RADIO
The 2023 college football season is dwindling, as there are just five full weeks remaining. After this week, the College Football Playoff rankings will carry more weight than the AP Poll. but there's one final opportunity to scrutinize the AP standings ahead of Week 9.
There are overvalued and undervalued teams all over the country. Let's dive in and analyze the five teams who are improperly ranked after Week 8 action.
It's time for the next article of a year-long series: Overrated and Underrated College Football Teams after the release of the weekly Associated Press Poll. All rankings listed are based on the AP Poll. When the College Football Playoff Rankings begin dropping ahead of Week 10, we'll pivot to focus on those standings instead.
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Overrated College Football Teams For Week 9
North Carolina Tar Heels: No. 17
Head coach Mack Brown and stud quarterback Drake Maye had me believing that this Tar Heels team was legit and could compete for an ACC crown. After the embarrassing loss to the Virginia Cavaliers, the season should be viewed as a failure.
Virginia came into the contest 0-5 against FBS teams, with its only win coming against William & Mary from the FCS level. North Carolina was a 24-point favorite in this ACC bout but found a way to lose to one of the worst teams in all of college football -- AT HOME.
"The ruling on the field is interception by Virginia"#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/O6U33eMkqU
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) October 22, 2023
A fall to the No. 17 spot in the rankings does not feel like enough punishment. This was a letdown performance of epic proportions.
UCLA Bruins: No. 23
According to PowerRankingsGuru.com, UCLA has played the 61st-toughest schedule through eight weeks of action. The Bruins have one solid win over Washington State, but its other four victories come over Coastal Carolina, San Diego State, North Carolina Central, and Stanford.
Chip Kelly's team has lost to both teams that remain in the top 25 polls to date (Oregon State, Utah), so it's tough to know why they are ranked at all.
UCLA does not play PAC-12 powerhouses Washington or Oregon this season, so they might find themselves with a favorable final ranking at season's end, despite not beating any good teams.
Underrated College Football Teams For Week 9
Florida State Seminoles: No. 4
FSU has battled the 17th-toughest schedule this season. They have victories over LSU and Duke, who are both top 20 teams to date. The Noles are also tied with Ohio State for the fifth-best average margin of victory at 23.0 points. Florida State beat LSU by 21 in Week 1 and Duke by 18 last week.
LT ⚡️#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/qEb2eI9Ybf
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) October 22, 2023
Meanwhile, No. 3 Ohio State has played the 38th-toughest schedule, while No. 2 Michigan has played the 75th-toughest schedule. No. 1 Georgia has played the 95th-toughest schedule. When comparing all resumes around the country, there's a real argument that Florida State has the most impressive body of work.
The pollsters won't punish Georgia coming off back-to-back National Championships, but FSU should at least jump one or two teams ahead of them in the Polls. This Noles team is dangerous and will likely have the chance to settle these debates on the field come December and January.
Ole Miss Rebels: No. 12
Ole Miss has just one loss through eight weeks, despite facing with fifth-toughest schedule thus far. The Rebels' only loss is to one-loss Alabama which seems to have hit its stride after hiccups against Texas and South Florida.
Ole Miss' best wins are over top-25 teams LSU and Tulane, and although Lane Kiffin's team hasn't looked all that impressive in wins over Arkansas and Auburn -- they've found a way to survive.
Outside of the contest against LSU, the Rebels' defense is playing sound football and the offense has a well-balanced approach. Ole Miss likely wouldn't be a good matchup for some of the powerhouses ranked inside the top 10. Ole Miss isn't egregiously underrated, but they should be ranked ahead of at least Oregon State and potentially Penn State.
Kansas State Wildcats: Unranked
Kansas State has lost to 7-1 Missouri and 5-2 Oklahoma State this season. Both losses were by one score. This is another team that has faced a top-10 strength of schedule and is coming off of a 41-3 destruction of TCU.
CATS WIN!!!#KStateFB pic.twitter.com/z88YpivlsD
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) October 22, 2023
Kansas State's wins are over Southeast Missouri State, Troy, UCF, Texas Tech, and TCU. No, that's not an impressive group, but the Wildcats' overall body of work exceeds what No. 23 UCLA or No. 24 USC have done this season.
The Pac-12 is getting plenty of recognition in its final season of existence, but K-State deserves be have a number next to their names more than those two Southern California schools.
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