AP Top 25 College Football Rankings Poll (Week 10): Texas Re-Takes #2 Spot; Oregon on the Move

The Associated Press (AP) Top 25 College Football Rankings Poll for Week 10 has been released and there has been some movement within the Top 10 once more. Two big games in the AP Top 25 Poll saw some shuffling this week in the college football rankings. #3 Texas took on #13 Oklahoma State and #4 USC went up against conference rivals #10 Oregon. Both games were expected to be close and competitive. They were neither. And the AP Top 25 Poll for Week 10 reflected it.

Florida won... as expected. They retain the #1 position.

Many expected a tough game between Texas and Oklahoma State, but Texas stepped out early and rolled to a crushing 41-14 stomping of the Cowboys. The AP Top 25 Poll rewarded the Longhorns with the #2 spot again, the position they had held all season until Week 7, when the they slipped to #3 in the rankings and Alabama moved up.

Oregon's dominance of #4 USC in Week 10 was an eye-opener for many across the nation and in the PAC-10 Conference. After the setback of losing to still undefeated Boise State in the first game of the year, the Oregon Ducks have gone on to win seven straight football games. Their rise within the AP Top 25 Poll has been commensurate with each victory. Their victory over USC netted them a three-slot jump to #7. And now they rest just two positions in the college football rankings behind the only team to beat them this season.

Iowa extended their record to 9-0 with their fourth comeback victory of the year. The AP Poll showed that they don't have as much confidence in them as they do Oregon and placed them just behind them. In fact, Iowa fell a position, even with their fourth comeback victory of the year. There are six undefeated teams in the Top 6 positions.

Georgia Tech moved back into the Top 10 after knocking off unranked Vanderbilt. Alabama's bye week hurt them as they dropped a position and traded places with previously #3 Texas posted an impressive win over previously #13 Oklahoma State.

The West Virginia Mountaineers, ranked #20 going into Week 10, lost their second game of the season, dropping their game Friday night with unranked Big East rival South Florida. And #14 Virginia Tech lost their third game of the season to unranked North Carolina. Previously #24 Mississippi was dominated by Auburn. And Week 9's #21 team, South Carolina, lost to decidedly to the Tennessee Volunteers to fall completely out of the Top 25 college football rankings.

Virginia Tech and USC experienced the two biggest slides, moving downward in the Week 10 college football rankings. Notre Dame made the highest leap, moving up six spots from last week's AP Top 25 Poll to land at #19 after beating Washington State. Only a diehard Fighting Irish fan could find justification in such a jump, considering that they beat a team that had only won one game.

With West Virginia, South Carolina and Mississippi falling out of the college football rankings for Week 10, three teams took their places within the AP Poll Top 25. California, Wisconsin, and Brigham Young entered at numbers #23, #24, and #25, respectively.

AP Top 25 College Football Rankings Poll (Week 10)

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Cincinnati
5. Boise State
6. TCU
7. Oregon
8. Iowa
9. LSU
10. Georgia Tech
11. Penn State
12. USC
13. Houston
14. Pittsburgh
15. Ohio State
16. Miami (Fla.)
17. Utah
18. Oklahoma State
19. Notre Dame
20. Oklahoma
21. Arizona
22. Virginia Tech
23. California
24. Wisconsin
25. Brigham Young

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For comparison, see AP Top 25 College Football Rankings Poll (Week 9)

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Source:

Associated Press (via ESPN.go.com)