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Mike's NCAA college football power rankings for the top 25 NCAA college football teams before Week 13 of the 2024 season. Which teams are the best contenders for the expanded playoff?
Georgia takes down Tennessee a week after losing to Mississippi. The Big Ten (18) is really tough at the top, but really bad at the bottom. Most of the middle is irrelevant for ranking purposes. The middle of the ACC tanked and Louisiana was removed from the ranks of one-loss teams. It was an interesting week!
These rankings will vary from the AP ones because I don't go off speculation. I only go by what happened on the field. They have stabilized as the season goes on, but I don't get in the habit of ranking three-loss teams if I can help it. It's getting difficult to help it.
The SEC is hard to rank because of everyone beating up on each other during conference play. The Big Ten (18)? That remains to be seen. There is only one important regular-season game left in that conference with playoff implications. The bottom of the Big Ten (18) is incredibly top-heavy because most of the teams still standing didn't play each other.
(25) UNLV (8-2) (NR)
Last week: W 41-20 vs. San Diego State
The Houston and Kansas wins are looking better. Syracuse would be a big win if the Rebels had pulled it off.
(24) Washington State (8-2) ⇓8
Last week: L 35-38 at New Mexico
Wins over Washington and Texas Tech don't mean much now, but they are better than anything Tulane or UNLV can claim.
(23) Missouri (7-3) ⇑
Last week: L 30-34 at (20) South Carolina
There's a first time for everything. This is the first time that a team that lost moved up in my rankings. All three Missouri losses are to ranked teams and they beat Vanderbilt and Boston College. Those aren't great wins, but they are better than anything UNLV, Memphis, or Tulane can put out there.
(22) Kansas State (7-3) ⇓2
Last week: L 14-24 vs. (25) Arizona State
The win in Boulder is the only thing keeping the Wildcats ranked, but they look nothing like the team that won in the Rockies six weeks ago.
(21) Iowa State (8-2) ⇔
Last week: W 34-17 vs. Cincinnati
I have a hard time keeping Iowa State ranked. Their signature win is against Iowa and they haven't been able to stop the run in a month. I'll be shocked if the Cyclones win out. It's a shame because this offense is fun to watch.
(20) Arizona State (8-2) ⇑5
Last week: W 24-14 at (20) Kansas State
The win in Manhattan trumps any wins that Iowa State has. The Utah win, when they got it, was important as the Utes still (kind of) had Cam Rising. If Arizona State beats BYU, they could be in the Big 12 (16) Championship against Colorado.
(19) South Carolina (7-3) ⇑3
Last week: W 34-30 vs. (20) Missouri
You may not want to talk about good losses, but I do. LSU needed help from the officials to beat the Gamecocks. Alabama should have lost to them in Tuscaloosa. Mississippi was the only loss in which they weren't close. This is a team that throttled A&M and destroyed a Kentucky team that beat Ole Miss. Carolina is the best three-loss team in the country and it's not close.
(18) Army (9-0) ⇔
Last week: Bye
Should Boise stumble, Army could crash the party. Why? Because they joined a conference. Army still plays Notre Dame and would have a conference championship game against a good Tulane team. A ranked Tulane team. Those two wins plus a win over Navy would put Army in the playoff.
If Army beats Notre Dame and wins the American, they might get in over Boise anyway. Army still has the possibility of a statement win on its schedule. Boise does not.
Bryson Daily is the REAL deal. Should be in the Heisman race. Period. pic.twitter.com/zMz1WO63OA
— College Football Alerts (@CFBAlerts_) October 20, 2024
(17) Clemson (7-2) ⇑2
Last week: W 24-20 at Pittsburgh
I was going to knock Clemson for beating Nate Yarnell instead of Eli Holstein, but Yarnell threw for 350 yards on them. Yarnell played well enough to win this game for Pitt. Cade Klubnik took it away.
CADE KLUBNIK WAS DETERMINED TO FIND THE END ZONE ? pic.twitter.com/MvvOq0tunx
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 16, 2024
(16) Colorado (8-2) ⇑1
Last week: W 49-24 vs. Utah
Utah may have a black hole at quarterback, but the defense is still good. Colorado nearly ran a Ulysses on them. Colorado is one of those teams that could be very dangerous should they make their way into the playoff.
(15) Texas A&M (8-2) ⇔
Last week: W 38-3 vs. New Mexico State
Don't feel bad for the Aggies. They are still in the conglomerate atop the SEC and are in a better position than Alabama or Georgia to reach the SEC Championship Game. All they have to do is beat Texas at the end of the month.
SEC filling out the playoff bracket: pic.twitter.com/80imG6HCkA
— Brendan (@verypiratey) November 20, 2024
(14) Boise State (9-1) ⇔
Last week: W 42-21 at San Jose State
The only loss being to Oregon will carry the Broncos, but they have no more pending big wins on the schedule. The Washington State win may be better than anything Miami has, but the Hurricanes have played a slightly tougher conference schedule.
(13) Miami (FL) (9-1) ⇓1
Last week: Bye
Miami's cake ACC schedule is going to hurt them this year. Both SMU and Clemson have faced tougher conference schedules. The Hurricanes really needed to go undefeated to prove that they deserved a shot.
(12) SMU (8-1) ⇑1
Last week: W 38-28 vs. Boston College
The win over Pitt is better than any of Miami's wins and the loss to BYU is better than Miami's loss. You can't skate by just being a name in these rankings.
(11) Notre Dame (9-1) ⇔
Last week: W 35-14 vs. Virginia
Notre Dame is doing what they need to do: winning and winning big.
(10) Indiana (10-0) ⇔
Last week: Bye
The Indiana football program began in 1887.
In its first 136 years, the Hoosiers NEVER started a season 9-0.
Now in its 137th year, and Curt Cignetti’s 1st, Indiana is a perfect 9-0.
And all 9 wins have come by at least 14 points.
Historic isn’t even enough to describe it. pic.twitter.com/neqXCdmiZP
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) November 2, 2024
Indiana runs this to their first-ever 10-0 start. Sorry guys, Beating Michigan just isn't that impressive this year. Beat Ohio State, and then we'll talk.
(9) Texas (9-1) ⇔
Last week: W 20-10 at Arkansas
This isn't a knock on Texas. Looking at their schedule before the season, it looked like Michigan, Oklahoma, Florida, and Arkansas would be solid feathers in a Texas cap. They have a combined 20 losses. They had a chance for a statement against Georgia and got smoked. The "signature" win for Texas was a win in Nashville on October 26.
(8) BYU (9-1) ⇓5
Last week: L 13-17 vs. Kansas
That's two ugly games in a row for BYU, but the Kansas State and SMU wins keep them barely ahead of Texas. Texas hasn't beaten a playoff team. If the playoffs started today, BYU could claim that with the SMU win.
(7) Mississippi (8-2) ⇑1
Last week: Bye
#16 Ole Miss upsets #3 Georgia! That’s the Rebels’ first win over the Bulldogs since September 24, 2016!
Also, prior to tonight, the last time Ole Miss won back to back home games vs UGA in Oxford, Mississippi? 1993/1995!#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/Tr3GfdaaDk
— Brad (@StatsBrad) November 10, 2024
Ole Miss gets to revel in the glory of a win over Georgia for one more week.
(6) Tennessee (8-1) ⇓2
Last week: L 17-31 at (6) Georgia
I'm not going to penalize Tennessee much for losing at Georgia. Despite the head-to-head win over the Tide, Tennessee stays behind. That is their only big win, and they lost to Arkansas. For the moment, that looks worse than losing to Vanderbilt.
(5) Alabama (8-2) ⇑2
Last week: W52-7 vs. Mercer
Three of the current Top 5 in the AP Poll - Texas, Penn State and Indiana - do not have a win over team currently ranked. No. 9 Alabama has more (4) than the current Top 5 has combined (3).
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) November 11, 2024
The overall body of work and quality of wins keep Alabama this high. Georgia's two big wins keep them ahead despite the head-to-head loss in Tuscaloosa.
(4) Georgia (7-2) ⇑2
Last week: W 31-17 vs. (4) Tennessee
Is Georgia still the class of the SEC? Wins over Tennessee and Texas are huge. Losses to Alabama and Mississippi -- both top 10 teams and both on the road -- are better than any other two-loss teams. I have to argue that yes, Georgia is still the class of the SEC. Alabama needed a miracle to beat the Dawgs at home.
(3) Penn State (9-1) ⇑2
Last week: W 49-10 at Purdue
A win over Purdue means nothing this year. How much are we really learning about the top of the Big Ten (18)? The top is elite, but the middle and bottom are noticeably bad for such a large conference.
For example, Auburn, Kentucky, and Oklahoma all have just one conference win in the SEC. Kentucky's was against Mississippi and Oklahoma played Tennessee tough. We don't see that from the bottom feeders in the Big Ten (18).
(2) Ohio State (9-1) ⇔
Last week: W 31-7 vs. Northwestern
Another methodical win for the Buckeyes. Another game where Will Howard proved that he is comfortable in this offense.
(1) Oregon (11-0) ⇔
Last week: W 16-13 at Wisconsin
Oregon getting pumped during Wisconsin’s “Jump Around” celebration is the moment this game changed. Lanning making sure the kids still have fun is so underrated to their success ?pic.twitter.com/IIU4TvBER6
— B1G Duck Energy ? (5 ⭐️ Fan) (@BigGreenDuck) November 17, 2024
Oregon needed that energy because it wasn't there for the first three quarters. A win is a win. This year that means more than usual with the entire SEC having at least two losses.
Others Receiving Votes
- Tulane
- Pittsburgh
- Illinois
- Memphis
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