College Football Rankings 2016: Latest Standings and Predictions for Week 10
October is coming to an end, which means conference play is heating up, and teams vying for spots in the College Football Playoff will be under the microscope when Week 10 gets underway.
If Week 9 was any indication, top-ranked teams should be wary of matchups with pesky unranked foes—as harmless as they may seem on paper.
Before previewing some of this week's biggest games, take some time and familiarize yourself with the latest Associated Press Top 25:
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Notable Week 10 Games Featuring Ranked Teams
| Thursday, Nov. 3 | No. 12 Oklahoma at Iowa State | 7:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, Nov. 3 | UCLA at No. 21 Colorado | 9 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | No. 7 Texas A&M at Mississippi State | Noon |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | Vanderbilt at No. 11 Auburn | Noon |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | No. 5 Louisville at Boston College | Noon |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | No. 8 Wisconsin at Northwestern | Noon |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | Maryland at No. 2 Michigan | 3:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | Syracuse at No. 3 Clemson | 3:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | TCU at No. 13 Baylor | 3:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | No. 10 Florida at Arkansas | 3:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | Iowa at No. 20 Penn State | 7:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | No. 9 Nebraska at No. 6 Ohio State | 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | No. 1 Alabama at No. 15 LSU | 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | No. 4 Washington at California | 10:30 p.m. |
Prediction: No. 8 Wisconsin Staves Off Northwestern
When it comes to College Football Playoff contenders on upset alert, the eighth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers stand out.
Head coach Paul Chryst's club is slated to square off against the unranked Northwestern Wildcats, but that designation shouldn't have the Badgers dismissing their opponent right off the bat.
Just ask the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Although Ohio State survived Saturday's game against the Wildcats, 24-20, Northwestern pushed the nation's sixth-ranked team well into the fourth quarter before the Buckeyes put their pesky Big Ten foe away.
From a statistical standpoint, it's hard to ignore how well Northwestern matches up with Wisconsin.
The Badgers and Wildcats are nearly dead even in average scoring, generating 24.1 and 25.1 points per game, respectively. Both defenses have also proved to be stingy.
With that said, the Badgers defense ranks a few tiers higher. Wisconsin's opponents are mustering 14.6 points per game—which ranks third nationally behind Michigan and Florida.
In what should be a low-scoring affair that's decided late, bank on Wisconsin sneaking out with a win thanks to a late defensive stand, just as it did Saturday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Prediction: No. 6 Ohio State Outlasts No. 9 Nebraska
While the Buckeyes bounced back from their loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions with a character-building victory over Northwestern, the Cornhuskers weren't able to notch another tally in the win column.
As a result of their loss to Wisconsin, the Cornhuskers are now 7-1 with arguably their hardest test of the season looming.
To that point, Ohio State opened as a 15.5-point favorite for Saturday's prime-time showdown at the Horseshoe.
When the two Big Ten foes meet, all eyes will be on Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett.
Once believed to be a top Heisman Trophy candidate, Barrett has failed to flash elite form over the past two weeks. He's notched just one touchdown in that span—with Saturday's win over Northwestern representing the first time he didn't record a score as Ohio State's starting quarterback, according to Eleven Warriors' Tim Shoemaker.
"The Buckeyes' passing attack continues to lack much explosiveness down the field," ESPN.com's Austin Ward wrote. "The offensive line showed some cracks again in protection and didn't consistently blow up rushing lanes the way Urban Meyer has grown accustomed to since arriving on campus."
Barrett won't have it easy against a Nebraska defense that ranks first in the country with 15 interceptions and 36th in average passing yards allowed (205.4), but he can take solace in knowing he's been more explosive at home this season:
| Home | 7.79 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 339 | 4 |
| Away | 6.77 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 192 | 2 |
The Buckeyes will need to put forth one of their most complete efforts of the season to take down Nebraska, but if Barrett can regain elite form in the pocket and do some damage with his legs, Ohio State should stay in the one-loss club.
Prediction: No. 1 Alabama Thwarts LSU's Upset Bid Easily
The Alabama Crimson Tide have brushed off challenges from the Arkansas Razorbacks, Tennessee Volunteers and Texas A&M Aggies with aplomb, which should engender confidence that they can take down the 15th-ranked LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
While the Crimson Tide are only seven-point favorites—which is low by their high standards—they're the most complete team in the country based on all the evidence at hand:
| Alabama | 43.9 (8) | 14.9 (4) | 233.3 (65) | 264.8 (11) |
| LSU | 29.9 (61) | 15.0 (5) | 183.9 (104) | 239.9 (20) |
Though LSU has scored at least 38 points in each of its last three games, Alabama will present the Tigers with a tremendous challenge.
Head coach Nick Saban's defense held Texas A&M to 14 points and Tennessee to 10, and both of those attacks contain more firepower than the Leonard Fournette-led offense it will face Saturday.
Plus, if recent history is any indication, Alabama should turn in one of its best defensive performances of the season. Dating back to 2012, LSU hasn't scored more than 17 points in a game against the Crimson Tide.
If Alabama can turn in another stifling performance, it will be one step closer to securing a spot in the SEC Championship Game.
"We've got lots of games against a lot of good teams coming up when we start back playing again," Saban said after the team's win over Texas A&M, per the New York Times' Marc Tracy. "That can have a tremendous impact on what kind of season that we have."
All odds courtesy of Odds Shark. All stats courtesy of ESPN.com.
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