NCAA Football Top 10 Poll - Week 12

We’re down to five undefeated teams. As conference play ramps up and teams beat up on each other, the Selection Committee will be booed and chastised trying to figure out their Top Four teams. 

 

 

Back in pole position after taking down Ole Miss, the defending champs are now the No. 1 team in college football in all major rankings. Georgia continues to look dominant. Someone still has to prove that they can beat the Bulldogs. Brock Bowers came back and looked pretty decent. It was the Bulldogs’ second-straight victory over a top-25 opponent after beating No. 12 Missouri a week ago. The defending back-to-back champions have an opportunity to make it three in a row this week at Tennessee. 

 

 

That was an absolute rugged slugfest of a win over Penn State. Michigan prevailed without Jim Harbaugh, but the game was pretty remarkable when you dig into it. Whether or not Jim Harbaugh is on the sideline, the Wolverines are the apparent favorites to make it a three-peat in the Big Ten title race. Michigan went on the road and took down No. 10 Penn State, 24-15, on Saturday. The Wolverines ran all over the Nittany Lions and only attempted one pass the entire second half.

 

 

Is Kyle McCord good enough of a quarterback to win a national championship? The Buckeyes' defense is good enough. I believe they're good enough at the skill positions. College football's second-best scoring defense came through in a big win against Michigan State. Marvin Harrison Jr. continues to be the hottest receiver in the country, catching seven passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns while scoring once on the ground as well. Since Week 6, the junior’s 727 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns lead all players in college football. He’ll have an opportunity to further pad his stats this week against a Minnesota team that’s coming off back-to-back losses to Illinois and Purdue. 

 

 

So, Washington is No. 4. It's obvious what you love about Washington. You love its quarterback, passing game and head coach. Michael Penix Jr. would be your Heisman Trophy winner as of today. If Washington remains undefeated, he'll win the Heisman. The win against ranked Utah and that tough defense was enough for the BCS computers to bump the Huskies up a spot. Washington was able to outlast No. 18 Utah 35-28 on Saturday. Despite having the 11th-highest run rate in the country (60.2%), the Utes only ran the ball on 43.8% of their plays against the Huskies. 

 

 

I'm a big fan of Florida State, but of these teams, they have been the least consistent. It wasn’t always pretty, but Florida State survived a 27-20 scare from Miami (FL) this past weekend. Down a spot and out of the top four of these rankings after two close wins, but the Seminoles have already booked a spot in the ACC title bout. I love Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis. He has the luxury of throwing to Keon Coleman, who is outrageous as a talent. Their defense is good.

 

 

Would it shock me if Alabama won the national championship this season? 

Clinched the SEC West by smashing Kentucky and suddenly the Tide is back in the playoff chase in November.

Alabama demolished Kentucky 49-21 off a masterclass from Jalen Milroe. The redshirt sophomore accounted for six total touchdowns against the Wildcats – three passing and three rushing. His 90.5 grade on the season is tied with Caleb Williams for eighth among all quarterbacks in the country.

Here inlays the problem with the SEC. They only play 8 conference games while the other conferences play nine. Thus; another cupcake opponent towards the end of the season. He has an opportunity to put up more monster numbers against Chattanooga this week, an FCS school.

 

 

Bo Nix outdueled Caleb Williams in a game that very well could’ve been between last year’s Heisman Trophy winner and this year’s. Nix earned an 85.6 passing grade in the 36-27 win as he threw for 412 yards, four touchdowns and a pair of big-time throws. Beating the Trojans isn't that hard right now, but the Ducks can change the narrative if they make the Pac-12 title game. I'm picking the Ducks to win the Pac-12 and play in the College Football Playoff. Bo Nix is the most experienced quarterback in the history of college football. Oregon's fast on the outside, and its coaching staff is aggressive. I wish that it could stop with all of these ridiculous two-point conversions. 

 

 

There's a lot to like about Texas, particularly with Quinn Ewers back. He played really well and the Longhorns were running away with Saturday's game, but what concerns me about them is that they always seem to have these stretches within games where they allow teams to come back on them. While the Longhorns got their starting quarterback back, they suffered a devastating loss on offense as well. Star running back Jonathon Brooks tore his ACL in the victory and will miss the rest of the season. Even though Texas returned Quinn Ewers, it still endured a near-upset from TCU this past weekend, winning 29-26. The win against Alabama is huge in the committee's view and at one loss the Longhorns have a path to the playoff if they win the Big 12.

 

 

After a tough loss on the road, Mizzou stumbled out of the gate at home with Tennessee jumping out to a 7-3 lead. It seemed to provide a wake-up call for the Tigers, who went on a stellar run that put this game out of reach by the third quarter. Missouri remains on track for its first season with double-digit wins since 2014. After cpoming up short against Georgia a week ago, Missouri responded in a major way with a 36-7 win over No. 13 Tennessee. Now second in the SEC East after inching up the rankings following a statement win against Tennessee. If Missouri is able to win its final two games, it could be playing in its first New Year’s Six bowl since 2013.

 

 

The Louisville Cardinals sit at 9-1 following their 31-24 win over Virginia this past weekend. Jeff Brohm's team has the top-ranked defense in the ACC, holding opponents to just 17.1 points per game, while putting up 32.7 points and 439 yards per contest on the offensive side of the ball. The Cardinals are inching closer to the ACC Championship Game but games at Miami and against Kentucky are not sure things. Louisville can’t have another letdown performance if it wants to continue its dream season as it must travel on the road to face Miami, a game in which the Cardinals are only favored by 1.5 points.