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The 2023 college football regular season is officially over, meaning it's time to head into conference championship week. After 13 weeks of football, the AP voters have the correct pecking order from No. 1 to No. 14. However, there are still some mistakes after that point in the rankings.
There are overvalued and undervalued teams all over the country. Let's dive in and analyze the four teams who are improperly ranked after Week 12 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.
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Overrated College Football Teams For Week 14
Louisville Cardinals: No. 15
Louisville and Jeff Brohm have been impressive this season. They are set to play in their first ACC Championship game and are 10-2 this year. However, the Cardinals' best wins are over 9-3 Notre Dame and 7-5 Duke. Their two losses come to 3-9 Pittsburgh on the road and 7-5 Kentucky at home. Kentucky had lost five of its last six games heading into the rivalry game.
Taking the Governor's Cup back to Lexington. pic.twitter.com/AmfZvPd0YT
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) November 25, 2023
The Cardinals' resume is strong enough to keep them inside the top 25, but a No. 15 ranking is a bit too rich. They will still have the chance to shock the world and defeat Florida State on Saturday, but for now, they deserve to be punished a little bit more by the AP voters.
Oregon State Beavers: No. 21
Led by head coach Jonathan Smith and quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, the Beavers got out to a 6-1 start and looked to be a legitimate contender for a PAC 12 title. However, Oregon State lost three of their last five games and finished the season 8-4. Wins over UCLA and Utah looked strong at the time, but neither school cracked nine wins this season.
Final. pic.twitter.com/sIX3Kie11H
— Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) November 25, 2023
The Beavers might deserve to remain at the bottom of the rankings, but one-loss Toledo and two-loss SMU should probably jump them.
Unfortunately for Beaver Nation, Smith has accepted the head coaching job at Michigan State. Oregon State and Washington State are the only members of the PAC 12 who are not leaving the conference in 2024, so uncertainty lies ahead for the program.
Underrated College Football Teams For Week 14
Tulane Green Wave: No. 17
Tulane's only blemish this season is a 17-point loss to Ole Miss, who sits at 10-2 and is the No. 11 team in the country after 13 weeks of action. After that Week 2 loss, the Green Wave have won 10 in a row. Other than Ole Miss, no opponent has scored over 28 points against Tulane. Tulane boasts the No. 6 rushing defense (86.0 rush yards per game allowed) and the No. 19 scoring defense (19.4 PPG) in the country.
Most Group Of Five schools excel with dominant offense, but Tulane has played well in all three phases of the game. Tulane should be ahead of at least No. 15 Louisville and No. 16 Notre Dame.
Willie Fritz's program appears to be headed toward another New Year's Six Bowl appearance as long as they handle SMU in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. Last season, they defeated Caleb Williams and USC in the Cotton Bowl.
The Championship is SET🏆
🏈@SMUFB vs @GreenWaveFB
🏟️ Yulman Stadium
🗓️ December 2
🕓 4:00 pm ET
📺 ABCSee you in New Orleans! #AmericanFB📺 pic.twitter.com/MVOmeszNH3
— The American (@American_Conf) November 25, 2023
Iowa Hawkeyes: No. 18
I know it's fun to laugh at the Iowa offense. After all, it ranks dead last nationally in total offense (247.3) and 120th out of 128 FBS programs in points per game (18.0). Despite this, the Hawkeyes are 10-2 and are heading to the Big Ten Championship Game to take on Michigan. Obviously, the Iowa defense is to thank.
Iowa ranks seventh in total defense (279.9 YPG), ninth in passing defense (174.3 YPG), and fourth in scoring defense (12.2 PPG). Again, these rankings are out of 128 schools.
Although they are likely to be overwhelmed by Michigan on Saturday, Iowa should be a top-15 program heading into Week 14. For as much love as Michigan and Ohio State got all season in the AP Poll, it's a little bit odd that this 10-2 Big Ten school can't see a little bit more love in the final rankings.
POV: you're in the locker room with the 10-2 Iowa #Hawkeyes. pic.twitter.com/vkvtyUNca8
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) November 24, 2023
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