Last Word on College Football
Top 25 Week 10
With each passing week, the stakes get higher. We still have five undefeated teams, but there’s sure to be a shake-up in the polls after eight teams from last week’s poll lost. That includes surprisingly losses by Ohio State and Penn State in the Big Ten. Those losses were coupled with statement wins from Miami, Wisconsin, and USC. How will that affect the Last Word on College Football Top 25?
Wisconsin and Miami each inched closer, but still trail three one-loss teams. Memphis closed the gap to UCF for the top Group-of-Five position. And our voters have a clear top four, led by undefeated SEC powers Alabama and Georgia.
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LAST WORD ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25
WEEK 10
| Rank
|
Team
|
Points |
Previous
|
|
1. |
|
447 | 1 | |
| The Tide handled business against a resurgent LSU team. Jalen Hurts was the difference as he stretched a very athletic Tigers defense. Alabama lost two defensive starters to injury, including Shaun Dion Hamilton.
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2. |
|
434 | 3 | |
| The Bulldogs clinched the SEC East with a tougher than expected 24-10 win over South Carolina. Jake Fromm threw two touchdown passes in leading Kirby Smart’s club to its first 9-0 start since 1982. Up next the Bulldogs travel to Auburn for the annual rendition of the SEC’s oldest rivalry.
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3. |
|
403 | 5 | |
| The Irish continue their march towards the playoffs with another impressive win against an ACC foe. This weekend they travel to Maimi to renew one of the great modern rivalries of the game.
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4. |
|
393 | 4 | |
| Clemson beat a strong, senior-led NC State team 38-31. NC State led most of the game. Although the Tigers depth coupled with Wolfpack penalties ultimately sealed the fate of NC State. Up next Clemson hosts Florida State.
|
||||
5. |
|
371 | 8 | |
|
The Sooners outlasted Oklahoma State in the highest scoring Bedlam game of all-time, 62-52. The Sooners will return home next week for a top 10 battle against TCU.
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6. |
|
354 | 6 | |
| The Badgers continue winning. They wore down Indiana over four grueling quarters. Their schedule might not be the strongest, but they’ll get their chance if they’re an undefeated Big Ten champion.
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||||
7. |
|
350 | 9 | |
| The Hurricanes finally have the country on notice after throttling Virginia Tech. This Miami team continues to show that it’s a contender for the CFP. That contention will be tested against the Irish next Saturday.
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8. |
|
337 | 10 | |
| TCU took down a struggling Texas team 24-7. Kenny Hill seems to have recovered after the debacle that was Iowa State. Next up, TCU travels to Norman to take on Oklahoma.
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||||
9. |
|
309 | 11 | |
| The Huskies destroyed fierce rival Oregon, as expected. Next, UW heads to the Bay Area to take on Stanford Friday night.
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10. |
|
270 | 15 | |
|
Auburn’s offense was in rhythm again as Jarrett Stidham had a career day and the Tigers put up 52 against the Aggies in College Station. Consistency is what alludes Auburn. The host second-ranked Georgia this weekend. |
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11. |
|
248 | 3 | |
| An up-and-down season for the Buckeyes continued on Saturday as the pink locker rooms at Kinnick Stadium struck again. The Buckeyes defense was shredded by the Hawkeyes, although J.T. Barrett didn’t help them.
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||||
12. |
|
225 | 17 | |
| The Trojans got two late fourth-quarter TDs to beat Arizona 49-35 Saturday. USC had 642 total yards of offense, including three TDs and 194 yards rushing from Ronald Jones II. USC needs one win in its last three games to secure the Pac-12 South title.
|
||||
13. |
|
224 | 7 | |
| A three-hour weather delay on the road was an omen of things to come. Penn State just couldn’t get their offense in gear against Michigan State and have now lost two straight after being the second-ranked team three weeks ago.
|
||||
14. |
|
213 | 13 | |
| This is the plight of the Group-of-Five. Undefeated and coming off of a win, the Golden Knights still drop a spot on our poll this weekend. All that matters, however, is that they stay above all of the other G5 teams.
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15. |
|
212 | 12 | |
| Bedlam is an appropriate name for this rivalry. Oklahoma State’s comeback attempt faltered with a minute remaining. There’s a lot of math involved, but the Pokes’ hopes of championships are Slim Pickens to none.
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16. |
|
189 | 25 | |
| For the second time this season, the Spartans won in a weird weather game. Michigan State was able to frustrate and contain the Penn State offense all day on Saturday. A long weather delay extended this game several hours.
|
||||
17. |
|
152 | 21 | |
| The Cougars bounced back with a quality win against Stanford in less than ideal conditions. A Pac-12 Championship isn’t out of the picture yet, but Washington State will need be perfect from here on out.
|
||||
18. |
|
110 | NR | |
| The Bulldogs pulled away from UMASS in the second half behind Nick Fitzgerald. Dan Mullen and crew host top-ranked Alabama this Saturday with a chance to thwart the Tide’s perfect season.
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19. |
|
108 | 20 | |
| Mike Norvell’s Tigers continue to impress. Norvell took his Memphis squad into Tulsa on a Friday night and went up and down the field behind Riley Ferguson and a potent passing attack.
|
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20. |
|
94 | 16 | |
| The Cyclones lost to West Virginia just two weeks after entering the Top 25. They’ll have a chance at redemption with a match-up against Oklahoma State this weekend. Can Iowa State beat the three best Big 12 teams in one season?
|
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21. |
|
83 | 17 | |
| Kinnick Stadium is the graveyard of empires in the Big Ten. After ending Michigan’s CFP hopes last season, the Hawkeyes nearly defeated Penn State earlier and effectively ended Ohio State’s hopes this weekend.
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22. |
|
79 | 14 | |
| The Hokies young squad couldn’t muster the resolve for a big win on the road. With the division title effectively on the line, the Hokies offense stalled against the Hurricanes.
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23. |
|
49 | NR | |
| The Wolverines are back in the Top 25 after a brief hiatus. But how long can they stay among the nation’s best? They have Wisconsin on the road and host Ohio State in the next three weeks.
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||||
24. |
|
48 | 19 | |
| The Wolfpack cling to a spot in the rankings after a close defeat at the hands of Clemson. North Carolina State now has a total of three losses to teams with a combined record of 22-5 on the season.
|
||||
25. |
|
45 | 24 | |
| South Florida returned to form against UConn. With an extra week to prepare for Tulsa, the Bulls continue to chart their own destiny to a potential conference title and New Year’s bowl game. | ||||
ALABAMA (9-0) (16)
TCU (8-1)
USC (8-2)
MISSISSIPPI STATE (7-2)
IOWA (6-3)
MICHIGAN (7-2)
Others Receiving Votes: LSU (30), Stanford (23), West Virginia (16), South Carolina (11), Arizona (7), Boise State (7), Northwestern (6), Toledo (3).
Looking Ahead
We’re still not recovered from this weekend and there’s six — count ’em, six — Top 25 match-ups next weekend. Notre Dame travels to Miami in a battle of top ten teams. In the SEC, Alabama makes the short, 80-mile trip to Starkville to play Mississippi State and Georgia and Auburn renew The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry on The Plains. The Big 12 has two Top 25 match-ups with Oklahoma and TCU and Oklahoma State and Iowa State. In the Big Ten, Michigan State continues their brutal schedule stretch traveling to Ohio State. And out west, Stanford has a chance to knock Washington out of CFP contention as they host the Huskies on Friday night.
About the Poll: Eighteen LWOCFB writers rank the Top 25 teams across the nation weekly to determine the best teams from around the country.
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