Not many changes this week, particularly in the top twelve spots (okay, I did flip two teams, but I will explain my reasoning). Like I said last week, it was a bit of a dud week, I mean there were some close games, but no big upsets. Nothing to shake things up.
- Georgia (11-0)–#1–W 38-10 #19 Tennessee. Another big win against a ranked team.
- Ohio State (11-0)–#3–W 37-3 Minnesota. I moved the Buckeyes up a spot because they look like a better team to me than Michigan.
- Michigan (11-0)–#2–W 31-24 Maryland. The Wolverines had troubles with Maryland. Ohio State did not, so that is one of the main reasons why I swapped them.
- Washington (11-0)–#4–W 22-20 #13 Oregon State. The Huskies keep winning against good teams.
- Florida State (11-0)–#5–W 58-13 North Alabama. A nasty leg injury to Jordan Travis could spell doom for the Seminoles. This will be the test to see if FSU is actually back to that elite level. Does Tate Rodemaker step right in and just keep this team rolling?
- Oregon (10-1)–#6–W 49-13 Arizona State. Bo Nix wants the Heisman, and the way they are playing, I think they avenge that loss to Washington.
- Texas (10-1)–#7–W 26-16 Iowa State. They got another win, all that matters.
- Alabama (10-1)–#8–W 66-10 Chattanooga. I think Alabama is playing some of the best football at the moment. But I cannot justify putting them ahead of Texas because of the head-to-head.
- Louisville (10-1)–#9–W 38-31 Miami. Jeff Brohm has been to his conference title game the last two years, and each time it has been the school’s first trip ever. Kind of cool.
- Missouri (9-2)–#10–W 33-31 Florida. Mizzou probably ended the Billy Napier era in Florida. There is a good chance the Gators do not hit bowl eligibility.
- Penn State (9-2)–#11–W 27-6 Rutgers. A very ugly win. Beau Pribula gave the offense a bit of a spark when Allar went down with an injury.
- Ole Miss (9-2)–#12–W 35-3 ULM
- Oklahoma (9-2)–#14–W 31-24 BYU
- Tulane (10-1)–#15–W 24-8 Florida Atlantic
- Oregon State (8-3)–#13–L 22-20 #4 Washington. The Beavers came close, and they get to end the season with Oregon. I am sure they would love nothing more than to beat the Ducks in their final rivalry game as members of the Pac-12 (not sure if they will keep the tradition as a non-conference opponent or not).
- LSU (8-3)–#17–W 56-14 Georgia State
- Arizona (8-3)–#18–W 42-18 #21 Utah. The Wildcats seem to get better each week.
- Notre Dame (8-3)–#22–W 45-7 Wake Forest. Sam Hartman with four touchdowns against his former team. He is now in 4th place all-time with 132 TDs. He needs two more to pass Graham Harrell.
- Kansas State (8-3)–#24–W 31-27 Kansas
- Iowa (9-2)–HM–W 15-13 Illinois. I will begrudgingly rank this team.
- Toledo (10-1)–#23–W 32-31. This was a great comeback win for the Rockets against their rival.
- Liberty (11-0)–#25–W 49-25 UMass
- NC State (8-3)–HM–W 35-28 Virginia Tech
- Oklahoma State (8-3)–HM–W 43-30 Houston
- JMU (10-1)–#16–L 26-23 OT Appalachian State. I thought for sure the Dukes would pull out the win, but App State has a habit of playing spoiler.
Honorable Mention
Troy (9-2)–HM–W 31-24 Louisiana
Clemson (7-4)–NR–W 31-20 #20 UNC. A few weeks ago people were writing off Clemson, but they have rattled off three straight wins, two against ranked teams, and another one against a team that was hot and coming off a big win.
SMU (9-2)–WL–W 38-34 Memphis
Tennessee (7-4)–#19–L 38-10 #1 Georgia
UNC (8-3)–#20–L 31-20 Clemson
Watch List
Utah (7-4)–#21–L 42-18 #18 Arizona
UTSA (8-3)–WL–W 49-21 South Florida
UCLA (7-4)–NR–W 38-20 USC. Maybe the wrong LA coach should be on the hot seat. Did beating USC save Chip Kelly’s job?
New Mexico State (9-3)–NR–W 31-10 Auburn. I was correct last week when I said New Mexico State would get their first win over a Power 5 team (again, I am not fact-checking that one). This is two years in a row that Jerry Kill has won against Hugh Freeze (New Mexico State beat Liberty last year 49-14).
Northwestern (6-5)–NR–W 23-15 Purdue. Northwestern decided to remove the interim tag from David Braun’s title. He has the Wildcats bowl eligible, and has exceeded expectations in a tumultuous season.
Rivalry week for so many teams. We have the big one: #2 Ohio State at #3 Michigan. I know that Michigan fans love to point out that they have owned the Buckeyes the last two years, but I think that ends this year. The other games to watch:
UTSA at #14 Tulane–who knew this game would come down to see who plays in the AAC championship game. They are both undefeated in conference play, as well as SMU.
#15 Oregon State at #6 Oregon–I think the Ducks are just too much for Oregon State
#25 JMU at Coastal Carolina–how do the Dukes rebound after their first loss?
Washington State at #4 Washington–This should be an easy win for the Huskies, but the Cougs always seem to have a big, unexpected win every year.
#8 Alabama at Auburn–The Iron Bowl…I do not expect this to be close at all.
#5 Florida State at Florida–This could be the Gators chance to ruin their rivals season.
#1 Georgia at Georgia Tech–GT has played well at times this season, so maybe?
UNC at #23 NC State–Will this be Drake Maye’s last game at UNC?
