Week 10 Rankings

Your Top 25:

Rk	Δ	Team	Pts
1	0	Mississippi State	74.6

It wasn't a pretty game for the Bulldogs. Arkansas pulled out to an early lead, assisted by three Mississippi State turnovers. But in the fourth quarter, MSU QB Dak Prescott found a wide-open Fred Ross to put the Bulldogs up 17-10, and the Mississippi State defense kept it that way with a goal-line stand and an interception in the end zone.

2

+1

Auburn

72.3

Auburn rises to #2 after beating Ole Miss 35-31 in a game that was competitive to the very end. (More on that below.)

3

-1

Alabama

70.4

Bama had a bye week, but falls to #3 following Auburn's win over Ole Miss.

4

+2

Michigan State

59.6

Michigan State also had a bye week, but Sparty profits from losses by Ole Miss and Georgia and breaks the SEC monopoly on the Top Five.

5

0

Ole Miss

58.3

Ole Miss hangs on to #5 after a heartbreaking loss to Auburn in Oxford. Star WR Laquon Treadwell was brought down awkwardly at the goal line, breaking his leg and--literally adding insult to injury--fumbling what might have been the game-winning touchdown.

6	+3	Ohio State	57.4
7	0	Marshall	57.2
8	0	Nebraska	56.4
9	+3	Oregon	55.5
10	0	TCU	55.3
11	+2	Baylor	55.1
12	+5	Oklahoma	54.2
13	-2	LSU	53.9
14	-10	Georgia	53.5
15	-1	Georgia Southern	52.1
16	-1	Kansas State	52.0
17	+1	Wisconsin	51.5
18	+2	Florida State	49.4
19	+2	Georgia Tech	49.3
20	-4	Notre Dame	49.2
21	+4	UCLA	45.8
22	0	Clemson	45.0
23	+5	Arizona State	42.8
24	+2	Boise State	42.2
25	+2	Duke	42.1

See full rankings here.

Teams falling out of the Top 25:

• (#27) Utah (lost at Arizona State 19-16)
• (#32) Louisville (lost vs. Florida State 42-31)
• (#33) Arizona (lost at UCLA 17-7)

Teams worse than the average FCS team: SMU didn't lose this week; they had a bye.

Largest improvement in rank: +17 There's a three-way tie for this title this week as Iowa crushed Northwestern 48-7, Tennessee pulls off the overtime win against South Carolina, and Western Michigan bests Miami (OH) 41-10.

Largest drop in rank: -23 UCF was upset by UConn, losing 37-29 in a game they were supposed to win by 18.

Conference Rankings

Conference	Average
SEC	44.85
Big 12	32.59
Big Ten	32.20
ACC	32.16
Pac-12	32.10
Mountain West	21.49
Conference USA	20.44
American	18.16
Sun Belt	17.70
MAC	14.19

Games to watch next week:

(#3) Alabama at (#13) LSU (8:00 PM EST, CBS) There are a lot of good games to watch this week, and we start, per usual, in the SEC West. LSU needs nothing short of a miracle to win the best division in college football. The Tigers, currently fifth in the division, are two games back with three left to play and have already lost the head-to-head against both Mississippi State and Auburn. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide are tied for second in the division, one game behind Mississippi State, and can still capture the division title by simply winning out. An LSU loss will drive the final nail in the coffin; Alabama will lose control of their own destiny with a loss.

Line: Alabama by 12

(#6) Ohio State at (#4) Michigan State (8:00 PM EST, ABC) Meanwhile, in East Lansing, the Spartans will host the Buckeyes in a game that will give one of these teams their first conference loss. Both teams can put up major points (OSU and MSU are the 4th- and 5th-highest scoring teams in the country), but unlike your TCUs, both have top-notch, Big-Ten defenses (being 8th and 5th, respectively, in total yards allowed per game). The winner of this game almost assuredly wins the Big Ten East.

Line: MSU by 7

(#16) Kansas State at (#10) TCU (7:30 PM EST, Fox) Kansas State is currently sitting atop the Big Twelve, but the Wildcats have yet to face West Virginia, Baylor, and next week's opponent, TCU. Though TCU only squeaked by West Virginia on Saturday, the Horned Frogs look like the best team in the Big XII right now. A win over K State would cement that view and, with Kansas, Texas, and Iowa State left on their schedule, a win may earn the Frogs the Big Twelve championship.

Line: TCU by 8.5

(#11) Baylor at (#12) Oklahoma (Noon EST, Fox Sports 1) The Math is giving Oklahoma the edge, largely based on strength of schedule, but I'm not so sure. The Bears run a pass-heavy offense, getting 349 yards per game through the air (5th-best in the nation), and Oklahoma has one of the worst passing defenses in the country. Baylor, notwithstanding the TCU game, has a Top 25 defense, only allowing 323 yards per game. Oh, and Baylor and Oklahoma are also in contention for the Big XII title, with Baylor still controlling its own destiny and Oklahoma with an outside chance of being crowned the conference champion, but only if the Sooners can get it done against the Bears on Saturday.

Line: Oklahoma by 12

(#9) Oregon at (#27) Utah (10:00 PM EST, ESPN) Moving to the Pac-12, the Ducks of Oregon, having actually avoided the upset against Stanford this year, need one more win to clinch the North. In the South, things are still competitive; the Utes' overtime loss to Arizona State maintains the Sun Devils' front-runner status for now, but Utah is one of four teams within a game and a half of ASU. Utah faces a tough three-week slate ahead, and though the Utes will enjoy home-field advantage against Oregon, the Ducks will be too much for Utah to handle on Saturday.

Line: Oregon by 7

(#20) Notre Dame at (#23) Arizona State (3:30 PM EST, ABC) Arizona State has very quietly made their way to the top of the Pac-12 South and maintained their status as a one-loss team, especially compared to a Notre Dame team that people are saying belong in the College Football Playoff. Though Notre Dame does look like the better team, ASU will bedevil the Irish with a decent passing defense away from the protective shadow of Touchdown Jesus. 

Line: Notre Dame by 4.5