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Mike's "next 25" college football teams heading into Week 10 of the 2025 season. His complete rankings for teams 26-50, including Nebraska, South Florida, Tulane, and more.
College Football's Next 25 Rankings For Week 10
Top 25 lists are everywhere after every week. Let’s go a little deeper into the rankings of college football and find the teams that are just outside of recognition but could wind up in the spotlight if everything breaks right. We have already seen a few teams transition between this and the top 25 this season. Several teams have made a habit of it. Who are the teams toiling just below the surface of recognition that could crash the College Football Playoff party? Consider this my “others receiving votes” section. It’s just a little larger than the AP version.
26. South Florida (5-2)
Last week: 10 (⇓16)
Result: L 31-34 at (37) Memphis
Even Byrum Brown hero ball has its limits. This happened to the Bulls the last time that they played in Memphis. A superb game by Byrum Brown was wasted by the team around him. Memphis was perfectly fine allowing Brown to beat them if he could by himself. The Tigers made sure that he got no help at all.
27. Texas (6-2)
Last week: 26 (⇓1)
Result: W 45-38 at (48) Mississippi State (OT)
The Longhorns needed overtime and horrendous playcalling on Kentucky’s part to beat the Wildcats. This week, the Longhorns needed an epic collapse in the fourth quarter by Mississippi State. They were down 17 entering the fourth quarter. Maybe I’m a hater, but one thing that I am definitely not is impressed. To make matters worse, Arch Manning left with an injury, so he didn’t even get the game-winner in crunch time for Texas. There are still more questions than answers with this team. The good news is that Arch looked like a real quarterback in this game. If that question is answered, Texas is still in the top half of the SEC.
28. Tulane (6-1)
Last week: 28 ⇔
Result: BYE
The loss is to Mississippi, and the Green Wave has two Power 4 wins. Chaos in the American Conference could end up favoring the Green Wave.
29. North Texas (6-1)
Last week: 30 (⇑1)
Result: W 54-20 at Charlotte
From not starting a single game in high school to throwing for a school-record 608 yards. His name is Drew Mestemaker. Learn it. Love it. Live it.
30. Illinois (4-3)
Last week: 22 (⇓8)
Result: W 25-42 at (33) Washington
Illinois has a strong case for the best three-loss team. The losses are to Ohio State at home, and Indiana and Washington on the road. All three of those have proven to be good teams. Illinois also has good wins at Duke and against USC.
31. Nebraska (6-2)
Last week: 34 (⇑3)
Result: W 28-21 vs. (39) Northwestern
It wasn’t one of Nebraska’s better games, but at least this team is stacking decent wins. Most aren’t bothering to do that much. Dylan Raiola is still making mistakes that he shouldn’t be making at this point. The schedule is favorable enough for Nebraska down the stretch, but they need to play nearly flawless football to win 10 games.
32. Pittsburgh (6-2)
Last week: 32 ⇔
Result: W 53-34 vs. North Carolina State
The defense didn’t play well in this game, but Mason Heintschel set a freshman record at Pitt with 423 passing yards. Just in case you need a refresher, Dan Marino, Tyler Palko, and Kenny Pickett all went to Pitt.
33. TCU (6-2)
Last week: 32 (⇓1)
Result: W 23-17 at West Virginia
I looked for every reason to move the Toadies down after this uninspired performance, but everyone around them lost. TCU didn’t lose this game, but a six-point win over cellar-dweller West Virginia should be a loss…
34. Arizona State (5-3)
Last week: 24 (⇓10)
Result: L 16-24 vs. (29) Houston
I heard some pundits claiming that “no one saw this coming” and that “Jordyn Tyson not playing isn’t that big of a deal.” Don’t listen to those people. I saw this coming a mile away. Why? Because you cannot win in 2025 without a receiver making plays. The leading receiver at WR for Arizona State outside of Tyson had eight receptions on the season, coming into the game. Raleek Brown and Chamon Metayor both have over 20 receptions, but they aren’t receivers. Even the military academies have playmakers at receiver this year.
35. Iowa (6-2)
Last week: 49 (⇑14)
Result: W 41-3 vs. (41) Minnesota
I’ll let Iowa live high on the hog for one week since they won the prized bronze hog (Floyd of Rosedale) in this beatdown. Minnesota is still the only team Iowa has beaten that has a conference win, and the Hawkeyes get Oregon this week.
36. Navy (7-0)
Last week: 36 ⇔
Result: W 42-32 vs. Florida Atlantic
I also heard some of the same analysts clutching pearls over why undefeated Navy is not getting any love. I consider myself to be pretty fair in these rankings. Navy is getting no love because the seven opponents Navy has beaten this year are a combined 20-34. FAU significantly helped that number. I’ve Navy beats North Texas, then we’ll talk.
37. James Madison (6-1)
Last week: 38 (⇑1)
Result: BYE
When you leave no doubt who the best team on the field is against your rival, you move up. It’s science.
38. LSU (5-3)
Last week: 27 (⇓11)
Result: W 25-49 vs. (2) Texas A&M
It’s not that LSU lost…it’s how they lost. The Tigers led 18-14 at halftime and ended up losing by 24 points. LSU home games at night are the stuff of legend, but not really under Brian Kelly. There is a lot to unpack with the dismissal of Kelly, but like it or not, this is one that needed to happen. He was never the right fit at LSU. I knew from the moment that he showed up at the press conference with a Cajun accent, even though he’s from Boston. It was patronizing. Kelly was never “one of them.”
I get that Nick Saban is from West Virginia, and Les Miles is from Kansas. You can’t get much further from Cajun than that, but it doesn’t take being a Cajun to belong at LSU. Miles and Saban threw everything they had into LSU. Kelly viewed this as a status symbol and wasn’t willing to do the work to keep LSU at the top. The fans deserve better. Now they have a chance to get it. Bring Ed Orgeron back!
39. San Diego State (6-1)
Last week: 43 (⇑4)
Result: W 23-0 at Fresno State
The Aztecs dominated a rival in a blackout with a rivalry trophy on the line. I know some are saying that Mountain West is back into the picture for the fifth-best conference champion with South Florida losing, but not with this schedule. Since the loss to Washington State, the Aztecs have outscored the five opponents 152-37. Only Cal and Fresno have winning records. Ironically, both of those teams were shut out by the Aztecs.
40. Boise State (6-2)
Last week: 40 ⇔
Result: W 24-3 at Nevada
That’s not the outcome we were expecting, but a win is still a win. I like Boise and all, but a team that got creamed by Notre Dame and USF on national television is not magically back in the CFP race. Sometimes I wonder if these analysts actually listen to anything they say…
41. Wake Forest (5-2)
Last week: 45 (⇑4)
Result: W 13-12 vs. (46) SMU
Wake should rightfully be 6-1. By that same outcome, Georgia Tech shouldn’t be undefeated. That missed offside call is going to completely alter the ACC this year. This is why getting officiating done right needs to be a priority in order for anyone to take this game seriously. Blown calls in the South Carolina-LSU game last year altered the SEC. This needs to stop!
42. UNLV (6-1)
Last week: 42 ⇔
Result: BYE
Getting an extra week to stew on the loss to Boise may not be a good thing…
43. Iowa State (5-3)
Last week: 35 (⇓8)
Result: L 27-41 vs. (13) BYU
The Cyclones got a couple of quality wins back with the performances of Kansas State and Iowa. The fact remains that the Cyclones have lost three straight conference games. That counts a little more, don’t you think?
44. Northwestern (5-3)
Last week: 39 (⇓5)
Result: L 21-28 at (34) Nebraska
It wasn’t a bad loss for Northwestern, but it did prove that the Wildcats still belong at the kids’ table. The Wildcats had plenty of chances to win this game.
45. Duke (5-3)
Last week: NR
Result: BYE
Bye weeks are good for mediocre teams. It usually means that everyone around them loses to they move up. Duke’s losses to Illinois, Georgia Tech, and Tulane are all solid. Cal is the best win, which isn’t saying a lot.
46. Minnesota (5-3)
Last week: 41 (⇓5)
Result: L 3-41 at (49) Iowa
The Gophers should still get some credit for beating Nebraska, but getting wiped off the map in a rivalry trophy game the next week is a really bad look.
47. Auburn (4-4)
Last week: NR
Result: W 33-24 at Arkansas
Yes, we’re back in good-loss territory. The four losses were all to top 20 teams. Auburn still has a win over Baylor in Waco. And, there is cause for optimism here since the Jackson Arnold may mercifully be over. Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels wasn’t a significant upgrade over Arnold, but he made better decisions and didn’t get sacked. It turns out that it’s much easier to sustain drives if you don’t have to overcome a sack in every one of them…
48. Arizona (4-3)
Last week: NR
Result: BYE
The losses are to upper-tier Big 12 teams. A win over Kansas State is better than any win that Maryland has. Hey, it’s getting to be slim pickings amongst three-loss teams.
49. California (5-3)
Last week: 44 (⇓5)
Result: L 34-42 at Virginia Tech (OT)
The win over Minnesota is the only think keeping Cal ranked. I have a feeling that the loss to Virginia Tech may not be that bad, but I need proof first.
50. East Carolina (4-3)
Last week: NR
Result: W 41-27 vs. Tulsa
You say that you’re ready for this good loss conversation, but are you? ECU’s losses are to BYU, Tulane in New Orleans, and North Carolina State in Raleigh. They also beat Army. Compare that to Maryland’s record.
