UK & Ireland College Football Media Top 25 Rankings: Week 10

By Simon Carroll

If the AP or CFP committe can’t get it right, then perhaps we can!

Since the start of the 2022 season, some of the UK & Ireland’s most talented writers, content creators and students of the college game have combined to deliver their own weekly set of college football rankings. The UK & Ireland CFB Media Top 25 is announced every Monday evening, and today we can bring you the standings after Week 10. Buckle up – there’s a surprise or two!

2024 - Week 10

Graphic: Owain Jones (Twitter - @Owain_Jones_)
  1. OREGON DUCKS (9-0, =)
  2. GEORGIA BULLDOGS (8-1, =)
  3. MIAMI HURRICANES (9-0, ↑1)
  4. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (7-1, ↑2)
  5. TEXAS LONGHORNS (7-1, =)
  6. INDIANA HOOSIERS (9-0, ↑2)
  7. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (7-1, ↓4)
  8. BYU COUGARS (8-0, ↓1)
  9. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (7-1, ↑1)
  10. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (7-1, ↑2)
  11. BOISE STATE BRONCOS (7-1, ↑5)
  12. SMU MUSTANGS (8-1, ↑8)
  13. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (6-2, ↑2)
  14. IOWA STATE CYCLONES (7-1, ↓3)
  15. TEXAS A&M AGGIES (7-2, ↓6)
  16. ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS (8-0, ↑3)
  17. OLE MISS REBELS (7-2, ↑4)
  18. LSU TIGERS (6-2, =)
  19. PITT PANTHERS (7-1, ↓5)
  20. CLEMSON TIGERS (6-2, ↓7)
  21. WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (7-1, ↑1)
  22. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (7-2, ↓5)
  23. COLORADO BUFFALOES (6-2, ↑1)
  24. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (6-3, NE)
  25. VANDERBILT COMMODORES (6-3, NE)

*NE – New Entrant. Teams dropping out: Memphis, Illinois

TAKEAWAYS

Chaos. Sweet, Sweet Chaos

Week 10, was for those who like the status quo, an absolute mess. 7 ranked teams lost on Saturday, throwing the college football pecking order into total disarray. Only five teams remain undefeated – three of which are Army, BYU and Indiana. Let that sink in folks – the Hoosiers are three games away from an undefeated regular season, and two of those matchups come against programs with losing records.

Whether it be an anomaly or a product of bigger conferences, 2024 has delivered a top 25 that has three definite tiers – a handful of elite programs at the top that stand out, a murky bottom that changes each week and now includes two teams with three losses, and then a bloated middle that is a mix of blue chip schools struggling with tough schedules and overperforming underdogs.

It’s generated a dilemma for the UK & Ireland media, who have to navigate unchartered territory; there simply isn’t as many strong win-loss records as usual. Do they rank a 7-1 Louisiana or a 5-3 South Carolina? The answer, this week, is neither – but every Saturday that comes and goes makes the decisions harder.

Playoff Bracket Predictor

With the College Football Playoff Committee delivering their first set of rankings tomorrow, I thought it would be a fun game to see just how the UK & Ireland’s playoff bracket would look if the season ended today – using the caveat that we assume higher ranked teams would win their conference championship games. The result? The same names as Bud has above, but in a slightly different order:

The four highest-ranked conference winners enjoy a bye.

12 Seed: #12 SMU Mustangs @ 5 Seed: #4 Ohio State Buckeyes

Winner will face 4 Seed: #8 BYU Cougars (Big 12 Champions)

Considering how high powered Rhett Lashlee’s offense has been this season, it’s not outside the realms of possibility that SMU could go into The Horseshoe and shock the Buckeyes. One thing is for sure – that would undeoubtedly put Ryan Day on the hottest of seats. Both these teams would relish a matchup with BYU in the last eight.

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11 Seed: #11 Boise State Broncos @ 6 Seed: #5 Texas Longhorns

Winner will face 3 Seed: #3 Miami Hurricanes (ACC Champions)

Ashton Jeanty versus this Texas defensive front? Yes please. Boise State fears nobody after pushing Oregon all the way earlier this season. And facing Miami a week later would be some prize for the victor.

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10 Seed: #10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ 7 Seed: #6 Indiana Hoosiers

Winner will face 2 Seed: #2 Georgia Bulldogs (SEC Champions)

Probably my favourite matchup of the first round. An all-Indiana affair, and whilst Notre Dame might fancy their chances at one of the less-heralded programs in the final twelve, they should be wary – the Hoosiers have scored 31+ points in every game this season, and cracked 40 points seven times.

Having said that, ND against Georgia would be a BLOCKUSTER quarter final.

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9 Seed: #9 Tennessee Volunteers @ 8 Seed: #7 Penn State Nittany Lions

Winner will face 1 Seed: #1 Oregon Ducks (Big Ten Champions)

The Vols and the Nitts might represent the two programs yet to break the glass ceiling within thier respective conferences. A trip to the playoffs will be considered the minimum requirement for both these teams, and neither will be happy with a first round exit. And it won’t get any easier for the winner either, with the imperious Ducks lurking.

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Players Of The Week:

Offense: Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss

Defense: Mikail Kamara, DL, Indiana

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head Of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST.

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