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College football rankings 2021: Week 10 AP Top 25 projections after 9 ranked teams lose in Week 9

By Charles Rahrig V

Payton Thorne, Michigan State Spartans, Christopher Hinton, Michigan Wolverines. (Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)
Payton Thorne, Michigan State Spartans, Christopher Hinton, Michigan Wolverines. (Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports) /
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MADISON, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 30: Tyler Goodson #15 of the Iowa Hawkeyes is pursued by Jack Sanborn #57 and Matt Henningsen #92 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on October 30, 2021 in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers defeated the Hawkeyes 27-7. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 30: Tyler Goodson #15 of the Iowa Hawkeyes is pursued by Jack Sanborn #57 and Matt Henningsen #92 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on October 30, 2021 in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers defeated the Hawkeyes 27-7. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Projecting the AP Top 25 college football rankings for Week 10 after Michigan State topped Michigan in East Lansing.

Take the top-25 college football rankings, jumble it up and throw it out. It was a week of volatility in college football. The top four had stability but the rest of the rankings saw chaos and disorder, thanks in large part to some upsets and some battles of ranked programs.

Iowa got blasted by Wisconsin, which should send the program free falling. Pitt blew a golden opportunity against Miami at home. Iowa State left a loser in Morgantown among many other defeats within the rankings.

The biggest winner of the day was Michigan State, who came back to top rival Michigan 37-33 at home in an absolute classic. The Spartans are feeling great while the Wolverines once again came up short in a big game under Jim Harbaugh.

At the top, Georgia flexed its muscles against Florida in Jacksonville. Cincinnati decided to play with fire for a second straight week before it came out on top over Tulane. Alabama was off while Oklahoma made Texas Tech wish for a running clock. Here’s how the AP top 25 could shake out following a fun week of football.

Projected AP Top 25 college football rankings after Week 9: No. 25-21

25. Fresno State Bulldogs

Fresno State was a fixture in the AP Top 25 just a few weeks ago but a couple of tough losses hurt them. Still, the Bulldogs are only a two-loss team and picked up a huge win over previously unbeaten San Diego State late on Saturday night to propel them back into the rankings.

24. Houston Cougars

Since losing the season-opener to Texas Tech in an early game, Houston has turned things around with seven straight wins, including handing SMU their first loss of the year on Saturday. The Cougars have a high-powered offense and could be the biggest standing threat in the AAC to topple Cincinnati.

23. Arkansas Razorbacks

From a bye week to back in the top 25. Arkansas could find its way back in the top 25 by virtue of the fact someone has to get in. Teams are going to drop out this week and Arkansas had the most votes of any team that wasn’t in last week. The Razorbacks host Mississippi State Saturday.

22. Iowa Hawkeyes

It will be interesting to see if a program can drop from top 10 to out of the rankings. Iowa could pull that off after getting blasted by Wisconsin 27-7. It’s two out of the last three weeks the Hawkeyes have put up a bad showing. The offense is sinking the once second-ranked team in a hurry.

21. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns

After Arkansas, there Ragin’ Cajuns were the next highest team receiving votes. Unlike the Razorbacks, Louisiana was in action this week and thoroughly dominated Texas State 45-0. Louisiana should be just inside the rankings.

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