Week 10 in the 2025 College Football season, and we are nearing the first poll decided by the Playoff Committee. This will give us our first look at who realistically could make the CFP this year. Last week, that picture started to clear up. Will we get the same results after this week’s action?
Let’s look back at week 10’s action
Good Old Fashioned Georgia
The number five-ranked Georgia Bulldogs have been able to put themselves into a good position for both a spot in the CFP and a potential chance to retain their SEC Championship thanks to their consistency. This week, they aimed to maintain pressure on both Alabama and Texas A&M with a win against the Florida Gators. The Gators are having another rough season, but did beat the Texas Longhorns a few weeks ago. Will we see another upset?
The Bulldogs had the first possession of the game and scored the first points. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Bulldogs’ offense, led by quarterback Gunner Stockton, was able to bring themselves down to the Gators’ eight-yard line. Here, Stockton found Dilion Bell for the touchdown pass to give them the lead.
This lead did not last long, as a few plays later, Gators quarterback D.J. Lagway found Eugene Wilson III for a 40-yard touchdown pass to level the scores. Things became even better for the Gators on the next drive, when Stockton’s pass was intercepted. Florida was able to take full advantage of this mistake, converting it into three points and the lead thanks to a 22-yard field goal from Trey Smack.
For most of the second quarter, every drive ended in a punt. Neither team came even close to finding the end zone. The Bulldogs would break this unwanted streak near the end of the half, when kicker Peyton Woodring found the uprights from 39 yards out.
This meant that at halftime, the scores were tied at 10-10.
Georgia opened the second half strong. On their first drive of the half, Stockton found Noah Thomas for a 22-yard touchdown pass to restore the lead they lost early in the game. This lead would again be short-lived. On the following drive, the Gators’ offense was able to slowly make its way down the field to the Bulldogs’ two-yard line. Here, Jadan Baugh found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to level the scores going into the final quarter.
The Gators were able to open the quarter by retaking the lead through a 54-yard field goal from Smack. They would hold this slim lead for most of the first part of the quarter. Then, with seven minutes left to play, Florida would lose possession on a failed fourth-down attempt.
This mistake would be costly. With their new possession, the Stockton-led offense was able to drive down the field to reach the Gators’ 36-yard line. Here, Chauncey Bowens found the endzone for a rushing touchdown to give Georgia the lead. However, there were four minutes left on the clock, giving the Gators enough time to launch a drive to win the game.
Except that is not what happened. Lagway very quickly turned the ball over on downs, ending any hope of victory.
This meant that the number five-ranked Georgia Bulldogs had defeated the Florida Gators 24-20.
This win will help the Bulldogs in their pursuit of the SEC championship game, and improves their record to 7-1 (5-1 SEC). As for the Gators, this defeat makes an already tough season a little bit harder, as they fall to 3-5 (2-3 SEC). They might not be going bowling this year.
Next week, Georgia faces fellow Bulldogs Mississippi State, while Florida plays Kentucky.
Will SMU make the playoffs again?
The number 10-ranked Miami Hurricanes have played every game of their season so far in the state of Florida. This week, they had their first trip outside the Sunshine State to face the SMU Mustangs. Miami has had a poor start to its ACC campaign, while the Mustangs have picked up where they finished last season. Could SMU get another big win?
The Hurricanes had the first drive of the game but were unable to get anything going on it. The same could not be said for SMU, which was able to bring the ball down to the Hurricanes’ 36-yard line. Here, a mistake happened. Mustangs quarterback Kris Jennings fumbled the ball, which was scooped up by the Canes’ defense. Now with possession, Miami was able to open the scoring when quarterback Carson Beck found Joshisa Trader for a 36-yard touchdown pass.
A few plays later, Beck made another one of his mistakes that we have come to expect from him. In his own red zone, Beck’s pass was intercepted by the Mustangs’ defense. One play later, Jennings found Yamir Knight for a 28-yard touchdown pass to level the scores.
Miami were able to retake the lead just before halftime, with kicker Carter Davis finding the uprights from 22 yards out.
This meant that at halftime, the Hurricanes had a 10-7 lead over the Mustangs.
SMU had the opening drive of the second half and was able to take the lead from it. Jennings and company were able to move down to the Hurricanes’ three-yard line before the quarterback found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
But this lead did not last long. On the next drive, Beck would find Alex Bauman for a four-yard touchdown pass to give Miami a three-point lead. This lead would become nothing at the end of the third quarter, when SMU kicker Sam Keitner was successful on a 43-yard field goal attempt. This leveled the scores going into an important final quarter.
The Hurricanes were able to retake the lead on the first drive of this quarter, thanks to a 45-yard field goal from Davis. SMU had the opportunity to level the scores again, but Kietner’s field goal missed. This looked like it would be game over, but with under 30 seconds left of the game, Kietener successfully made a 38-yard field goal to level the scores.
Miami was unable to do anything in those final seconds of the half, meaning the game was headed to overtime.
It was here that we were able to see vintage Carson Beck. On Miami’s first attempt to score a touchdown, he pass was intercepted. Advantage SMU, who now just needed to find the endzone to win. That is what they were able to do, with T.J. Harden scoring the game-winning rushing touchdown.
This meant that the SMU Mustangs had defeated the number 10-ranked Miami Hurricanes 26-20 in overtime.
The first trip outside of Florida for the Hurricanes did not end well, and this defeat is likely to make their chances of making the CFP a little bit harder. As for the Mustangs, this win puts them in a good position to make the ACC championship game and win the automatic berth into the playoffs. They improve to a 6-3 (4-1 ACC) record, while Miami falls to 6-2 (2-2 ACC).
Next week, SMU faces Boston College, while Miami returns home to play Syracuse.
What Happened to the other Ranked Teams?
Penn State @ #1 Ohio State
The number one-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes continued their undefeated season with a win against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Going into this season, this game could have been the Big Ten championship game, but Penn State has collapsed and is winless in the conference. Julian Sayin scored four touchdowns as the Buckeyes won 38-14.
#2 Indiana @ Maryland
The number two-ranked Indiana Hoosiers are the closest rival to Ohio State, and kept the pressure on them in their game with the Maryland Terrapins. Fernando Mendoza led the team to another easy win, as the Hoosiers defeated their opponents 55-10 to keep their undefeated season alive.
South Carolina @ #7 Ole Miss
The number seven-ranked Ole Miss Rebels faced the South Carolina Gamecocks this week. Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers was sacked six times, and the Rebels recorded a 30-14 win to keep them in the SEC championship race.
#8 Georgia Tech @ NC State
The number eight Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets entered their game against the NC State Wolfpack with an undefeated record. They lost this record after the game. While Haynes King threw for 408 yards in this game, it was not enough to stop a high-scoring Wolfpack offense, which was able to record a 48-36 win over the Yellow Jackets. This now means that the ACC is open.
#9 Vanderbilt @ #20 Texas
In a game that on paper could have gone either way, the impressive number nine-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores faced the number 20-ranked Texas Longhorns. After weeks of waiting, this was finally the game where fans were able to see the Arch Manning they had been expecting to see all season long. He threw for three touchdowns and 328 yards in this game.
Diego Pavia had another strong game, and Vandy launched a late comeback (which included a questionable touchdown scored involving the pylon cam), but it was not enough. The Longhorns defeated the Commodores 34-31 in a game that will help Texas’s CFP chances.
#12 Notre Dame @ Boston College
The number 12-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish continued their revival from a poor start this week against the struggling Boston College Eagles. This was a straightforward victory for the Fighting Irish, who defeated the Eagles 25-10.
#13 Texas Tech @ Kansas State
The number 13-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders continued their race for the Big 12 conference this week against the Kansas State Wildcats. The Wildcats suffered five turnovers and were outplayed throughout the game, with Tech QB Behren Morton throwing two touchdowns in their 43-20 win.
#18 Oklahoma @ #14 Tennessee
In one of the biggest games of the week, the number 18-ranked Oklahoma Sooners faced the number 14-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. The Sooners were able to return to their strong form seen at the beginning of the season, with John Mateer scoring a late-game winning touchdown to record a 33-27 win over the Voltuneers, whose CFP chances are very much over with their three defeats.
#15 Virginia @ California
The 15th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers faced the California Golden Bears this week, aiming to keep themselves in CFP contention. They remained in the CFP and ACC race this week with a 31-21 win over the Golden Bears, extending their winning streak to seven games.
#16 Louisville @ Virginia Tech
The number 16-ranked Louisville Cardinals faced the Virginia Tech Hokies this week in a game that went mostly as expected. Coming into the second half behind, the Cardinals scored three unanswered touchdowns to record a 28-16 win, keeping themselves in contention for the ACC.
#17 Cincinnati @ #24 Utah
The number 24-ranked Utah Utes faced the number 17-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats in what could be a pivotal game in the Big 12 conference. The Utes dominated the Bearcats, winning the game 45-14.
Purdue @ #21 Michigan
The number 21-ranked Michigan Wolverines faced the Purdue Boilermakers this week in what should have been an easy game. Bryce Underwood had a less-than-stellar match, which helped the Boilermakers stay in the game. However, thanks to three touchdowns from running back Jordan Marshall, the Wolverines were able to record a 21-16 win.
West Virginia @ #22 Houston
The number 22-ranked Houston Cougars faced the West Virginia Mountaineers in what was an exciting game. Both teams stayed in contention for most of the game, but a late touchdown from Diore Hubbard gave West Virginia a shock 45-35 win. This will likely take the Cougars out of the top 25 and out of contention for the Big 12.
#23 USC @ Nebraska
The 23rd-ranked USC Trojans faced the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a game where both teams could have entered it ranked. A late touchdown from King Miller gave the Trojans a 21-17 win over the Cornhuskers, in a game where quarterback Dylan Raiola struggled.
#25 Memphis @ Rice
Last week, I argued that the Memphis Tigers should have been ranked. This week, they were ranked as the 25th best team before they clashed with the Rice Owls. They are likely to maintain this ranking, as the Tigers defeated the Owls 38-14, improving to 8-1 for the season.
So, that was a look back at Week 10 in the 2025 College Football season. Next week, Texas A&M faces Missouri, LSU plays Alabama, and it is Indiana’s turn to face Penn State.
