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Do you ever look at the AP Poll or some other poll and wonder which college football team they were watching to have them ranked where they are? Me too. We have a feature here at RotoBaller this year in which we will have a rundown of the NCAA college football power rankings every week. This is just like a top-25 poll anywhere else except I probably watch more football than most of them. Take that for what you will.
That's why my rankings are a little different. I don't just automatically anoint Georgia as the top team. I get the win streak and the championships. This only has to do with this year so far. As expected, Georgia is quickly moving up the ranks.
This is also going to be far different than traditional polls because I will only look at what has been done on the field so far, not what is expected of a specific team. That had a significant effect on the rankings early in the year, but it is starting to stabilize now. No, Georgia is still not my top team. Neither is Michigan. There is no excuse for that weak schedule.
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(25) Clemson (7-4) (NR)
Last week: W 31-20 vs. (25) North Carolina
Three of the four losses are on the road. The other is to Florida State. Wins over Notre Dame and the Tarheels land them back in the top 25...for now.
(24) Utah (7-4) ⇓8
Last week: L 18-42 at (18) Arizona
All four losses are to ranked teams and three of them were on the road. That's still better than North Carolina's three losses, two of which are two of the worst in history for a top-10 team.
(23) Toledo (10-1) ⇑1
Last week: W 32-31 at Bowling Green
If only the Rockets hadn't choked away the opener to Illinois...
(22) Liberty (11-0) ⇑1
Last week: W 49-25 vs. Massachusetts
Wins over Bowling Green, New Mexico State, and Jacksonville State all look better than they did at the time. They'll get another crack at the Aggies in Championship week.
(21) Oklahoma State (8-3) (NR)
Last week: W 43-30 at Houston
The Pokes looked awful for nearly six full quarters after Bedlam, but they're back. Why? This is why.
(20) Notre Dame (8-3) (NR)
Last week: W 45-7 at Wake Forest
The Irish are back through little fault of their own. Utah got blown out and Kansas lost again. And, well, I'm running out of three-loss teams.
(19) Tulane (10-1) ⇑3
Last week: W 24-8 at Florida Atlantic
Tulane's defense was excellent again. The offense scoring 24 points was a nice touch. It's been a while...
(18) Kansas State (8-3) (NR)
Last week: W 31-27 at (19) Kansas
The loss to Missouri in Columbia turned out to be a really good loss and they had every chance to beat Texas. Hanging on in the Sunflower Showdown on the road deserves respect, even if Kansas is on their third-string quarterback.
(17) Iowa (9-2*) ⇔
Last week: W 15-13 vs. Illinois
Yeah, I'm going to be a snob. At some point, ugly wins are really ugly. How much lower will Iowa's over/under lines get? That's six straight under bets that have hit by a large margin.
(16) Oregon State (8-3) ⇓2
Last week: L 20-22 vs. (1) Washington
That was a really tough loss for the Beavers. They gave it everything they had, but it wasn't quite enough. That said, Oregon State had their chances, once again, in a close game. The only thing separating them from Washington right now is the ability to make plays in those situations.
(15) LSU (8-3) ⇔
Last week: W 56-14 vs. Georgia State
LSU's three losses are better than most team's three toughest games, but Arizona's win streak trumps LSU's wins. Good losses stop counting at some point. They're still losses.
(14) Arizona (8-3) ⇑4
Last week: W 42-18 vs. (16) Utah
If you tell me Arizona's three losses are worse than Kansas, Oklahoma State, or Tennessee, you really have no idea what's going on here. The Wildcats deserve this ranking. As if blowing out Utah doesn't prove that. Maybe it's the five-game win streak for the first time in nine years. Whatever the reason, I will die on this hill.
(13) Oklahoma (8-2) ⇔
Last week: W 31-24 at BYU
Losing Dillon Gabriel on a chewed-up field...we were lucky to come out with a win at all. The defense deserves a shout-out for the second half.
(12) Mississippi (8-2) ⇔
Last week: W 35-3 vs. Louisiana-Monroe
This was a really bad first half of football for Ole Miss. Bad enough that I actually feel like Mississippi State has a chance in the Egg Bowl.
(11) Missouri (8-2) ⇔
Last week: W 33-31 vs. Florida
This was a tough one for the Tigers, but they still won.
(10) Penn State (9-2) ⇔
Last week: W 27-6 vs. Rutgers
This was another sub-par outing from Drew Allar even before he got hurt. How Penn State can have difficulty running the ball with backs like Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton is beyond me. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula led the team in rushing.
(9) Louisville (10-1) ⇔
Last week: W 38-31 at Miami (FL)
Oh, what could have been. If not for a choke job against Georgia Tech after a big win, Louisville would be facing a (likely) undefeated Florida State team in the ACC Championship game. It may be lipstick on a pig, but that's some bright lipstick if you have two undefeated teams.
(8) Alabama (10-1) ⇔
Last week: W 66-10 vs. Chattanooga
You bullies! What did Chattanooga ever do to you?
(7) Texas (10-1) ⇔
Last week: W 26-16 at Iowa State
That wasn't a pretty win for Texas, but it was a good win. Iowa State is a tough team to play, especially in Ames. Beating them by two scores is a quality win in my book.
(6) Oregon (10-1) ⇔
Last week: W 49-13 at Arizona State
Oregon still looks like the best team west of the Appalachians right now. They are not just winning, but they are blowing teams out.
(5) Michigan (11-0) ⇔
Last week: W 31-24 at Maryland
Florida State beat LSU. Ohio State beat Notre Dame. Michigan looked good against Penn State but struggled with Maryland. Those things are not the same, nor do they deserve to be ranked as if they are.
(4) Florida State (11-0) ⇔
Last week: W 58-13 vs. North Alabama
I always hate to watch any player get hurt, but it's so much worse when it's a person like Jordan Travis. He worked very hard to become the player and teammate that he is. Go listen to any interview with him. You can tell that he is a genuine and great person. The worst part of this is that it was a designed quarterback run against a team that didn't have a shot at winning this game. I understand that it's a freak injury and it can happen on any play, but...that somehow makes it worse.
No, I don't think Florida State is sunk without Jordan Travis. Tate Rodemaker could have transferred out and started somewhere else. Instead, he stayed at Florida State and he knows this system as well as Travis does. His arm is almost as good as Travis's. Rodemaker just doesn't have the same speed or elusiveness. Florida State won't be worse, but they will be different. Different doesn't always mean worse.
(3) Ohio State (10-0) ⇓1
Last week: W 37-3 vs. Minnesota
The weakness of the Big Ten(14) outside of the top two is starting to cost the Buckeyes the same way it's holding back Michigan. It's not Ohio State's fault. They are still winning and winning big. We can't say the same for Michigan.
(2) Georgia (11-0) ⇑1
Last week: W 38-10 at (21) Tennessee
Georgia beats up on another ranked team on the road. Carson Beck may have been a game manager early on, but he's not just managing games anymore. He's taking charge of them. Georgia is going to be a really tough team to beat.
(1) Washington (11-0) ⇔
Last week: W 22-20 at (14) Oregon State
The Huskies took care of business in a deluge in Corvallis. It was a spirited fight by D.J. Uiagalelei and the Beavers, but the Washington defense stepped up and the Washington offense was able to adjust to win. That is something they have been able to do all season and it is a very underrated accomplishment of this team. It also speaks volumes as to how those guys play as a team.
Others Receiving Votes
- North Carolina State
- James Madison
- UCLA
- Kansas
- UNLV
Stay tuned for the college football rankings here at RotoBaller throughout the entire season!
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