AP Top 25: Takeaways From Week 10 Poll


The AP Top 25 for Week 10 was released Sunday afternoon. Here are some takeaways about the movement in the newest edition of the poll.


Lamar Jackson truly is amazing. He showcased his arm once again in yet another Heisman moment in the Cardinals’ 32-25 win over Virginia. Because of that, Louisville remained at No. 5 in the latest AP Top 25.

Justin Fuente’s Hokies managed to hold off Pitt in a 39-36 win, and now Virginia Tech has moved up two spots to No. 23.

And Western Michigan lucked out with a bye week and rode that to a three-spot move up the rankings. The Broncos now sit at No. 17.

Here are some other instant AP Top 25 takeaways from the newest edition of the poll.

Big 12 Outside Top 10

Hats off to you, Charlie Strong. You are truly something else. With a ton of buzz about the Texas head coach being on the hot seat, he led his Longhorns to a 35-34 win over Baylor. With that loss, the Bears dropped from No. 8 to No. 13.

Bob Stoops’ Sooners destroyed Kansas, 56-3, and now Oklahoma is up to No. 12 from its previous ranking at No. 16.

But there are no longer any Big 12 teams left in the top 10 because West Virginia ended up falling to Oklahoma State, 37-20. So, now, the Cowboys, after not being ranked last week, are up to No. 22. However, the Mountaineers are down from No. 10 to No. 14.

World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party Continues

Well, well, well, look who we have here. One new face in the top 10 is Jim McElwain’s Gators. How is that possible? It certainly helped their cause when the Big 12 contenders took a step back, but Florida also picked up a huge rivalry win on Saturday.

The Gators topped the Georgia Bulldogs, 24-10, in their annual matchup in Jacksonville. Florida got its first look at Georgia’s future in true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason. He completed 15-of-33 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, but the Bulldogs were held to 21 total rushing yards.

That Florida defense stepped up in a big way, and the Gators could be in store for more movement up the rankings. They’ll travel to Arkansas before hosting former head coach Will Muschamp’s Gamecocks. But they can thank Muschamp for beating Butch Jones and Tennessee once again. With the Vols’ third straight loss, Florida now has a much clearer path to the SEC East title.

Big Ten Battles

Michigan held onto its No. 2 ranking after it got revenge against in-state rival Michigan State, 32-23. The Wolverines would likely be the new No. 1 team if Alabama somehow fell to LSU this upcoming weekend.

But there are more Big Ten teams continuing to make noise. Wisconsin managed to survive against Nebraska for the 23-17 win. Now, it’s the Badgers who are up from No. 11 to 8, while the Cornhuskers have fallen from the group of unbeaten teams and dropped from No. 7 to No. 9.

Ohio State also found a way to stave off a pesky Northwestern Wildcats team for a 24-20 win, and the Buckeyes remained at No. 6 in the rankings. Penn State also wrecked Purdue, 62-24, and now the Nittany Lions have climbed from No. 24 to No. 20.

Looking ahead

Three matchups highlight the college football slate this coming weekend. They include the epic Alabama-LSU matchup, another Big Ten battle between Nebraska and Ohio State, and Florida’s tough road matchup with Bret Bielema’s Razorbacks.

  • No. 1 Alabama at No. 15 LSU
  • No. 9 Nebraska at No. 6 Ohio State
  • No. 10 Florida at Arkansas

Potential upset matchups include TCU at No. 13 Baylor, Northwestern at No. 8 Wisconsin, and No. 19 Florida State at NC State.

MORE: No. 1-128 College Football Rankings – Week 10