College football’s Top 25 résumé ranking entering Week 13

Another change at the top. Another shuffle at the bottom. You can find last week’s rankings here.

Ranking the Top 25 résumés in college football

This is not a power ranking of the best teams in college football. This is not a 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 ranking aims to compare who has accomplished what, who has beaten whom, and who has lost where. While some might treat the non-power conferences as second-rate, I’m more inclined to give those teams love. If Tulane is above Texas, does that mean I think Tulane would beat Texas on a neutral field if they played tomorrow? It does not.

Let’s get to it.

Dropped from the ranking: 18 South Florida, 21 Louisville, 24 Cincinnati, 25 Iowa

25. North Texas (9-1, 5-1 AAC)

BEST WIN: 59-10 vs. Washington State
LAST WEEK: NR

The Mean Green keep thumping teams. The 29-point win over UAB was the fifth time this season North Texas has beaten an opponent by at least 3 touchdowns.

24. Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC)

BEST WIN: 23-17 at Auburn
LAST WEEK: NR

A warm welcome back to Missouri, which ran roughshod over Mississippi State last week for a 49-27 victory. The Tigers are firmly in the top 20 of most power ratings, and 2 of the 3 losses have come to Sagarin-rated top-10 teams. The lack of a strong win keeps them from climbing much higher, but the overall quality of the season, given the context and the schedule, warrants inclusion here.

23. Virginia (9-2, 6-1 ACC)

BEST WIN: 30-27 at Louisville
LAST WEEK: NR

The Cavaliers picked up a solid win at Duke. They led 31-3 going into the fourth quarter, so the final margin was a little less indicative of the type of game it was.

22. SMU (7-3, 5-1 ACC)

BEST WIN: 26-20 vs. Miami
LAST WEEK: NR

The Mustangs have 2 fewer wins than Virginia and an extra loss, but they are above Virginia. Why? SMU is 1-0 against Sagarin-rated top-10 teams, and it is 2-0 against top-30 teams. Virginia has yet to play a top-10 team, and it has faced only 1 top-30 team.

21. Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC)

BEST WIN: 41-34 at Mississippi State
LAST WEEK: 23

Tennessee did what it was supposed to against New Mexico State. I’m curious how the defense will look against Florida.

20. Texas (7-3, 4-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 23-6 vs. Oklahoma
LAST WEEK: 10

Texas is an interesting team. It feels like the Longhorns have done a lot while simultaneously doing very little. Texas has 2 wins over Sagarin top-30 teams, but it is 0-2 in games against top-10 teams. And neither of those games was particularly pretty for the Longhorns.

19. Georgia Tech (9-1, 6-1 ACC)

BEST WIN: 24-21 vs. Clemson
LAST WEEK: 22

There still isn’t a clearly defined elite victory on the résumé. They still play in a bad conference. They still have a bad loss, and they almost suffered another one in Week 12. But the Yellow Jackets are 9-1.

18. James Madison (9-1, 7-0 Sun Belt)

BEST WIN: 63-27 vs. Old Dominion
LAST WEEK: 20

The Dukes beat Appalachian State 58-10 over the weekend. It was their fourth win this season by 30-plus points. James Madison is up to seventh nationally in adjusted net EPA per play. The team is legit good.

17. Tulane (8-2, 5-1 AAC)

BEST WIN: 38-32 at Memphis
LAST WEEK: 19

Tulane avoided the post-big win hangover and beat FAU 35-24 to move one step closer to the American title game and, by extension, the CFP. The Green Wave have 2 wins over power conference teams and a massive road win at Memphis in a “have to have it” spot.

16. Michigan (8-2, 6-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 24-7 vs. Washington
LAST WEEK: 17

In the 16-19 range, I was constantly left asking myself, “Well, who else are you going to go with?” Michigan has flirted with disaster in back-to-back games. The bottom of the Big Ten — which the Michigan Men have been beating up on of late — is pretty bad, but not as bad as the ACC or the Sun Belt.

15. Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 31-24 vs. LSU
LAST WEEK: 16

Seven programs have at least 4 wins over Sagarin top-30 teams so far this season. Six of them are in my top 9 this week. Vanderbilt is the seventh.

14. BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 24-21 vs. Utah
LAST WEEK: 15

BYU’s 9-1 record deserves acclaim, but the only thing of substance on the résumé is the 3-point home win over Utah, and I can’t forget the shellacking at Texas Tech that quickly. The head-to-head with Vanderbilt here comes down to the best win. Vandy has quantity. Utah is better than any of the teams Vandy has beaten.

13. USC (8-2, 6-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 31-13 vs. Michigan
LAST WEEK: 14

Gutsy win over Iowa by the Trojans, who have won 3 straight since the loss to Notre Dame. The Playoff beckons if USC can pull an upset this weekend. The Trojans are in a block with my 11 and 12 teams, and head-to-head is the differentiator.

12. Notre Dame (8-2)

BEST WIN: 34-24 vs. USC
LAST WEEK: 13

Notre Dame caused a raucous this week over its ranking in the CFP Top 25, which technically didn’t change from the previous week. I think the committee is being intentionally obtuse with Notre Dame. Good team, but there’s zero reason for the Irish to be above Alabama or Miami. Notre Dame is 0-2 against Sagarin top-10 teams. Alabama and Miami are a combined 2-0. The Irish aren’t anywhere close to Alabama in my view. Miami beat Notre Dame on the field. This is a good spot.

11. Miami (8-2, 4-2 ACC)

BEST WIN: 27-24 vs. Notre Dame
LAST WEEK: 12

Miami smoked NC State, which only made me more annoyed about the loss to Louisville. The Hurricanes are getting a bit of a raw deal this season, but they can’t really absolve themselves of blame. Great wins, avoidable losses.

10. Utah (8-2, 5-2 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 45-14 vs. Cincinnati
LAST WEEK: 9

Utah has done exactly what a team needs to do when it doesn’t get a ton of opportunities to beat elite teams — obliterate the rest. The Utes lost the only 2 games they’ve played against a Sagarin-rated top-30 team. The other 8 games have been decided by an average of 35.3 points per game. Even if you remove the Cal Poly result, the Utes still have an average margin of victory of 32.6 points. While they don’t have the kinds of résumé-building wins Miami has, they don’t have the head-scratching losses and they’ve passed the eye test every week.

9. Alabama (8-2, 6-1 SEC)

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

Alabama lost in a bad way to a good team. I’m not going to hammer the Crimson Tide for that, but they do drop a bit. Ty Simpson needs to figure out how to take better care of the football; the offensive problems have officially caught up to Alabama. And, for weeks, we could say “yeah, but…” with the Florida State loss because Alabama kept beating good teams. Now that the Tide have suffered another loss — at home, no less — it’s harder to deflect from that Week 1 eyesore.

8. Oregon (9-1, 6-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 18-16 at Iowa
LAST WEEK: 7

It has been interesting to see folks play the “who have they beaten” game with Oregon after the Ducks thoroughly dismantled Minnesota on a short week with a depleted roster. Oregon has become the team your buddy loves to hate. The Ducks are 2-1 against Sagarin-rated top-30 teams. They have the fifth-best résumé when judged by SP+. They have the seventh-best strength of record, according to FPI. The Ducks are a worthy top-10 team, and I have no qualms about having them ahead of Alabama. Upset about that decision? Take it up with Mike Norvell.

7. Oklahoma (8-2, 4-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 33-27 at Tennessee
LAST WEEK: 11

Oklahoma won another game on the road against a ranked opponent that it really didn’t have any business winning. Teams that outgain their opponent on a per-play basis win the vast majority of the time. Oklahoma lost the per-play efficiency battle against Tennessee (minus-0.2 yards per play) and won by 6 in Knoxville. Then it lost the efficiency battle again at Alabama (minus-1.2) and won by 2. A defense that forced 4 turnovers through the first 8 games of the season has come up with 6 in the last 2 games. Is that sustainable? Probably not, but it’s still darned impressive.

6. Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 34-26 at Oklahoma
LAST WEEK: 8

While the entire sports media landscape debates what Lane Kiffin should or should not do, I’m left lamenting the fact a special season is being drowned out by the noise. Ole Miss beat Florida to move to 10-1 and seemingly lock up a spot in the CFP. And I don’t think this year’s team is as talented as last year’s group. Given all the noise surrounding it, the locker room deserves a ton of appreciation for going out and taking care of business.

5. Texas Tech (10-1, 7-1 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 29-7 vs. BYU
LAST WEEK: 5

Tech has a Sagarin-rated top-10 win. It is 2-0 in games against top-30 teams. It is top-5 in résumé SP+. It is top-5 in ESPN’s game control metric. It has a top-10 strength of record, according to FEI. It has a top-10 résumé, according to KFord’s ratings. The only loss was on the road with a backup quarterback, and it came in the final minute. The 4 consecutive wins since that loss have all been by at least 22 points. I will not be entertaining any arguments that suggest this is anything other than a top-5 team.

4. Georgia (9-1, 7-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 43-35 vs. Ole Miss
LAST WEEK: 6

Kirby Smart owns Steve Sarkisian. That budding “rivalry” isn’t a rivalry. Smart has outmaneuvered Sarkisian in 3 consecutive matchups. Georgia flat dominated Texas in what was a “stop doubting us” kind of statement game. I won’t walk back any of the comments about Georgia’s friendly whistle this season, but I won’t doubt the Dawgs any longer. They just keep answering the moment.

3. Ohio State (10-0, 7-0 B1G)

BEST WIN: 14-7 vs. Texas
LAST WEEK: 3

The Buckeyes obliterated UCLA. A no-nonsense team in Columbus.

2. Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0 SEC)

BEST WIN: 41-40 at Notre Dame
LAST WEEK: 1

Texas A&M did everything wrong in the first half against a bad South Carolina team. Then it woke up in the second half and took it to the Gamecocks. I didn’t drop Indiana after it needed to come from behind to beat Penn State, but I’m dropping Texas A&M for needing to come from behind to beat South Carolina. The Hoosiers were on the road, and they didn’t trail until the fourth. The Aggies were at home, and they looked horrendous in the first half to fall into a 27-point hole. Texas A&M is 5-0 against Sagarin-rated top-30 teams while Indiana is 4-0. A&M still has a case to be No. 1, but the margins at the top are that thin. If I weren’t reactive to the results as they happen, there wouldn’t be any point to weekly updates for this ranking.

1. Indiana (11-0, 8-0 B1G)

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

Indiana smashed Wisconsin. It was “only” a 24-point win at home, but the Hoosiers never trailed and out-gained Wisconsin 6.3 yards per play to 3.7. The Hoosiers sit atop KFord’s “most deserving” ranking this week, and they hold the top spot in SP+’s résumé ranking.