Week 10 didn’t just shake up the national picture - it left the top of the sport looking a lot different, with UCLA and Utah still standing as the only unbeaten teams after a weekend that claimed another No. 1.
Former top-ranked Miami joined the list of fallen favorites, and that kind of chaos is exactly what made this the most anticipated stretch of the college football season. Most of the highly ranked teams handled business, but the results still forced a fresh look at the top of the AP ballot.
For this week’s ranking, Georgia gets the No. 1 spot. It isn’t a simple choice, but the Bulldogs have two top-25 wins, with Florida set to fall out, and they’ve been steady for most of the year aside from the Auburn loss. Their dominant showing against Ole Miss only added to the case that Georgia can look like the best team in the country when everything is clicking.
Utah follows at No. 2 after extending the longest active winning streak in college football to 15 games with a rivalry win over BYU. The Utes didn’t play their cleanest game, but winning a hostile rivalry matchup still carries plenty of weight. There’s a real argument for Utah at No. 1, though Georgia gets the edge here for now because it has looked a little sharper overall.
UCLA sits right behind at No. 3, still unbeaten and still finding ways to win. There was some talk that the Bruins could be in trouble this week, but Bob Chesney’s group shut that down fast with a 14-point win over Minnesota. Even with a backup quarterback, UCLA continues to look like a difficult team to beat.
Notre Dame comes in at No. 4 after controlling Miami for much of the night and looking every bit like a team ready to make a national statement. The College Football Playoff selection committee had the Fighting Irish outside the top 10, but this ballot sees them much higher than that.
Alabama lands at No. 5 after taking care of business in a heated rivalry game. The Crimson Tide have been inconsistent this season, but Saturday night felt like one of their best performances, especially the way they closed against Ole Miss.
Indiana remains in the mix at No. 6 even while on a bye week. The Hoosiers are still a team that finds ways to win, but there’s also a sense that their ceiling is still being tested.
Miami drops to No. 7, a tough slide but one that reflects how difficult this group is to sort out. The biggest concern is the extended absence of the Hurricanes’ star wide receiver, though the issues go beyond one player.
Texas checks in at No. 8.
The Longhorns have quality wins and one of the better résumés in the country, but the season has also had its rough edges. They remain dangerous, just not in a way that makes them easy to trust completely.
Wake Forest is No. 9 after a 77-point blowout of Merrimack, a game that won’t tell us much on its own but does fit with how hot the Demon Deacons have been lately. The résumé isn’t flashy, but the momentum is real.
BYU rounds out the top 10 after the loss to Utah, and still looks like the second-best team in the Big 12 based on overall play. In that rivalry game, the Cougars and Utes looked like the conference’s two most complete teams on both sides of the ball. It may not be enough to reach the playoff, but BYU is still worthy of top-10 status.
In Other News...
BYUs Utah Loss Exposed A Brutal Offense Defense Divide
BYUs 28-20 loss to Utah left plenty of room for second-guessing, and Brandon Gurneys postgame grading laid out just how uneven the night was for the Cougars. The quarterback room, led by Bear Bachmeier, came out on the wrong end of the evaluation after a turnover-heavy performance, while the rest of the offense was left to pick through a game that never found much rhythm.
On the other side of the ball, the defensive line stood out as one of the brighter spots, earning one of the better marks for its work up front. The group generated sacks and helped keep Utah from consistently leaning on the run, a contrast that made the divide between BYUs offense and defense even more stark as the final grades came into focus. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Big 12 Path Just Got A Lot Tougher After Utah Loss
Utahs 28-20 win over BYU did more than settle bragging rights in the rivalry game. It tightened the Utes grip on the Big 12 race, pushed them to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play, and left BYU trying to regroup after a loss that carried real league consequences.
For the Cougars, the margin for error is suddenly much smaller. BYU dropped to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play, while ESPNs projections now give Utah a 93% chance to reach the Big 12 Championship Game and a 90% chance to make the College Football Playoff, a reminder of how quickly the path can narrow in a crowded race. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Still Has A Real Top 10 Case After Rivalry Loss
BYUs place in the national picture is still very much alive despite the sting of a rivalry loss, because Saturday turned the AP Top 25 into a moving target. Eight ranked teams went down, including No. 1, and that kind of chaos tends to reshape the conversation quickly for teams sitting just outside the very top tier. With several programs around the country taking hits, the Cougars still have a path to remain in the mix as the rankings settle.
The bigger question now is how voters sort through the weekends upheaval, from SMUs rise to Oregons and Alabamas latest results, and where BYU lands in that shuffle. A loss in a rivalry game can feel like a setback that lingers, but in a week when so many contenders stumbled, it may not be enough to knock the Cougars out of serious top-10 consideration. [Read more 🡒]