College football power rankings Week 10: Michigan State is for real, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State impress

New college football rankings after eight ranked teams lost in Week 9, including Michigan, Iowa and Ole Miss, but Georgia, Michigan State, Ohio State and Notre Dame kept on trucking.

1. Georgia beat Florida 34-7

Georgia nearly ended Florida’s shutout streak at 417 games before the Gators got a garbage-time touchdown in the waning moments against their SEC East rivals. It’s been a disaster of a season for Dan Mullen’s Gators and his seat is scorching hot. Georgia has wrecked the rest of the division trying to compete with Kirby Smart’s team that looks the best in program history. Can they win the first title since 1980? They should be a lock for the playoff whether it’s Stetson Bennett starting at quarterback or JT Daniels.

Next: vs. Missouri

2. Alabama (Idle)

Alabama got the weekend off so they could all go to Nick Saban’s birthday party. Just kidding? Saban turns 70 on Halloween and he doesn’t want anything for his birthday other than to win out and face Georgia in the SEC Championship Game with a berth to the College Football Playoff on the line. Alabama may be the only team that can give the Dawgs a challenge this year.

Next: vs. LSU

3. Michigan State beat Michigan 37-33

In a game that lived up to all the hype, Michigan State showed they are for real in the Big Ten and should be in the top four in Tuesday’s playoff rankings. Mel Tucker may have locked up the Coach of the Year after the comeback win in East Lansing and Kenneth Walker III secured an invite to the Heisman presentation, at minimum, with his five touchdowns and 193 yards. Can Michigan State get past Ohio State and Penn State to make their second appearance in the playoff? That’ll be answered next month but forgive them if they’re enjoying the satisfaction that comes with beating their biggest rival.

Next: Purdue

4. Ohio State beat Penn State 33-24

Penn State has played Ohio State tougher than any Big Ten team over the last few years but it wasn’t enough for them to get their first win in Columbus in a decade. They did come in well below their normally lofty offensive output but C.J. Stroud threw for 300 yards and TreVeyon Henderson ran for 152 yards and a touchdown in the win. Four field goals kept the Buckeyes at 33 points otherwise it would have been another 40-plus outburst from Ryan Day’s team.

Next: at Nebraska

5. Cincinnati beat Tulane 31-12

Luke Fickell’s team started slowly vs. Tulane before turning it on to win relatively convincingly. Will it be enough style points to impress the playoff committee? That’s the biggest question facing this team the rest of the way. It’s not enough to win every game. They have to win every game and pile on the style points to curry favor as a Group of Five team, which has never made the playoff. On the surface, a 31-12 win isn’t going to be enough on a weekly basis, but to this point, the Bearcats should be in the top four on Tuesday when the first rankings are revealed.

Next: vs. Tulsa

6. Oklahoma beat Texas Tech 52-21

Yes, it’s true. Oklahoma football is undefeated. You wouldn’t know it based on how some of the media talks about the Sooners. To be fair, Lincoln Riley’s team did bring it on themselves to a degree with their close calls to avoid being upset. Oklahoma didn’t mess around on Saturday against Texas Tech that fired head coach Matt Wells on Monday. Caleb Williams set a program record for freshmen with a six-touchdown performance. Don’t be surprised if he gets an invite to New York City for the Heisman presentation.

Next: at Baylor (11/13)

7. Oregon beat Colorado 52-29

Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown had a career day with 307 yards and three touchdowns as the Ducks cruised past the Colorado Buffaloes. The final score wasn’t as close as the lopsided score would suggest with the Buffs scoring a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns after the Ducks built a 45-13 lead in the first three quarters. For good measure, Oregon scored with 50 seconds left to hit a season-high 52 points. Oregon’s placement in the playoff rankings will be interesting because they have a win over Ohio State but a tough loss to California on their resume. Don’t be shocked if Ohio State is ranked ahead of them and outrage to ensure. Then again, I have them below the Buckeyes on this list and believe Ohio State would beat Oregon if they played on Saturday.

Next: at Washington

8. Michigan lost to Michigan State 37-33

Michigan had a 16-point lead late in the third quarter before allowing the Spartans to take the lead with 5:08 left in the fourth. Cade McNamara tried to lead Michigan to a game-winning touchdown but threw an interception to seal their fate. Could that open the door for freshman J.J. McCarthy to win the starting job in the final month? It’s possible, but bank on McNamara starting until they lose a second game and they fall out of the Big Ten race entirely before Jim Harbaugh shifts his focus to the future. In the losing effort, the pass rushers looked absolutely great, but allowing five touchdowns to Walker was too much to overcome.

Next: vs. Indiana

9. Notre Dame beat North Carolina 44-34

Credit Brian Kelly for regrouping after the home loss to Cincinnati and playing great football. There has been some question about the quarterback position with fans wanting to see Tyler Buchner despite Jack Coan playing well enough to keep the job. But Notre Dame has overcome it all because of the play of running back Kyren Williams shouldering the load. The Irish back ran topped 200 yards in the win over North Carolina, including a 91-yard touchdown run. If the Big Ten cannibalizes itself –which it will — and Oklahoma or Cincinnati lose a game with Notre Dame winning out, the Irish may find themselves back in the playoff. No one saw that coming.

Next: vs. Navy

10. Wake Forest beat Duke 45-7

Who had Wake Forest entering November with an undefeated record? Okay, no one outside of that locker room saw the Demon Deacons with a perfect 8-0 record but they did it. Quarterback Sam Hartman is having one of the best seasons you probably haven’t heard of directing this offense that has scored at least 35 points in every game and is averaging more than 43 per game. Dave Clawson remains one of the greatest coaches no one talks about and with a crazy coaching carousel expected this winter, don’t be surprised if some bigger programs come calling.

Next: at North Carolina

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