AP top 25 poll released following Week 10

The AP voters were forced to rearrange their top 25 on Sunday, as Week 10 of the college football season brought about a couple upsets and a handful of unimpressive wins.

Notably, two of the country’s remaining undefeated teams, Michigan State and Wake Forest, both fell to 8-1 in upset fashion and their AP ranking followed suit.

Mel Tucker’s Michigan State Spartans shot down in this week’s AP poll after an ugly loss at the hands of Purdue, a game in which the Boilermakers earned a ranking in the latest poll. Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell marched to victory with a career-best passing game, as he diced up the Michigan State defense with a 40-of-54, 536-yard, three-touchdown performance through the air, and Purdue fans stormed the field after the program’s second top five upset of the season (adding to an Oct. 16 win over then-No. 2 Iowa).

While Michigan State lost control of the game in the second quarter, Wake Forest was a much different story; the ACC’s last fleeting hope at a College Football Playoff berth fell in the waning minutes Saturday. The Demon Deacons blew an 18-point third-quarter lead, and quarterback Sam Howell became North Carolina’s all-time leader in total offense en route to a 58-55 upset victory.

Meanwhile, the nation’s top teams — save for Georgia, which throttled Missouri 43-6 — held on by the skin of their teeth, pulling off unimpressive Week 10 wins. Alabama, favored by 28.5 against LSU, won just 20-14 after the Tigers blew not one but two attempts at a game-winning touchdown drive.

Similar to Alabama, Cincinnati barely managed to beat Tulsa — barely. After a week of criticizing their low, No. 6 ranking in the first edition of the College Football Playoff’s top 25, the Bearcats were unable to walk the walk. Cincinnati was lucky to win 28-20 after stopping Tulsa on a goal line stand, then again on a separate goal line stand, as a Cincinnati fumble gave Tulsa one more shot. Tulsa’s quarterback, Davis Brin, slid one-yard shy of the end zone on the second attempt. Had he stayed standing, Cincinnati’s playoff hopes may have fallen.

Now well past the halfway mark of the college football season, teams have just three more chances to prove themselves. Here’s where they stack up in the latest AP top 25 poll after Week 10.

AP Top 25 Poll following Week 10

1. Georgia (9-0)
2. Cincinnati (9-0)
3. Alabama (8-1)
4. Oklahoma (9-0)
5. Oregon (8-1)
6. Ohio State (8-1)
7. Notre Dame (8-1)
8. Michigan State (8-1)
9. Michigan (8-1)
10. Oklahoma State (8-1)
11. Texas A&M (7-2)
12. Ole Miss (7-2)
13. Wake Forest (8-1)
14. BYU (8-2)
15. UTSA (9-0)
16. Auburn (6-3)
17. Houston (8-1)
18. Baylor (7-2)
19. Iowa (7-2)
20. Wisconsin (6-3)
21. NC State (7-2)
22. Coastal Carolina (8-1)
23. Penn State (6-3)
24. Louisiana (8-1)
25. Pittsburgh (7-2)

Others receiving votes: Purdue, Arkansas, San Diego State, Utah, Iowa State, Kentucky, Appalachian State, SMU, Mississippi State