The ACC is full-blown disarray, the Big Ten and SEC are close to being decided but not quite, but somehow the Big 12 might be all but wrapped up after Week 13 in college football. Sometimes, this sport just delivers what you least expect, and that was the case in many places on Saturday. Sure, the Oregon Ducks and Oklahoma Sooners picked up huge wins over teams inside the AP Top 25 college football rankings, but that also happened while the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets got blown away by the Pitt Panthers and while the BYU Cougars were grinding one out against Cincinnati.
Sure, there were plenty of ranked teams this week that didn't face much of a test — we're looking at you, several SEC teams who played nobodies this week. At the same time, in the penultimate week of college football's regular season, everything matters. And there was enough madness that we have close eyes on our projections for the forthcoming AP Top 25 college football rankings.
Dropped out of rankings: Missouri Tigers (23), Houston Cougars (25)
College Football Rankings: Projected Week 14 AP Top 25
No. 25-21
25. Arizona State Sun Devils
There might've been times when things looked closer than they should've been for Arizona State against Colorado, but the end result was the Sun Devils pulling away. As we look at the AP voters at least marginally following the lead of the CFP selection committee, I expect ASU to be the beneficiary of that by cracking the Top 25 rankings once again, even if their long-term postseason prospects aren't what anyone in Tempe, especially Kenny Dillingham, hoped coming into the season.
24. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
For several weeks now, Georgia Tech felt like it had been playing with fire. The defense had been showing some warts, and the offense led by Haynes King was having to save them. After the Jackets got down early with King making some crucial mistakes against Pitt, though, they weren't able to climb out of the hole. Now, Georgia Tech has lost control of its destiny as their ACC schedule is done, and it doesn't get any easier with Georgia coming to town next week for Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.
23. Pittsburgh Panthers
Pat Narduzzi did warn us that Pitt wasn’t going to take the Notre Dame game all that seriously, and I think we saw why against Georgia Tech. The Panthers jumped all over the Jackets on Saturday night and then held on for dear life, including making some huge, gutsy plays to seal the game late. Pitt is now seriously in the running to win the ACC, but they still have to get past Miami next week for that to ultimately be the case.
22. Tulane Green Wave
Jon Sumrall and Tulane are probably thankful that the AP Top 25 isn’t what decides College Football Playoff spots, because the Green Wave have gotten more love from the selection committee in relation to their Group of Five peers. However, they took care of business in a tricky road matchup against Temple this week, putting it together on both sides of the ball. And if they can keep this up, they’ll be in the American’s title game with potentially a CFP spot hanging in the balance.
21. North Texas Mean Green
Week after week, we see the potency of the North Texas offense. The Mean Green looked like they might be in for a game on the road at Rice after a tight first quarter, but they then outscored the Owls 49-10 over the final 45 minutes of action. While Tulane was higher-ranked than North Texas in the latest CFP rankings, the Mean Green have been the more impressive team down the stretch.
No. 20-16
20. James Madison Dukes
People probably expected a few more style points from JMU against Wazzu, not the need for a late comeback win. At the same time, the Dukes did get the job done, and Washington State is a team that took Ole Miss to a possession game earlier in the year as well. James Madison still deserves more due in the Group of Five race for a CFP spot, and keeping just the one loss to Louisville on their ledger is the best way to accomplish that.
19. Tennessee Volunteers
Obviously, the College Football Playoff has been an afterthought for Tennessee for several weeks now. At the same time, the Vols are still aiming to finish the year strong, and taking down Florida in The Swamp given the struggles that UT has had there means quite a lot. And make no mistake, they have another rivalry showdown with Vandy next week that could allow the Volunteers to play spoiler for their in-state foes.
18. USC Trojans
If you’re a heartbroken USC fan after Saturday’s game, I certainly get where you’re coming from. Oregon felt like a team that the Trojans could make a statement against, and they came up short. However, this is a strong step in the right direction for Lincoln Riley after the debacle of last season, and USC got to the precipice of the CFP once again, perhaps just this one result turning away. Things are back to trending in the right way for this program.
17. Virginia Cavaliers
While the rest of the ACC descended into pure chaos, Virginia got to sit at home and watch it all happen as their path to the conference championship game looks clearer than ever before. With a win over Virginia Tech next week, the Cavs are heading to Charlotte to play for the ACC crown. And with what this team looked like last week in Chandler Morris’ return to action, it might be fair to say that UVA is now the favorite to take the ACC’s spot in the playoff.
16. Michigan Wolverines
Credit where it’s due, Michigan found itself in a pretty obvious trap game on the road at Maryland and took care of business in a decisive win. The Wolverines still aren’t a juggernaut as Bryce Underwood continues to get his feet fully under him. At the same time, this team has a clear identity. And with the way recent history has played out, I’m not sure it’d be wise to entirely count Michigan out next week against Ohio State.
No. 15-11
15. Texas Longhorns
Though the Texas defense certainly had its hands full early on with Arkansas (as many teams this season have, it should be said), the Longhorns were able to still pull away in the second half with a big-time Arch Manning performance, catching a touchdown, rushing for a touchdown, and throwing for four scores. Texas likely doesn’t have a shot at making the CFP as a three-loss team, but they can still cause chaos to finish the season if they take down A&M at home.
14. Miami Hurricanes
Even with an obvious down year for Virginia Tech, Blacksburg is never an easy place to play, but Miami made it look that way on Saturday. It was a strong, decisive offensive performance from the Canes and the defense did their job. Unfortunately, Miami’s chances of making the ACC Championship Game died, but fans of The U will continue to argue that they should have an at-large case, especially with the head-to-head win over Notre Dame. And frankly, they might have a bit of a point.
13. Utah Utes
Utah came into the week clinging to an outside shot of still making it to Arlington for the Big 12 Championship Game and, though it certainly didn’t look like that was going to be the case after playing Kansas State, Devon Dampier and the Utes miraculously pulled out the win. This was one of the wildest endings we’ll see all season in a game that finished with nearly 100 combined points. And while Utah won’t be going to the Big 12 title game, they’re continuing to provide fans with plenty of thrills week in and week out.
12. Vanderbilt Commodores
If it wasn’t clear that Clark Lea and Vanderbilt are trying to make a Heisman Trophy push for Diego Pavia, they made it undeniable as the Commodores put the work on Kentucky in Week 13. Pavia threw for nearly 500 yards with five touchdown passes while rushing for another and Vandy won running away. However, beyond their QB’s individual awards, Vanderbilt also still has a shot at the Playoff, and exorcizing demons against rival Tennessee next week could be what gets the job done.
11. BYU Cougars
BYU controls its own destiny to make it to the Big 12 Championship Game, and winning on the road against Cincinnati on Saturday was the first step in that. Credit to the Cougars, because they delivered one heck of an outing to do so. They completely stonewalled the Bearcats offense throughout the night, even with some miscues from Cincy that helped, while Bear Bachmeier and the BYU run game controlled most of the action. They’re already on the cusp of a Playoff berth, and this game only further concreted that notion.
No. 10-9
10. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama caught a stray from Dan Lanning on Saturday as the Oregon head coach took a not-so-subtle shot at teams playing cupcakes in the penultimate week of the regular season. Considering that the Crimson Tide took on Eastern Illinois and won running away in a complete mismatch, they were one of the teams that were being targeted with those comments. Kalen DeBoer and Company probably couldn’t care less, though, because Bama is still winning and still in line for a CFP berth.
If the Crimson Tide can win the Iron Bowl next week — a task that looks at least a touch scarier after seeing Deuce Knight’s debut for Auburn this week — they’ll punch their ticket to the SEC Championship Game and all but surely affirm their place in the Playoff almost regardless of what happens in Atlanta. That doesn’t mean this team is perfect by any means, but they’ve certainly earned that distinction after largely weathering a bear of a schedule.
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
In a matchup between Notre Dame and a Power Four program, you don’t expect to see the level of mismatch that we got on Saturday in South Bend. Granted, it’s been a season from hell for Syracuse since quarterback Steve Angeli was lost for the year due to injury. But even then, I don’t think anyone projected the Fighting Irish putting a 70 burger on the board and having the game well out of the Orange’s reach before we reached the end of the first quarter.
While I’m still not as sold on Notre Dame’s résumé as AP voter and the CFP selection committee are, they’ve undeniably been playing their most dominant brand of football at the right time. With a matchup with struggling Stanford as the only remaining game on their schedule, the Irish are pretty much a lock to make another trip back to the Playoff — and I’m not sure many teams in the country want to play them right now with how they’re rolling.
No. 8-7
8. Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma and just about every college football fan in the country got quite a surprise on Saturday with Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula, who many assumed was out for the rest of the season after suffering a dislocated ankle, returned to action Saturday in Norman for the Tigers. But once again, Brent Venables’ defense was up for the task no matter who was under center for Mizzou, as they were a complete roadblock for 60 minutes that propelled the Sooners to a win and one step closer to the College Football Playoff.
Make no mistake, this was anything but a pretty offensive performance for OU, which has been an unfortunate theme for the past few weeks. But when the Sooners might have the best defense in the country, there are quite a lot of matchups when the shortcomings of the offense won’t entirely matter. The big question, though, is if John Mateer and OC Ben Arbuckle can find a way to elevate in the postseason, because Oklahoma needs to raise its ceiling if it wants to make a deep playoff run.
7. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Though it’s not a guarantee yet, it would be monumentally shocking if Texas Tech wasn’t playing for the Big 12 title in a couple of weeks. The Red Raiders were off on Saturday, and will finish the regular season on the road at West Virginia next week, a team that’s already been eliminated from bowl eligibility. While WVU might have nothing to lose in that game, they also just might not have the dudes to be able to match up with Texas Tech either.
All of that being said, Texas Tech continues to look like the clear class of the Big 12 and a legitimate threat as they eye the Playoff. While Behren Morton and the offense aren’t looking too special, the defense most certainly is. This team can make some noise when it gets into the postseason, and they may be heading there regardless of the result in the conference championship game.
No. 6-5
6. Oregon Ducks
I’ll go ahead and take a healthy helping of crow, thank you. Oregon hadn’t wowed me pretty much all season, and for what feels like good reason. They’d played one truly high-quality opponent all season, and Indiana beat them in Eugene. And that was with some middling performances against the likes of Wisconsin mixed in along the way as well. So, it felt like USC coming into Autzen Stadium on Saturday was an opportunity that could expose the Ducks and, potentially, kick them out of the CFP race.
Instead, it was a stellar overall performance from the Ducks. Dante Moore played his best game in a month, the run game was strong, and most importantly, the Oregon defense put the clamps on one of the best offenses in the country, especially when it mattered and in terms of creating turnovers. Oregon still has a tough matchup with rival Washington remaining, but the Ducks just made their path to the Playoff exponentially clearer, and surely made more believers than there were coming into the week.
5. Ole Miss Rebels
Despite the fact that they have just one SEC loss, Ole Miss has been mired in turmoil this week with the uncertain future of head coach Lane Kiffin. That was perhaps only made worse by the fact that the Rebels were off this week, meaning that they didn’t have the “distraction” of a game while their sideline leader is openly being courted by LSU and Florida, all while not making any concrete declaration or decision on the matter.
What does stand out, though, is that Ole Miss appears as if it’s going to be in the Playoff walking away, maybe even regardless of what happens in the Egg Bowl next week. Even still, you have to wonder how the Kiffin of it all will affect the Rebs both in that always crazy rivalry game, but also moving beyond that — assuming he remains on the sideline for the CFP if he should take one of the jobs he’s a leading candidate for.
No. 4-3
4. Georgia Bulldogs
It won’t be the last, but Georgia certainly deserved a break from a gauntlet SEC schedule as much as anyone on Saturday as they welcomed Charlotte between the hedges. Considering that the Bulldogs played Ole Miss, in the rivalry game against Florida, on the road at Mississippi State, and then Texas before this matchup, they certainly deserved a proverbial bye week to beat up on the 49ers.
The final score won’t look all that impressive with a 35-3 win against a bad Charlotte team, but we all know how Kirby Smart operates. With Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate next week and potentially the SEC Championship Game thereafter, Georgia was looking to get the win comfortably, and stay healthy. They largely accomplished that, and now we get to see what the fates hold for Georgia, though they’re likely already locked into a CFP berth.
3. Texas A&M Aggies
Another SEC team with a cupcake matchup in Week 13, and another big win to stay undefeated for Texas A&M. However, among the teams in the conference who did that, it might’ve been the most egregious for the Aggies. The team whose strength of schedule in the SEC has already been called into question now played a 1-11 Samford team. They beat them 48-0 while barely needing to get off the bus in College Station, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.
The good news for Mike Elko and the Aggies is that they won’t have to wait long to prove themselves for real as they face rival Texas in Austin in the final week of the regular season. Especially coming off the near upset loss against South Carolina last week, the faith in Texas A&M has certainly taken a hit down the home stretch of the regular season. But a win on the road in DKR could make that seem foolish pretty quickly.
No. 2-1
2. Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana had to be feeling great on Saturday — not because the Hoosiers were able to avoid any type of mass chaos in college football that could’ve jeopardized their lock status for the College Football Playoff. Instead, Curt Cignetti’s team was able to rest up before what should be another cakewalk matchup against rival Purdue (yes, even if it’s a rivalry game) before they head to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Hoosiers only continue to look more legitimate with each passing week. Just think about Indiana’s signature win this season, handling Oregon on the road in Eugene, and then compare that to what happened to USC in the same situation on Saturday. This team didn’t just run back what they had last year, but has made strides and is a legitimate national championship contender with a better-than-not chance to now finish the regular season 12-0 for the first time in program history.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
No one is coming out of Week 13 shocked that Ohio State beat Rutgers. Point blank, that’s what the Buckeyes are supposed to do, and with the 33-point margin that they took home the win with as well. But now the stakes are raised for Ryan Day and his team. They’re undefeated once again and will be the No. 1-ranked team in the country as they have been since beating Texas when they face the thorn in their side in recent years, rival Michigan, next week.
On paper and based on what we’ve seen this year, we know that Ohio State is a better and more talented team than the Wolverines. While that may be true, however, the fact of the matter is that we haven’t seen Julian Sayin and OSU tested really since that season opener. They’ve dominated a soft-ish schedule in the Big Ten, which is what you want to see. However, you can already hear the doubters getting ready to speak with their chest next week if the Buckeyes can’t solve their longstanding Michigan problem.