses. – Michael Gray | |
| 2 | Florida State (2) | The Seminoles needed 35 points in the second half to sneak past Louisville, but they remain unbeaten. A visit to Miami is the biggest challenge they have left that could stop them from going 12-0. – Matthew Atkinson | |
| 3 | Auburn | Credit Auburn for getting a tough win, with the help of one of the ugliest injuries of the season (get well, Laquon!). Next up are the new-look Texas A&M Aggies at home. – Donald King | |
| 4 | Oregon | Oregon demolished Stanford and solidified their control over the Pac-12 North. They travel to Rice-Eccles Stadium next for a physical battle against a solid Utah team. – Al Preziosi | |
| 5 | Alabama | The Crimson Tide continue to control their own destiny in the SEC; can they emerge from the rest of the one-loss teams into the playoffs? – Mike Loveall | |
| 6 | TCU | The Horned Frogs traveled to Morgantown to face West Virginia and were close to suffering the same fate as Baylor a few weeks earlier. Then Trevone Boykin led his team down the field and put them in position for the game-winning field goal, keeping their CFP hopes alive. – John Bava | |
| 7 | Michigan State | The Spartans are 7-1 and still very much in the hunt for a spot in the first ever college football playoff. There’s still work to be done though, as they play Ohio State, Maryland, Rutgers, and Penn State. – Elijah Klein | |
| 8 | Notre Dame | Tarean Folston ran for a career high 149 yards against the Naval academy in Notre Dame’s 49-39 victory. Folston has now ran for 289 yards in two career games against Navy. Next up is a matchup against a high-powered Arizona State offense. – Anthony Murphy | |
| 9 | Kansas State | The Wildcats have continued to improve all season and they control their own destiny to win the Big 12 after destroying Oklahoma State. – Connor Ferguson | |
| 10 | Baylor | The Bears have looked good this year, with their only loss coming from a West Virginia team that nearly beat #6 TCU this week. If they can win out, they will be an intriguing choice for the college football playoff. – Elijah Klein | |
| 11 | Arizona State | Arizona State is sitting at 7-1 after surviving in OT against Utah. They now control their own destiny in the Pac-12, but have a couple monster games left on the schedule – next week vs. Notre Dame and the final game of the season at Arizona. – Michael Gray | |
| 12 | Ohio State | Ohio State returned to blasting the competition this week. Voters seem to be slowly but surely forgiving that early-season Virginia Tech loss, even as it keeps looking worse and worse. – Yesh Ginsburg | |
| 13 | Nebraska | The Huskers get a breather after throttling Purdue in Week 10. Their visit to Camp Randall Stadium on 11/15 will likely determine the winner of the B1G West division. – Donald King | |
| 14 | Mississippi | The dream season for the Rebels has come to an end after losing to Auburn. Can they salvage the rest of the season and finish strong? – Mike Loveall | |
| 15 | Oklahoma | OU had another easy game this week against Iowa State. They looked impressive and seem to be finally getting out of their slump. Next up for OU will be a tough test against Baylor. – Connor Ferguson | |
| 16 | LSU | LSU had a timely bye week after a huge victory over Ole Miss. This week, it’s Alabama’s turn to come to Death Valley as LSU looks to work their way back into the SEC West race. – Matthew Atkinson | |
| 17 | UCLA | UCLA emerged victorious from a surprising 17-7 defensive battle against Arizona last night. Hundley rushed for over 125 yards and threw a late-game touchdown to seal the win. UCLA goes on the road next week to face Washington. – Kaden Kotinek | |
| 18 | Duke | Somehow, the Blue Devils keep figuring out ways to win games. They got a bit of help from a missed Pitt field goal at the end of regulation that would’ve won the game for the Panthers, and they escaped Heinz Field with a 51-48 overtime victory to maintain their lead in the ACC Coastal. – John Bava | |
| 19 | Arizona | Arizona suffered a ten-point loss on the road this week against UCLA. The loss resulted because their only score came in the first quarter and they had a field goal blocked late in the fourth quarter. This is only the second loss for the Wildcats though, and they face Colorado next week. – Kaden Kotinek | |
| 20 | Clemson | Clemson is slowly inching up the rankings as they pick up solid wins against Boston College and Louisville. They lost both marquee games this year, though, and that Georgia loss looks quite a bit worse now than it did a week ago. Still, 10-2 probably means Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day and a shot at that big-time win. – Yesh Ginsburg | |
| 21 | Utah | Utah suffered a devastating loss to Arizona State in overtime, picking up their second loss of the season. An upset against Oregon could salvage their Pac-12 South aspirations. – Al Preziosi | |
| 22 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin snuck back into the rankings by dominating most of their schedule. That loss to Northwestern is still ugly, but it’s hard to imagine that they’re not one of the 25 most talented teams in the country. – Yesh Ginsburg | |
| 23 | Marshall | Rakeem Cato and Marshall had a bye week after they easily handled Florida Atlantic in Week 9. Next (likely) victim is 3-6 Southern Miss on the road. – Donald King | |
| 24 | Colorado State | Behind four Dee Hart rushing touchdowns, the Rams won their seventh game in a row and improved to 8-1 after beating San Jose State 38-31. Next up is a 2-7 Hawaii team. – Anthony Murphy | |
| 25 | West Virginia | West Virginia did everything Saturday but win against TCU. Holgorsen’s guys have proven to be a tough out. The bowl-eligible Mountaineers head to Austin to battle the Longhorns next Saturday. – Donald King | |
| Others receiving votes: USC (4), Georgia (3), Georgia Tech (3), Boston College (1), East Carolina (1), Missouri (1) | |||
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