College football rankings 2021: Projected Week 14 AP Top 25 after Michigan downs Ohio State, Alabama escapes, Oklahoma collapses in Bedlam

16. Houston Cougars

Frankly, this game was never going to be in question. Houston was up against one of the worst teams in the country as they traveled to face UConn. While it might’ve surprised some to see the Huskies get 17 points on the board, the Cougars capped off the regular season with a win to extend their winning streak to 11 games.

What’s going to be interesting now, though, is what Houston can do in the AAC Championship Game to potentially cause chaos. They will have a chance to play spoiler against Cincinnati, who is currently in line to make it into the playoff. That will be a big jump in competition from the teams the Cougars have faced of late but they certainly have momentum.

15. Iowa Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes needed a win against rival Nebraska on Friday afternoon to have a shot at the Big Ten Championship Game. And the team that has been maddening for much of the season almost failed to deliver that as the Huskers were taking it to them in Lincoln for much of the game.  Thankfully for the Iowa faithful, Nebraska did what they have for much of the season and coughed up what looked like a surefire rivalry win to save their season.

After the narrow escape in the regular-season finale, Iowa then got the help they needed from Wisconsin with a loss by the Badgers against Minnesota. As such, they’re now set for a date with Michigan in the Big Ten title game. If what we saw this past weekend is any indication, though, the Hawkeyes could be in big trouble in that matchup.