College Football Top 10 Ranking: Bottom half sees massive changes

It’s the second year of the 12-team College Football Playoff. When the CFP committee starts releasing rankings later this season, they won’t be the end-all, be-all, given the new seeding rules for the 12-team field. However, the rankings are still enjoyable, and people will continue to argue over them. They still matter. 

So after every weekend, after the dust settles from the games, I’m going to unveil my updated top 10.

1. Ohio State (8-0)

Ohio State was going to play two tough games all season — Texas and Penn State. Those teams, both of which we believed were national title contenders at the start of the season, have been disappointments. As a result, Ohio State truly won’t have any quality wins. Ohio State beat Penn State 38-10 on Saturday and nobody cares. Unfortunately, we may have to wait until the Big Ten Championship Game for some to believe the Buckeyes are dominant. That said, you could make the case they have the five best players in college football — receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, safety Caleb Downs, linebacker Arvell Reese and now quarterback Julian Sayin. Ohio State is the clear favorite to win it all.

2. Indiana (9-0)

Indiana doesn’t play games to cover. The Hoosiers play them to embarrass their opponent. Maybe that’s the team taking on the personality of its head coach in Curt Cignetti, who was resentful last year of the narrative surrounding his CFP team. The difference this year is that Indiana has a win over Oregon on its resume, so it makes it harder to dismiss the blowouts it keeps racking up. The latest was a 55-10 win over Maryland on Saturday. The Hoosiers, who don’t play a functional team for the rest of the year, seem destined for a trip to the Big Ten title game.

3. Texas A&M (8-0)

Texas A&M fans have been living in perpetual fear every week that their team would be exposed as frauds. Even though the Aggies aren’t, it’s just muscle memory at this point. The good news is that those faithful Aggies got a weekend off from being anxious, as Texas A&M didn’t play. This team is the only remaining undefeated team in the SEC. Backed by star quarterback Marcel Reed, the Aggies seem destined to make this year’s College Football Playoff. Maybe this year is the year in College Station.

4. Alabama (7-1)

Alabama had an open week this weekend, so it got to sit at home and relax for another fun Saturday in the SEC. As the conference continued to beat up on each other, the Crimson Tide remain one of only two teams in the SEC who has yet to lose in conference play. Alabama will still be tested down the stretch of the season, but its four-game run of beating ranked teams has proven it is one of the better teams in college football. Kalen DeBoer has to keep it rolling.

5. Georgia (7-1)

Georgia could have lost each of its last three games, including a narrow 24-20 win over Florida on Saturday evening. Though it was a highly entertaining, back-and-forth game, the Bulldogs prevailed to win a rivalry on a neutral field and extend their record to 7-1. There is no question this Georgia team isn’t as dominant as it’s been in the past and it seems plausible the Bulldogs may lose again. But as much as people want to knock them for almost losing, they also deserve credit for knowing how to win. That’s the advantage of having Kirby Smart on your sideline.

6. Ole Miss (8-1)

Ole Miss hosted South Carolina on Saturday night and played a closer-than-expected game before pulling away late. The Rebels beat the Gamecocks, 30-14, backed by another solid game by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. There is a cluster of SEC teams ranked between No. 3 and No. 6, and it’s frankly hard to know exactly just how good these teams are. Maybe they are elite. Perhaps they aren’t. But as long as they keep winning, as Ole Miss is doing, it’s impossible to rank them any lower.

7. Oregon (7-1)

Oregon has lost one game all year. It was to Indiana by 10 points at home. We view Indiana as clearly one of the two best teams in the sport, yet that loss has completely taken the Ducks out of the national discourse. But Oregon, in my view, is every bit of a national title contender as Ole Miss or Georgia. The Ducks didn’t play Saturday, but they’ll host Iowa next weekend. Oregon controls its own destiny to the College Football Playoff but not the Big Ten title game.

8. BYU (8-0)

BYU is doing exactly what it did last year, but the Cougars haven’t gotten as much attention. There is no question about it — Kalani Sitake knows how to win games. But because of last year, we’re just assuming the bottom will fall out at some point. Maybe it will. But we don’t rank teams based on last year’s results. BYU didn’t play on Saturday, but the Cougars are one of the few power teams that have yet to lose. That has to mean something. We’ll find out just how good it is next weekend when they travel to Texas Tech, ESPN’s College GameDay destination.

9. Notre Dame (6-2)

The most flattering thing you can say in the moment about Notre Dame is that it played two competitive games against Texas A&M and Miami. Well, the Hurricanes lost their second game of the year to SMU, making one of their “quality losses” a little less quality. Still, Notre Dame has won six consecutive games — one of which was against USC — and that has to mean something. Notre Dame will likely keep winning because it is a legitimately good team, but things probably don’t feel great after struggling on the road against Boston College on Saturday.

10. Texas Tech (8-1)

Texas Tech invested in its roster in a way that others in the Big 12 can’t. That’s the benefit of having a billionaire oil baron take an interest in helping the school win titles. Texas Tech looked really good for the first six games of the year, but a loss at Arizona State put out the fire around this Red Raiders team. Texas Tech has now won two straight since losing to the Sun Devils and will host BYU next weekend. Whoever wins has an inside track on the Big 12 title and the CFP.