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Phil Harrison

Predicting what the College Football Playoff rankings will be after Week 10

The 2023 college football season is getting long in the tooth with just a few weeks left in the regular season before the conference championship games and last set of College Football Playoff rankings that will determine who plays for a national title.

Ohio State is, of course, right in the mix as one of the few remaining unbeaten Power Five teams, but there’s still a few weeks to do and teams like Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, Texas, Oregon, Washington, Florida State, and Alabama will have a say as to who represents the final four teams that hope to end things out in Houston on Jan. 8.

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We got our first look at the College Football Playoff rankings last Tuesday and yes, Ohio State was ranked No. 1, mainly because of the body of work it has put together with wins over a couple of top 15 teams. However, each week will change the résumé of all the teams because of how intertwined and complex like opponents, wins over ranked teams, close losses, and the eye-test all play into whatever the CFP committee is looking at.

Each week, we’ll dive in and give it the old “college try” to peer into the crystal ball and give our opinion on what the latest CFP rankings could look like. And yeah, we were pretty good at it last week, predicting the top six teams in the exact order. We won’t promise that will be the case every week, but we’ll do our best.

Here’s a look at what we think the top 25 of the College Football Playoff rankings might look like when we get our second release on Tuesday.

25
James Madison (9-0)

Hannah Pajewski-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. UConn
11/18 vs. Appalachian State
11/25 at Coastal Carolina

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: N/A
Last Result: Won at Georgia State, 42-14

24
Tulane Green Wave (8-1)

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Tulsa
11/18 at FAU
11/25 vs. UTSA

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 24
Last Result: Won at East Carolina, 13-10

23
Iowa Hawkeyes (7-2)

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Rutgers
11/18 vs. Illinois
11/24 at Nebraska

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: N/A
Last Result: Won vs. Northwestern, 10-7

22
Arizona Wildcats (6-3)

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 at Colorado
11/18 vs. Utah
11/25 at Arizona State

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: N/A
Last Result: Won vs. UCLA, 27-10

21
North Carolina Tar Heels (7-2)

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Duke
11/18 at Clemson
11/25 at NC State

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: N/A
Last Result: Won vs. Campbell, 59-7

20
LSU Tigers (6-3)

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 at Washington
11/18 at Arizona
11/25 vs. Colorado

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 14
Last Result: Lost at Alabama, 42-28

19
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-3)

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/18 vs. Wake Forest
11/25 at Stanford

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 15
Last Result: Lost at Clemson, 31-23

18
Oklahoma Sooners (7-2)

USA TODAY SMG

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. West Virginia
11/18 at BYU
11/24 vs. TCU

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 9
Last Result: Lost at Oklahoma State, 27-24

17
Kansas Jayhawks (7-2)

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Texas Tech
11/18 vs. Kansas State
11/25 at Cincinnati

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 21
Last Result: Won at Iowa State, 28-21

16
Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2)

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 at UCF
11/18 at Houston
11/25 vs. BYU

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 22
Last Result: Won vs. Oklahoma, 27-24

15
Utah Utes (7-2)

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 at Washington
11/18 at Arizona
11/25 vs. Colorado

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 18
Last Result: Won vs. Arizona State, 55-3

14
Tennessee Volunteers (7-2)

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 at Missouri
11/18 vs. Georgia
11/25 vs. Vanderbilt

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 17
Last Result: Won vs. UConn, 59-3

13
Missouri Tigers (7-2)

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Tennessee
11/18 vs. Florida
11/24 at Arkansas

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 12
Last Result: Lost at Georgia, 30-21

12
Oregon State Beavers (7-2)

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Stanford
11/18 vs. Washington
11/24 at Oregon

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 16
Last Result: Won at Colorado, 26-19

11
Louisville Cardinals (8-1)

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/9 vs. Virginia
11/18 at Miami (FL)
11/25 vs. Kentucky

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 13
Last Result: Won vs. Virginia Tech, 34-3

10
Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1)

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Michigan
11/18 vs. Rutgers
11/24 at Michigan State

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 11
Last Result: Won at Maryland, 51-15

Why the Ranking

Penn State’s lone loss is the one at Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have looked downright dominant aside from that and the one exception against Indiana after the emotional and physical toll against the Buckeyes. If James Franklin get somehow get his crew to spring the upset of Michigan in Happy Valley next week there’s going to be a major shakeup.

9
Ole Miss Rebels (8-1)

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 at Georgia
11/18 vs. UL Monroe
11/23 at Mississippi State

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 10
Last Result: Won vs. Texas A&M, 38-35

Why the Ranking

Ole Miss hasn’t really gotten a lot of attention, but Lane Kiffin’s crew just keeps on finding ways to win. Look for the Rebels to move up after Oklahoma’s loss in the last scheduled Bedlam. Can Ole Miss give Georgia a game next week?

8
Alabama Crimson Tide (8-1)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 at Kentucky
11/18 vs. Chattanooga
11/25 at Auburn

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 8
Last Result: Won vs. LSU, 42-28

Why the Ranking

Alabama has looked very much improved but still has the loss to Texas, so don’t expect the committee to move the Tide above the Longhorns at this point. If they can beat Georgia in the SEC Championship game, things could get interesting.

7
Texas Longhorns (8-1)

Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 at TCU
11/18 at Iowa State
11/24 vs. Texas Tech

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 8
Last Result: Won vs. Kansas State, 33-30

Why the Ranking

Texas is dealing with an injury at the quarterback position but was able to outlast Kansas State last week. If it weren’t for the win over Alabama, the Longhorns may have been jumped and are surely anticipating the return of Quinn Ewers. The schedule is fairly manageable the rest of the regular season.

6
Oregon Ducks (8-1)

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. USC
11/18 at Arizona State
11/24 vs. Oregon State

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 6
Last Result: Won vs. Cal, 63-19

Why the Ranking

Oregon scored more points against Cal than I usually do playing Madden on an extended minutes setting, and has looked like one of the best teams in the country as of late. When teams above the Ducks begin to stumble, they’ll be ready to win a head-to-head comparison against almost anyone.

5
Washington Huskies (9-0)

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Utah
11/18 at Oregon State
11/24 vs. Washington State

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 5
Last Result: Won at USC, 52-42

Why the Ranking

The Oregon Ducks have looked better over the last couple of weeks, but there’s still the head-to-head that Washington owns and that’s not going to change when comparing a one-loss team to an undefeated one. The Huskies made USC QB Caleb Williams cry in an offensive explosion, but if they stumble don’t be surprised if Oregon leapfrogs them head-to-head advantage or not.

4
Florida State Seminoles (9-0)

Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Miami (FL)
11/18 vs. North Alabama
11/25 at Florida

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 4
Last Result: Won at Pitt, 24-7

WHy the Ranking

Much like Michigan, there’s really no reason right now to move the Seminoles anywhere from where they were in the initial release of the CFP rankings. Florida State had a pretty ho-hum win against Pitt and shouldn’t really move the needle either way at this point.

3
Michigan Wolverines (9-0)

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 at Penn State
11/18 at Maryland
11/25 vs. Ohio State

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 3
Last Result: Won vs. Purdue, 41-13

Why the Ranking

Michigan did what it was more-or-less supposed to to against Purdue and there’s really no reason to move the Wolverines up or down this week. It’s really a wait and see type of situation for next week’s game on the road vs. Penn State.

2
Georgia Bulldogs (9-0)

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Ole Miss
11/18 at Tennessee
11/25 at Georgia Tech

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 2
Last Result: Won vs. Missouri, 30-21

Why the Ranking

Georgia was No. 2 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, but beat No. 12 Missouri on Saturday to improve the resume a bit. I still think it’s not quite enough to overtake Ohio State this week, but the Bulldogs are inching ever so closer. Had it been a blowout over Mizzou I think we would have seen a flip here. It was not and I’m not sure we will like others seem to think.

1
Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)

USA TODAY SMG

Remaining Schedule

Date Opponent
11/11 vs. Michigan State
11/18 vs. Minnesota
11/25 at Michigan

Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 1
Last Result: Won at Rutgers, 35-16

Why the Ranking

Ohio State didn’t exactly look impressive against Rutgers, but the teams right below the Buckeyes didn’t either. Notre Dame losing at Clemson isn’t going to help things in the eyes of the committee, but Penn State’s destruction of Maryland might even things out a bit. OSU, I think, holds off Georgia and other this week, but that may not last.

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