College Football Playoff Rankings 2018: Top 25 projections for Week 10

Houston is going to take over South Florida’s spot in the polls after the Cougars took down then-No. 21 USF in a 57-36 blowout on Saturday. The beatdown at TDECU Stadium kept the Cougars in sole possession of the top spot in the AAC West, and opened their path to reach the conference championship game.

D’Eriq King was the catalyst for Houston’s victory. The veteran quarterback threw for 419 yards, ran for 132, and scored seven total touchdowns (five passing, two rushing) as the Cougars pummeled their interdivisional visitors. The undefeated Bulls were still within reach of Houston heading into the fourth quarter, but the Cougars racked up 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to run away with the win.

With their only loss of the season coming at Texas Tech, the Cougars have the balance on both offense and defense to contend for the Group of Five’s spot in a New Year’s Six bowl. They will not get a chance to play UCF until such time if and when the two meet in the AAC title game.