And then there were four. Only four undefeated teams remain following College Football Week 10. Clemson and Tennessee fell, and neither of their losses was particularly competitive. As a result, the College Football Power Rankings received yet another makeover. But this time, the playoff bracket has become a bit clearer.
Week 11 Top 25 College Football Power Rankings
1. Georgia Bulldogs (Last Week: 2)
If you saw a Top 25 without Georgia at No. 1, you may as well not read the rest of the list. Tennessee scored 30+, including 50+ four times, in every game this season … until the Bulldogs held them to 13 in Athens.
The defense is elite. The offense, guided by Stetson Bennett, is humming. And with Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech their final remaining regular-season contests, Georgia will likely stay on the throne into conference championship weekend.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (Last Week: 1)
Ohio State‘s offense has had some trouble in spurts this year, but none was more shocking/concerning than their 21-7 victory over a 1-8 Northwestern squad. While the wind and rain made it difficult to move the ball through the air, Miyan Williams still only averaged 4.3 yards per carry on the ground.
Indiana and Maryland likely won’t require the Buckeyes’ full wrath. But they would be wise to use them as tune-up matches before hosting Michigan in the regular-season finale.
3. Michigan Wolverines
Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: Michigan won on the back of RB Blake Corum. Once again, the Wolverines received less-than-stellar play from QB J.J. McCarthey. And once again, it didn’t matter.
After heading into halftime down 17-14 to Rutgers, Michigan blitzed to a 38-0 second half. As long as Corum is healthy and the defense continues to dominate, the blue and maize should remain undefeated heading into a Week 13 clash with Ohio State.
4. TCU Horned Frogs (Last Week: 7)
It took a 21-point fourth-quarter effort, but TCU outlasted Texas Tech 34-24. It’s Sonny Dykes’ first season in Fort Worth, and he has his team rolling.
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Max Duggan and the passing game didn’t even light the world on fire because they didn’t need to. The Kendre Miller takeover continued, as he has rushed for a TD in every game this season and recorded 100+ yards in six of his last seven. This is a playoff team, no matter what the committee says this week.
5. Oregon Ducks (Last Week: 8)
Oregon 49, Colorado 10. Next. Bo Nix is reminding the nation he is a Heisman contender every week, the offense has scored 40+ in eight straight weeks, and Christian Gonzalez shined with two impressive INTs. With Tennessee, Clemson, and Alabama falling above them, Oregon now finds itself in the top five of the College Football Power Rankings.
6. Tennessee Volunteers (Last Week: 4)
Although we can’t fault Tennessee for losing to the No. 1 team in the country, we can fault them for not making it competitive. Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt were the top QB/WR duo in the sport for weeks, and they were outplayed by Stetson Bennett and Ladd McConkey.
All the credit goes to Georgia, but Josh Heupel and Co. didn’t adjust on offense. They will need to add new wrinkles as the blueprint is there to limit and practically take away the explosive plays the Vols have lived off of.
7. USC Trojans (Last Week: 9)
USC faced little resistance from Cal’s defense this week, and no one should be surprised. Caleb Williams threw for 300+ yards and 4+ TDs in his third straight game. And WR Tahj Washington picked up the slack with Jordan Addison out.
There wasn’t much to glean from the Trojans’ victory outside of the defense struggling yet again. But we will learn more about this team soon with a bout at UCLA and vs. Notre Dame to end the year.
8. LSU Tigers (Last Week: 16)
Many wrote off LSU after a season-opening loss to Arizona State, and if you didn’t then, you did after the embarrassing 40-13 defeat to Tennessee. Well, seems we were all wrong — at least this week.
Jayden Daniels is on a tear (with his legs), and the defense has bent but not broken for most of the year. With Arkansas, UAB, and Texas A&M to close the year, the Tigers could challenge for an SEC title game spot at 10-2.
9. UCLA Bruins (Last Week: 10)
Like their intra-city rival, UCLA steam-rolled their lowly Pac-12 competition in Week 10. The Bruins held a 28-10 lead at halftime over Arizona State, and the game was never in doubt from there.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson didn’t have his best night, but he continued to showcase his rushing prowess with two TDs. Speed threat Kazmier Allen was the real star of the show, recording 200+ yards from scrimmage.
10. Alabama Crimson Tide (Last Week: 6)
Down goes Alabama! The Crimson Tide’s playoff hopes are on life support after a crushing overtime loss to LSU. This is a different Nick Saban defense than Tuscaloosa is used to. But the offense has dealt with its own lumps.
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Bryce Young had the lowest completion rate of his career (49%). And although he put up a valiant effort at the end of the game, it simply wasn’t enough.
11. North Carolina Tar Heels
I say it every week, but Drake Maye is the reason North Carolina is 8-1. If he isn’t there, the Tar Heels are easily .500, if not worst. He will be one of the top two QBs selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, and if you’ve watched him play, you know that’s not hyperbole.
But don’t forget about his top weapon in Josh Downs, who is one of the most dynamic players in college football.
12. Clemson Tigers (Last Week: 5)
Clemson avoided the shutout, so good job? The Tigers lost to then-unranked Notre Dame 35-14, and their QB had just 85 passing yards! It’s time to pull the plug on DJ Uiagalelei and see what you have in true freshman Cade Klubnik. At least there is potential in the unknown.
The defense is one of the best in school history, but it’s being wasted on an offense that can’t get off the ground.
13. Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss is fresh off a bye and facing a reeling Alabama team. That game could have gone one of two ways: Nick Saban gets his team into shape and throttles the Rebels, or Ole Miss takes advantage of Bama’s weaknesses and hands them back-to-back losses.
As Tennessee and LSU have shown, you can put up points on the Crimson Tide. And with Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans in the backfield, plus Jaxson Dart’s mobility under center, Ole Miss could pull off the upset in Tuscaloosa.
14. Utah Utes
Cameron Rising completed just 13 of 25 passes for 151 yards and a score, and Utah still dominated Arizona 45-20. This is one of the most complete teams in the country, and they aren’t even at full strength.
The Utes will have the chance to showcase just how good they are against Oregon in two weeks. But first, a home date with Stanford.
15. Penn State Nittany Lions (Last Week: 18)
Penn State ran all over Indiana, and QB Drew Allar even got entered the game, putting his talent on display. Sean Clifford has reached his ceiling — the Nittany Lions simply can’t go punch for punch with the top programs. Of course, it’s too early to make any definitive statements with Allar, but he at least adds a spark.
Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton are unbelievable running backs, and the talent along the offensive line certainly helps. Nevertheless, we’ve seen Penn State vs. Ohio State and Michigan — and it wasn’t pretty.
16. Illinois Fighting Illini (Last Week: 12)
Illinois had almost 150+ more yards than Michigan State, but they lost 23-15. Going 1 of 6 on fourth down tends to have that effect.
The star-studded defense did their job, and Chase Brown kept his 100+ rushing yards streak alive (every game this season). But when you can’t pick up key downs, it’s hard to win.
17. Washington Huskies (Last Week: Unranked)
Welcome back, Washington! It wasn’t the prettiest victory, but they were able to knock off Oregon State at home on Friday night. WR Rome Odunze‘s hot streak pressed on, and QB Michael Penix had his moments. But the defense came in clutch and shut out the Beavers in the all-important fourth quarter.
The Huskies are still in the Pac-12 race, although they will need two of Oregon, USC, and UCLA to drop a game down the home stretch.
18. North Carolina State Wolfpack (Last Week: 23)
No Devin Leary? No problem for North Carolina State, as freshman QB MJ Morris has stepped up. He entered the year as the third-stringer, but he outplayed Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman in Week 10. The battle for North Carolina could be great in Week 13 if Morris’ ascent continues.
19. Tulane Green Wave (Last Week: 21)
Michael Pratt didn’t do too much in Tulane’s victory over Tulsa, but when you have two rushers over 100 yards, you don’t need to. Tyjae Spears and Shaadie Clayton-Johnson couldn’t be stopped, and the defense is still the best in the AAC.
20. Liberty Flames (Last Week: Unranked)
Liberty scored 21 points in the first half, zero in the second, and still upset Arkansas. It’s a testament to their defense as well as the Razorbacks’ ineptitude. WR Demario Douglas is a key reason for the Flames being 8-1, as he scorched Arkansas for 145 yards and a score on seven catches.
HC Hugh Freeze signed an extension through 2030, and there’s no reason to expect the program’s success to cease anytime soon.
21. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (Last Week: 24)
Appalachian State put up a fight — as they do every week — but Coastal Carolina was just too much for the Mountaineers. The Chanticleers couldn’t get the rushing attack going, but QB Grayson McCall moved the offense down the field with his arm.
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With Southern Miss, Virginia, and James Madison in their last three contests, CCU could end the year with 11 wins for the third straight year.
22. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Last Week: Unranked)
At some point, you can’t deny success. While Notre Dame’s passing offense isn’t the greatest, they’ve won three in a row and all three of their games against ranked opponents: No. 16 BYU, No. 16 Syracuse, and No. 4 Clemson.
The defense and running game are carrying this team, but we will see if they can keep up against UC’S high-octane offense in Week 13.
23. UCF Knights (Last Week: 25)
UCF took Cincinnati’s spot in our College Football Power Rankings last week, and they didn’t let up in Week 10. The offense is not only fun to watch but effective, as QB Mikey Keene and RB RJ Harvey had their way with Memphis’ defense. It was a tight 35-28 final score, but the game never felt close.
With a top-25 bout vs. Tulane next week, UCF has the opportunity to cement its place atop the AAC.
24. Texas Longhorns (Last Week: Unranked)
Bijan Robinson. The Texas RB is the most electric player in the country, regardless of position. He averaged 7.0 yards per carry on … 30 carries vs. Kansas State. For those that hate math, that’s 209 yards.
WR Xavier Worthy didn’t have many chances to display his talent, with Robinson grinding away on the ground. Yet, he did haul in two TDs, including a teach-tape post-corner route for a score.
While the Longhorns deserve a spot in our College Football Power Rankings, they face undefeated TCU next week, so they may not be here too much longer.
25. Kansas State Wildcats (Last Week: 15)
Kansas State pummeled Oklahoma State 48-0 last week but couldn’t stop a nosebleed vs. Texas. The offense held the ball for five more minutes, had three more first downs, and recorded two more total yards.
But context is important. The Wildcats scored 17 of their 27 points in the second half … after the Longhorns had already put up 31.
Teams on the Outside Looking In
- UTSA Roadrunners
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Baylor Bears
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- Florida State Seminoles