NCAA Football Rankings 2019: Predicting Week 10 Movers Based on Latest Results
In Week 8, it was Wisconsin. Week 9? It was Oklahoma's turn.
Upset losses can come at any time and from any source during the college football season, and the past two Saturdays have proved just that. Wisconsin suffered its first loss when it fell on the road at Illinois on Oct. 19. Saturday, another top team fell as Oklahoma lost to Kansas State on the road.
The Sooners, who are ranked No. 5, will consequently slide down the AP Top 25 poll, and they will need to prove to the College Football Playoff selection committee that they are still worthy of a spot come season's end. They will likely need to win out and capture the Big 12 championship to have a chance.
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Oklahoma isn't the only team that will be trending downward in the latest rankings. After an exciting Saturday filled with big games, here's how the AP Top 25 poll will likely shake out ahead of Week 10.
Week 10 Poll Projection
1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Penn State
6. Florida
7. Georgia
8. Oregon
9. Utah
10. Oklahoma
11. Baylor
12. Auburn
13. SMU
14. Minnesota
15. Michigan
16. Notre Dame
17. Wisconsin
18. Cincinnati
19. Iowa
20. Appalachian State
21. Boise State
22. Wake Forest
23. Texas
24. Memphis
25. Kansas State
3 Teams on the Rise
Penn State
Although the Nittany Lions will likely only be moving up one spot, it's a big one, as they will enter the top five of the AP poll for the first time this season. They improved to 8-0 with a 28-7 road win over Michigan State on Saturday.
Penn State is taking the spot of Oklahoma, which lost to unranked Kansas State on the road and will be sliding down the rankings.
If the Nittany Lions are going to stay in the top five, they will need to play well during a difficult three-week stretch that begins after its bye week. On Nov. 9, Penn State travels to play Minnesota, which is undefeated and is likely moving up a few spots from No. 17 after its win over Maryland.
Then, after Penn State hosts Indiana on Nov. 16 before it travels to face No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 23 in what will likely be the biggest game in the Big Ten this season. For now, the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are both in the top five of the AP poll. But that will likely change following their meeting.
SMU
The Mustangs may not own a win over any currently ranked teams, but they are winning all of the games on their schedule. They improved to 8-0 with a quality road win over Houston on Thursday night.
SMU has been the best team in the AAC this season, and if that continues, it could find itself in the Cotton Bowl later this year as the team to receive the bid reserved for a Group of Five school.
For now, the Mustangs will continue to climb up the AP poll, as several teams ahead of them will be falling after losses Saturday. Expect SMU to move from No. 16 to No. 13 as it's likely to pass Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Texas, all of whom were defeated in Week 9.
The Mustangs are set to face one of their more challenging games of the season in Week 10, as they travel to play Memphis, which could be entering the AP poll itself after improving to 7-1 on Saturday.
Michigan
The Wolverines likely wouldn't even be ranked if they had lost Saturday, as they already had two losses this season and entered Week 9 at No. 19. Fortunately for them, they don't have to worry about that.
Michigan notched its biggest win of the season, defeating No. 8 Notre Dame at home 45-14. It was a lopsided win for the Wolverines against a team that had College Football Playoff aspirations this year.
Expect Michigan to move up to No. 15 in the Week 10 rankings, which should see the team slotted ahead of Notre Dame after the schools' matchup.
The Wolverines should maintain the momentum from Saturday's win, as their next three games are against unranked opponents—at Maryland, vs. Michigan State and at Indiana. However, they will have a challenge in their final game of the regular season, as they host No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 30 in a matchup between two of the top teams in the Big Ten.
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