College football’s Top 25 résumé ranking entering Week 11

Twelve of the 25 teams in this week’s ranking have multiple losses.

Eight of those 12 are from either the SEC or the Big Ten. Of the remaining 4, they either A) have a win over an SEC team, or B) have a win over a Big Ten team.

Cincinnati dropped all the way out of the top 25 this week after getting pummeled by Utah. The Bearcats have played 2 good teams and lost both games.

Georgia Tech also fell all the way out. The gap between the ACC and the rest of the power conferences is a chasm.

Tennessee also dropped from the ranking after losing to Oklahoma at home, which might ruffle the most feathers. The Vols have lost 33% of their games. Their best win is an overtime victory over Mississippi State. That’s hilariously weak.

You can find last week’s ranking here.

Ranking the Top 25 résumés in college football

So, what’s the objective here?

This is not a subjective power ranking of the best teams in college football. This is not a subjective ranking of how I think these teams will look at the end of the season or a prediction of who will make the College Football Playoff. This is a ranking that seeks to compare what teams have actually done on the field, free from the bias that gets baked into a preseason ranking. Who you beat matters. Where you beat them matters. How you beat them matters. And losses matter.

Let’s get to it.

Dropped from the ranking: 9 Georgia Tech, 13 Cincinnati, 19 Tennessee

25. James Madison (7-1, 5-0 Sun Belt)

BEST WIN: 63-27 vs. Old Dominion
LAST WEEK: NR

Welcome the Dukes to the party. The only loss is on the road at Louisville in Week 2, and the Dukes went to the fourth quarter of that game tied. Five of the 6 wins since have come by double-digits. And, by the way, SP+’s résumé ranking has JMU 8 spots above Tennessee.

24. Virginia (8-1, 5-0 ACC)

BEST WIN: 24-21 vs. Clemson
LAST WEEK: NR

Virginia is top-12 in the AP poll and it might be one of the weakest teams we’ve seen climb that high in the AP Poll since 2016 Nebraska. The Cavs are below 2-7 Arkansas in SP+. They’re 8-1, so they’re back in, but the margins are thin.

23. Washington (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten)

BEST WIN: 42-25 vs. Illinois
LAST WEEK: 25

Washington moves up off a bye because teams dropped out.

22. South Florida (6-2, 3-1 AAC)

BEST WIN: 18-16 at Florida
LAST WEEK: 24

South Florida moves up off a bye because teams dropped out.

21. Iowa (6-2, 4-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 37-0 at Wisconsin
LAST WEEK: 23

Can I write the same thing 3 times in a row?

20. Michigan (7-2, 5-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 24-7 vs. Washington
LAST WEEK: 22

Michigan’s losses are excusable. Michigan has a couple of solid wins.

19. Louisville (7-1, 4-1 ACC)

BEST WIN: 24-21 at Miami
LAST WEEK: 21

Here we go with the ACC again. I’m just generally lower on most of these teams than pollsters. It has the loss to Virginia, yet I have Louisville ranked ahead of Virginia. Why? Louisville has such better wins to the point that head-to-head doesn’t come into play. Virginia’s claim to fame is beating Florida State at home in overtime. Louisville has a win at Miami, a win at Pitt, and a win over James Madison. The Cards are also at least 10 spots above Virginia in every model I look at — FEI, Sagarin, SP+, and K-Ford.

18. Memphis (8-1, 4-1 AAC)

BEST WIN: 34-31 vs. South Florida
LAST WEEK: 20

Memphis responded to a season-defining win over South Florida by going on the road and handling a conference opponent. Props.

17. Missouri (6-2, 2-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 23-17 at Auburn (2OT)
LAST WEEK: 17

Mizzou did not move after a bye week. There will most definitely be some movement after this upcoming weekend.

RELATED: Missouri online sports betting will be live before the end of the year. Saturday Down South will have the latest info surrounding the Caesars Missouri promo code launch.

16. Vanderbilt (7-2, 3-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 31-24 vs. LSU
LAST WEEK: 11

I was backing Texas going into the weekend, so the Longhorns actually pulling out the victory wasn’t all that surprising. Vanderbilt saved face by closing the gap late.

15. Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 23-6 vs. Oklahoma
LAST WEEK: NR

The Longhorns surge into the ranking. After floundering for most of the early part of the season, Texas has figured some stuff out of late. Quarterback Arch Manning may have found something, too. The opening frame against Vandy was a jolt.

14. USC (6-2, 4-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 31-13 vs. Michigan
LAST WEEK: 15

Yes, Nebraska lost its starting quarterback. Yes, Nebraska’s record against ranked opponents is double-take bad. But USC still won in Lincoln, which I value.

13. Notre Dame (6-2)

BEST WIN: 34-24 vs. USC
LAST WEEK: 14

A 15-point win over a terrible Boston College team is “top 10” good? I don’t think so. This clump of teams in the 12-through-14 range got settled by head-to-head performances.

12. Miami (6-2, 2-2 ACC)

BEST WIN: 27-24 vs. Notre Dame
LAST WEEK: 5

Miami has 2 ACC losses in a bad ACC. Miami also has a resounding win over an SEC squad, a blowout win over South Florida, and a win over Notre Dame. I’m keeping Miami higher on the strength of the victories. Another loss and the ‘Canes are out.

11. Utah (7-2, 4-2 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 45-14 vs. Cincinnati
LAST WEEK: 16

Utah’s schedule is remarkable. The Utes have 2 losses to top-10 teams and 7 wins by first-round knockout. Their 7 wins this season have come by an average of 36 points per game. All of them have been by 25 points.

10. Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 33-27 at Tennessee
LAST WEEK: 18

I was officially out on Oklahoma given the offense’s shortcomings, so Saturday’s win in Knoxville came as a bit of a surprise. That was a massive result for coach Brent Venables.

9. BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 24-21 vs. Utah
LAST WEEK: 12

BYU moves up off a bye because teams dropped. Ahh. See, I still haven’t written the same thing 3 times.

8. Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 34-26 at Oklahoma
LAST WEEK: 10

The Rebels roasted South Carolina. That was a mildly concerning spot, but Ole Miss passed the test.

7. Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 43-35 vs. Ole Miss
LAST WEEK: 7

It’s very difficult to ignore the officiating errors that are consistently benefiting the Bulldogs in close games. Georgia won another game that, in my book, has an asterisk.

6. Texas Tech (8-1, 5-1 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 34-10 at Utah
LAST WEEK: 8

The win over Utah looks that much better. Cincy couldn’t handle Rice-Eccles Stadium. Texas Tech made the Utes look pedestrian.

5. Oregon (7-1, 4-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 30-24 at Penn State
LAST WEEK: 6

Oregon is coming off a bye, and it has a pretty important game coming up in Iowa City. If the Ducks handle Iowa, some of the questions that have popped up about them lately get shushed. If Oregon struggles, a conversation is warranted. We’ll see.

4. Alabama (7-1, 5-0 SEC)

BEST WIN: 24-21 at Georgia
LAST WEEK: 4

Alabama got some much-needed and well-deserved rest in Week 10. The Crimson Tide are still the best 1-loss team in football.

3. Ohio State (8-0, 5-0 B1G)

BEST WIN: 34-16 at Illinois
LAST WEEK: 3

Ohio State spotted Penn State a touchdown in the second quarter. The Nittany Lions finished with 14, marking the second time in 3 games the Ohio State defense gave up double-digit points. The sky is officially falling. Fire everyone. The standards are outrageously high right now because of how well this team is playing. Penn State was never a threat.

2. Indiana (9-0, 6-0 B1G)

BEST WIN: 30-20 at Oregon
LAST WEEK: 2

IU’s 55-10 destruction of Maryland was the midday game on CBS. That network really went from Alabama-Tennessee classics to Indiana-Maryland obliterations. Yikes. With regard to the Hoosiers, IU can accelerate away from anyone. Let’s just schedule the Big Ten title game now and get on with it.

1. Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0 SEC)

BEST WIN: 49-25 at LSU
LAST WEEK: 1

Texas A&M doesn’t lose its spot off a bye week. The magnitude of IU’s win in Week 10 was impressive, but the significance was relatively minimal. Maryland is a fine team. That victory wasn’t enough to push IU back ahead of A&M for the top spot. This is still the best résumé in football.