College football rankings: Predicting the AP top 25 poll for Week 10

Where things stand as we predict the AP top 25 college football rankings ahead of the important Week 10 schedule

As we survey the damage from the latest slate of games on Saturday, let's look ahead to the Week 10 AP top 25 college football rankings

Who's moving up? Who's moving down?

Note: this isn't our ranking of the best teams, but our prediction for how top 25 voters will slot them in the official poll on Sunday

Related: How the AP top 25 is made | CFP rankings schedule

Predicting the AP top 25 rankings

25. Liberty. The Flames stayed undefeated with a win over WKU and should get more votes after placing 27th in last week's rankings.

24. James Madison. Going 4 of 12 on third down and throwing 2 interceptions kept things close against Old Dominion, but the Dukes stuck it out and stayed perfect.

23. USC. Only by thwarting a 2-point try at the end were the Trojans able to beat Cal by 1, but if this D let the Golden Bears put up 49, what will it look like against the Ducks and Huskies? Some AP voters will drop USC entirely, but most likely won't.

22. Kansas. KU ran for over 200 yards and Devin Neal scored the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute to upset Oklahoma and become bowl eligible.

21. UCLA. The Bruins overcame four turnovers to hold off Colorado at home, hold the Buffs to 1 yard per rush and 25 in total, and move to 3-2 in Pac-12 play, but still with that loss to Utah on the books.

20. Tulane. Still in first place in the AAC after squeaking out a 2-point win over Rice.

19. Tennessee. The Vols came out ahead in an evenly-fought game at Kentucky, except in rushing production as Big Orange out-gained UK 254-72 on the ground in a critical SEC East test.

18. Utah. The Utes were kept out of the end zone at home against Oregon, going 5 of 15 on third down and running for 2.8 ypc, falling to 3-2 in Pac-12 play.

17. Oregon State. A second loss for the Beavers this season after the Wildcats put up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

16. Air Force. The Falcons ran for 259 yards and 3 scores and held CSU off the scoreboard for the entire second half.

15. Louisville. The Cardinals held serve at home against Duke, and at 4-1 in ACC play without UNC or FSU on the schedule, and especially after the Heels' losses, have a very realistic path to the league title game.

14. Missouri. Idle

13. LSU. Idle

12. Notre Dame. Audric Estime ran for 114 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Irish pounded Pittsburgh in a 58-7 rout and moved to 7-2.

11. Ole Miss. The Rebels ran for 3 touchdowns and had 5 sacks on defense in a 26-point win over Vanderbilt, moving to 7-1 and heading into games against A&M and Georgia in the next two weeks.

10. Penn State. The offense struggled and kept it close against Indiana, but Drew Allar hit a long TD pass late and a safety helped secure a closer-than-expected victory.

9. Alabama. Idle

8. Oklahoma. OU became the highest-ranked team to lose to an unranked team this year after Kansas drove for a touchdown late to take down the Sooners in a huge upset with major playoff implications.

7. Oregon. The Ducks snapped Utah's 18-game home win streak in dramatic fashion, holding a ranked opponent to 6 or fewer points on the road for the first time in 34 years.

6. Texas. Maalik Murphy had 2 touchdown passes in his first start, a 35-6 decision against BYU to stay at one loss as the Big 12 title race heats up.

5. Washington. Another survive-and-advance game from the Huskies, who pulled ahead late at Stanford to stay undefeated and in pole position in the Pac-12.

4. Florida State. The Seminoles stacked up 508 yards in a rout over Wake before heading to Pittsburgh next week.

3. Ohio State. Some first half turnovers kept it close early at Wisconsin, but the 1-2 punch of Marvin Harrison, Jr. and TreVeyon Henderson, who had over 200 all-purpose yards, made the difference after the break.

2. Michigan. Idle

1. Georgia. The defending champs picked up their 25th straight win by taking apart rival Florida in the Cocktail Party, but three ranked SEC teams await in late-season tests.

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