Josh’s College Football Rankings 2024–Week 12

We are now at the time of year when everyone screams about rankings, and we have to argue about resumes/eye test/conference strength. I mentioned this the other day, but I hate when people discount a win over a ranked team, that is no longer ranked. Notre Dame absolutely destroyed Navy. Prior to that week, all of the experts said that Navy was for real, and that they had a good shot at upsetting the Irish. Notre Dame crushes them, and Navy kind of falls apart (losing to Rice and Tulane). So Navy is no longer ranked…BUT, when they played Notre Dame, everyone agreed they were a top 25 team! Yes, I understand that those preseason rankings or even first few weeks should not count, but you cannot decide that ranked wins only count at week 11. It also annoys me when people crap on a team’s schedule. Indiana is a good example. They cannot control how good the other teams are. Nebraska has flirted with rankings all year, Indiana destroyed them. If you are in a P4 conference and 10-0, that is impressive. I think SOS should be used for teams with losses, or undefeated teams from a G5 conference. Two 8-2 teams, no head-to-head matchup, then yeah, look at SOS. 

Sorry about the rant.

1. Oregon (11-0)–#1–W 16-13 Wisconsin. Tough game at Camp Randall, the Ducks had to lean on their defense, which managed to hold on for the win.
2. Ohio State (9-1)–#2–W 31-7 Northwestern
3. Texas (9-1)–#3–W 20-10 Arkansas. The Longhorns won after hearing all week about this Razorback offense. Texas held them to 231 total yards.
4. Indiana (10-0)–#4–BYE
5. Penn State (9-1)–#6–W 49-10 Purdue
6. Georgia (8-2)–#11–W 31-17 #7 Tennessee. I am going to be controversial. I realize Alabama beat Georgia, but this is where resume comes in to play. Georgia has some impressive wins, and that loss to Alabama was really just a bad half. I think if they play again, the Bulldogs win.
7. Notre Dame (9-1)–#8–W 35-14 Virginia. It is crazy to think that if ND went undefeated, the best they could do would be the 5th seed. Do they have to join a conference? I think they should join the ACC. Hear me out. It would give the ACC another big team, which helps the conference stay relevant (I feel like some of those west coast teams may try to head back to the Pac12).
8. Ole Miss (8-2)–#9–BYE
9. Alabama (8-2)–#10–W 52-7 Mercer. I think the NCAA should force conferences to play 9 conference games. It is crazy that these teams are playing non-conference games this late in the year.
10. Miami (9-1)–#12–BYE
11. SMU (9-1)–#13–W 38-28 Boston College
12. Tennessee (8-2)–#7–L 31-17 #11 Georgia. Getting shutout in the second half is not good.
13. Texas A&M (8-2)–#14–W 38-3 New Mexico State
14. BYU (9-1)–#5–L 17-13 Kansas. We all knew that loss was coming. You cannot play that many close games.
15. Boise State (9-1)–#15–W 42-21 San Jose State
16. Army (9-0)–#16–BYE
17. Clemson (8-2)–#17–W 24-20 Pitt. Almost lost this game, but they pulled out the win, and they are still in a position to go for the ACC Championship (they would need Miami to stumble, I think). Also, another conference that only plays 8 games. At least Clemson has a strong non-con schedule (Georgia and South Carolina).
18. Colorado (8-2)–#18–W 49-24 Utah. The Buffaloes are for real. This team has gotten better since that loss to Nebraska (yeah, they lost to Kansas State too, but that was a close game, and they played well).
19. South Carolina (7-3)–#24–W 34-30 #19 Missouri. This team is playing well. They beat Mizzou, Vandy, and Texas A&M in the last three weeks. Look out Wofford!
20. Tulane (9-2)–#22–W 35-0 Navy. Speaking of teams playing well…the Green Wave have won eight in a row.
21. Arizona State (8-2)–HM–W 24-14 #21 Kansas State. Two stupid losses…Texas Tech and Cincinnati. But they have BYU next week, win that game and then beat Arizona, they should be in the championship.
22. Iowa State (8-2)–HM–W 34-17 Cincinnati
23. Illinois (7-3)–HM–W 38-16 Michigan State
24. Missouri (7-3)–#19–L 34-30 #24 South Carolina
25. Pitt (7-3)–HM–L 24-20 #17 Clemson. Yes, I ranked a team that was not ranked after a loss. The Panthers almost beat the Tigers with their backup QB. They shut down the Clemson running game, and then gave up a 50-yard run at the end to lose.

Honorable Mentions

• Duke (7-3)–HM–BYE
• Washington State (8-2)–#20–L 38-35 New Mexico
• UNLV (8-2)–HM–W 41-20 San Diego State
• Georgia Tech (6-4)–HM–BYE
• UConn (7-3)–HM–BYE
• Kansas State (7-3)–#21–L 24-14 Arizona State
• Syracuse (7-3)–NR–W 33-25 California
• Baylor (6-4)–NR–W 49-35 West Virginia
• Rugers (6-4)–NR–W 31-17 Maryland
• JMU (8-2)–NR–W 35-32 Old Dominion

Watch List
Since the ACC and SEC are playing non-conference games, there are not a ton of great games. At least next week we have some fun rivalry games. First up, let’s talk about a couple Conference USA games. Sam Houston at Jacksonville State, and Western Kentucky at Liberty. The top four teams in the conference playing each other, then they switch it up next week (Liberty at SH, JSU at WKU). Down in the Sun Belt, we have James Madison at Appalachian State. Yeah, the Mountineers are down this year, but if they can upset JMU, that would ruin the Dukes hopes of advancing to the conference championship game. A few more interesting games to watch: UConn at Syracuse, #23 Illinois at Rutgers, #25 Pitt at Louisville, and Vanderbilt at LSU. All of those games interest me because any team could win, and the winner will earn a little more ranking credit. If you want to watch a game with teams wearing too much red, and both ranked somewhere in the 40s, then tune into Wisconsin at Nebraska.

Now we get to the big games!
#18 Colorado at Kansas-the Buffs need to be careful about the upset machine in Lawrence.
#14 BYU at #21 Arizona State-who had this game as a pivotal Big XII matchup in the preseason?
#16 Army vs. #7 Notre Dame-neutral site game! Yankee Stadium. But you know what? I think we see the same result as the ND/Navy game. The Irish are good.
#4 Indiana at #2 Ohio State-if Indiana wins this game, the universe may explode. If it is a close game, I think Cignetti out coaches Day in those close moments. But, I could see this game overwhelming the Hoosiers, and the Buckeyes coming out and taking a big lead.

Coaching Hot Seat
Kenny Dillingham is one of the youngest coaches in college football. He is from the area, and he went to ASU. He actually has a cool story. If the Sun Devils win the Big XII and make the playoffs, he would get a huge payday, but also, his name would be mentioned for bigger jobs. Personally, I would love for him to stay there and make ASU into a powerhouse. 

Awful Losses
I mentioned this earlier, but Pitt losing to Clemson. The Panthers held Mafah to 17 yards rushing. Before the 50-yard run, Klubnik had -9 yards. 8 total yards of rushing! And then you give up that big run to lose the game. Nate Yarnell played well enough for the Panthers to be in a position to win. The Pitt defense did a good job, but they just broke down in the worst moment possible.