Danny Kanell updates Top 12 College Football Rankings following Week 10

Former Florida State QB Danny Kanell updated his top 12 college football rankings following Week 10 of action.

Kanell decided to do it a little differently from the traditional polls as these rankings could very well reflect the College Football Playoff seedings. There’s also some surprises in here!

Let’s dive into Kanell’s top 12 rankings following Week 10 of the college football season.

1. Oregon

The Ducks are undefeated on the season following a win over Michigan and topped the latest polls. They are on top of Kanell’s rankings as well.

QB Dillon Gabriel is in the Heisman conversation as we move towards the end of the regular season. Not only that, Oregon looks like it could be the top seed in the College Football Playoff.

2. Miami

The Hurricanes also remained undefeated and Kanell put them in the No. 2 spot following Week 10. Miami put up a 50-spot in a win over Duke to stay at the top of the ACC.

But don’t look now, SMU is hot on their tail. The good news is, Miami has a Heisman candidate in QB Cam Ward to lead them to the promised land.

3. Indiana

Kanell has a theme here: the undefeated teams are at the top of the rankings. That includes Indiana at 9-0. Yes, Indiana.

The Hoosiers have been one of the best stories in college football this season and have a legitimate shot to win the Big Ten at this point. Playing Ohio State in a couple of weeks will be must-see TV.

4. BYU

The Cougars had off this past week but are still undefeated and in the driver’s seat for the Big 12 title. That conference could be a crapshoot, but BYU seems stable.

For the remainder of the season, BYU has Utah, Kansas, Arizona State and Houston. All of these games are winnable and the Cougars could very well sprint to the College Football Playoff.

5. Ohio State

The Buckeyes got a much needed win over Penn State, giving Ryan Day a top-five win. Kanell favors Indiana over Ohio State at the moment though.

At least that game will be settled on the field before the Big Ten Championship. Ohio State seemed to get back in everyone’s good graces with a road win over a top tier conference foe.

6. Georgia

The Bulldogs are back, we think? Kanell still thinks they belong in the top six in college football though.

However, the team’s current detriment could be Carson Beck. The QB threw three interceptions in a win over Florida and if the Gators didn’t go down to a walk-on quarterback, perhaps it was an upset in the making.

7. SMU

SMU is rolling right now! What a job done by Rhett Lashlee. We mentioned SMU before as Kanell put Miami No. 2 at the moment.

Could SMU climb all the way up there? Let’s not rule it out. If the Mustangs win out, they’ll most certainly be near the top of the College Football Playoff rankings as ACC champions.

8. Texas

The Longhorns are still one of the best teams in the country. But Kanell isn’t ready to put them at the top again. At least yet.

Quinn Ewers has been up and down since returning from his oblique injury. If he can round back into early season form, this might be the best team in the nation.

9. Penn State

The Nittany Lions tumbled this week after losing to Ohio State at home. The 20-13 final score didn’t tell the whole story. PSU led 10-0 after a pick-six!

Kanell didn’t want to eliminate them entirely out of the playoff picture, but by next week’s rankings, who knows where this team will be? James Franklin has to figure it out fast.

10. Notre Dame 

Notre Dame had a week off and is currently rolling. It remains to be seen what their playoff chances are with two losses as compared to one.

As of right now, winning out gets them at 11-1 and likely in the bracket. Kanell has them as a top 10 team following an early season defeat to Northern Illinois.

11. Tennessee

Tennessee didn’t blow the doors off of Kentucky, but they still got the win. The Vols are in the SEC title race and one of the better teams in the country, per Kanell.

The schedule is fascinating the rest of the way. They’ll be heavily favored against Mississippi State but they also have ranked games against Georgia and Vanderbilt.

12. Boise State

The best Group of Five team is right here! Boise State has Heisman contender Ashton Jeanty steering the ship and Kanell has them in the top 12.

If they keep it up at this rate, they’ll get into the College Football Playoff. Could there be a Cinderella run here?