College Football Top 25 Rankings Reaction and Analysis For Week 10: Ohio State, Ole Miss Too High - BYU, Indiana Remain Underrated

The Week 9 college football slate didn't look like it was going to be great on paper, but as always, there are surprise developments that turn Saturday's action into must-watch TV. Oregon handled Illinois with ease, Penn State looked to be in trouble at Wisconsin before pulling away, Ohio State and Texas narrowly survived upsets, LSU collapsed, and Notre Dame handled the best Navy team we have seen in years with no issues.

We're onto the Week 10 slate featuring a top four Big Ten matchup, a ranked bout between two ACC squads with no losses within the conference, and a few top 25 programs that could be on upset alert this Saturday.

It's time for the next article of a year-long series: Overrated and Underrated College Football Teams, after the weekly Associated Press Poll release. All rankings listed are based on the AP Poll.

Overrated College Football Teams For Week 10

Ohio State Buckeyes: No. 4
Week 9 Result: W vs. Nebraksa (21-17)

Ohio State won on Saturday, but it was a narrow home victory over a team coming off a 49-point beating at the hands of Indiana. Ryan Day's squad has the "best" loss in the country among one-loss teams (at No. 1 Oregon). However, it's fair to question who the Buckeyes have beaten to warrant a No. 4 ranking. Do wins over Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall, Michigan State, and Nebraska tell us anything we need to know about the Buckeyes? I don't think so.

NEBRASKA TAKES THE LEAD IN COLUMBUS 🔥@HuskerFootball pic.twitter.com/VZzwuDmKnu

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 26, 2024

Ohio State ranks 16th in ESPN's strength of record metric. Meanwhile, No. 5 Miami ranks No. 2 in the strength of record. No. 9 BYU ranks third in that metric. Having a "good loss" is worth something, but it should not be worth more than a "good win."

No. 5 Miami, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 9 BYU, and No. 10 Texas A&M all have more impressive victories, and it's difficult to blame anyone calling for any of those teams to jump the Buckeyes.

You can argue that Ohio State should not be "punished" for winning, but multiple big-time programs have dropped in the rankings after ugly and close victories. The Ohio State vs. Penn State game this week will tell us more about both programs, but for now, it's puzzling for OSU to keep its elite ranking.

Ole Miss Rebels: No. 19
Week 9 Result: W vs. Oklahoma (26-14)

Preseason hype and expectations can keep teams higher in the rankings than they should be, and that seems to be the case with Ole Miss this season. The Rebels defeated a lifeless Oklahoma squad at home over the weekend but continued to look far from dominant. The Rebels' two losses are against teams with a combined 9-7 record, and the home loss to Kentucky looks worse every week.

The overall numbers for Ole Miss on offense and defense look great but are heavily inflated by a cakewalk schedule to begin the season. Lane Kiffin flexed his muscles against Furman, MTSU, Wake Forest, and Georgia Southern. Since SEC play began, the program has looked like a middle-of-the-pack conference team.

I am not calling for Ole Miss to fall out of the rankings after a win. That said, being dropped behind at least 7-1 SMU, and 7-0 Army makes plenty of sense at this point in the season. Rankings are not and have not been determined by who would be favored in a head-to-head matchup. Give me the Mustangs and the Black Knights in the No. 19 and No. 20 chairs over Ole Miss.

Underrated College Football Teams For Week 10

BYU Cougars: No. 9
Week 9 Result: W at UCF (37-24)

BYU is a perfect 8-0, and although the Cougars haven't faced the stiffest competition in the country, they are No. 3 in ESPN's strength of record metric. Kansas State and SMU both have just one loss this season. And guess who beat them? Yep, BYU.

SLIPPED 'EM

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/Im3Aay7TNH

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 26, 2024

The Cougars are not the flashiest team and don't rank in the elite tiers of total offense or defense, but finding a way to win matters, and BYU has done that eight times on eight attempts. This appears to be head coach Kalani Sitake's best team, and there's a legitimate chance the Cougars finish the regular season with an undefeated record.

Even if they lose in the Big 12 Championship Game to fall to 12-1, that kind of resume will likely put them in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Call it a hot take, but BYU has a better resume than at least No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 4 Ohio State.

Indiana Hoosiers: No. 13
Week 9 Result: W vs. Washington (31-17)

What does Indiana have to do to earn respect from the AP voters? Despite playing without stud quarterback Kurtis Rourke in Week 9, the Hoosiers took down Washington in one of the biggest games in program history thanks to ESPN's College Gameday's presence on campus.

PICK-SIX PONDS ‼️@DangeloPondss | #IUFB | 📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/QdbMsOkQ9L

— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) October 26, 2024

Indiana remains unbeaten and ranks No. 3 in point differential (+26.4 PPG), No. 6 in total offense (487.6 YPG), and No. 5 in total defense (269.5 YPG). Yes, the schedule has been one of the easiest among Power 4 teams, but the Hoosiers rank ahead of Ohio State in strength of record.

It's tough to confidently place Indiana ahead of Iowa State and Clemson, but they've seen very little movement in the rankings as of late despite continuing to pile up wins.

Pittsburgh Panthers: No. 18
Week 9 Result: W vs. Syracuse (41-13)

Make no mistake, the Panthers have played a laughably easy schedule. However, a Power 4 team sitting at No. 18 despite being 7-0 seems unprecedented. Pitt dominated a respectable Syracuse team on Thursday by a margin of 28 points and logged five interceptions (three returned for touchdowns) against Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord.

The program is lacking a signature win, but upcoming games against SMU and Clemson over the next three weeks will give the team a chance to prove what it can do in 2024. For now, does it make sense for Pittsburgh to trail two-loss teams like LSU and Alabama in the polls? It's at least worth questioning.

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