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1.) LSU
After a 46-41 win in Tuscaloosa over Alabama, no other resume in the country comes close to the one LSU has compiled through eleven weeks. In addition to the win this past Saturday, the Tigers have Top 25 wins over Florida, Auburn and Texas. LSU has earned the top spot, and no other team will catch them unless the Tigers drop one of their final three games. Up next for LSU is a road trip to Ole Miss.
2.) Ohio State
The Buckeyes played angry on Saturday – whether that has anything to do with the absence of stud defensive end Chase Young is up for debate – and showed no mercy in a 73-14 win over Maryland on Saturday. Ohio State has wins over Wisconsin, Cincinnati and a 7-2 Indiana club, and has looked like the most dominant and complete team in the country. Ohio State and LSU may be on a collision course for the national title.
3.) Clemson
The Tigers don’t have much of a resume. Clemson’s best win is a Week 2 victory over a 6-3 Texas A&M team, and the Tigers haven’t been tested at all in the ACC. The one conference matchup that appeared to have potential took a hit after Wake Forest was beaten soundly by Virginia Tech this past weekend. Clemson will host the Demon Deacons this Saturday, but the Tigers have already clinched the ACC’s Atlantic division. Despite the lack of marquee wins, Clemson has been dominant, winning their games by an average of 33.8 points per game this season.
4.) Georgia
The Bulldogs are 8-1 after a 27-0 shutout of Missouri on Saturday. Georgia’s ugly overtime loss to South Carolina got a little uglier after the Gamecocks lost to Appalachian State this past Saturday, but the Bulldogs have Top 25 wins over Florida and Notre Dame. No other one-loss team has two Top 25 wins, so Georgia gets the No. 4 spot for now. The Bulldogs have a chance to add another resume-building win when they travel to Auburn this upcoming Saturday.
5.) Minnesota
Welcome to national validation Minnesota. The Golden Gophers got their shot to show the country they were for real, and they took advantage with a 31-26 win over Penn State – just four days after the playoff committee voted the Nittany Lions the No. 4 team in the country. Minnesota is undefeated and now has a Top 10 win on its resume. The Golden Gophers can further cement there place in the Top 10 with remaining games against Iowa and Wisconsin. That starts this weekend when Minnesota travels to Kinnick Stadium to take on the Hawkeyes.
6.) Penn State
No. 6 might seem high for a team coming off a loss the previous week, but Penn State still has a solid resume despite the loss to the Gophers. The Nittany Lions have wins over Iowa, Michigan and a nonconference victory over a 6-3 Pittsburgh team. If No. 6 is too high, we’ll find out soon enough after Penn State faces Indiana (7-2) and No. 2 Ohio State (9-0) over the next two weeks.
7.) Alabama
The Crimson Tide needed a win on Saturday more than LSU did. Alabama was at home, and after falling to the Tigers the Tide are still lacking a marquee win. Like Clemson, Alabama’s best win is over Texas A&M (6-3), but the Crimson Tide no longer has the benefit of being undefeated to back up their claim as one of the top four teams in the country. The playoff committee will likely disagree, but I can’t give Alabama a pass with the schedule they’ve played this season. If the best thing on your resume is a home loss to No. 1, that’s not much of a resume.
8.) Oregon
The Pac-12 conference isn’t doing Oregon any favors. The Ducks’ best win is over mediocre Washington (6-4), but Oregon has reeled off eight straight wins since their season-opening loss to Auburn. Oregon led Auburn 21-6 in that game, but after allowing 21 unanswered points to the Tigers, the Ducks weren’t able to capitalize on that opportunity for a signature victory. The Ducks need a marquee win, but with three games remaining against opponents hovering around the .500 mark, Oregon will likely have to wait until a potential Pac-12 championship showdown with Utah. First, the Ducks will host Arizona this Saturday.
9.) Oklahoma
The Sooners are trending in the wrong direction. Oklahoma had a bye week following their shocking 48-41 loss to Kansas State, but the Sooners didn’t seem to find many answers during their time off. This past Saturday, Oklahoma led Iowa State 35-14 at halftime, but needed an interception on a two-point conversion attempt to avoid back-to-back upset losses. The Sooners survived with a 42-41 victory. Oklahoma’s win over Texas (6-3) is their only notable victory, and their last two outings have done nothing to suggest this team belongs in the playoff. The Sooners can begin turning that narrative around this Saturday when they travel to undefeated Baylor. And speaking of those Bears…
10.) Baylor
Baylor continues to find ways to win. On Saturday, the Bears survived their second trip to overtime this season, outlasting TCU by a final score of 29-23. Baylor isn’t winning impressively – their margin of victory in conference play is only 8.5 ppg – but a 9-0 mark earns them a spot in my Top 10. The Bears also have victories over a pair of 6-3 teams in Oklahoma State and Kansas State. Baylor will get its shot to enter the playoff discussion with upcoming games against Oklahoma and Texas these next two weeks.
11.) Utah
Like Oregon, Utah’s best win came against Washington. The Utes also have a nonconference victory over rival BYU (5-4). The difference between Oregon and Utah, however, is that the Ducks lost their season-opener against a Top 15 team. The Utes fell on the road to USC, while Oregon blew out the Trojans. However, against other common opponents (Cal, Washington, Washington State) Utah has a much higher margin of victory than the Ducks – 21.7 ppg as opposed to 5.3 ppg. Utah and Oregon are on a collision course towards the Pac-12 championship, and as long as neither team trips up in their final three games prior to the title, the winner of the Pac-12 could have a shot at the playoff.
12.) Florida
Florida took care of business on Saturday, blowing out SEC cellar-dweller Vanderbilt by a final score of 56-0. However, Minnesota and Baylor jumped the Gators after both remained undefeated this past weekend. Florida is still my highest-ranked two-loss team in the country. The Gators travel to Missouri this Saturday, before wrapping up their season with in-state rival Florida State.
13.) Auburn
Unlike Florida, Auburn still has opportunities ahead to move up the rankings. The Tigers are coming off a bye and will host Georgia this coming Saturday. Then, after a glorified exhibition against FCS foe Samford, the Tigers will finish their season by hosting Alabama. Winning either of those contests might be enough to move Auburn back into the Top 10.
14.) Wisconsin
It’s hard to call it a bounce back game after the Badgers were drilled by Ohio State two weeks ago, but Wisconsin got a much-needed win over rival Iowa on Saturday, 24-22. Stud tailback Jonathan Taylor returned to form with 250 rushing yards on 31 carries, and the Badgers’ defense stopped the Hawkeyes two-point conversion attempt to hold on for the victory. With that result, Wisconsin is still in the running for a Big Ten West division title. The Badgers must win out against Nebraska, Purdue and Minnesota – and will need the Golden Gophers to lose another game – in order to claim the division.
15.) Michigan
Michigan was idle ahead of this coming weekend’s game against rival Michigan State, and got to sit back and enjoy watching the Spartans blow a 28-3 lead against Illinois. The Wolverines have won each of their last two games – Notre Dame and Maryland – by 31 points. The Spartans have lost four in a row. But Michigan State always seems to bring their best effort in this game, and has beaten the Jim Harbaugh-led Wolverines twice in the Big House. Michigan is currently a 14.5-point favorite, but hasn’t beaten MSU by more than 14 points since 2006.
16.) Memphis
The Tigers enjoyed a bye this week after their big win over SMU back on Nov. 2. Memphis controls its own destiny in the American Athletic Conference’s West division, and should cruise through the next two weeks against Houston and South Florida. The Tigers’ season-finale will be a massive game however, as Memphis welcomes AAC East division leader Cincinnati.
17.) Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish got right on Saturday with a blowout win over Duke, 38-7. Quarterback Ian Book had a massive game for Notre Dame, completing 18-of-32 pass attempts for 181 yards and four touchdowns. Book also ran for 139 yards on 12 rushing attempts. The Irish now turn their attention to a Top 25 matchup with rival Navy this coming Saturday. Notre Dame is currently a 10-point favorite in that contest.
18.) SMU
In back-to-back weeks, East Carolina (3-7) has put serious scares into contenders for the AAC title. Two weeks ago, the Pirates took Cincinnati to the brink before falling by a score of 46-43. This past Saturday, it was SMU who had to trade punches with East Carolina, but the Mustangs eventually prevailed, 59-51. SMU is still very much in contention for the AAC title, but needs Memphis to lose one of their final three games in order to win the West division of the conference. However, before the Mustangs can think about a potential conference title, they’ll need to solve their defensive woes during their bye this week. SMU will return on Nov. 23 with a trip to Navy.
19.) Cincinnati
Cincinnati cruised to a 48-3 victory over Connecticut on Saturday, and remains in full control of the AAC’s East division. The Bearcats are one of about five Group of Five programs vying for a New Year’s Six bowl game, and might be in the best position amongst that group with their only loss coming at the hands of mighty Ohio State. Cincinnati will travel to South Florida this Saturday.
20.) Boise State
Another Group of Five team with hopes of reaching a New Year’s Six bowl is Boise State, though the Broncos made need some help to get there. After falling to BYU back on Oct. 19, Boise State finds themselves looking up at some of the contenders out of the AAC. Boise State hasn’t done itself any favors with close wins over San Jose State and Wyoming over the last two weeks. The Broncos need to win their last three games, and the Mountain West championship game, convincingly in order to get back in the race for the New Year’s Six. That starts this weekend when Boise State hosts New Mexico.
21.) Navy
The Midshipmen have quietly moved themselves into position to compete for a New Year’ Six bowl. After their loss to Memphis back on Sept. 26, Navy has reeled off five straight wins and is tied for the lead in the AAC’s West division. The Midshipmen still have to play SMU, and will need Memphis to drop a game down the stretch, but Navy is very much alive for a conference title. Before any of that gets resolved however, the Midshipmen have an opportunity to add a win to their resume that would be better than any other Group of Five program, as Navy travels to Notre Dame this weekend.
22.) Texas
The Longhorns make their way back into my rankings as my top three-loss team in the country. Two of Texas’ three losses have come against Top 10 teams (LSU, Oklahoma), and the Longhorns have wins over fellow 6-3 programs Oklahoma State and Kansas State. In addition, Texas has a convincing win over 8-1 Louisiana Tech. With back-to-back games upcoming against Iowa State and Baylor, the Longhorns will either cement themselves in my Top 25, or will quickly fall out again.
23.) Oklahoma State
The Cowboys best win is over Kansas State back on Sept. 28, and two of their three losses came against ranked opponents. With very few viable resumes this low in the rankings, that was enough to earn the Cowboys a spot. Oklahoma State will be favored in each of their next two games against Kansas and West Virginia.
24.) Kansas State
Three 6-3 Big 12 teams ranked at the bottom of my rankings may seem odd, but name me another three-loss team that has as impressive of a win as the Wildcats’ victory over Top 10-ranked Oklahoma. The reason why Kansas State is behind the Longhorns and Cowboys is both of those teams beat the Wildcats. Still, Kansas State has a couple nice wins on their resume this season, including a victory over an SEC team in Mississippi State. All three of the Wildcats’ losses have come against ranked opponents.
25.) Appalachian State
After being booted from my rankings last week – following a loss to Georgia Southern – the Mountaineers return at No. 25. This was aided by San Diego State’s loss to Nevada over the weekend, but also has a lot to do with Appalachian State’s 20-15 victory over South Carolina. The Gamecocks haven’t had a great season, but they reside in the SEC and beat Top 5 Georgia in overtime this season. The Mountaineers are 8-1 as they travel to Georgia State this coming Saturday in a matchup of the top two contenders of the Sunbelt conference’s East division.