BYU drops out of the top 10 and three undefeated teams remain as we hit the middle of November.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0) | Last week: 1
The Buckeyes took care of business last week against Purdue with Jeremiah Smith having a career-high 10 receptions—reminding everyone how dominant he is after Carnell Tate didn’t end up playing due to an undisclosed injury in pre-game warmups. The defending champions have scored 34+ points in every game since the start of October.
2. Texas A&M Aggies (9-0) | Last week: 2
Texas A&M was pushed by Missouri early last week in a ranked matchup, but they ended up cruising to a 38-17 victory that put them another step closer to virtually locking up a playoff spot. This week, the Aggies with host South Carolina in a game that was one of the more highly anticipated showdowns when the schedule was released, so we’ll see if the Gamecocks can make it a close one.
3. Indiana Hoosiers (10-0) | Last week: 3
Indiana was given a major scare last week by trailing versus Penn State, 24-20, in the final minute—but Fernando Mendoza connected with Omar Cooper Jr. with 36 seconds to play on one of the most clutch grabs you will ever see. The Hoosiers will close out the regular season with two more tests in the Big 10 by hosting Wisconsin and heading to Purdue (sandwiching a bye).
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-1) | Last week: 4
The past couple of games have been a bit closer than Alabama would like with a 29-22 win over South Carolina and a 20-9 win over rival LSU—and the offense has cooled off just a tad. Still, the Crimson Tide will be in great position for an SEC Championship berth if they can handle No. 11 Oklahoma this weekend.
5. Georgia Bulldogs (8-1) | Last week: 5
The other huge SEC clash on Saturday comes in Athens with the Bulldogs hosting Texas—and Kirby Smart’s squad was able to get the better of them in both matchups last year. Maybe a new name will step up after former Georgia star Trevor Etienne led the team to their 2024 wins with five touchdowns in the two games.
6. Ole Miss (9-1) | Last week: 6
As expected, Ole Miss picked up an easy win over Citadel last week, 49-0, and they should find their way into a clear playoff spot by beating Florida this week and Mississippi State on Black Friday.
7. Oregon Ducks (8-1) | Last week: 7
Iowa had Oregon on the ropes last week, but they answered a late touchdown that put them down 16-15 with a field goal in the final seconds. The status of top weapons Dakorien Moore and Kenyon Sadiq will be monitored closely after they were out last weekend.
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-1) | Last week: 10 (+2)
Home dominance continued for the Red Raiders in their win over then-No. 7 BYU, and star linebacker Jacob Rodriguez was everywhere with a team-high nine tackles and an interception. Look for Texas Tech to lean on the backfield duo of Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams to take the pressure off the passing attack.
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2) | Last week: NR
An 0-2 start with losses to Miami and Texas A&M—who are a combined 16-2—has been put in the rearview mirror, and Notre Dame is another team that would seem to be a lock for a playoff spot if they win out in the regular season (with no conference championship game as an independent). This week will be the biggest challenge left as the Fighting Irish take on a ranked Pitt squad.
10. Texas Longhorns (7-2) | Last week: NR
The Longhorns can make things very interesting in the SEC by beating Georgia on Saturday night, and they’ll also face Texas A&M to conclude the regular season. In what is obviously a big spot for Arch Manning, there is also the storyline of him having the Bulldogs as one of his top contenders during recruitment before deciding to play for Texas.