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Home / frontfootball / 2022 College Football Power Rankings: Week 9
AP Photos/Wolf Sports Illustration

2022 College Football Power Rankings: Week 9


The top six remains clear, but where do teams like TCU and Oregon rank in the final college football power rankings for October?

 

1. Georgia Bulldogs (7-0) | Last week: 1

This weekend unfortunately won’t be a ranked matchup after Florida lost to LSU to drop to 4-3, but the Florida-Georgia rivalry is one of the best in college football. After the week of rest, we’ll see how the Bulldogs defense handles Gators dual threat quarterback Anthony Richardson.

 

2. Tennessee Volunteers (7-0) | Last week: 2

Hendon Hooker continues to be near or at the top of Heisman lists, and Tennessee had no trouble coasting to a 65-24 win versus Tennessee-Martin. Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt stayed red-hot with 174 yards and two touchdowns as a follow-up to his five-touchdown performance. Kentucky will obviously be a bigger challenge this week.

 

3. Michigan Wolverines (7-0) | Last week: 3

Michigan had off last week and will now host rival Michigan State in The Big House for the big national ABC game on Saturday night. The Wolverines won’t have to deal with stud running back Ken Walker III, who is now doing damage in the NFL, but the team will be ready to go as they look to redeem last year’s loss.

 

4. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0) | Last week: 4

It says something that a 54-10 conference win in which you put up the most points ever on a Kirk Ferentz-coached Iowa is a bit of a disappointment for the offense. The Buckeyes defense forced six turnovers in the win, and they’ll look to keep rolling when they go to Penn State this Saturday noon ET.

 

5. Clemson Tigers (8-0) | Last week: 5

D.J. Uiagalelei was benched after a couple of interceptions for top recruit Cade Klubnik in Clemson’s comeback home win against fellow unbeaten Syracuse, but Dabo Swinney says Uiagalelei is still the team’s starting quarterback. Uiagalelei was also benched last season before coming back strong, and he’s been really good for most of 2022—so look for him to bounce back from his off day and play well over the final four regular season games. The Tigers will now step back and recharge with a bye week.

 

6. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1) | Last week: 6

The Alabama defense responded to their performance in Knoxville that led to their first loss of the season, holding Mississippi State to just six points and 3.4 yards per play in a 30-6 win. And perhaps most importantly, the Tide had just three penalties for 20 yards after struggling with that mightily. Now Alabama will face a surging LSU team coached by Brian Kelly for the first time.

 

7. TCU Horned Frogs (7-0) | Last week: 8 (+1)

A balanced offensive attack led by Max Duggan (280 passing yards, three passing touchdowns) and Kendre Miller (153 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns) paced TCU to yet another ranked victory within the Big 12. The Horned Frogs will look to get to 8-0 when facing a struggling West Virginia team this weekend.

 

8. Oregon Ducks (6-1) | Last week: 10 (+2)

Quarterback Bo Nix was phenomenal in Oregon’s home victory against UCLA, and the Auburn transfer hasn’t gotten enough credit for the way he’s been playing since the switch seemingly flipped in the 29-point fourth quarter at Washington State a month ago. First-year head coach Dan Lanning is pushing the right buttons for the Ducks.

 

9. Oklahoma State (6-1) | Last week: NR

Oklahoma State’s defense tightened up in a major way in their win versus Texas, holding the Longhorns to three second-half points after giving up 34 in the first half. Jason Taylor II had two of the Cowboys’ three interceptions in the victory, and Spencer Sanders threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns in the comeback. Also, the well-coached Mike Gundy program committed zero penalties in the game.

 

10. UCLA Bruins (6-1) | Last week: 7 (-3)

A shootout looked likely, potentially with the team getting the ball last winning—but the onside kick by Oregon in the second quarter gave them the momentum that they did not give up for the rest of the game after taking a two-possession lead in Eugene. UCLA showed fight, and there’s a chance for a rematch in the Pac-12 title game in December.