AP Top 25: 3 teams ranked way too high, 3 teams ranked way too low entering Week 10

The Week 9 college football slate was loaded with quality matchups and postseason implications. We saw several teams effectively punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff, while others fell out of the race in heartbreaking fashion.

Undefeated Navy saw its underdog postseason bid go up in flames with a crushing 51-14 loss to Notre Dame. Meanwhile, Texas A&M handed LSU a beatdown in College Station, which puts the Tigers' postseason hopes in jeopardy. No. 1 Oregon beat No. 24 Illinois, all but cementing the Ducks as No. 1 overall, so long as Dan Lanning's squad can avoid missteps down the stretch. And, perhaps more notably of all, Texas squeaked past Vanderbilt in a ranked duel few would've seen coming before the season.

The Associated Press voters have released their new rankings ahead of Week 10. Not much has changed at the top, but there are several new teams jumping into the mix, threatening to generate havoc in the postseason race. Remember, only 12 teams can make it in the end.

Here is the new AP Top 25.

AP Top 25 college football rankings for Week 10

1. Oregon Ducks (8-0)
2. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1)
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0)
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1)
5. Miami Hurricanes (8-0)
6. Texas Longhorns (7-1)
7. Tennessee Volunteers (6-1)
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1)
9. BYU Cougars (8-0)
10. Texas A&M Aggies (7-1)
11. Iowa State Cyclones (7-0)
12. Clemson Tigers (6-1)
13. Indiana Hoosiers (8-0)
14. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2)
15. Boise State Broncos (6-1)
16. LSU Tigers (6-2)
17. Kansas State Cougars (7-1)
18. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-0)
19. Ole Miss Rebels (6-2)
20. SMU Mustangs (7-1)
21. Army Black Knights (7-0)
22. Washington State Cougars (7-1)
23. Colorado Buffaloes (6-2)
24. Illinois Fighting Illini (6-2)
25. Missouri Tigers (6-2)

And here are the teams on the bubble, also receiving votes:

• Vanderbilt Commodores (5-3)
• Memphis Tigers (7-1)
• Tulane Green Wave (6-2)
• Navy Midshipmen (6-1)
• Louisville Cardinals (5-3)
• UNLV Rebels (6-2)
• Arkansas Razorbacks (5-3)
• Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (6-1)
• South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3)

Let's dive into the teams ranked too high and too low.

No. 25 is way too high for the Missouri Tigers

It sure feels like Missouri is coasting on reputation and conference strength, as the Tigers haven't accomplished much this season. The Tigers' claim to fame is a narrow victory over unranked Vanderbilt all the way back in Week 4, before the Commodores really took off. Saturday's 34-0 loss to Alabama was just the second time Missouri faced a ranked opponent this season, and it ended with the Tigers' second loss to a ranked opponent.

Mizzou just does not have the offense to hang with SEC heavyweights. Saturday's game was essentially an elimination match for College Football Playoff purposes. Neither team could afford a loss, especially not a loss of that magnitude. The Crimson Tide defense has been in absolute shambles lately, so leaving a goose egg on the scoreboard is a bad look for Eliah Drinkwitz's team.

That begs the question... why is Mizzou still ranked? What exactly have the Tigers done, aside from barely squeak past Vandy and a scrappy-but-bad Auburn team, to earn a top-25 spot? With so many deserving teams on the bubble and the SEC overrepresented by default, there's really no explanation for the Tigers' continued presence in these rankings.

No. 18 is way too low for the Pittsburgh Panthers

Pittsburgh is 7-0 with a clear path to the ACC championship game after shellacking Syracuse on Thursday night. That game was marketed as a potential postseason qualifier and Pitt passed the test with flying colors. The defense held red-hot Syracuse QB Kyle McCord in check, netting five interceptions (including three on back-to-back-to-back possessions to open the game). Meanwhile, Eli Holstein and the Pitt offense continue to put up numbers.

Holstein was actually forced to leave the game with an injury, but he isn't expected to miss any time. The Panthers' schedule is quite challenging down the stretch here, so expect Pitt's mettle to be well-tested in the next five weeks. SMU is on the Week 10 docket in another low-profile, high-stakes ACC showdown, while Clemson, Louisville, and Boston College all loom as potential spoilers down the stretch.

It could be tough for Pittsburgh to get through this gauntlet unscathed, so perhaps to AP voters are hedging their bets. But this Panthers team is the real deal, so don't be shocked if Pitt keeps on keeping on.

No. 14 is way too high for the Alabama Crimson Tide

That UGA win is a compelling feather in Kalen DeBoer's hat, but Alabama has mostly been a mess in recent weeks. Lest we forget, the Crimson Tide built up a 28-0 lead over the Dawgs, only to very nearly throw the game away in the second half. Since then, Alabama has lost to Vanderbilt, almost lost to South Carolina, and lost to Tennessee.

Saturday's 34-0 beatdown of ranked Missouri is a high-profile win on paper, but for all the reasons above, we probably shouldn't read into it. This Tigers team is a total fraud, so bumping Alabama up a spot and positioning the Crimson Tide as a postseason "dark horse" feels like a mild overreaction.

It will, of course, come down to how Alabama finishes the season. Next week's showdown with No. 16 LSU is Alabama's final ranked matchup of the season, before a slate of relative softballs to close it out. A loss to LSU puts the Crimson Tide on the Top 25 bubble and effectively eliminates them from the College Football Playoff. A win probably puts Bama back in the 12-team mix, whether it's deserved or not.

Alabama favoritism is a real thing, unfortunately.

No. 13 is way too low for the Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana is 8-0 in the Big Ten with a couple dominant victories under its belt. The Hoosiers aren't traditionally a powerhouse program in football, but the resume speaks for itself. There hasn't been a single team in the conference with a more dominant front-to-back performance so far, and that includes both Penn State and Ohio State.

I'm not here to suggest that we move Indiana into the top-3, but the Hoosiers probably deserve a tentative spot in the 12-team field. The Associated Press won't determine the playoff bracket when all is said and done, but there's a certain symbolism to that No. 12 threshold. Indiana has done everything necessary to cross it, scoring at least 30 points in all its games to date.

The Hoosiers' 56-7 win over Nebraska a couple of weeks ago serves as a convenient point of comparison after Ohio State barely eked out a 21-17 victory over the very same Cornhuskers on Saturday. Indiana has been just stomping quality opponents all season. With Michigan State, Michigan, and of course Ohio State all on the docket, we shall see if the Hoosiers are indeed made of the right stuff. If Indiana can get to the finish line undefeated, we are talking about an easy top-four team.

No. 5 is way too high for the Miami Hurricanes

The Miami Hurricanes are 8-0 and sit atop the ACC, so there's really no concrete argument against their top-five billing. Not in terms of objective fact. That said, it's not difficult to turn on a Hurricanes game and poke plenty of holes in Mario Cristobal's team.

Miami's 36-14 win over Florida State this past Saturday looks much better on paper than it actually was. Cam Ward, once the Heisman frontrunner, couldn't build up much of a rhythm against the ACC's leakiest defense. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes' own defense has been a mess of late. Louisville dropped 45 points the week prior, Cal dropped 38 the week before that, and Virginia Tech notched 34 the week before that. Of all the undefeated, Power Five schools in the postseason mix, few are more overtly vulnerable than Miami.

Perhaps the endless points stream flowing from Cam Ward is enough to paper over limited defense, but the Hurricanes just aren't imposing their will on the same level as other top-ranked contenders. That undefeated record is undeniably impressive, but Miami hasn't really played a great team yet and even the mediocre teams are giving the Canes everything they can handle.

No. 12 is way too low for the Clemson Tigers

Don't look now, but the Clemson Tigers are the real deal. Cade Klubnik has evolved from a preseason red flag into one of college football's most productive quarterbacks, even earning Heisman buzz. The Tigers lost in blowout fashion to UGA back in the opening week, but Dabo Swinney's team has been stubbornly excellent ever since.

When it comes to bad losses, it's much easier to forgive a Week 1 dud than a Week 9 dud. Clemson has not faced much stiff competition since UGA, but weekly blowouts is a good way to restore faith in your program. The Tigers are taking care of the teams they need to take care of, leaving very little doubt as to the outcome of these games.

The next five weeks will give Clemson a chance to prove itself against genuine threats, including No. 18 Pitt in Week 12 and South Carolina in the final game of the season. Swinney has come under fire for not using the transfer portal, but his "organic" team-building strategies just might pay off. If we end up with Miami-Clemson in the ACC championship game, I know who I'm picking.