by Sean Szymczak
Another incredible day of college football in week 9.
Ohio State outlasted Penn State in a showdown of the nation’s premier defenses. USC’s kryptonite made another appearance as the Trojans fell to the Utes in an instant classic. North Carolina got upset by one-win Virginia at home. Florida State rallied past a Riley Leonard-less Duke. And Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington all struggled with vastly inferior competition.
We have 2 new teams in this week’s edition of the top 25:
The Floor Slap’s Week 9 Top 25
- Michigan (8-0)
- We can deal with the fallout of the cheating allegations when/if the NCAA decides on a verdict and punishment. Until then, we can only go off what we’re seeing on the field. And Michigan continues to dominate, beating Michigan State 49-0. They haven’t played a single quality opponent, but no one in college football has been more consistently dominant than the Wolverines.
- Ohio State (7-0)
- Ohio State’s defense really looks like the best in the country. Drew Allar was rattled all day and the Buckeyes dominated the line of scrimmage from start to finish. When TreVeyon Henderson and Emeka Egbuka return, Ohio State could end up being the nation’s most complete team.
- Florida State (7-0)
- The Seminoles have been tested against LSU, Clemson, and now Duke but have emerged as victors every time. They trailed 17-7 and didn’t see their first lead until late in the 3rd quarter, but had a dominant 4th quarter to rally past a talented Duke team.
- Washington (7-0)
- The Huskies managed just 288 total yards against the one-win Sun Devils. They were outgained by 53 yards, had three fewer first downs than ASU did, went just 3-11 on 3rd down, and possessed the ball for only 22 minutes. But a 90-yard pick-six got them a 15-6 win. It doesn’t erase what they’ve accomplished to this point, but my concerns about their tackling and rushing attack were validated this weekend.
- Oklahoma (7-0)
- Washington wasn’t the only team to struggle with inferior competition, as Oklahoma trailed UCF 23-17 entering the 4th. But two long touchdown drives gave them a 31-29 win.
- Georgia (7-0)
- Texas (6-1)
- Struggling with sub-500 teams was a theme for the top-10, as Texas was outgained by Houston and only beat them 31-24. Despite that, they should still run the table and set the stage for a rematch against Oklahoma in the Big 12 title. A spot in the CFP could very well be on the line.
- Alabama (7-1)
- I never felt like this Tennessee team was any good this year. Despite a slow start, Alabama did what they should have done to the Vols.
- Oregon (6-1)
- Penn State (6-1)
- Their defense is unquestionably among the best in the country. Credit to the Buckeye D, but Drew Allar was also terribly inaccurate down the stretch when Penn State still had a chance to win it. The run game still has yet to find it’s footing like last year. This is not an offense that looks ready to compete for championships.
- Oregon State (6-1)
- Utah (6-1)
- For the 3rd straight time, the Utes were far and away the better team than USC. They may have finally found their offensive rhythm despite Cam Rising’s continued absence, scoring 34 points in each of their past two games.
- Notre Dame (6-2)
- Ole Miss (6-1)
- LSU (6-2)
- Why are we playing Army in October?
- Missouri (7-1)
- Missouri plays Georgia in two weeks. They have a real chance to pull off that upset.
- Louisville (6-1)
- Air Force (7-0)
- Duke (5-2)
- If we’re ranking this offense with a healthy Riley Leonard, they are a top-15 team. Without Riley Leonard, they don’t crack the top-25. Leonard isn’t expected to miss time with this ankle flare up, but he may not be 100% for the rest of the season. This seems like an appropriate spot for him.
- Liberty (7-0)
- James Madison (7-0)
- Say it with me: Respect the Undefeated Teams!!!
- UCLA (5-2)
- North Carolina (6-1)
- They just lost to the worst team in the ACC at home. Dropping them out of the rankings entirely wouldn’t be an overreaction.
- USC (6-2)
- Tulane (6-1)
Just Missed Out: Florida, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
New to Rankings: James Madison (21), Tulane (25)
Dropped from Rankings: Tennessee (20), Iowa (21)
Ranked Teams by Conference
Pac-12: 6
SEC: 5
ACC: 4
Big Ten: 3
Big 12: 2
Other: 5 (Notre Dame, Air Force, Liberty, James Madison, Tulane)