AP College Football Poll 2015: Top 25 Rankings, Week 10 Projections and More
The Ohio State Buckeyes can't stay at the top forever, can they?
You can sense that some serious movement atop the Associated Press Top 25 poll is coming. With the news that quarterback J.T. Barrett has been suspended for the Nov. 7 game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, it feels like Ohio State's grasp as the No. 1 team in the country is loosening.
The Buckeyes looked to be back to their old ways after handing a 49-7 shellacking to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Baylor Bears are now without quarterback Seth Russell for the remainder of the year, and there are seven teams undefeated in the Top 10.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
In short, it's a cluster. Week 10 of the college football season may be the most crucial week to date. Let's take a look at this week's matchups and preview the Game of the Week as we prepare for Tuesday, when the College Football Playoff's rankings are released to the world.
| Rank | Team | Record | Week 10 Matchup | Prediction |
| 1 | Ohio State | 8-0 | vs. Minnesota | Win |
| 2 | Baylor | 7-0 | at Kansas State | Win |
| 3 | Clemson | 8-0 | vs. No. 17 Florida State | Win |
| 4 | LSU | 7-0 | at Alabama | Win |
| 5 | TCU | 8-0 | at No. 12 Oklahoma State | Win |
| 6 | Michigan State | 8-0 | at Nebraska | Win |
| 7 | Alabama | 7-1 | vs. LSU | Lose |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 7-1 | at Pittsburgh | Win |
| 9 | Stanford | 7-1 | at Colorado | Win |
| 10 | Iowa | 8-0 | at Indiana | Win |
| 11 | Florida | 7-1 | vs. Vanderbilt | Win |
| 12 | Oklahoma State | 8-0 | vs. No. 5 TCU | Lose |
| 13 | Utah | 7-1 | at Washington | Win |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 7-1 | vs. Iowa State | Win |
| 15 | Memphis | 8-0 | vs. Navy | Win |
| 16 | Michigan | 6-2 | vs. Rutgers | Win |
| 17 | Florida State | 7-1 | at No. 3 Clemson | Lose |
| 18 | Houston | 8-0 | vs. Cincinnati | Win |
| 19 | Ole Miss | 7-2 | vs. Arkansas | Win |
| 20 | Toledo | 7-0 | vs. Northern Illinois | Win |
| 21 | North Carolina | 7-1 | vs. Duke | Win |
| 22 | UCLA | 6-2 | at Oregon State | Win |
| 23 | Temple | 7-1 | at SMU | Win |
| 24 | Mississippi State | 6-2 | at Missouri | Win |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 6-2 | vs. Auburn | Win |
Game of the Week: No. 4 LSU at No. 7 Alabama
Time: 8 p.m. ET
When: Saturday, Nov. 7
Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium
Looking for a game that has everything? Let's go down the list:
- A matchup of two Top 10 teams
- First place in the SEC West on the line
- College Football Playoff implications
- The best player in college football on the world's biggest stage
- Heisman Trophy implications
Sounds like a great way to cap off Saturday's action.
The race for the Heisman Trophy is down to two players: TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin and LSU running back Leonard Fournette. Both of these outstanding athletes have made strong cases as to why they should be the favorite for the Heisman Trophy.
Up until now, neither of these players have had a defining game for the voters to observe. Fournette is going to get his chance on Saturday, when the LSU Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in prime-time SEC action.
Think back to Sept. 19 in Bryant-Denny Stadium. It seemed to be the end of the Alabama dynasty as we knew it. The Ole Miss Rebels pulled off one of the more remarkable upsets in the early college football season by taking down Alabama, 43-37.
Since then, the Crimson Tide have been on a roll (no pun intended). During Alabama's five-game winning streak, only one of those games has been decided by less than 10 points. That was two weeks ago, on Oct. 24, at home against the Tennessee Volunteers.
The Crimson Tide were off this past week, which was needed after that lackluster performance. That works well in Alabama's favor. Derrick Henry also works in Alabama's favor.
Quarterback Jake Coker has thrown seven interceptions to only 11 touchdowns this year. For the first time in recent memory, the Crimson Tide have had mediocre play at quarterback. The junior running back, Henry, has picked up the slack offensively for Alabama, rushing for 1,044 yards and 14 touchdowns this year.
It's because of Henry running the ball that Alabama has been given new life, not just in the SEC race, but in the College Football Playoff race as well.
And while all the attention has been on Fournette, the play of LSU quarterback Brandon Harris should not be overlooked. The sophomore from Bossier City, Louisiana, has yet to throw an interception this year. On the road, in a tough environment like Alabama, that could very well change this week. If Harris can play a calm, collective game, LSU will have a great chance to win.
A loss for Alabama would essentially end all thoughts of a spot in the College Football Playoff. Two losses, both at home and to conference teams, would not be a good look on the resume.
A win, however, would change everything for Alabama. It'd jump LSU, supposedly in the AP rankings, and it would be a good look with the first CFP rankings coming out on Tuesday. SEC Network studio anchor Peter Burns thinks the same thing:
No team has yet to stop Leonard Fournette, let alone contain him.
That will not change against Alabama.
Who knows if LSU has enough to win a national championship this year? That remains to be seen, and that will be saved for further evaluation down the line. But Fournette is a freight train that can't be stopped. Until a team can step up and utilize a game plan that will prevent Fournette from taking over a game, the results will stay the same.
LSU wins and continues its march toward a playoff spot.
Prediction: LSU 27, Alabama 24
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
