College Football Playoff Ranking Projections: Top 25 for Week 10

Missing out on a chance to stay in the Big Ten East race, Michigan State fell 39-31 in triple overtime at Northwestern on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans lost their second game of the season despite outgaining the Wildcats by over 100 yards on offense.

Brian Lewerke had the biggest passing day of his career in the losing effort, throwing for 445 yards and four touchdowns as he completed more than two-thirds of his 57 attempts. The ground game struggled, though, as key tailback LJ Scott finished the day with just 16 rushing yards. The Michigan State defense held Northwestern to 64 rushing yards, but gave up 368 yards through the air as they fell in Evanston.

The College Football Playoff selection committee will still probably rate the Spartans among the Top 25 in their initial rankings on Tuesday. With Penn State and Ohio State on the schedule over the next two weeks, Michigan State could still make its way into the Big Ten title game if it gets back to winning ways.