College Football Playoff Rankings 2021: Projected Top 25, Week 10

What a fall from grace Iowa has seen over the past few weeks. The Hawkeyes were ranked No. 2 in the country and looking right at a playoff berth with a favorable remaining schedule, but they lost at home to Purdue before a bye and then they came out of that week off to lose by 20 against Wisconsin on the road. Iowa might no longer be considered a Big Ten title game threat.

Ole Miss had a big opportunity to pick up a win over Auburn on Saturday night to add to a potential playoff resume, but the Rebels stumbled on the road against the Tigers and Matt Corral had a shaky game in an 11-point loss. Unfortunately, this likely eliminates the Rebels from playoff contention, but they’ll still be a top-20 team.

This may come as a shock, but a three-loss Wisconsin team deserves some love, especially since the Badgers have picked up two straight wins over ranked opponents. Wisconsin looks like it’s turned a corner recently, beating Purdue a week ago and knocking the Boilermakers out of the AP Top 25 and then dominating No. 9 Iowa on Saturday. Maybe this team is Big Ten title worthy, after all.

It’s tough to judge Coastal Carolina right now. The Chanticleers had their first loss of the year a week ago against App State and then followed that up with an ugly win over Troy. I see the playoff committee ranking Coastal Carolina because they’re still a top 3-4 Group of Five team, but another loss knocks it out.

In one of the most exciting games of the season, BYU downed Virginia 66-49 thanks to a massive outburst on the ground from Tyler Allgeier who finished with 266 yards and five touchdowns. Jaren Hall was solid through the air as BYU continues to show out against Power Five opponents, beating a solid ACC team in Virginia. I see the playoff committing giving the Cougars respect as the first team outside the top 15.