Miami lost their first game of the season and Georgia falls from the top 10 in our updated college football power rankings.
1. Oregon Ducks (10-0) | Last week: 1
Oregon cruised to a 38-19 win over Maryland last week, and quarterback Dillon Gabriel broke the NCAA record for total carer touchdowns (179) in the process. If they can avoid a slip up against Wisconsin and Washington to finish off November, the Ducks should lock up a playoff berth no matter what happens in the Big Ten Championship Game.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1) | Last week: 2
The Buckeyes dominated defensively in a 45-0 shutout win over an overmatched Purdue team on Saturday, and Will Howard was extremely efficient (21/26 for 260 yards and three touchdowns). After taking on Northwestern this weekend, a likely top-five battle between Ohio State and Indiana will headline November 23 action.
3. Texas Longhorns (8-1) | Last week: 4 (+1)
Texas had no problems with Florida coming out of a bye week, and calls to get the running backs more involved paid off as Jaydon Blue went for 60+ yards both on the ground and through the air while freshman Jerrick Gibson was back to being a factor with 16 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. The Longhorns finish off the regular season with matchups against Arkansas, Kentucky, and Texas A&M.
4. Tennessee Volunteers (8-1) | Last week: 6 (+2)
Defense continues to be the story for Tennessee, and now they will try to keep yet another opponent under 20 points for a trip to Athens versus a struggling Georgia offense. On the other side of the ball, running back Dylan Sampson (30 carries for 149 yards and one touchdown last week) trying to set the tone versus a determined defense will be an entertaining battle.
5. Indiana Hoosiers (10-0) | Last week: 7 (+2)
Indiana survived versus Michigan with a 20-15 victory on Saturday, and they’ll get a chance to recharge with a bye before the massive showdown against Ohio State in a couple of weeks. Pass protection will need to be better to keep quarterback Kurtis Rourke upright in a hostile road environment.
6. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1) | Last week: 8 (+2)
Penn State rebounded nicely from their loss against Ohio State by jumping out to a 28-0 halftime lead against Washington—and the Nittany Lions are probably lamenting the loss to the Buckeyes not being played at night. Still, their path to a playoff spot appears clear if they can take care of business versus Purdue, Minnesota, and Maryland to close out the regular season.
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1) | Last week: 9 (+2)
This is around the area where the two-loss teams like Alabama can make a case for moving up further, but Notre Dame has a road win over Texas A&M on their resume, and they just destroyed Florida State, 52-3. A defensive line led by Rylie Mills (3.0 sacks last week) gives the Fighting Irish a chance to beat anyone.
8. BYU Cougars (9-0) | Last week: 10 (+2)
BYU defeated Utah with a field goal in the final seconds to remain undefeated, and they will be tested this weekend versus a Kansas squad that just knocked off Iowa State thanks to a well-rounded offensive attack powered by quarterback Jalon Daniels (365 total yards and three total touchdowns) and running back Devin Neal (20 touches for 138 yards and two touchdowns). The Pac-12 is wide open, but BYU is at the top.
9. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2) | Last week: NR
Jalen Milroe showed he’s arguably the best quarterback in college football by taking over in Death Valley on Saturday night—leading Alabama to a 42-13 win against LSU. Opponents will not want to face the Crimson Tide if they can get into the College Football Playoff.
10. Ole Miss Rebels (8-2) | Last week: NR
Ole Miss deserves a ton of credit for overcoming an interception by Jaxson Dart on the first possession that led to a 7-0 deficit, and backup Austin Simmons leading a touchdown drive to make it 7-7 before Dart returned from an ankle injury shouldn’t go overlooked. The losses for Lane Kiffin’s squad this year have been 20-17 versus Kentucky and 29-26 versus LSU (in overtime).