College Football Rankings 2018: Final NCAA Overview of Week 10 Standings
Week 10's schedule contains what college football fans have been yearning for since the start of October.
After a few weeks of average slates, Saturday delivers and then some, with major clashes occurring in the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12.
The three showdowns between ranked opponents and the other key matchups featuring the nation's top programs will have a major effect on the College Football Playoff rankings, which will be released for the second time this season Tuesday.
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As we have learned over the past few weeks, something is bound to go haywire over the course of the day, but we are not sure which teams will enact chaos upon the Top 25 yet.
College Football Playoff Rankings
1. Alabama (8-0)
2. Clemson (8-0)
3. LSU (7-1)
4. Notre Dame (8-0)
5. Michigan (7-1)
6. Georgia (7-1)
7. Oklahoma (7-1)
8. Washington State (7-1)
9. Kentucky (7-1)
10. Ohio State (7-1)
11. Florida (6-2)
12. UCF (8-0)
13. West Virginia (6-1)
14. Penn State (6-2)
15. Utah (6-2)
16. Iowa (6-2)
17. Texas (6-2)
18. Mississippi State (5-3)
19. Syracuse (6-2)
20. Texas A&M (5-3)
21. NC State (5-2)
22. Boston College (6-2)
23. Fresno State (7-1)
24. Iowa State (4-3)
25. Virginia (6-3)
Alabama-LSU Will Have Massive Impact on Playoff Race
Week 10's marquee matchup will either maintain the status quo at the top of the rankings or it will unleash the first step of the ultimate chaos theory.
Alabama is the established favorite in Saturday's clash with LSU at Tiger Stadium; it's the No. 1 team in the playoff rankings and has won seven straight games against its SEC West rival.
If the Crimson Tide earn their eighth consecutive victory over the Tigers, they will remain on top of the Top 25 and move an important step closer to returning to the College Football Playoff.
Nothing is guaranteed for the Crimson Tide, but it might as well be if they dominate LSU, with Mississippi State, The Citadel and Auburn left on the regular-season schedule.
On the other hand, if LSU ends its drought against Alabama, the playoff rankings would undergo the first of what is expected to be many shakeups in Week 11.
A victory over Alabama would spark a debate surrounding the No. 1 position if the committee values LSU's win over Alabama more than Clemson's undefeated mark in a weak ACC.
In addition to the change at the top, Michigan would slide into the first four positions if it defeats Penn State at home, which puts more value on winning the Big Ten championship.
An LSU win also opens up the debate on what a one-loss Alabama team would have to do to get into the playoff and about which conferences would be left out if the Crimson Tide and Notre Dame are voted in.
Based off the turnover in the Top 25 in recent weeks, something between total dominance by Alabama and a chaotic final few gameweeks that allows the Tide to sneak into the playoff with one loss will occur. But either way, Saturday's clash in Louisiana will trigger all sorts of playoff discussions.
Important Weekend Ahead for Big 12
The Big 12 hasn't been thrust into the national spotlight as much as the SEC or Big Ten, but it's about to be talked about a ton—especially if West Virginia defeats Texas.
Entering Week 10, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Texas are all 4-1 in conference play, but at least one will drop in the standings because the Mountaineers and Longhorns clash in Austin, Texas.
Oklahoma should take care of Texas Tech, which would set up an intriguing conversation in the buildup to its November 23 clash with West Virginia.
There's potential for both teams to enter that showdown in Morgantown, West Virginia with one loss each and in the Top 10.
If that's the case, the debate will rage on about what's best for the conference, as the two teams would be set to square off in the first week of December with a Sooners victory.
No matter what occurs in the coming weeks, a West Virginia win would spark up discussion about its credentials alongside Oklahoma, as both teams face fairly easy schedules before Thanksgiving weekend.
All of this could be for naught if Texas rebounds from its Week 9 loss to Oklahoma State and holds tiebreakers over both Oklahoma and West Virginia, eliminating the Mountaineers from playoff contention with two losses.
If the Longhorns win, we would be on track for a potential Texas-Oklahoma Big 12 Championship Game with a playoff position potentially on the line.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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