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Top 25 College Football Rankings

For all the wild finishes and all the amazing games on Saturday – and Thursday – nothing much changed.

Most of the overall pecking order is still roughly the same, but the biggest key is the Texas loss to Iowa State, which finally starts to open things up.

Up until last Saturday, Texas had to be ranked ahead of Oklahoma. The Longhorn losses came to Notre Dame, Cal, Oklahoma State and TCU – all top teams ranked high for most of the year. But Cal is starting to slip as the losses start to mount, Tennessee is starting to improve, and Oklahoma’s win over the Vols is getting better and better. But here’s the problem – Iowa State beat Texas and hasn’t played OU yet. The Cyclone losses have come to Iowa, TCU, Baylor and Toledo, who are all unbeaten. However, ISU also lost to Texas Tech, who lost to Oklahoma. So now the Sooners are freed from the Texas loss, even though in a three-team order, until next week when ISU goes to Norman, it would have to be Iowa State, then Texas, then Oklahoma.

Sorry. All you need to know is that Oklahoma doesn’t have to be ranked behind Texas anymore.

However, Ole Miss still has to be behind Memphis and Florida State still has to be ranked behind Georgia Tech. The very bottom of the rankings are the real issue

With the CFP rankings released this week, the hope is that the committee goes through with just as much of a fine-tooth comb. They will. As always, based on results first, everything else a distant second …

1. LSU (7-0)

Coming up next is the whopper against Alabama, but there’s still the road date at Ole Miss coming up soon. There are no freebies the rest of the way with Arkansas and Texas A&M coming to Baton Rouge. For the moment, the win over Florida continues to get all the credit, because …

2. Florida (7-1)

The win over Ole Miss continues to be terrific, even with the Rebel blip against Memphis. The whacking around of Georgia should cement the Gators into the SEC championship game with layups against Vandy and at South Carolina next, but all eyes will be on the Florida State showdown. Even so, anything less than 11-1 will be a major disappointment.

3. Clemson (8-0)

That was a far stronger win over NC State on the road than it might appear to the unwashed masses. .

4. TCU (8-0)

As shaky as the Texas Tech win might have been, that’s part for the course against that team with that offense. The close call against Kansas State is still a problem, but now, destroying both Iowa State and Texas looks better. The offense is humming after the blowout over West Virginia.

5. Ohio State (8-0)

Broken record time, but the schedule is just so yuck. The Penn State win might be stronger and stronger as the season goes on, but that’s it. Everything else is a relative joke to what some of the other top teams are dealing with. J.T. or no J.T., the Buckeyes are 10-0 before Michigan State comes to town.

6. Baylor (7-0)

The committee will care about the loss of Seth Russell, but that doesn’t matter at the moment. The road game at Kansas State will be telling as the start of three road games in the next four, wrapped around the home date with Oklahoma.

7. Memphis (8-0)

So how long does this have to go on? Yeah, Memphis beat Ole Miss, but the second-best win was against Bowling Green on the. Road. The wins over Cincinnati and South Florida are nice, too, but there’s not a lot else. However, the Tigers will have to earn it now with Navy, at Houston and at Temple. Win those three, and they’ll have truly earned this spot.

8. Ole Miss (7-2)

The Rebels just keep on winning. They got through a slippery game at Auburn, and now they get home games against Arkansas and LSU. They have everything right there on the table, but it would help the cause if other top teams started losing. Yeah, the SEC champion will be high in the discussion, but they need Memphis to lose already to get rid of the playoff threat.

9. Alabama (7-1)

With wins over Wisconsin, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas A&M – beating the Bulldogs and Aggies on the road – no one has a better resume. Beat LSU, and that opens up everything else and the Crimson Tide can and should be up to No. 1.

10. Iowa (8-0)

The Hawkeyes just keep on rolling without much of a problem. Considering Nebraska’s loss to Purdue, though, out of the last five games, the date with Minnesota might be the only one against a team that’ll end up in a bowl game. All the heavy-lifting is over until the Big Ten title game.

11. Notre Dame (7-1)

The Irish just keep on rolling, Handing Temple and Navy their only losses helps, and beating USC is going to look better and better. Going to Pitt could be tricky, but it all comes down to the finale at Stanford. Win that, and they might be in the playoff.

12. Utah (7-1)

It’s not time to blow off Utah just yet. The win over Oregon State wasn’t any big whoop, but be careful here. The Utes could easily get through Washington and Arizona on the road – that game against the Huskies, though, might be sneaky-tough – and then comes the UCLA showdown in Salt Lake City. The overall resume is still impressive even with the loss to USC.

13. Michigan State (8-0)

Don’t fall asleep, Michigan State. Nebraska might not be very good, and it might have lost to Purdue, but the offense has some pop and the team is desperate. Now, the 24-21 close call to the Boilermakers doesn’t seem so awful, while the win over Oregon looks better.

14. Michigan (6-2)

Michigan deserves more credit than it’ll probably receive for that heart-stopping win over Minnesota. That was a jacked up Gopher team riding a wave of emotion, and the Wolverines held on. It should be smooth sailing through Rutgers and Indiana before going to Penn State.

15. Northwestern (6-2)

Lost in the shuffle is a 24-19 close call over a really, really miserable Ball State team. That’s the type of team Northwestern is this year – it’s going to be able to hang with just about everyone, but on the wrong day, it’s going to struggle thanks to the lack of downfield pop.

16. Stanford (7-1)

Okay, so by missing the game-winning field goal attempt, Washington State lost more than Stanford won, but it’s still a victory and the playoff is still a possibility. However, now the Oregon game seems more dangerous, and the Cardinal appear to be more vulnerable.

17. Texas A&M (6-2)

The team is still off. The quarterback situation is a question mark – yeah, yeah, yeah, Kyler Murray did fine, but it was still a fight to get by South Carolina at home. Even with the concerns and the issues, the Gamecocks should still roll through Auburn, Western Carolina and Vanderbilt before going to LSU to close out the regular season.

18. Oklahoma State (8-0)

There’s no need to get into a twist over the defense getting bombed on by Texas Tech on the road – that’ll happen to everyone. Just being 8-0 is more than enough going into showdown with TCU at home. Win that, don’t get tripped up by Iowa State, and then it’s really time to get interested. Beating the Horned Frogs will be enough for now.

19. Oklahoma (7-1)

Yeah, it’s the easy part of the slate, but Oklahoma is throwing haymakers ever since the Texas loss. It seems like that was a sort of wake-up call, and now the team has played like a true playoff contender over the last three weeks. This really might be the best team in the Big 12.

20. Mississippi State (6-2)

Sneaking through a really nice year, this could be a dangerous out the rest of the way. If the Bulldogs can beat Missouri on the road and somehow win two of the last three against Alabama, at Arkansas and at home against Ole Miss, the season will be a huge success.

21. Wisconsin (7-2)

It’s a shame the Badgers don’t get Iowa now. This is a different team and a different offense with Corey Clement running the ball – he’s the smoothest runner in the Big Ten when healthy. The trick will be to stay interested over the last three games against Maryland, Northwestern and Minnesota if Iowa keeps on winning.

22. USC (5-3)

On a nice two-game winning streak beating Utah and Cal, now the Trojans can push for something big. They just need one more Utah loss, and then they control their own Pac-12 destiny, even if the playoff is well out of reach. The team is playing far better now it did right after the Steve Sarkisian drama.

23. Texas Tech (5-4)

Here are the losses: TCU – unbeaten. Baylor – unbeaten. Oklahoma – one loss, but probably the Big 12’s best team. Oklahoma State – unbeaten. Beating Iowa State 66-31 looks a lot better now, and the win over Arkansas is going to remain a key part of the season the rest of the way. The D can’t play, but the O sure is fun.

24. Toledo (7-0)

It’s not like going through the top of the Big 12 or into the teeth of the SEC West, but Toledo has the tests coming up against Northern Illinois, at Central Michigan, at Bowling Green and Western Michigan, and none of the games are on a Saturday.

25. Arkansas (4-4)

The Hogs have won three of their last four, but now is where the losses to Texas Tech and Toledo hurt. It’s not going to be easy winning two of the last three, but they can be the giant killer with road games at Ole Miss and LSU coming up.

No. 26-128 College Football Rankings

26. Tennessee (4-4)

27. Georgia (5-3)

28. Oregon (5-3)

29. Arizona State (4-4)

30. UCLA (6-2)

31. California (5-3)

32. Auburn (4-4)

33. Louisville (4-4)

34. BYU (6-2)

35. Temple (7-1)

36. Houston (8-0)

37. West Virginia (3-4)

38. Washington State (5-3)

39. Washington (4-4)

40. Bowling Green (6-2)

41. San Diego State (6-3)

42. Utah State (5-2)

43. Boise State (7-2)

44. Penn State (7-2)

45. Navy (6-1)

46. Kentucky (4-4)

47. Cincinnati (5-3)

48. South Carolina (3-5)

49. North Carolina (7-1)

50. Pitt (6-2)

51. Florida State (7-1)

52. Miami (5-3)

53. Duke (6-2)

54. Arizona (5-4)

55. Vanderbilt (3-5)

56. Missouri (4-3)

57. Virginia (3-5)

58. Georgia Tech (3-6)

59. Iowa State (3-5)

60. Illinois (4-4)

61. Texas (3-5)

62. Kansas State (3-4)

63. Nebraska (3-6)

64. Minnesota (4-4)

65. Virginia Tech (4-5)

66. NC State (4-3)

67. Purdue (2-6)

68. Rutgers (3-5)

69. Indiana (4-4)

70. Maryland (2-6)

71. Syracuse (3-5)

72. Wake Forest (3-6)

73. Appalachian State (7-1)

74. Georgia Southern (6-2)

75. South Florida (4-4)

76. Connecticut (4-5)

77. East Carolina (4-5)

78. Boston College (3-6)

79. Western Michigan (5-3)

80. Central Michigan (5-4)

81. Northern Illinois (5-3)

82. WKU (7-2)

83. Louisiana Tech (6-3)

84. Arkansas State (5-3)

85. Colorado (4-5)

86. Colorado State (3-5)

87. Air Force (5-3)

88. Middle Tennessee (3-5)

89. Oregon State (2-6)

90. San Jose State (4-4)

91. Fresno State (2-6)

92. UNLV (2-6)

93. Nevada (4-4)

94. Buffalo (4-4)

95. Ohio (5-3)

96. Marshall (8-1)

97. Southern Miss (6-3)

98. Rice (4-4)

99. FIU (4-5)

100. Tulsa (4-4)

101. Akron (3-5)

102. Kent State (3-5)

103. Louisiana-Lafayette (3-4)

104. Texas State (2-5)

105. South Alabama (3-4)

106. Old Dominion (3-5)

107. Kansas (0-8)

108. New Mexico (4-4)

109. Hawaii (2-7)

110. UTEP (3-5)

111. Tulane (2-6)

112. Army West Point (2-6)

113. Florida Atlantic (2-6)

114. SMU (1-7)

115. Charlotte (2-6)

116. Miami University (1-8)

117. Eastern Michigan (1-8)

118. Wyoming (1-8)

119. North Texas (1-7)

120. UTSA (1-7)

121. UCF (0-9)

122. Georgia State (2-5)

123. Ball State (3-6)

124. Massachusetts (1-7)

125. Troy (2-6)

126. New Mexico State (1-7)

127. Idaho (3-5)

128. ULM (1-7)