by Sean Szymczak
Week 11 didn’t disappoint.
Washington outscored USC in an instant classic. Texas downed Kansas State in OT after leading 17-0 late in the 2nd quarter. Alabama made a statement against LSU. Oregon State cemented themselves as a legitimate Pac-12 contender. Georgia escaped a challenge from Missouri. Oklahoma fell to their rival in the final Bedlam for the foreseeable future. And Ohio State & Florida State made a 2nd half rally as heavy road favorites.
The top 8 seem solidified. If the nation’s top teams continue to win, the committee shouldn’t have a difficult decision in picking the top 4 teams at the end of the season. But if we start to see some upsets at the top of the rankings (which November tends to give us), we could be in for one of the most highly anticipated championship weekends in recent memory.
The Floor Slap’s Week 11 Top 25
- Michigan (9-0)
- The Wolverines continue to dominate. We’ll finally learn exactly how good they are when they travel to Happy Valley to take on Penn State this weekend.
- Georgia (9-0)
- It wasn’t exactly the statement many were hoping for, but Georgia finally got their first quality win of the season in a 30-21 battle against Missouri. Carson Beck is playing his best football of the season – maybe better than anyone in the SEC right now – and the defense is finally starting to replicate the success of the past couple seasons.
- Ohio State (9-0)
- If Treveyon Henderson doesn’t play, Ohio State really might’ve lost to Rutgers. Don’t be mistaken – this is far from the same old Rutgers team. But trailing at halftime to a team whose QB completed more than 50% of his passes in just 3 games coming into this weekend isn’t what you expect out of the committee’s #1 team.
- Florida State (9-0)
- They can be a bit erratic offensively, but it seems like a near lock that the Seminoles will finish the regular season 12-0.
- Washington (9-0)
- The Huskies outlasted USC in a 52-42 thriller. Michael Pennix remains my Heisman favorite and Dillon Johnson looks to be the running threat that can make this a truly complete offense. I know they were facing Caleb Williams, but Washington’s defense remains a question mark.
- Oregon (8-1)
- Oregon continues to beat the breaks off of teams, topping Cal 63-19. If they win out and beat Washington in a rematch in the Pac-12 title, there isn’t a reason the Ducks won’t be in the top 4 at the end of the season.
- Texas (8-1)
- Texas led 17-0 and appeared to be cruising to a great win over K-State, but mistakes piled up and let the Wildcats back in the game. The Longhorns benefited from a questionable decision by Kansas State, who went for it on 4th & goal from the 4 when they could have forced a second OT. But remember that Texas was playing without Quinn Ewers again. There’s optimism he’ll return next week, making Texas as dangerous as any in the country.
- Alabama (8-1)
- Jalen Millroe has always been as dangerous of a runner as any in college football. But the fact that he’s finding his footing in the pass game is a frightening thing for the rest of the country. I wouldn’t be shocked in the slightest if the Tide win out and beat Georgia in the SEC title to secure a playoff birth.
- Penn State (8-1)
- Penn State held Maryland to -49 rush yards and Drew Allar showed signs of growth. Their matchup against Michigan should be a great – albeit ugly and low-scoring – battle.
- Ole Miss (8-1)
- I think we’ll find out this weekend against Georgia just how overrated Ole Miss is. Until then, gotta respect their record and a gutsy win over a desperate Aggie squad.
- Louisville (8-1)
- They’ve beaten Duke and VT by a combined score of 57-3 over the past two weeks. Barring a massive upset, the Cardinals look like they’ll be 11-1 playing an undefeated FSU in the ACC title with a CFP birth on the line. Who predicted that in the preseason?
- Oregon State (7-2)
- They finish the season against Washington and Oregon. The Beavers could be the reason the Pac-12 is left out of the CFP once again.
- Utah (7-2)
- They travel to Washington this weekend and will be the biggest defensive test the Huskies have seen all season.
- Oklahoma State (7-2)
- Wins over Kansas, Kansas State, and Oklahoma give the Cowboys one of the most underrated resumes in the country.
- Kansas (7-2)
- Jason Bean isn’t the prettiest thrower of the football but he’s got the dog in him. Paired with backfield mate Devin Neal, Kansas will be a tough team to slow down in the final stretch of the season. Who isn’t rooting for the Jayhawks?
- Oklahoma (7-2)
- The Sooners aren’t playing like a top-20 team right now. But that win over Texas is as good as any in college football, and Oklahoma deserves credit for that. It’s by far a better win than anyone below them has.
- Tennessee (7-2)
- We’re playing UConn in November? Thanks SEC.
- LSU (6-3)
- I’m not sure this team is above .500 right now without Jayden Daniels. But they have him, and he’s one of the best players in America. Also beating Missouri on the road by more points than Georgia did at home has got to be worth something, right?
- Missouri (7-2)
- Missouri had the ball at midfield down 6 points midway through the 4th quarter. It really felt like the Tigers were about to pull off the upset. But two interceptions axed that dream.
- James Madison (9-0)
- I don’t care if they’re not bowl eligible. I’m not going to hold stupid NCAA rules against them.
- Tulane (8-1)
- They haven’t beaten a team by more than two possessions since September – and that was against Nicholls of the FCS. But 8-1 is 8-1.
- Liberty (9-0)
- It seems like a four-horse race between Tulane, Liberty, Fresno State, and Toledo for the G5’s NY6 bowl bid.
- Fresno State (8-1)
- Their defense is average, but they have two power-5 wins and one of the deepest receiver rooms in the country. It’s a travesty the AP Poll didn’t rank them this week.
- Arizona (6-3)
- The Wildcats are playing as well as anyone in the Pac-12 not named Oregon over the past three weeks. They are coming off an utter domination of UCLA in which they outgained the Bruins by over 150 yards, held them to 42% 3rd-down conversion & 0-2 on 4th down, and possessed the ball for over 35 minutes.
- Notre Dame (7-3)
- This is college football’s most temperamental team. They were the better team in that 2nd half against Clemson, but it wasn’t enough to dig them out of a massive hole. Sam Hartman has largely been a disappointment for the Irish.
Just Missed Out: Toledo, North Carolina, Kansas State
Dropped from Rankings: Air Force (16), UCLA (19)
New to Rankings: Fresno State (23), Arizona State (24)
Ranked Teams by Conference
SEC: 6
Pac-12: 5
Big 12: 4
Big Ten: 3
ACC: 2
Other: 5 (James Madison, Tulane, Liberty, Fresno State, Notre Dame)