AP College Football Poll 2022: Top 25 Rankings for Week 10
The status quo remained in the Associated Press Top 25 poll following a weekend of college football action that saw the top teams affirm their playoff credentials.
Georgia retained the No. 1 spot following a 42-20 victory over Florida. Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan and Clemson round out the top five. The biggest change comes with the Vols, who are now tied with OSU at No. 2.
Week 10 AP Top 25 Poll
1. Georgia
T2. Ohio State
T2. Tennessee
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. Alabama
7. TCU
8. Oregon
9. USC
10. UCLA
11. Ole Miss
12. Utah
13. Kansas State
14. Illinois
15. LSU
16. Penn State
17. North Carolina
18. Oklahoma State
19. Tulane
20. Wake Forest
21. North Carolina State
22. Syracuse
23. Liberty
24. Oregon State
25. UCF
No game in Week 10 will carry more hype than the Bulldogs' clash with the Volunteers at 3:30 p.m. ET inside Sanford Stadium.
Because Tennessee is defying expectations so much, there's still small sense the bubble will eventually burst for the Vols. It becomes harder and harder to maintain that believe when they deliver something like their 44-6 decimation of Kentucky.
Their defense held the Wildcats to 205 total yards and intercepted Will Levis three times. On the other side of the ball, Hendon Hooker went 19-of-25 for 245 yards and three touchdowns, while Jalin Hyatt caught five passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Georgia, meanwhile, earned a 42-20 win over Florida that was arguably more one-sided than the final score indicates. The Bulldogs were up 28-3 at halftime and out-gained the Gators 555-371.
Now, the stage is set for what could in effect be a College Football Playoff play-in game. This is the most difficult game each team has remaining, and a 12-0 record will be enough to secure a semifinal berth regardless of what happens in the SEC championship.
For Oklahoma State and Wake Forest, their slim playoff hopes suffered a fatal blow Saturday. The Cowboys were on the receiving end of a 48-0 shellacking by Kansas State, and the Demon Deacons were undone by a third quarter in which they allowed Louisville to score 35 unanswered points.
Any shot the Big 12 has at sending a team to the playoff now rests with TCU, which improved to 8-0 with a 41-31 win over West Virginia.
Some Horned Frogs fans may feel the AP voters aren't affording the team enough respect. The fact that none of the teams ahead of them lost meant they were likely to remain rooted to the No. 7 spot for at least one more week.
The same can be said of Oregon, which may come to regret scheduling Georgia in the opening week. The Ducks have now won seven in a row, and six of those victories have come by double digits.
Bo Nix torched the Cal secondary for 412 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, adding another three scores on the ground.
If Oregon goes 11-1 and wins the Pac-12 title, keeping the Ducks out of the playoff will be difficult.
Tennessee vs. Georgia is the clear headliner in Week 10 but isn't the only notable SEC battle. LSU hosts Alabama. There probably isn't a path to the CFP anymore for the Tigers, but winning 10 games and upsetting the Crimson Tide would be a great way for head coach Brian Kelly to open his tenure in Baton Rouge.
Clemson going on the road to play Notre Dame could have some upset potential. The Tigers have flirted with danger at various points this year yet remain 8-0. The Fighting Irish are fresh off a 41-24 victory over Syracuse and might be righting the ship under Marcus Freeman, but this is also the same team that's less than a month removed from a home loss to Stanford.
