2023-11-26 05:33:00
Rivalry Week in college football absolutely delivered the kind of thrills and excitement that fans expect from the final week of the regular season. But looking ahead to the new college football rankings, there are less shake ups than you might expect as Week 13 featured more close calls than outright upsets and many of the favorites held serve to close out November on the college football calendar.
There is guaranteed to be a shake up in the fop five following Michigan’s 30-24 win against Ohio State as the Wolverines will challenge Georgia for first-place votes and the Buckeyes now have to sort out their position among the one-loss teams in the top 10. Other changes we’re sure to see include a drop for Louisville after an upset loss to rival Kentucky at home, likely knocking the Cardinals from the top 10 as Jeff Brohm prepares his team for the ACC Championship Game.
Elsewhere, we’ll see the results from Georgia, Washington and Florida State being able to maintain their undefeated records with tough challenges from in-state rivals, while Alabama hangs in the College Football Playoff race thanks to Jalen Milroe’s heroic touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond on fourth-and-goal from 31 yards out late in the fourth quarter. Avoiding an upset was a success on rivalry weekend for some, while teams like Oregon and Texas were more emphatic with their wins heading into conference championship week.
Here’s how we think the new AP Top 25 will look after Week 13 results:
1. Georgia (Last week — 1): Though there could be a few first-place votes moving elsewhere, the Bulldogs are not expected to give up their No. 1 spot after pulling away late in a win against Georgia Tech.
2.Michigan (3): J.J. McCarthy credited Michigan’s defense for their work in the 30-24 win against Ohio State, and it was deserved as the Wolverines picked off Kyle McCord twice to secure a third-straight win against the Buckeyes.
3. Washington (4): Things looked awfully shaky for Washington with a feisty effort from its Apple Cup rival Washington State, but a game-winning field goal allowed the Huskies to seal their 12-0 regular season with a 24-21 win.
4. Florida State (5): Mike Norvell has led the Seminoles to the fourth 12-0 start in program history after a 24-15 win at Florida, and though the Seminoles did not overwhelm their rivals, they remain undefeated — and that’s enough to hang in the playoff race.
5. Ohio State (2): The expectation here is that Ohio State will check in as the top-ranked one-loss team in the country after the defeat at Michigan. The Buckeyes have a lot of big-picture frustrations coming out of a third-straight loss to the Wolverines, but since it’s just the first loss of the season, there’s not a huge drop expected in the new college football rankings.
6. Oregon (6): No major shake ups ahead for the Ducks after a 31-7 win against Oregon State on Friday. Avenging last year’s rivalry loss sets up a rematch with Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game next week, which remains Oregon’s best chance at reaching the playoff.
7. Texas (7): Steve Sarkisian may or may not have calculated style points into his game plan, but a 57-7 win against Texas Tech on Black Friday certainly reinforced the notion that the Longhorns are a team worthy of title consideration. After a couple of close calls earlier in the month, the win sends Texas into December with some momentum looking to capture the program’s first Big 12 title since 2009.
8. Alabama (8): Nick Saban hasn’t had a lot of epic Iron Bowl moments go his way when the game is played in Jordan-Hare Stadium, but Saturday’s epic finish provided the ultimate plot twist. Though the drama was high and the finish was legendary, there won’t be a ton of changes in the rankings for an 11-1 team that was expected to win by a larger margin.
9.Missouri (10): Mizzou’s path to a New Year’s Six bowl bid was benefited by a 48-14 win against Arkansas on Friday that leaves the Tigers with a 10-2 regular season record. It’s the first 10-win season for the program since 2014 and a notable step up in performance for Eli Drinkwitz after back-to-back six-win seasons.
10. Penn State (11): It’s a second-straight 10-2 regular season for James Franklin after a finishing the year with a 42-0 win against Michigan State in Detroit. Franklin has now logged double-digit win campaigns in five of the last eight years but could find some trouble climbing much higher than this in the final rankings depending on the Nittany Lions’ bowl opponent.
11. Ole Miss (12): Lane Kiffin improved to 3-1 in the Egg Bowl as Ole Miss’ coach with a 17-7 win on Thursday night that gives the Rebels a chance to match or best their top-11 poll finish from 2021.
12. Oklahoma (13): A 69-45 win against TCU on Friday kept the Sooners in the mix for the Big 12 title game at the time, but ultimately, Oklahoma falls short due to Oklahoma State’s win against BYU. At 10-2, the Sooners have shown dramatic improvement from last year’s six-win regular season, but to beat Texas and yet still miss out on the Big 12 title game will bring some disappointment when Oklahoma fans look back on their final year in the conference.
13. Louisville (9): A dream debut season for Jeff Brohm now includes an incredibly personal and sour chapter with the home loss to Kentucky in the regular-season finale. The vibes could be flipped quickly with a win against Florida State in the ACC Championship Game next week, but in the moment, there is more frustration from the 38-31 defeat than buzz for the opportunity to claim the program’s first-ever ACC title.
14. LSU (14): The Tigers needed a second-half charge from Jayden Daniels to avoid a bad home loss to Texas A&M, but four touchdowns from the Heisman Trophy contender did the job and kept him in the mix for the stiff-arm trophy.
15. Arizona (16): Noah Fifita had an electric performance, throwing for 527 yards and five touchdowns in a 59-23 win at Arizona State. It’s appropriate that Fifita was the star of Arizona’s regular-season finale as his ascension has been a huge part of the Wildcats surging up in the rankings with their current six-game winning streak.
16. Tulane (18): We’re projecting a bit of a jump for Tulane after finishing the regular season with an 11-1 record thanks to a 29-16 win against UTSA on Friday. The Green Wave have won 10 straight games since a loss to Ole Miss in early September, and UTSA is arguably one of the toughest opponents from that stretch.
17. Notre Dame (17): A huge day for Audric Estime highlights a strong finish for Notre Dame to finish the season with a 9-3 record. Estime ran for 238 yards and four touchdowns in the 56-23 win, and his performance helped overcome a sloppy start against rival Stanford.
18. Oklahoma State (21): The Cowboys trailed 24-6 and stormed back to beat BYU in double overtime to finish 9-3 and clinch a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.
19. Iowa (20): There are many different ways to win a football game, and Iowa has shown us nearly all of them in its 10-2 campaign this season. Friday’s 13-10 win at Nebraska seemed to have a bit of everything, but while the entertainment was high, the rankings value probably won’t change the Hawkeyes’ standing in the back half of the top 25.
20. Oregon State (15): This might be too aggressive for the tumble that Oregon State will take in the rankings following Friday’s loss at Oregon, but the two things working against the Beavers are an 8-4 record and a head-to-head loss to Arizona.
21. Liberty (22): A 12-0 regular season is in the books for Liberty after 42-28 win at UTEP. Jamey Chadwell celebrated with a Mariachi band in the locker room, using the local El Paso setting to honor the accomplishment for the Flames.
22. Toledo (23): The Rockets have won 11 straight games since losing the season opener by two against Illinois. Up next is the MAC Championship Game against Miami (Ohio), where Toledo will look to win 12 games for the first time under Jason Candle.
23. James Madison (24): Though they are not eligible for the Sun Belt Championship Game, the Dukes played like they wanted to go out with the best record, thumping conference title contender Coastal Carolina 56-14 in Conway.
24. NC State (NR): The Wolfpack were picked by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee as a top 25 team last week then lived up to that reputation with a 39-20 rivalry win against North Carolina to finish the year with a 9-3 record.
25. Tennessee (25): The Volunteers wrap up their regular season with an 8-4 record after a 48-24 win against Vanderbilt.
Projected to drop out: No. 19 Kansas State
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