College Football Rankings 2020: Latest Standings and Predictions for Week 10
Two of the Top Four teams in the country are going head-to-head in Week 10 of the men's college football season. Three further games will feature a pair of ranked teams, and the first Pac-12 action of 2020 is set to begin.
The biggest matchup of the week will feature No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Notre Dame in a potential preview of this year's ACC Championship Game. However, the Tigers will be without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence for the second straight week as he isolates following a positive COVID-19 test.
There will also be ranked matchups in the SEC (No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 8 Florida) and Big Ten (No. 13 Indiana vs. No. 23 Michigan).
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The Pac-12 is the last college football conference to get started in 2020 after its kickoff was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Here's a look at the current rankings, along with predictions for the Week 10 schedule and a breakdown of the top matchups to watch.
College Football Rankings
AP Top 25 Poll
1. Clemson (7-0)
2. Alabama (6-0)
3. Ohio State (2-0)
4. Notre Dame (6-0)
5. Georgia (4-1)
6. Cincinnati (5-0)
7. Texas A&M (4-1)
8. Florida (3-1)
9. BYU (7-0)
10. Wisconsin (1-0)
11. Miami (5-1)
12. Oregon (0-0)
13. Indiana (2-0)
14. Oklahoma State (4-1)
15. Coastal Carolina (6-0)
16. Marshall (5-0)
17. Iowa State (4-2)
18. SMU (6-1)
19. Oklahoma (4-2)
20. USC (0-0)
21. Boise State (2-0)
22. Texas (4-2)
23. Michigan (1-1)
24. Auburn (4-2)
25. Liberty (6-0)
Amway Coaches Poll
1. Clemson (7-0)
2. Alabama (6-0)
3. Ohio State (2-0)
4. Notre Dame (6-0)
5. Georgia (4-1)
6. Cincinnati (5-0)
7. Texas A&M (4-1)
8. Florida (3-1)
9. BYU (7-0)
10. Miami (5-1)
11. Wisconsin (1-0)
12. Oklahoma State (4-1)
13. Indiana (2-0)
14. Oregon (0-0)
15. Marshall (5-0)
16. Coastal Carolina (6-0)
17. Iowa State (4-2)
18. SMU (6-1)
19. Oklahoma (4-2)
20. USC (0-0)
21. Auburn (4-2)
22. Army (6-1)
23. Boise State (2-0)
24. North Carolina (4-2)
25. Michigan (1-1)
Week 10 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions
Friday, Nov. 6
No. 11 Miami at NC State, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 9 BYU at No. 21 Boise State, 9:45 p.m. ET, FS1
Saturday, Nov. 7
No. 23 Michigan at No. 13 Indiana, noon ET, FS1
No. 18 SMU at Temple, noon ET, ESPN+
Arizona State at No. 20 USC, noon ET, Fox
West Virginia at No. 22 Texas, noon ET, ABC
No. 25 Liberty at Virginia Tech, noon ET, ACC Network
UMass at No. 16 Marshall, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
No. 8 Florida at No. 5 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Houston at No. 6 Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Purdue at No. 10 Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Kansas at No. 19 Oklahoma, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 14 Oklahoma State at Kansas State, 4 p.m. ET, Fox
No. 7 Texas A&M at South Carolina, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Baylor at No. 17 Iowa State, 7 p.m. ET, FS1
No. 1 Clemson at No. 4 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Rutgers at No. 3 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
Stanford at No. 12 Oregon, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
South Alabama at No. 15 Coastal Carolina, 8 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Picks in bold
Week 10 Matchups to Watch
No. 9 BYU at No. 21 Boise State
Neither is playing another game against a team currently ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, so this would give the winner its biggest triumph of the season.
BYU's offense has impressed during its 7-0 start, scoring at least 41 points six times. Junior quarterback Zach Wilson has been instrumental to the Cougars' success, passing for 2,152 yards, 19 touchdowns and two interceptions while also scoring seven rushing touchdowns.
The Mountain West season didn't start until late October, so Boise State has only played two games thus far, earning victories over Utah State and Air Force. The Broncos scored 91 total points between the two wins, but they'll be facing a much tougher challenge against BYU.
Boise State leads the all-time series against BYU 7-3, but the Cougars won last year's meeting between the two teams 28-25 in Provo, Utah. If BYU wins again this season, it could continue its impressive climb up the rankings.
No. 8 Florida at No. 5 Georgia
There's a strong chance that the winner of this game will be heading to the SEC Championship Game next month. Georgia and Florida are the only two teams in the SEC East currently with winning records. The Bulldogs lead the way at 4-1, while the Gators are close behind at 3-1.
Georgia's only loss so far came at No. 2 Alabama on Oct. 17. After a bye, the Bulldogs bounced back with a 14-3 win over Kentucky this past Saturday. Their defense continued their impressive start to the season. Georgia ranks first in the SEC (and 13th in the country) with 300.6 total yards allowed per game.
Prior to this past Saturday, Florida hadn't played since Oct. 10 (when it suffered its first loss at Texas A&M) due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The Gators returned with a 41-17 win over Missouri. They've scored at least 38 points in each of their first four games, led by the strong play of redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Trask, who has passed for 1,341 yards, 18 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Georgia and Florida will again play at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, as the Bulldogs look to continue their recent success in the rivalry series. Georgia has won the past three meetings between the two schools.
No. 1 Clemson at No. 4 Notre Dame
Clemson has won 36 consecutive regular-season games. But during that stretch, it's rarely faced an opponent as strong as Notre Dame, which is playing as a member of the ACC this season. And it won't help that the Tigers will be without junior quarterback Trevor Lawrence for the second straight week.
This past Saturday, Clemson had to overcome adversity to improve to 7-0. Playing unranked Boston College at home, the Tigers trailed by as many as 18 points and faced a 15-point halftime deficit. However, they rallied back to win 34-28 as true freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start.
Notre Dame has mostly cruised during its 6-0 start, with its closest game being a 12-7 home win over Louisville on Oct. 17. The past two weeks, the Fighting Irish have notched dominant road victories against Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech.
Clemson leads the all-time series against Notre Dame 3-1 and the Fighting Irish's lone victory came in the first meeting between the two teams in 1977. The Tigers have won the past three (1979, 2015 and 2018). But it will be interesting to see how Clemson fares without Lawrence in a game against top competition.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
