Overrated and Underrated College Football Teams - Reviewing NCAA CFB Rankings For Week 15

December 4, 2023

Jackson's list of overrated and underrated CFB power rankings from AP, for 2023 NCAA college football teams for Week 15. Who are the most overvalued and undervalued college football teams after Week 14?

13 weeks of regular season action and Conference Championship weekend have concluded. That means bowl season is ahead, but there are still some teams who are too high and others that are too low in the Week 15 AP Poll. None of the teams are this list play this week, and Army vs. Navy is the only game on the slate.

There are overvalued and undervalued teams all over the country. Let's dive in and analyze the four teams who are improperly ranked after Championship Week 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.

Overrated College Football Teams For Week 14

Louisville Cardinals: No. 16

Louisville had a fantastic season under first-year head coach Jeff Brohm. However, they lost to a 3-9 Pitt team and a 7-5 Kentucky team late in the season. In the ACC Championship game, the Cardinals could only put up 188 total yards and six points.

There's an argument to be made that teams should not be punished much in the rankings for playing an extra game. However, Georgia, Oregon, Iowa, Oklahoma State, and Tulane all fell at least two spots in the rankings. The Cardinals fell just one spot and are still ahead of conference champions SMU and Liberty. Louisville absolutely deserves a spot in the end-of-season rankings, but a fall to at least No. 18 would have made sense. The ACC was pathetic this season, and Louisville beat just two teams who ended with more than seven wins.

Final: Cards 6, FSU 16#GoCards

— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) December 3, 2023

Tulane Green Wave: No. 23

Tulane has probably been underrated for much of the 2023 season. Their only loss of the regular season came against Ole Miss, and they looked to be headed toward an AAC Conference Title win and a New Year's Six Bowl.

Unfortunately, Tulane suffered a 12-point defeat to SMU on Saturday, ending their magical season. Now, the Green Wave should be knocked out of the rankings. There's not much room for error for Group Of Five conference schools, so failing to win a conference title should've been enough to kick them out of the top 25.

The pick that sealed it.
Who else but @It_Zaay ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/bwJ2OMKbz8

— SMU Football (@SMUFB) December 3, 2023

No. 24 James Madison, No. 25 Tennessee, and unranked Clemson all have arguments to be placed ahead of Tulane in the final rankings.

Underrated College Football Teams For Week 14

Washington Huskies: No. 2

How can the No. 2 team in the nation be underrated? I'll tell you. Washington faced the eighth-toughest schedule in the country this season and defeated the 11-win Oregon Ducks twice. The voters have had Oregon ahead of Alabama and Texas since Week 10, so why wouldn't they reward Washington with the No. 1 spot after the Huskies swept them?

13-0 DONT PLAY W US pic.twitter.com/4HLjrROzeb

— Washington Football (@UW_Football) December 2, 2023

No. 1 Michigan faced the 51st-toughest schedule and squared off with a lifeless Iowa offense in the Big Ten title game. Ultimately, both teams will have the chance to make their marks in the College Football Playoffs, but it's a little surprising to see the AP Voters not move Washington up to No. 1 given their voting history. Michigan is a national brand and won most of its games easily this year, but Washington is more battle-tested and found a way to win big, win close, and win ugly.

Clemson Tigers: Unranked

Going 8-4 at Clemson isn't the standard anymore. However, the Tigers had a better season than it seemed on the surface. The Week 1 blowout loss to Duke was embarrassing, but the Tigers' other defeats came against an undefeated Florida State team with Jordan Travis, a 9-3 NC State squad, and a bowl-eligible Miami team on the road in overtime.

Dabo Swinney's team sat at 4-4 through eight games but won its final four games -- two of them against ranked opponents Notre Dame and North Carolina. Obviously, the four-loss ACC team cannot see a dramatic climb in the rankings, but the No. 24 or No. 25 spot makes sense. This is one of the best 25 teams in the country.

It’s a date in DUUUUVAL. https://t.co/oMVeKI3O37 pic.twitter.com/S3JTDkZMz4

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 3, 2023

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