Week 10 of the college football season saw many College Football Playoff and conference title contenders across the country tested, but in many cases it was the favorites who held serve to maintain their path towards championship contention. So, it comes as no surprise that the new college football rankings will show much of the top 10 only strengthening their positions.
In the CBS Sports 133, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team as voted on by experts at CBS Sports and 247Sports, the top eight spots remain unchanged. Michigan is and has been our No. 1 team in the country since jumping Georgia in early October, while the Bulldogs have held steady in the top three along with Ohio State in recent weeks. The run of No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Washington, No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Alabama also remain in place from last week’s rankings, even as the Huskies, Longhorns and Crimson Tide all picked up tough wins against top-30 opponents on Saturday.
The notable shakeups in the rankings come just beyond that group of eight title contenders, starting with Ole Miss’ ascension into the top 10 following its thrilling win against Texas A&M. Louisville is up four spots to No. 11 and Oregon State jumped five spots to No. 12, moves that were sparked not just by Week 10 wins but also losses for other teams in the rankings.
Oklahoma fell five spots to No. 14 after the loss at Oklahoma State, which was one of the notable risers in this week’s ranking up 11 spots to No. 17 after the Bedlam win. LSU only fell three spots to No. 16 after its loss at Alabama and Missouri, which had just one loss going in prior to a nine-point defeat against Georgia in Athens. The Tigers ended up one spot higher than last week at No. 13 amid the rankings shuffling outside the top 10.
Notre Dame’s loss at Clemson sent the Fighting Irish tumbling down eight spots to the edge of the top 20, while the top 25 welcomes a surging Arizona team that has won three in a row including back-to-back victories against Oregon State and UCLA. For more on the most notable week-to-week adjustments, check out the Mover’s Report below the top 25 table.
College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below and 26-133 on our rankings page.
Rank Team Record Previous 1 Michigan 9-0 1 2 Georgia 9-0 2 3 Ohio State 9-0 3 4 Florida State 9-0 4 5 Washington 9-0 5 6 Oregon 8-1 6 7 Texas 8-1 7 8 Alabama 8-1 8 9 Penn State 8-1 10 10 Ole Miss 8-1 11 11 Louisville 8-1 15 12 Oregon State 7-2 17 13 Missouri 7-2 14 14 Oklahoma 7-2 9 15 Tennessee
7-2 18 16 LSU 6-3 13 17 Oklahoma State 7-2 28 18 Utah 7-2 21 19 Kansas 7-2 20 20 Notre Dame 7-3 12 21 James Madison
9-0 24 22 Tulane 8-1 22 23 Kansas State 6-3 23 24 Fresno State 8-1 25 25 Arizona 6-3 33
Biggest movers
No. 49 Boston College (+24): The second-longest winning streak in the ACC, behind undefeated Florida State, belongs to Boston College, which is now bowl eligible after a win against Syracuse. The Eagles started 1-3 but have won five straight since, now sitting at 6-3 with a 3-2 recored in ACC play.
The second-longest winning streak in the ACC, behind undefeated Florida State, belongs to Boston College, which is now bowl eligible after a win against Syracuse. The Eagles started 1-3 but have won five straight since, now sitting at 6-3 with a 3-2 recored in ACC play. No. 17 Oklahoma State (+11): Our voters were a little slow to jump on the Oklahoma State bandwagon when the Cowboys started their midseason turnaround, likely keeping a ceiling on their rankings potential because of the early season loss to South Alabama. Consider the ceiling shattered as the Pokes now have a win against Oklahoma and sit tied for first place in the Big 12 standings.
Our voters were a little slow to jump on the Oklahoma State bandwagon when the Cowboys started their midseason turnaround, likely keeping a ceiling on their rankings potential because of the early season loss to South Alabama. Consider the ceiling shattered as the Pokes now have a win against Oklahoma and sit tied for first place in the Big 12 standings. No. 36 Toledo (+9): Teams like Tulane, James Madison and even Liberty got more attention from our voters in the early stages of the season, but when we get to November, any one-loss team is going to see a bump. The Rockets improved to 8-1 with a 31-13 win against Buffalo in the midweek MACtion, and our voters moved them into the top 40 as a result.
Teams like Tulane, James Madison and even Liberty got more attention from our voters in the early stages of the season, but when we get to November, any one-loss team is going to see a bump. The Rockets improved to 8-1 with a 31-13 win against Buffalo in the midweek MACtion, and our voters moved them into the top 40 as a result. No. 25 Arizona (+8): The move to Noah Fifita at QB has done wonders for Arizona’s offense, but its defense has been excellent in this run of key conference wins. After losing 43-41 at USC earlier this season, the Wildcats have given up just 40 points combined in wins against Washington State, Oregon State and UCLA.
The move to Noah Fifita at QB has done wonders for Arizona’s offense, but its defense has been excellent in this run of key conference wins. After losing 43-41 at USC earlier this season, the Wildcats have given up just 40 points combined in wins against Washington State, Oregon State and UCLA. No. 41 Florida (-10): The Gators are going to be sweating bowl eligibility after a home loss to Arkansas dropped them to 5-4 on the season. The remaining schedule includes road trips to LSU and Missouri with the regular-season finale against Florida State in Gainesville. Beating the Razorbacks was key for Billy Napier to get back to the postseason, and now it’s going to take a “shock the world” style win against a top-20 opponent.
The Gators are going to be sweating bowl eligibility after a home loss to Arkansas dropped them to 5-4 on the season. The remaining schedule includes road trips to LSU and Missouri with the regular-season finale against Florida State in Gainesville. Beating the Razorbacks was key for Billy Napier to get back to the postseason, and now it’s going to take a “shock the world” style win against a top-20 opponent. No. 43 Miami (-11): The offense that was lighting up opponents through the first month of the season has not been clicking at all in recent weeks, arguably bottoming out in a 20-6 loss at NC State. The Hurricanes are bowl eligible at 6-3 but well out of the ACC title race, now serving the role of potential spoiler against its next two opponents, Florida State and Louisville, both of whom are at the forefront of said conference title race.
The offense that was lighting up opponents through the first month of the season has not been clicking at all in recent weeks, arguably bottoming out in a 20-6 loss at NC State. The Hurricanes are bowl eligible at 6-3 but well out of the ACC title race, now serving the role of potential spoiler against its next two opponents, Florida State and Louisville, both of whom are at the forefront of said conference title race. No. 28 Air Force (-12): There was a path for Air Force to make a New Year’s Six bowl game, and it’s possible the Falcons literally fumbled the opportunity with their turnover-filled loss to Army. Still undefeated in conference play, Air Force is deserving of their top-30 status, but the buzz has been dampened by a stunning lack of execution against one of their biggest rivals.
Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 133: Teams ranked 26-133