How high do the Washington Huskies rise in this week’s college football power rankings after their big win over the weekend?
1. Georgia Bulldogs (7-0) | Last week: 1
Carson Beck threw a late interception for the Dawgs that helped Vandy keep it a little closer, but it was a strong all-around effort for the offense—though now we’ll have to keep an eye on the status of All-American tight end Brock Bowers, who is dealing with an ankle injury and could miss an extended period. Georgia might lean more on the running backs while Bowers is out.
2. Michigan Wolverines (7-0) | Last week: 2
The dominance of Michigan is extremely impressive, and they could easily be in the No. 1 spot over Georgia, especially after the Bowers injury. Last week, Minnesota ahead coach P.J. Fleck called the Wolverines the best college football team he’s seen in the 11 years that he’s been a head coach.
3. Washington Huskies (6-0) | Last week: 8 (+5)
In one of the biggest matchups in Pac-12 history, Washington was able to beat Oregon behind two key goal-line stops and four touchdown passes from Heisman favorite Michael Penix Jr. The Huskies are up to No. 5 in the AP poll, but we’re giving them the nod behind Georgia and Michigan.
4. Oklahoma Sooners (6-0) | Last week: 3 (-1)
While Oklahoma doesn’t have any current ranked opponents left for their six regular season games, we know that crazy things can happen in college football. This Saturday will be a very interesting matchup against Gus Malzahn and UCF, where OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel used to play.
5. Florida State Seminoles (6-0) | Last week: 4 (-1)
Florida State dominated Syracuse at home, 41-3, and now they’ll host No. 16 Duke in a huge ACC battle. Jordan Travis should be fine after dealing with an injury and leaving briefly last week, and his connection with transfer receiver Keon Coleman has been outstanding.
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6. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0) | Last week: 5 (-1)
It hasn’t been a monstrous Heisman type of year yet, but Marvin Harrison Jr. has gone over 100 yards with a touchdown in four of his six games this season. Kyle McCord seems to be getting more comfortable at quarterback, and Devin Brown (one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown against Purdue) provides a nice changeup at the position.
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0) | Last week: 6 (-1)
Penn State might have come out a bit sluggish early against UMass, but they turned it on in the final three quarters, racking up 56 points in the 63-0 shutout. The Nittany Lions allowed just 1.8 yards per play to the overmatched Minutemen. They’ll now go to Columbus for one of the best matchups of the season this Saturday at noon ET.
8. Oregon Ducks (5-1) | Last week: 7 (-1)
Oregon drops a spot after their first loss of the season, but they should hold their heads high for the way they played on the road—and their CFP hopes are far from dashed. The Ducks defense had a very strong stretch to help stage the comeback in the second half before ultimately not holding up against a short field on the game-winning score. And the offense performed admirably in the loss.
9. Texas Longhorns (5-1) | Last week: 10 (+1)
USC’s loss is helping a couple of one-loss teams remain in the back half of the top ten. Texas took last week to refocus following the tough Red River Rivalry loss, and they go to Houston this Saturday afternoon.
10. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1) | Last week: NR
North Carolina (6-0) has a definite case for landing in the top ten, but Alabama—despite nearly allowing a comeback to Arkansas—is playing well in the SEC. While the pass protection must improve, Jalen Milroe is at least taking care of the ball and hitting on the big plays down the field.