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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. The rankings are starting to stabilize a little now that we are in conference play. They still differ from the "experts" though since I don't blindly anoint Georgia as the number-one team.
We lost six more unbeaten teams last week, so we are down to 22. That means more one-loss teams will jump back into my rankings. Only if they deserve it, of course.
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(25) Mississippi (4-1) (NR)
Last week: W 55-49 vs. (24) LSU
Well, they beat LSU, so they may as well take their place. The only loss being to Alabama is a good look. Giving up 49 and almost losing on a desperation pass on the last play of the game is not.
(24) West Virginia (4-1) (NR)
Last week: W 24-21 at TCU
The Mountaineers beat Pitt and Texas Tech without a quarterback and won at TCU. Their loss was in the opener to what is turning out to be a really good Penn State team. The Mountaineers and that underrated defense have earned this spot.
(23) James Madison (5-0) ⇓1
Last week: W 31-23 vs. South Alabama
The Dukes have wins in Charlottesville and Troy. Both are tough places to play. James Madison has already thrown down the gauntlet for the best team in the Fun Belt.
(22) Maryland (5-0) ⇓3
Last week: W 44-17 vs. Indiana
Maryland isn't sleepwalking through the easy part of their schedule. Something can be said for that. The easy button goes away this weekend.
(21) Fresno State (5-0) ⇓4
Last week: W 27-9 vs. Nevada
It's not Fresno's fault. The Mountain West can't compete with the strength of schedules of the Power Five teams. They made a solid statement in September though.
(20) Kentucky (5-0) ⇔
Last week: W 33-14 vs. Florida
Only ESPN drinks enough SEC Kool-Aid to have Florida still ranked before last week. A better showing by the defense in advance of the matchup with Georgia is what the fans wanted to see.
(19) Duke (4-1) ⇓9
Last week: L 14-21 vs. (21) Notre Dame
There's no shame in losing to a tough Notre Dame team, even if it was at home.
(18) Utah (4-1) ⇓13
Last week: L 7-21 at Oregon State
I was conflicted about how far to drop the Utes due to them playing without Cameron Rising and Brant Kuithe this season. They were also without their top two backs for the tilt with the Beavers.
The Pac-12 is strong enough to get a one-loss team in this year, but holding out Rising is peculiar since he has warmed up before every game this season. Maybe it's just window dressing and he's still not confident in his knee. Whatever the case, the Utes have a brutal stretch coming up at the end of October with a trip to the Coliseum, Oregon, Arizona State, and a trip to Seattle. They can't lose even one of those and still have a shot.
That is why this is the last great college football season. Next year, they could drop at least one of those and it wouldn't matter. Kiss regular season drama goodbye in 2024!
(17) Notre Dame (5-1) ⇑4
Last week: W 21-14 at (9) Duke
The Irish are one second away from being ranked in the top three.
(16) Oregon State (4-1) (NR)
Last week: W 21-7 vs. (5) Utah
The Utah defense didn't play poorly, but the offense had all sorts of trouble with an underrated Oregon State defense. Being without Cameron Rising was bound to burn the Utes at some point. Oregon State was more than good enough to make that happen. The breakout year from Silas Bolden is incoming. D.J. Uiagalelei adds a dimension to this team that it just didn't have last year.
If you made me tackle 6-0, 232-pound Damien Martinez for 45 minutes and then threw 5-8, 157-pound Silas Bolden at me in the fourth quarter I'd walk off the field in protest. No thanks
— Patrick Mayhorn (@patrick_mayhorn) October 3, 2023
(15) Alabama (4-1) ⇑3
Last week: W 40-17 at Mississippi State
Tide fans need to take a chill pill. Jalen Milroe can throw when he needs to. Just in case you forgot...
Jalen Milroe delivers a 33-yard DIME right as he gets hit ?#Alabama extends their lead to 17-7 over #OleMiss ?#RollTide | @JalenMilroe pic.twitter.com/QDnunzryal
— The Athletes Plug (@TheAthletesPlug) September 23, 2023
(14) Oklahoma (5-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 50-20 vs. Iowa State
The Sooners have looked really good against suspect competition. We'll find out how real they are this weekend.
(13) Georgia (5-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 27-20 at Auburn
Brock Bowers might be a first-round pick as a tight end. This was a tough road win for Georgia. When all is said and done, the Bulldogs only have four road games out of 12 this season (Jacksonville is a neutral site)...and two of them are the last two games of the season. How's that for cake? Want an even larger piece? Kentucky, Missouri, and Mississippi all have to visit Athens this year.
(12) Michigan (4-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 45-7 at Nebraska
This was a dominant performance by Michigan's lines. Nebraska didn't score until garbage time. Throws like this are why people still believe in J.J. McCarthy. Don't let anyone tell you this is easy.
Have yourself a first half Roman Wilson ?@UMichFootball makes it 28-0 in the first half vs Nebraska ? pic.twitter.com/BLkJfAkflA
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 30, 2023
(11) Miami (FL) (4-0) ⇑2
Last week: Bye
There is a sneaky-good game against the Wreck coming up, followed by a trip to Chapel Hill. The ACC gets real for Miami soon.
(10) USC (5-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 48-41 at Colorado
This was without Travis Hunter. Oh, and USC nearly blew a 41-14 lead. Oregon made a statement in their win over Colorado. USC showed why they aren't an elite team. This offense is one of the better ones we've seen in a while. The defense will hold them back.
(9) Washington (5-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 31-24 at Arizona
This was without Jayden de Laura and Michael Wiley on the field for Arizona. A win is a win, but style points are starting to matter. The Huskies were up 18 at one point and led by 14 with eight minutes left. This was the first time all season that Washington hasn't looked elite. They were merely good in this one. Well...except for Devin Culp. He's still elite.
This catch by Devin Culp was NUTS ? #Huskies #Washington pic.twitter.com/fTIiiOmIxp
— Real Friends & Football (@rff_football) October 1, 2023
(8) Missouri (5-0) ⇑2
Last week: W 38-21 at Vanderbilt
The Vanderbilt offense looks better with Ken Seals taking the job back, but allowing 75 points to Kansas State, Vandy, and Memphis is a bit concerning with Georgia looming. Oh...and they allowed 19 to Middle Tennessee State. Brady Cook is having a season for the ages, but the defense is going to be a problem for the Tigers in the teeth of SEC play.
(7) North Carolina (4-0) ⇑1
Last week: Bye
Those wins over South Carolina and Minnesota are starting to lose some luster, especially considering both of those were at home.
(6) Penn State (5-0) ⇑1
Last week: W 41-13 vs. Northwestern
How bad is Iowa's offense? Even Northwestern scored 13 on Penn State! This defense is still elite though. The offense has finally caught up.
(5) Oregon (4-0) ⇑1
Last week: W 42-6 vs. Stanford
Oregon started slow, then remembered who they are. A big showdown looms in Seattle in two weeks.
(4) Ohio State (4-0) ⇔
Last week: Bye
The top of the rankings are stable. The teams with marquee wins early on are thriving in the rankings, as they should.
(3) Texas (5-0) ⇔
Last week: W 40-14 vs. (25) Kansas
Best Average Margin of Victory for teams with a Top 25 SOS:
1) Texas (+23.2)
2) Kansas St (+21)
3) WSU (+20.3)
4) Bama (+18)
5) Ole Miss (+16.8)
6) Clemson (+15.8)
7) Wisconsin (+13.5)
8) LSU (+10.6)
T9) Utah (+7.4)
T9) WVU (+7.4)— Shaun Ranks College Football (@RankingNCAAF) October 4, 2023
Jalon Daniels didn't play, but it probably wouldn't have mattered if he did. This looks like a team on a mission. Texas is destroying teams they should. Not everyone can say that.
(2) Washington State (4-0) ⇔
Last week: Bye
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) ⇔
Last week: Bye
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
- Texas A&M
- Louisville
- Marshall
Stay tuned for the college football rankings here at RotoBaller throughout the entire season!
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