We are heading into the final weekend of action before the initial College Football Playoff rankings are released next Tuesday night—and our power rankings have very limited movement from last week.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0) | Last week: 1
The Buckeyes had off last week and will now face a Penn State team that should have upset on their mind despite firing James Franklin and not having quarterback Drew Allar. Last year, Ohio State was able to get away with a 20-13 win after going down 10-0 in the first quarter.
2. Texas A&M Aggies (8-0) | Last week: 3 (+1)
If anyone was questioning Texas A&M before last week, that should have changed with quarterback Marcel Reed totaling four touchdowns and the pass rush dominating in a 49-25 road win over LSU. In two of the most high-profile spots of the season for any team this year, the Aggies has knocked off Notre Dame and LSU in hostile environments in primetime.
3. Indiana Hoosiers (8-0) | Last week: 2 (-1)
Dropping a spot in the power rankings after a 50-point win is rough, but a case could really be made for all three of Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Indiana to take the top spot. The Hoosiers will most likely get their shot at the Buckeyes in the Big 10 Championship several weeks from now to settle things anyway.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1) | Last week: 4
Alabama was given a fight by South Carolina over the weekend, but a pick-six boosted them early—and the offense eventually got going in the fourth quarter of a 29-22 victory. The Crimson Tide now head into a bye week before the gauntlet schedule ends by hosting rival LSU (now weakened following the firing of Brian Kelly) and Oklahoma.
5. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) | Last week: 5
Georgia is coming off a bye week and will now hit the field every weekend through the end of November. Kirby Smart won’t be overlooking Florida this week and gets a tough one versus Texas in three Saturdays from now—but the biggest one could end up being a Black Friday showdown versus undefeated Georgia Tech.
6. Ole Miss (7-1) | Last week: 6
An intense matchup versus Oklahoma had Ole Miss on the ropes, but Lane Kiffin’s squad finished with a strong fourth quarter after failing to do that versus Georgia in the previous outing. The defense will try to carry the late momentum into a matchup against star quarterback LaNorris Sellers and South Carolina this weekend.
7. Oregon Ducks (7-1) | Last week: 7
Wisconsin was able to drag Oregon into a slugfest last week despite the game being in Eugene, but the defense for the Ducks came to play—including by holding the Badgers to seven-of-21 passing for 86 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Fortunately, quarterback Dante Moore is “in great shape” after leaving in the second half versus Wisconsin after getting bloodied by getting struck in the face on a designed run.
8. Vanderbilt Commodores (7-1) | Last week: 8
Vanderbilt is another team that needed to rely on their defense to get a win last week, as struggles from Heisman contender Diego Pavia were overcome in a 17-10 win over Missouri. The Commodores could catch a break if Texas quarterback Arch Manning (concussion) is unable to go this weekend in a huge SEC clash.
9. Louisville Cardinals (6-1) | Last week: 9
Louisville still has plenty of battles left in the ACC to keep their top 10 ranking, and it’ll be interesting to see how the committee views them next week (assuming they win again). The biggest challenges for the Cardinals will be in the middle of November with back-to-back games versus Clemson and SMU.
10. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-0) | Last week: NR
Georgia Tech could be above Louisville following a convincing win over Syracuse (41-16) as one of two unbeaten teams in ACC play (along with Virginia at 4-0 and 7-1 overall)—and they’ll get two “easier” matchups against 4-4 NC State and 1-7 Boston College to begin November. After that, Pittsburgh will be the only ACC opponent left to earn a spot in the championship game before facing Georgia to close out the regular season.