NCAA Football Rankings 2018: Week 10 Standings and Analysis for Latest Polls

The top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 and Amway Coaches Polls largely remained unchanged heading into Week 10.

The Texas Longhorns were the highest-ranked team to lose in Week 9. They fell 38-35 on the road to the Oklahoma State Cowboys and tumbled to 15th in both polls as a result.

The Utah Utes were the biggest movers upward after they cruised past the UCLA Bruins 41-10 last Friday. They climbed to 16th, seven and eight spots higher, respectively, in the AP and Coaches Polls.

In total, the AP and Coaches Polls each saw seven teams move into the Top 25 after being unranked in Week 9, highlighting how tightly packed the Power Five conferences are after looking past the elite squads.

Here's a look at the two polls.

Week 10 Polls

AP Top 25

1. Alabama (8-0)

2. Clemson (8-0)

3. Notre Dame (8-0)

4. LSU (7-1)

5. Michigan (7-1)

6. Georgia (7-1)

7. Oklahoma (7-1)

8. Ohio State (7-1)

9. UCF (7-0)

10. Washington State (7-1)

11. Kentucky (7-1)

12. West Virginia (6-1)

13. Florida (6-2)

14. Penn State (6-2)

15. Texas (6-2)

16. Utah (6-2)

17. Houston (7-1)

18. Utah State (7-1)

19. Iowa (6-2)

20. Fresno State (7-1)

21. Mississippi State (5-3)

22. Syracuse (6-2)

23. Virginia (6-2)

24. Boston College (6-2)

25. Texas A&M (5-3)

Amway Coaches Poll

1. Alabama (8-0)

2. Clemson (8-0)

3. Notre Dame (8-0)

4. LSU (7-1)

T5. Michigan (7-1)

T5. Georgia (7-1)

7. Oklahoma (7-1)

8. Ohio State (7-1)

9. UCF (7-0)

10. West Virginia (6-1)

11. Washington State (7-1)

12. Kentucky (7-1)

13. Penn State (6-2)

14. Florida (6-2)

15. Texas (6-2)

16. Utah (6-2)

17. Houston (7-1)

18. Iowa (6-2)

19. Washington (6-3)

20. Utah State (7-1)

21. Mississippi State (5-3)

22. Virginia (6-2)

23. Fresno State (7-1)

24. Syracuse (6-2)

25. Boston College (6-2)

College football writers are giving the Washington State Cougars their just rewards by putting them in the Top 10. The Cougars scored 41 points and gained 497 yards against a Stanford Cardinal defense that has otherwise been solid for the most part in 2018.

Skeptics have had good reason to question Washington State's credentials.

The Cougars didn't beat any good non-conference foes and lost to a USC Trojans squad that doesn't equal the sum of its parts. Since that defeat, though, Washington State has reeled off quality wins over Utah, Stanford and the Oregon Ducks.

Washington State still has work to do to warrant stronger playoff consideration but is at least being recognized properly.

Nobody will be rooting harder for the Cougars to slip up than the UCF Knights, who didn't play in Week 9 but benefited from Texas and the Florida Gators losing.

Bleacher Report's David Kenyon looked at the numerous steps required for UCF to actually quality for the College Football Playoff. A two-loss Pac-12 champion is one of those things necessary for the Knights to get into the Top Four.

As much as Kenyon and others may want to root for chaos in the playoff, the home stretch of the regular season is shaping up to be generally predictable.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are head and shoulders above everybody else in FBS and have the potential to be among the most dominant teams in college football history. 

Neither the Clemson Tigers nor the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are at that level but have relatively easy schedules the rest of the way. They should end the regular season unbeaten, at which point they would be locks for the playoff. And a one-loss Clemson might still impress the selection committee enough to get into the semifinals.

That would leave one opening for the Big 12, Pac-12 or Big Ten, all of whom look to have at least one worthy playoff contender.

Week 10 could go some way toward putting the dominoes in place for UCF's unlikely playoff bid. There are four games that pit two Top 15 opponents against one another. 

The No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers could see their playoff bubbles burst if they suffer a second defeat. The same could prove true of the fourth-ranked LSU Tigers if they lose to Alabama by a wide margin.

This time next week, fans should have a little more clarity on the likely playoff field.