CFN College Football Rankings: Week 11 Top 10
10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
Week 11 Opponent: Notre Dame 28, Virginia 3
Week 12 Opponent: Georgia Tech
In a year when supposedly good teams keep on underwhelming – Texas, LSU, USC, Florida – Notre Dame keeps right on rolling along.
Yeah, it caught a massive break when QB Brennan Armstrong wasn’t able to go for Virginia, and Virginia Tech, USC, and Navy are mere shadows of their normal selves, but 9-1 is 9-1.
The wins over Purdue, Wisconsin, and seven Power Five teams in all should put the Irish somewhere around the top five, but that can’t happen right now because of …
9 Cincinnati Bearcats (10-0)
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
Week 11 Opponent: Cincinnati 45, USF 28
Week 12 Opponent: SMU
The only reason Cincinnati is remotely close to being in the top ten – much less in it – is because Notre Dame keeps on winning.
Yes, Cincinnati deserves all due credit for being the only team to beat the Irish, but that’s just one win. Other top teams are banging their heads against Power Five schedules, all while the Bearcats can play like hot meh and still get through unscathed.
It’s now been a month of mediocrity, but SMU and at East Carolina – and possibly Houston in a championship game – will be upgraded tests.
8 Ole Miss Rebels (8-2)
Last Week’s Ranking: 13
Week 11 Opponent: Ole Miss 29, Texas A&M 19
Week 12 Opponent: Vanderbilt
Yes, Ole Miss lost at Auburn a few weeks ago, the the loss at Alabama was a three touchdown blowout, but beating Arkansas, at Tennessee, LSU – to a certain extent – and now getting by Texas A&M made for a far, far, far better resumé than what Cincinnati has done. That also includes a 61-21 win over a Tulane that pushed the Bearcats for over a half.
7 Michigan Wolverines (9-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 11
Week 11 Opponent: Michigan 21, Penn State 17
Week 12 Opponent: at Maryland
It’s not pretty with this group. It’s more of a rolling grind of a team that’s been able to make big things happen in key moments, but it still shouldn’t have taken a season-defining play to get by Penn State. The problems in the loss to Michigan State still sting, but beat Maryland, and everything is on the table as long as Ohio State first beats …
6 Michigan State Spartans (9-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
Week 11 Opponent: Michigan State 40, Maryland 21
Week 12 Opponent: at Ohio State
The College Football Playoff types weren’t totally wrong when they put Michigan higher than Michigan State, but we can’t do that … yet. Beat Ohio State, and the Spartans are back up in the top three somewhere. Lose tastefully on the road, and there’s no punishment other than maybe falling behind the Wolverines.
5 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 7
Week 11 Opponent: Oklahoma State 63, TCU 17
Week 12 Opponent: at Texas Tech
You’re not crazy to think that this might be too low. The 24-21 road loss at Iowa State is the only blip, and even that’s not all that bad. The defense is playing better than any outside of what’s happening in Madison and Athens, and now the offense is starting to crank things up a notch.
4 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
Week 11 Opponent: Ohio State 59, Purdue 31
Week 12 Opponent: Michigan State
The offense has cranked things up to a whole other level now, but it needs a big-time win. Getting by Penn State and Purdue was nice, and starting out against Minnesota with a road win was solid, but now it’s time to go to work with Michigan State and Michigan up next. The defense has to be a whole lot better in a big hurry – or maybe not if CJ Stroud and the offense continue to be so amazing.
3 Oregon Ducks (9-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
Week 11 Opponent: Oregon 38, Washington State 24
Week 12 Opponent: at Utah
There were a whole lot of people out there who thought Washington State was going to do to Oregon what Purdue did to Michigan State and Baylor did to Oklahoma. The 38-24 win was even more impressive than the final score, but … the 31-24 loss to Stanford looks miserable now. Even so, the 35-28 win over Ohio State appears more and more every week like the best win by anyone so far this season.
2 Alabama Crimson Tide (9-1)
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
Week 11 Opponent: Alabama 59, New Mexico State 3
Week 12 Opponent: Arkansas
Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Mississippi State. Those are the three dominant wins that get Alabama here, because the LSU close call certainly doesn’t look good, the 31-29 win over Florida looks awful, and the team needs to show some more consistency. Everyone knows this is one of the most talented teams – duh – but there can’t be a slip against Arkansas or at Auburn.
1 Georgia Bulldogs (10-0)
Last Week’s Ranking: 1
Week 11 Opponent: Georgia 41, Tennessee 17
Week 12 Opponent: Charleston Southern
At this point all the world wants is an interesting game.
Assuming the Bulldogs knock out Alabama in the SEC Championship, find any three teams that might make a College Football Playoff anything but the Georgia Invitational.
Going to Tennessee was supposed to be the most dangerous test for this D, and … nope. With Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech up next, the goal is to just keep everyone healthy.
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CFN 2021 Rankings: Week 11
101-130 | 76-100 | 51-75 | 26-50 | 11-25 | Top 10
– Week 11 Scoreboard, Predictions For Every Game
– Big Game Reactions: Baylor, Michigan, Ole Miss & more
– College Football Playoff prediction: Week 11