College Football Top 25: Week 9

Today is the day. We find out the College Football Playoff committee’s first top 25 of the season tonight! In honor of that, my rankings for the rest of the season will look different. I will now base it on the team’s resumé, so we have a better look on who I think can make the College Football Playoff. So, even though teams are undefeated and highly ranked in the AP and Coaches Poll, that doesn’t mean they deserve to be in that highly sought-after top 4. Here are my rankings for the first week of November:

  1. Georgia (8-0) (PREV: 1)

Georgia blew out Florida in Jacksonville, 34-7, but sports journalists are still questioning their quarterbacks. Jordan Davis is the best defensive player in the country, making the Bulldogs the #1 defense in the country. With wins over Clemson, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, and Florida, their resumé is enough to remain the top team. Georgia hosts Missouri on Saturday.

  1. Michigan State (8-0) (PREV: 7)

With a Heisman-like performance from Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State came back to win Paul Bunyan’s Trophy over arch-rival Michigan. The Spartans are undefeated, including another ranked win over Miami (FL). I think Michigan State has the second-best resumé in college football, but that does not necessarily make them one of the best teams. The Spartans go on the road to take on Purdue, who should not be slept on.

  1. Alabama (7-1) (PREV: 3)

Alabama gets into the first edition of the CFP, even with one loss. They have three top-25 wins, but Ole Miss is the only one that impresses me through Week 9. Bryce Young is still contending for the Heisman Trophy, but the front-runner is Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III. The Crimson Tide host LSU on Saturday. With Arkansas and Auburn left on the schedule, it will be an interesting road to the end of the season for Alabama.

  1. Oklahoma (9-0) (PREV: 4)

Oklahoma has the best record in College Football, and Caleb Williams starting has helped the Sooners improve. Their most impressive win is an incredible comeback against Texas in Dallas. Last weekend, the Sooners blew out Texas Tech to head into the bye week. All three games left on the schedule are against tough opponents: Baylor, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State.

  1. Cincinnati (8-0) (PREV: 2)

Cincinnati falls from #2 to #5 even though they’re still undefeated. Why? Because their resumé is not impressive enough to make them #2 in the country. Their most impressive win comes when Cincinnati upset Notre Dame in South Bend. Desmond Ridder is leading this team, but how far can the Bearcats go? Cincinnati improved to 8-0 after a blowout win against Tulane. They have national recognition this week as they host College Gameday this Saturday as they take on Tulsa. The game remaining on their schedule that we need to take note of is SMU in a few weeks.

  1. Ohio State (7-1) (PREV: 5)

Ohio State would have been in the top 4 if it wasn’t for an early loss against Oregon at home. They earned their most impressive win on Saturday against Sean Clifford and Penn State. This week, they take on Scott Frost and Nebraska at noon, but Purdue, Michigan State, and Michigan are more intriguing.

  1. Oregon (7-1) (PREV: 8)

Oregon moves up to #7 in the rankings as they blew out Colorado in Eugene. Their most impressive win came early in the season as they upset Ohio State in Columbus, which no one expected, even without Kayvon Thibodeaux. They have suffered a loss to Stanford, but have gone on a three-game winning streak since. UCLA nearly completed a comeback against the Ducks, but Oregon held on with the help of Travis Dye. They visit Washington on Saturday, with games against Utah and Oregon State coming up that you should keep an eye on.

  1. Notre Dame (7-1) (PREV: 11)

Notre Dame has won three straight games after dropping their only loss to Cincinnati. They held onto their lead as they beat North Carolina on Saturday night. Their schedule was supposed to be filled with top 25 teams, but those teams were disappointing. The quarterback play is still questionable, but Notre Dame has the resilience to earn every win. None of their remaining games scare me, but the Fighting Irish wrap the regular season up with Stanford, who has been known for upsets this season.

  1. Wake Forest (8-0) (PREV: 12)

Wake Forest moves into the top 10 for the first time ever. The man behind it? Sam Hartman, who has a real shot at being the ACC Player of the Year. The only question is their defense, but their offense is one of the best in the country so far. They have a tough schedule left, with games against North Carolina, NC State, Clemson, and Boston College. Is their resume impressive? No, especially with the down year the ACC is having. However, the Demon Deacons are undefeated and ready to play.

  1. Oklahoma State (7-1) (PREV: 15)

Oklahoma State had their undefeated record taken away by Iowa State just two weeks ago. They have a win against a current top 25 team (Baylor) and two former ranked teams (Kansas State and Texas). The rest of their schedule is worth watching, with games against West Virginia, TCU, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. I want to see how the offense can improve and how the defense can stand its ground. 

  1. Michigan (7-1) (PREV: 6)

Michigan has yet to earn a top 25 win this season, and they couldn’t get the job done as Michigan State came back to beat the Wolverines on Saturday. Games against Penn State and Ohio State will tell us whether or not Michigan is here. The Wolverines take on Indiana for a night game in the Big House.

  1. Auburn (6-2) (PREV: 20)

Auburn earned their second straight ranked win as they upset Matt Corral and the Ole Miss Rebels. Auburn will be tested once again on Saturday as they visit Texas A&M. Can they contain Zach Calzada just like they contained Matt Corral? That is the question to be answered going into Saturday’s biggest matchup. They also have Mississippi State and Alabama left on their schedule. If Auburn can win out, they will have a spot in the SEC Championship.

  1. Baylor (7-1) (PREV: 16)

Baylor moves up from 16th due to their resume that includes wins over BYU, Texas, West Virginia, and Iowa State. They don’t have a bad loss either, losing to Oklahoma State earlier this season. The schedule ahead of them will give them a test, especially when they host Oklahoma later this month. The Bears came back to beat Texas on Saturday, and they now look to bring their momentum into Fort Worth against TCU.

  1. Texas A&M (6-2) (PREV: 14)

Texas A&M has the most impressive win of the season: an upset win against Alabama in College Station. Their two losses come from SEC opponents: Arkansas and Mississippi State. The win over the Crimson Tide sparked a three-game winning streak, which will be put on the line as they host Auburn.

  1. Ole Miss (6-2) (PREV: 10)

Ole Miss suffered a loss against Auburn, which included a quiet game from Matt Corral. They have many quality wins, with their biggest coming against Arkansas in a thriller. They host Liberty and Texas A&M back-to-back weeks, which should give them tests to see if they can climb back into the top 10.

  1. BYU (7-2) (PREV: 24)

BYU has four wins over Pac-12 opponents and has another in late November against USC. Their biggest win has turned out to be Utah early in the season. BYU scored 66 in their win over Virginia, and they now turn their heads to Idaho State and Georgia Southern, easy wins before facing USC to wrap up the regular season.

  1. Iowa (6-2) (PREV: 9)

Iowa has now lost two straight games against Purdue and Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes are still a solid defensive team, but they are nothing like the team we saw as they were undefeated. Can the lack of offense prevent them from succeeding? They play Northwestern Saturday night, but the biggest game remaining is against Minnesota the week after.

  1. Kentucky (6-2) (PREV: 13)

Kentucky is on a two-game skid after starting the season 6-0. However, both of those losses came from Georgia and Mississippi State. They have lots of potential, but they have a weak schedule left. Tennessee and Louisville are the only games that will matter in the SEC for the Wildcats.

  1. Penn State (5-3) (PREV: 18)

Penn State is as cold as ever, on a three-game losing streak that includes a terrible loss to Illinois in nine overtimes. They have lost to two ranked teams besides that, including their most recent loss to Ohio State. I’m very concerned as the rest of their schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Nittany Lions will need resilience to move up in the rankings.

  1. Mississippi State (5-3) (PREV: N/A)

Since losing to Alabama, the Bulldogs have won three of the last four games. I was skeptical about ranking another three-loss team, but Mississippi State has wins over Texas A&M and Kentucky, two teams in these rankings. Their win against NC State early in the season has also been beneficial to them. Three of their last four opponents remaining are good teams in the SEC, with two of them in my rankings.

  1. Wisconsin (5-3) (PREV: N/A)

Wisconsin has won four straight after losing to Notre Dame and Michigan. Those wins include Purdue and Iowa the last two weeks. I’m not saying Wisconsin is back, but they are hot right now and I’m eager to see if they continue to stay hot. However, the rest of their schedule isn’t too great, with Minnesota their toughest opponent.

  1. Houston (7-1) (PREV: N/A)

Houston has one of the weakest schedules out of the teams in the top 25, but they have won seven straight since losing their season opener, which includes an upset win at home against SMU. The rest of their schedule is extremely weak, so they are on thin ice with their resume.

  1. Utah (5-3) (PREV: N/A)

Utah enters the rankings after blowing out UCLA in Salt Lake City on Saturday. They have three losses, which hurts them, but they have quality wins over UCLA (like I said), USC, and Arizona State. Utah is currently first place in the Pac-12 South, so that really helped them get into my top 25.

  1. Fresno State (7-2) (PREV: N/A)

Fresno State climbs back into the rankings after beating San Diego State to improve to a three-game winning streak. They also have wins over UCLA and Nevada, which helps their resume. They play Boise State next, which should be their toughest game left.

  1. UTSA (8-0) (PREV: 23)

Due to their poor resume, UTSA will remain at the bottom of the top 25, even though they are one of the only undefeated teams left in college football. The Roadrunners certainly have a shot at finishing the regular season undefeated. The #25 spot is devoted to UTSA, for now.

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