Ad Disclosure
The regular season is over. Conference title games are all that stand between us and the first 12-team playoff in the history of major college football. Here’s how I ranked each team in the ballot I submitted for Saturday Down South’s official top 25.
1. Oregon (12-0)
Last week: 1
Oregon won 12 games for the second consecutive season and finished the regular season 12-0 for just the second time in program history.
2. Notre Dame (11-1)
Last week: 3
Notre Dame ended the regular season with 10 consecutive wins. Yes, the loss to NIU — which finished 7-5 — was objectively horrible, but this is not the same Notre Dame team that lost that game. The Irish have won 7 straight by at least 2 scores.
3. Texas (11-1)
Last week: 4
The Longhorns have produced consecutive 11-1 regular seasons. The lone blemish was a home loss to Georgia. They capped the regular season with a 17-7 win at Texas A&M. The schedule was incredibly kind and I have my concerns about Texas against top teams, but I can’t argue with the results
4. Penn State (11-1)
Last week: 5
Penn State survived Minnesota on the road and came home to close out the regular season the right way — with a 37-point win over an inferior opponent. Is this the same Penn State team? We’ll find out.
5. Tennessee (10-2)
Last week: 9
Tennessee had played 3 true road games prior to Week 14 and it had lost 2 of them. The offense didn’t travel well. Against Vanderbilt, Tennessee fell into a 14-0 hole and still won by double-digits.
6. SMU (11-1)
Last week: 8
I thought SMU could have an outstanding season. I didn’t think the Mustangs would do so with a quarterback not named Preston Stone. Kevin Jennings has been awesome. In a 38-6 win over Cal, Jennings threw for 225 yards and 2 scores. Against one of the stingiest secondaries, Jennings played turnover-free ball. SMU is my pick to win the SEC.
7. Georgia (10-2)
Last week: 6
Carson Beck has rediscovered his form. Georgia still can’t find any consistency. I don’t know. This team could win the national championship or legitimately lose in the first round of the Playoffs. We’ll see what happens in the SEC title game.
8. Boise State (11-1)
Last week: 10
Boise State handled Oregon State to cap an 11-1 regular season. The only loss was in Eugene to Oregon.
9. South Carolina (9-3)
Last week: 14
Because of the evolution of LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina is playing some of the best ball of anyone in the country. The Gamecocks closed the regular season with 6 straight wins. They lost a 3-point game to LSU on a bogus penalty and they lost a 2-point game at Alabama. That game seems to have been the catalyst for Sellers’ late-season surge. I’d put SC in the Playoff right now.
10. Ohio State (10-2)
Last week: 2
Ohio State lost to Oregon on the road and lost to Michigan at home. In games against teams with comparable talent, Ohio State went 1-2. The win was over Penn State, which has the same kind of mental block in games with Ohio State that Ohio State apparently has in games with Michigan. I’m out on Ryan Day.
Related: Looking to bet on college football’s postseason? Sign up with your preferred sports betting app to get in on the action with a generous starting bonus.
11. Indiana (11-1)
Last week: 12
Indiana responded to a disappointing game against Ohio State by bullying a disgusting Purdue team. IU probably gets into the CFP, where it’ll get one more chance to prove its record wasn’t just a product of the schedule.
12. Arizona State (10-2)
Last week: 13
The Sun Devils have won 5 straight and, one year after a 3-9 campaign, will play for a conference championship. Kenny Dillingham has my support for Coach of the Year.
13. Alabama (9-3)
Last week: 15
Alabama rebounded from the faceplant in Norman and handled Auburn in the Iron Bowl. It was a thoroughly uninteresting game, which was the best outcome for Alabama.
14. Miami (10-2)
Last week: 7
When the offseason arrives, we’ll need to have a conversation about Mario Cristobal. Miami started 9-0, and thanks to a 42-38 loss to Syracuse, the Hurricanes will not play for an ACC title and will not go to the College Football Playoff. With a quarterback who could have won the Heisman Trophy, Miami imploded. Rather, Miami choked.
15. Ole Miss (9-3)
Last week: 16
The Rebels played the kind of game against Mississippi State I expected to see. They finished the regular season with a win over Georgia and no shot to make the CFP. What a disappointment.
16. Iowa State (10-2)
Last week: 18
Iowa State lost back-to-back games and then won its final 3 to capture the first 10-win season in program history. The reward is an opportunity to play for the Big 12 title. Matt Campbell was at his best this year.
17. Clemson (9-3)
Last week: 11
Clemson struggled against a competent defense again, but back-doored its way into the ACC title game thanks to Syracuse.
18. Illinois (9-3)
Last week: 20
Illinois beat Northwestern by 10 and Rutgers by 7 to close out the regular season. The Illini did well with a generous schedule but were handled by the top teams they played. The “ranked” wins over Kansas, Nebraska, and Michigan all deserve asterisks. Five of the Illini’s 6 conference wins were against teams with losing records in league play.
19. Missouri (9-3)
Last week: 21
Missouri got to 9 wins, which gives Eli Drinkwitz 20 over the last 2 years. It’s just the third time in program history Missouri has won 20 games or more over a 2-year period. But the Tigers probably left some meat on the bone and that’ll be tough to swallow.
20. BYU (10-2)
Last week: 22
BYU beat Houston to get to 10 wins for the third time in the last 5 years. That great! But, after a 9-0 start, it won’t play for a conference title and it likely won’t sniff the CFP. BYU only has 1 win over a top-25 team and only 2 conference wins over teams that finished with a winning record in Big 12 play.
21. Syracuse (9-3)
Last week: 24
Dino Babers won 10 games in 2018, but struggled to build on that momentum and never won more than 7 games in a year before getting canned last fall. The Orange brought in Fran Brown, who immediately rejuvenated the program. Syracuse has some serious juice.
22. Army (10-1)
Last week: 25
Army survived UTSA, 29-24, to hit 10 wins. I’m anxious to see how it looks against Tulane in the AAC title game.
23. Memphis (10-2)
Last week: unranked
Memphis jumped on Tulane to hit double-digit wins for the second consecutive season. Ryan Silverfield deserves a look from Power conference teams this offseason.
24. Texas A&M (8-4)
Last week: 19
The Aggies are probably the drug I can’t quit. They have 4 losses, 3 of which are to teams I’d put in the College Football Playoff. The fourth was a 4-overtime loss on the road in one of the toughest environments to play in in all of college football. A&M has more wins over current AP-ranked teams than Colorado
25. Colorado (9-3)
Last week: unranked
The Buffs beat the brakes off Oklahoma State, but that Cowboys team is so bad that a portion of the fanbase wants to fire the greatest coach in program history. Colorado has 2 supposed Heisman finalists but has no ranked wins, won’t play for a conference title, and won’t be in the CFP discussion. Deion Sanders did a phenomenal job this season, but let’s just keep things in perspective.
Dropped out
Tulane (17), Kansas State (23)
Right on the cut line
UNLV, Tulane, Louisiana
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
