Alabama won by 60, Ohio State held off Indiana, Cincinnati skated past UCF, Wisconsin flopped in Evanston, Coastal Carolina won a tough game against App State, USC dropped Utah, and we were an overtime away from seriously ranking Rutgers, you guys. A full recap after our latest Top 20 rankings.
18 Stripes Top 20 Poll
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | NEXT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 7-0 | 63-3 Win vs. Kentucky |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 8-0 | BYE |
| 3 | Ohio State | 4-0 | 42-35 Win vs. Indiana |
| 4 | Clemson | 7-1 | BYE |
| 5 | Cincinnati (+2) | 8-0 | 36-33 Win at UCF |
| 6 | Texas A&M (-1) | 5-1 | BYE |
| 7 | Florida (-1) | 6-1 | 38-17 Win at Vanderbilt |
| 8 | BYU (+2) | 9-0 | 66-14 Win vs. North Alabama |
| 9 | Northwestern (NR) | 5-0 | 17-7 Win vs. Wisconsin |
| 10 | Coastal Carolina (+8) | 8-0 | 34-23 Win vs. App State |
| 11 | Marshall | 7-0 | BYE |
| 12 | USC (+9) | 3-0 | 33-17 Win at Utah |
| 13 | Oregon (-1) | 3-0 | 38-35 Win vs. UCLA |
| 14 | Indiana (-6) | 4-1 | 42-35 Loss at Ohio State |
| 15 | Miami (-2) | 7-1 | BYE |
| 16 | Oklahoma (-1) | 6-2 | 41-13 Win vs. Oklahoma State |
| 17 | Wisconsin (-8) | 2-1 | 17-7 Loss at Northwestern |
| 18 | Iowa State (+1) | 6-2 | 45-0 Win vs. Kansas State |
| 19 | Georgia (-3) | 5-2 | 31-24 Win vs. Miss State |
| 20 | Oklahoma State (-6) | 5-2 | 41-13 Loss at Oklahoma |
OUT: Liberty
IN: Northwestern
Week 12 Recap
Northwestern upended Wisconsin and took control of the Big Ten West despite just 263 total yards. That’s now 2 straight weeks the Wildcats have won despite averaging under 4.0 yards per play. Freshman QB Graham Mertz came crashing down the earth with 3 picks in the Badgers loss.
Ohio State’s defense is showing signs of weakness but their 607 yards carried the Buckeyes past ranked Indiana in what should be their toughest test until the bowl season or playoffs. We’ll use this space to point out that Michigan nearly lost to Rutgers in triple overtime.
Cincinnati had a back and forth gem with UCF and came out victorious. The regular season finale against Tulsa (both teams unbeaten in league play) looms large.
Coastal Carolina took a big step towards winning the Sun Belt East division with a win over reigning conference champion App State. They’ll play Liberty in a couple weeks who just dropped out of the rankings after a close loss to NC State.
We don’t know how good Utah will be this year but USC took away a big road win and is shooting up the rankings. This may turn out to be an unimpressive victory but for now it beats Oregon’s best win.
Bedlam started out poorly for the Cowboys and ended that way, too. Many people are starting to talk themselves into Oklahoma doing something as we march towards the post-season but it’s unclear exactly what that entails. For now, the Sooners are boxed in with 2 losses and will need some of the 10 undefeated teams in our rankings to start dropping games.
USC transfer JT Daniels finally made his debut for Georgia and sizzled with 401 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. And yet, the Dawgs struggled to put away middling Mississippi State.
***
AP Top 25: Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson, Texas A&M, Florida, Cincinnati, BYU, Oregon, Miami, Oregon, Northwestern, Indiana, Georgia, Oklahoma, Iowa State, Coastal Carolina, Marshall, Wisconsin, USC, Texas, Oklahoma State, Auburn, Louisiana, Tulsa, North Carolina.
CFB Top 25: Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Florida, Cincinnati, Northwestern, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, Indiana, Iowa State, BYU, Oregon, Wisconsin, Texas, USC, North Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Marshall, Auburn, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Tulsa.
Week 13 Games to Watch
Iowa State (+2) at Texas
Both of these teams come in on 3-game winning streaks and a loss here effectively ends Texas’ ability to win the Big 12. Could this be Matt Campbell’s big moment in nearly sealing a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game at the expense of Tom Herman?
Oregon (-14) at Oregon State
This rivalry is occasionally super weird for the usually heavily-favored Ducks. They’ve won 11 out of the last 12 meetings but 4 out of the last 5 trips to Corvallis have been tight games. Maybe a trendy upset pick here is warranted as Oregon has looked shaky at times this season.
Pitt at (+25) Clemson
I think Clemson is going to be super rusty and Pitt is a much different team with Pickett at quarterback. Take the points here and hope Clemson doesn’t have receivers running behind the Pitt defense all game.
Oklahoma (-11) at West Virginia
West Virginia has been quietly very competent this year. The Sooners have been on fire after some early season struggles, though. I think if this was a Noon kickoff in Morgantown there’s some danger for Oklahoma but it’s a primetime game on ABC and there should be plenty of attention for OU.
Maryland (+12) at Indiana
Maryland hasn’t played in forever and has the passing offense to keep up with Indiana. This could be a fun shootout and not very much in line with the Big Ten aesthetic.
Colorado (+13.5) at USC
USC should breeze to the Pac-12 Championship Game. Key word, should. I’d hate to see the Trojans falter this weekend with their eyes on the prize.
Auburn (+24) at Alabama
This seems like a lot of points for an Auburn team that has the horses to run with an Alabama defense that has experienced some struggles this year. Add in the rivalry factor and I think Bama may struggle to cover.
That Clemson/Pitt line strikes me as enormous given recent history. Clemson squeaked past BC, lost to ND, hasn’t played in almost three weeks, and has been primarily focused on throwing a hissy fit about the FSU game. Meanwhile, since losing to ND, Pitt has blown out FSU and VT. I think (hope) Pitt is going to give Clemson all they can handle on Saturday.
Thanks for ranking Georgia appropriately. No one has skated based purely on rep more than them this season.