Army and Navy march on unbeaten: How many undefeated college football teams remain?
By Austen Bundy
The college football landscape was altered dramatically during Week 8 with giant programs like No. 1 Texas and No. 7 Alabama falling.
In fact, the Longhorns' 30-15 loss to No. 5 Georgia meant one less undefeated team remains after the chaotic week.
No. 23 Army and No. 25 Navy, however, kept their records spotless and added to their historic seasons. The teams entered the Top 25 together for the first time since 1960 and are both undefeated for the first time since 1945.
How many undefeated college football teams remain?
There are just 10 FBS teams with unblemished records remaining this season. Here's a list of each team and their respective win-loss tally.
Team (conference) | Record |
|---|---|
No. 2 Oregon (Big Ten) | 7-0 |
No. 3 Penn State (Big Ten) | 6-0 |
No. 6 Miami (ACC) | 7-0 |
No. 9 Iowa State (Big 12) | 7-0 |
No. 13 BYU (Big 12) | 7-0 |
No. 16 Indiana (Big Ten) | 7-0 |
No. 20 Pittsburgh (ACC) | 6-0 |
No. 23 Army (AAC) | 7-0 |
No. 25 Navy (AAC) | 6-0 |
Liberty (C-USA) | 5-0 |
The craziest thing about the remaining programs on this list is that they could all plausibly end their regular seasons undefeated. None of the teams that share a conference will play one another until potentially their respective title games, at which point someone will have to lose.
However, it's highly unlikely that several of the programs listed remain without a loss because their remaining schedules feature other ranked matchups.
For example, No. 16 Indiana must face No. 4 Ohio State on Nov. 23 (odds are that's an impending loss for the Hoosiers). Army and Navy must both face No. 12 Notre Dame in the coming weeks and unless our nation's soldiers are too much for the Fighting Irish, they will probably come off this list as well.
No. 9 Iowa State and No. 13 BYU seem destined for the Big 12 title game as unlikely as that seemed prior to the season. Seeing either team in the College Football Playoff bracket would be an unusual (but welcome) sight for fans looking for parity in the postseason.
One thing is for sure, it's rare for college football fans to see neither Alabama, Georgia, Texas, USC or Ohio State on this list just nine weeks into the season.
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