Graphic by the College Football Playoff
I always rank undefeated teams ahead of teams with losses, even if I know the team with a loss would hand the unbeaten a defeat. Unbeaten should mean something in how a team is ranked. After all, we only finished the first month of the season and only 19 teams remain undefeated. Zero losses means everything in this the best of all games. It’s why I rank teams that are probably top 5 with worse records behind teams they would beat. Usually, it all shakes out by December anyway. This is the best sport in the world!
1. Ohio State (4-0) (Last Week #2) (Ranked #3 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Jeremiah Smith is picking up where Marvin Harrison Jr. left off. Will Howard can run and pass. TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are the best running back tandem in football and are a threat in all aspects of the game. The Buckeye secondary is living up to their self-given nickname of the Best in America. All of this as Ohio State is playing as well as anyone in the nation.
2. Texas (5-0) (Last Week #3) (Ranked #2 and #1 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Longhorns cruised to 5-0 behind Arch Manning. Manning was 26 of 31 for 324 yards and two touchdowns as Texas won their first SEC game 35-13 over Mississippi State. The Longhorns get a bye next weekend before they take on 4-1 Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout.
3. Alabama (4-0) (Last Week #5) (Ranked #1 and #2 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I don’t know what kind of voodoo Nick Saban put on Kirby Smart but it is strong. Saban might be thinking he retired too soon seeing how well his team played this weekend. Jalen Milroe is one of the top players in the Heisman race. The Tide just keep rolling.
4. Oregon (4-0) (Last Week #4) (Ranked #6 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I rarely drop teams when they win. But between Bama’s win over Georgia and Oregon having a tougher time with UCLA than Indiana did I couldn’t help but drop the Ducks one here. With Michigan State and Ohio State coming up, the Ducks will have a shot to shoot back up the rankings.
5. Penn State (4-0) (Last Week #7) (Ranked #7 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Penn State avenged their nine overtime home loss to Illinois from 2021 by a score of 21-7. Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen are rolling along. Next, they play the teams from Los Angeles back-to-back. First a home game against UCLA, and then on the road to USC.
6. Tennessee (4-0) (Last Week #9) (Ranked #4 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The high-powered mountain man rifle that is the Tennessee Vols had a bye this week. Next up for Josh Heupel’s team is a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks.
7. Missouri (4-0) (Last Week #10) (Ranked #9 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Mizzou leaves home for the first time next week after having this week off. They travel to Texas A&M to take on the Aggies who have won four in a row after their opening loss to Notre Dame.
8. Miami (5-0) (Last Week #11) (Ranked #8 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Call it controversial, call it lucky, call it whatever you want as long as it shows up as a W for Miami fans. This is the kind of win that has eluded Miami (and Mario Cristobal as a coach) for years. By a Miami Miracle they pulled out a win that for the last 20 years would have ended in a loss for The U. That review and call by the officials (not saying it was wrong, not saying it was right) at the end will be ripple throughout this season as it goes on.
9. Iowa State (4-0) (Last Week #13) (Ranked #16 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
ISU is quietly good and one of only two unbeaten teams in the Big 12 and the only original member that has a perfect record this season. I wouldn’t have believed that they and BYU would be those two teams at the end of September. ISU needs to overcome their slow starts if they want to stay that in October.
10. BYU (5-0) (Last Week #15) (Ranked #17 and #19 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
BYU almost blew a 28-7 first-half lead. Their offense especially took their foot off the gas after that hot start. They were saved by their defense and special teams. Last year in their first year in the Big 12, this is a game that gets away from them. Jake Reztlaff had some turnovers, the defense stays on the field too much, and last year they lose this kind of game. But they rose to the occasion and gritted out a good win. They have a friendly rivalry budding with Baylor and holding on to this win may just be a corner turned for Kalani Sitake and the Cougars.
11. Indiana (5-0) (Last Week #17) (Ranked #23 and #24 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Curt Cignetti difference is real for Indiana. He is backing up his trash talk from the offseason when he said he came to the Big Ten to try and beat Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan. They’re a win away from being bowl-eligible which is usually the goal and expectation of their program, this year they are on track to exceed it! They are winning games that normally they would falter in. Keep an eye on these Hoosiers.
12. Pittsburgh (4-0) (Last Week #18) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Panthers were off this week and will travel to Chapel Hill to face a reeling North Carolina next week.
13. Rutgers (4-0) (Last Week #19) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knights are undefeated with wins over Washington and Virginia Tech to hang their hats on. They have a favorable Big Ten schedule in that they don’t get Titans Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, or Penn State. Rutgers needing only two wins in eight games should be a bowl-eligible team at the least when the 2024 season is over.
14. Liberty (4-0) (Last Week #20) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Through a force of nature, Liberty didn’t play this weekend. They were set to battle Appalachian State and due to Hurricane Helene their matchup was cancelled. Folks, pray for the people hit by that storm. And if you can, donate a little to relief efforts.
15. Duke (5-0) (Last Week #21) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Blue Devils win the grass version of one of basketball’s greatest rivalries. They beat North Carolina 21-20 in a nail-biter. Next Duke takes on Georgia Tech behind Maalik Murphy and Star Thomas, Manny Diaz’s Blue Devils are 5-0 and tied with Miami for first in the ACC.
16. Army (4-0) (Last Week #24) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Black Knights are off to their best start in years. Not only are they 4-0, but they’re also 3-0 in the American Athletic Conference. They’re playing their style of football nearly perfectly. An offense that squeezes you like a python and keeps it’s defense fresh by staying on the field. And a defense that because they are fresh, flies to the football and makes big stops. The Army-Navy Game this year is going to be special.
17. Navy (4-0) (Last Week #25) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Or maybe I should say Army-Navy Games because as well as Navy is playing they could play each other in the AAC Championship before their annual grudge match. Navy ran over UAB by 23 points, 41-18. Bill Horvath for them and Bryson Daly for their rivals from West Point becoming dark horses in the Heisman race.
18. James Madison (4-0) (Last Week Unranked) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Seeing what he did at his old school and how they’re still doing without him may just mean Curt Cignetti is the real deal as a coach. James Madison plastered Ball State like they were a Big Ten or SEC team taking down a MAC team. 63-7 is dominance like putting 70 on North Carolina was last week. JMU is one of only five G5 teams that are undefeated.
19. Georgia (3-1) (Last Week #1) (Ranked #5 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Alabama is Kirby Smart’s kryptonite. This was their first regular season SEC loss since 2020 when they lost to Florida (and at Alabama). The theory that it was just Saban is out the window now too. At this point Dawgs fans would trade losing to both Georgia Tech and Florida to beat Bama. They may get a shot in the SEC Championship or in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
20. Notre Dame (4-1) (Last Week Unranked) (Ranked #14 and #13 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
How on earth this team lost to a 2-2 NIU is beyond me. They struggled with two MAC teams and are beating the better teams on their schedule more soundly than a team that lost to NIU should. If they win out, which they should, they would have a solid case to be in the 12-team playoff despite that head-scratching loss.
21. Kansas State (4-1) (Last Week Unranked) (Ranked #20 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
K-State especially Avery Johnson bounced back big from their loss to BYU with a big win over Oklahoma State. He had five touchdowns against the Cowboys (three passing, two rushing). With only BYU and Iowa State still unbeaten, the Big 12 is wide open for the men from the Little Apple.
22. Boise State (3-1) (Last Week Unranked) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Boise State absolutely crushed a previously unbeaten Washington State. Ashton Jeanty is a legit Heisman candidate. The Broncos are the Group of Five favorite to make the playoffs and Jeanty is a huge reason why. If Liberty loses and Boise runs the table, they’re in.
23. SMU (4-1) (Last Week Unranked) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I’m going to surprise some folks with SMU here. Outside of a defensive struggle with an undefeated BYU team, their offense is once again leading the way for them and their defense seems to be finding their footing. I’m very interested to see how they the rest of this season.
24. Ole Miss (4-1) (Last Week Ranked #6) (Ranked #12 and #11 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The upset at home against Kentucky was a huge blow to Ole Miss. It’s the kind of game that down the road could keep them from getting an at-large playoff bid. We know Kentucky plays really good defense but this was still a game Kiffin and Dart should have won. We’ll see how the men of Oxford bounce back.
25. Utah (4-1) (Last Week #8) (Ranked #18 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
This is the kind of game that the Utes have often lost in the prestigious Kyle Whittingham Era. It leaves you scratching your head and only will more so when they bounce back later and do so potentially against a strong opponent.
Dropping UNLV.
UNLV and their treatment of quarterback Matthew Sluka has grabbed headlines across college football this week. Sluka informed UNLV and the world early in the week that because the program hadn’t followed through on an NIL deal they had promised him, he’d redshirt and sit out the remainder of the season. UNLV, instead of apologizing, and admitting their mistake, decided to double down on their stupidity and accuse Sluka of wrongdoing. This only looked worse, as a local Las Vegas business came forward claiming they offered to fulfill Sluka’s NIL deal but were turned down by UNLV. UNLV is wrong. There are no two ways about it.
Even though they won this week and are 4-0 and I had previously ranked them, their cowardly conduct was enough for me to drop them from the rankings and likely will for the remainder of the season.
Game of the Week
Upset of the Week
College Football Playoff Projections
- Ohio State
- Texas
- Iowa State
- Miami
- Alabama
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Tennessee
- Missouri
- Georgia
- BYU
- Liberty
First Round
5. Alabama vs. 12. Liberty
Saturday, December 21st, 2024 – Tuscaloosa, Alabama
6. Oregon vs. 11. BYU
Friday, December 20th, 2024 – Eugene, Oregon
7. Penn State vs. 10. Georgia
Saturday, December 21st, 2024 – State College Pennsylvania
8. Tennessee vs. 9. Missouri
Saturday, December 21st, 2024 – Knoxville, Tennessee
Quarterfinals
1. Ohio State vs. 8. Tennessee in the Rose Bowl
Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 – Pasadena, California
2. Texas vs. 10. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl
Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 – New Orleans, Louisiana
3. Iowa State vs. 6. Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl
Tuesday, December 31st, 2024 – Phoenix, Arizona
4. Miami vs. 5. Alabama in the Peach Bowl
Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 – Atlanta, Georgia
Semifinals
1. Ohio State vs. 5. Alabama in the Cotton Bowl
Friday, January 10th, 2025 – Dallas, Texas
2. Texas vs. 6. Oregon in the Orange Bowl
Thursday, January 9th, 2025 – Miami, Florida
Championship
Monday, January 20th, 2025 – Atlanta, Georgia
