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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 do? 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.
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. These rankings will normalize throughout the year, but it could look a little crazy in the first month. We are heading into conference play now, so the schedules and quality of teams played will start to normalize.
We only have 28 undefeated teams left in FBS. This might be the week that a one-loss team jumps back into the rankings. It was bound to happen at some point.
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(25) Kansas (4-0) (NR)
Last week: W 38-27 vs. BYU
The Booth was rocking in a win over BYU. Jalon Daniels is healthy and playing well. This offense is underrated, but they have a massive test in Austin this weekend.
(24) LSU (3-1) (NR)
Last week: W 34-31 vs. Arkansas
A thumping of Grambling and two conference wins – one a whitewashing of the Bulldogs in StarkVegas – land the Tigers back in my rankings.
(23) Syracuse (4-0) (NR)
Last week: W 29-16 vs. Army
The Orange haven't really played anyone, but Garrett Shrader has looked really good in this offense.
ACC QBs by PFF player grade & Total QBR… Van Dimes is killing it… Wake looks to have a real problem. pic.twitter.com/zIhFE92iVP
— ??️♈️? (@ADavidHaleJoint) September 27, 2023
(22) James Madison (4-0) ⇑1
Last week: W 45-38 at Utah State
The Dukes have wins in Charlottesville and at Troy, both are tough places to play. James Madison has already thrown down the gauntlet for the best team in the Fun Belt and we are still in September.
(21) Notre Dame (4-1) ⇓10
Last week: L 14-17 vs. (12) Ohio State
The Irish became the first team to lose and stay in the rankings. We are seeing the stabilization of the standings a little bit now. A home loss on the last play of the game is nothing to be ashamed of when playing a team like Ohio State.
(20) Kentucky (4-0) (NR)
Last week: W 45-28 at Vanderbilt
The Cats might be short-lived for the top 25. They have Florida and Georgia in the next two weeks. Devin Leary is finally progressing and we all know how good Re'Mahn Davis is. The defense? Giving up 28 to Vanderbilt isn't a good look.
(19) Maryland (4-0) (NR)
Last week: W 31-9 at Michigan State
I have questions about the Maryland defense, but Taulia Tagovailoa and Roman Hemby are forces on offense. They have the Buckeyes coming up in two weeks, so that's when things get real for the Terps.
(18) Alabama (3-1) (NR)
Last week: W 24-10 vs. (6) Mississippi
The Tide roll back into the top 25 on the heels of a strong defensive performance against Ole Miss.
(17) Fresno State (4-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 53-10 vs. Kent State
The Bulldogs scored seven touchdowns on their first seven drives against Kent. Even though they lost Josh Kelly, who is the human highlight reel in Seattle, this offense is still humming right along.
(16) Oklahoma (4-0) ⇑5
Last week: W 20-6 at Cincinnati
It was another dominant performance by the Oklahoma defense.
(15) Georgia (3-0) ⇑1
Last week: W 49-21 vs. UAB
Georgia came out without any injuries. That's the real win. The win over South Carolina is a touch better than Oklahoma's win in the Queen City.
(14) Michigan (4-0) ⇑4
Last week: W 31-7 vs. Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights were looking good before running into this defense. Game manager J.J. McCarthy is what people wanted to see. Gunslinger J.J. McCarthy scared the life out of the fanbase.
(13) Miami (FL) (4-0) ⇑4
Last week: W 41-7 at Temple
People in front of them losing and a conference road win move the Hurricanes up. Of course, allowing 11 rushing yards in 16 attempts is a good look too.
Dominant defense. #GoCanes pic.twitter.com/OVcvb5UZ15
— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) September 25, 2023
(12) USC (4-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 42-28 at Arizona State
It's a road win, but the USC defense didn't look great here. If I were a USC fan, I would be a little concerned.
(11) Washington (4-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 59-32 vs. California
Don't let the final score fool you. Washington was up 45-12 at halftime.
(10) Missouri (4-0) ⇓2
Last week: W 34-27 vs. Memphis at St. Louis
Missouri had a chance to run off with this game, but Luther Burden III leaving because of cramping issues for about an hour slowed the offense down.
(9) Duke (4-0) ⇓5
Last week: W 41-7 at Connecticut
A methodical beating of an inferior opponent can move you down when everyone else is in the middle of conference play. Clemson win early giveth, UConn win during conference season taketh away.
(8) North Carolina (4-0) ⇔
Last week: W 41-24 at Pittsburgh
Thumping a conference team on the road lets the Tarheels hold their spot. Missouri had their hands full on a "neutral" field.
(7) Penn State (4-0) ⇑3
Last week: W 31-0 vs. (21) Iowa
#7 Penn State’s Defense vs #24 Iowa’s Offense
• 0️⃣ Points scored ?
• 76 Total yards of offense ?
• 4 1st Downs the entire game ?
• 6 Fumbles (4 lost) ?
Cade McNamara went 5/14 for 42 Passing Yards
Iowa was held to 20 total rushing yards on 17 carries (1.2 YPC) pic.twitter.com/dNnCdvvG9t— College Football Report (@CFBRep) September 24, 2023
I knew that the Iowa offense was a little overhyped, but when you force more fumbles than you allow first downs, that is a type of domination not often seen. The rain didn't stop Drew Allar from throwing four touchdown passes. No excuses, Iowa. Cade McNamara is not and never was the answer. He's a more physically imposing version of Spencer Petras. That's it.
(6) Oregon (4-0) ⇑9
Last week: W 42-6 vs. (3) Colorado
Colorado’s defense trying to stop Oregon pic.twitter.com/C06e1rSzs7
— Jai (@Jai_305_) September 23, 2023
The Ducks derailed the Colorado hype train to vault back into the top ten. This was total domination by Oregon.
(5) Utah (3-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 14-7 vs. (24) UCLA
As per usual, Cameron Rising warmed up before the game. As per usual, he didn't play. Expect more of the same "news" leading up to Friday's game against Oregon State. This time I think he plays though. Maybe.
(4) Ohio State (4-0) ⇑8
Last week: W 17-14 at (11) Notre Dame
The win over the Irish vaults the Buckeyes back up near the top. Something can be said for the play of Kyle McCord. He didn't make any dynamic plays, but he's not making mistakes. That makes the Buckeyes a very dangerous team since they have the best set of offensive skill players in college football.
College Football Twitter is the only place in the world that would lead you to believe that Ohio State and Notre Dame was an “overrated” Top 10 matchup.
I saw two pretty good teams in a defensive battle all game. The score doesn’t always have to be 45-42. Do teams have…
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) September 24, 2023
(3) Texas (4-0) ⇓2
Last week: W 38-6 at Baylor
The win in Tuscaloosa is just a touch more impressive than Ohio State winning in South Bend. I would have the Buckeyes here if not for the relative strength of Texas's other opponents. Baylor might be the worst team they have played so far.
(2) Washington State (4-0) ⇑3
Last week: W 38-35 vs. (20) Oregon State
The Cougars have beaten two ranked teams in three weeks. Only FSU has two ranked wins besides the Cougars. The big win over the Beavers solidifies Wazzu's spot for me. A win over Wisconsin aside from damming the Beavers has them just in front of Ohio State and Texas.
Pac-2 Champs? No. 21 Washington State tops No. 14 Oregon State 38-35https://t.co/EvIyL17YJm
— KING 5 Sports (@KING5Sports) September 24, 2023
(1) Florida State (4-0) ⇑1
Last week: W 31-24 vs. Clemson (OT)
The wins over LSU and Clemson are collectively the two most impressive wins, even if both were basically at home. Truth be told, I still think the Seminoles drop at least one this year. The last two games have been more about survival than anything else.
Others Receiving Votes
- Liberty
- Air Force
- Oregon State
- Louisville
- Marshall
Stay tuned for the college football rankings here at RotoBaller throughout the entire season!
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