by Sean Szymczak
And just like that, the curtain has closed on the 2023 college football regular season.
Ohio State & Michigan battled in the game of the year, with the Wolverines prevailing with their 3rd straight win in the rivalry. Washington and Alabama escaped by the skin of their teeth to beat their instate rivals and remain alive in the race for the CFP. Louisville, meanwhile, finally fell out of the playoff race with yet another loss to Kentucky. Texas put together their most dominant performance since September in a thumping of Texas Tech. And the G5 NY6 bowl bid is up for grabs as we enter Championship Weekend, with Tulane, Liberty, & Toledo all in contention.
Somehow, there are still eight teams with a legitimate shot at the CFP with just one weekend left. Michigan, the SEC Champ, and Pac-12 Champ seem to have three of the spots secured. But figuring out who gets that 4th spot will come down to a variety of games & factors.
The Floor Slap’s Week 14 Top 25
- Michigan (12-0)
- JJ McCarthy made plays I didn’t think he was capable of in an incredible team performance against Ohio State. I don’t know how you walk away from that game thinking those weren’t two of the best teams in the country – it was outstanding football all the way around. You can’t say the same for any of Georgia’s opponents. The Wolverines best the nation’s biggest test with flying colors.
- Georgia (12-0)
- Other headlines seem to have distracted the public from processing Georgia beat 6-6 Georgia Tech 21-13.
- Ohio State (11-1)
- This matchup wasn’t like the past couple years – Ohio State didn’t get dominated by Michigan by any extent. This was the game of the year and it came down to the very end despite a couple unfavorable calls from the refs for the Buckeyes. Saturday didn’t show much margin between Ohio State and the nation’s best team, so I am ranking them so. But Ohio State obviously doesn’t play next weekend for a conference championship, so they are sure to be leapfrogged.
- Washington (12-0)
- Just. Win. You can hate on how they are winning games all you want, but your team probably isn’t 12-0 right now. That call on 4th & 1 from their own 30 with nearly a minute left in a tied game was special.
- Oregon (11-1)
- Their dominance through the past month won’t mean anything if they can’t write their wrongs against Washington in Vegas.
- Florida State (12-0)
- Florida State’s two performances without Jordan Travis haven’t been pretty by any means. I don’t think anyone would argue Ohio State is clearly better than Travis-less FSU. But I will give the Seminoles their flowers and put them above Ohio State if they are able to beat Louisville and win the ACC.
- Texas (11-1)
- Finally. Dominance from the Longhorns. This is the kind of performance we needed to see if Texas wanted to fend off a 12-1, SEC Champ Alabama team for the 4th CFP spot.
- Alabama (11-1)
- I will never understand how Auburn continuously plays up for Alabama like they do. Or maybe it’s Alabama playing down. The Tide had no business winning that game. But a muffed punt & questionable push-off on the 4th & goal catch kept Alabama’s playoff hopes alive.
- Penn State (10-2)
- Given the quality of the Ohio State vs Michigan game and the Penn State offense finally opening it up, I think Penn State is the nation’s best 2-loss team.
- Missouri (10-2)
- Their loss against LSU is worth than either of Penn State’s losses. Their best win (either 36-7 vs Tennessee or 30-27 against Kansas State) is not as good as Penn State’s 31-0 domination of Iowa. Looking at both team’s body of work through the whole season, I give Penn State the nod.
- Arizona (9-3)
- 6 straight wins to end the season by an average margin of over 20 points. Arizona is playing some of the best football in the country right now.
- Oklahoma (10-2)
- Ole Miss (10-2)
- LSU (9-3)
- Iowa (10-2)
- Louisville (10-2)
- I like my top 11 – the order and who is included. Teams 12-16 have some more wiggle room. But I am ranking them based on who I think would win if they played tomorrow.
- Notre Dame (9-3)
- Liberty (12-0)
- Liberty plays 10-3 New Mexico State (a couple weeks removed from spankings Auburn) for the Conference USA Championship
- Tulane (11-1)
- Tulane plays 10-2 SMU (also undefeated in conference) for the American Championship
- Toledo (11-1)
- Toledo plays 10-2 Miami OH for the MAC Championship. All three of these matchups should be great tests. The order of these three teams (and the one who gets the NY6 bid) can definitely change. Even though the committee seems to heavily favor Tulane, I think all three of these teams are comparable in talent & resume.
- Oklahoma State (9-3)
- Since their upset against Oklahoma, the Cowboys were beaten 45-3 by now 6-6 UCF and escaped with narrow victories over sub-.500 Houston & BYU teams. Nonetheless, Oklahoma State is playing in the Big 12 title.
- Oregon State (8-4)
- SMU (10-2)
- 8 straight wins to end the season – 6 of them by 3+ possessions. The C-USA Championship against Tulane should be exciting, with both teams in play for a NY6 bowl birth.
- NC State (9-3)
- The Wolfpack bodied their instate rival 39-20 to wrap up their season. It’s a shame it took so long for their defense to really click – NC State might be playing the best football in the entire ACC right now.
- Clemson (8-4)
- It really hasn’t been pretty all season long, but Clemson has rallied since sitting at 10th in the ACC entering November.
Just Missed Out: James Madison, Miami OH, Troy
Dropped from Rankings: Kansas State (19)
New to Rankings: Clemson (25)
Ranked Teams by Conference
SEC: 5
Big Ten: 4
Pac-12: 4
ACC: 4
Big 12: 3
American: 2
Other: 3 (Notre Dame, Liberty, Toledo)