Just when it seemed like the top teams in the country were starting to put themselves ahead of the rest of the field, college football chaos ensued again. After working their way back up to second in the rankings, Georgia fell on the road to Ole Miss, putting a whole cluster of SEC teams together with two losses in the standings. It looked like Miami was taking control of the ACC but now a loss to Georgia Tech has opened the door for multiple teams once again.
At the bottom of the rankings, a second AAC team has entered the mix, which could bode well for Army if they were to pick up a ranked win in their conference championship game, which would not be the case for Boise State. A couple of two conference loss SEC teams also sit towards the bottom of the rankings and may not be out of the race quite yet. There are going to be lots of major decisions and big games coming up to determine who makes the twelve-team playoff, so let’s get into where I see each team sits in my week 12 college football top 25 rankings.
1. Oregon Ducks
Oregon rolled over Maryland 39-18 to improve to remain undefeated in their first season of Big Ten play and improve to 10-0 overall. Dillion Gabriel led the Ducks offensively, throwing three touchdown passes, and the Oregon defense forced three turnovers, including a 62-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Brandon Johnson. The Ducks head on the road to take on Wisconsin in Madison on Saturday night.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State shutout Purdue on Saturday for a 45-0 victory. The Buckeyes’ offense was clicking on all cylinders as Will Howard threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown. Jeremiah Smith had 87 yards and caught one of those touchdowns, his ninth of the year, breaking Cris Carter’s record for receiving touchdowns by a freshman. Treveon Henderson was the rushing leader with 85 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State’s defense forced two turnovers, including a fumble return for a touchdown by Jack Sawyer. The Buckeyes head to Wrigley Field to take on Northwestern this Saturday at noon.
3. Texas Longhorns
Texas improved to 4-1 in SEC play after beating Florida 49-17 at home this past weekend. The Longhorns never trailed and led 35-0 at halftime. Quinn Ewers had a great game, throwing for 333 yards and five touchdowns. The Longhorns’ ground game was led by Jerrick Gibson, rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown. Texas heads on the road to take on former Southwest Conference and now current SEC opponent in Arkansas this weekend.
4. Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana improved to 10-0 for the first time in program history after beating Michigan 20-15. Kurtis Rourke threw for 206 yards and had two touchdowns in the first half, putting the Hoosiers up 17-3 at the break. Michigan responded in the 2nd half, making it a 17-15 game, but Indiana was able to stop the two-point conversion and respond with a field goal two possessions later to hold on to win. The Hoosiers are on bye this week before heading on the road to take on Ohio State in two weeks.
5. Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State knocked off Washington 35-6 in their annual whiteout game. Penn State outgained Washington 486-193 in total yards. The Nittany Lions had 266 yards rushing, led by Kaytron Allen with 98 yards and a touchdown and Corey Smith with 95 yards. Penn State heads on the road to take on Purdue in West Lafayette next weekend.
6. Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee took care of business against Mississippi State on Saturday, winning 33-14. Dylan Sampson led the way for the Volunteers, rushing for 149 yards and a touchdown. Nico Iamaleava threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the first half before exiting the game with an injury and not playing in the second half. One of those touchdown passes was a 73-yard bomb to Dont’e Thornton Jr., who finished the day with 104 receiving yards. Tennessee heads to Athens next week to take on Georgia in a game with major SEC and CFP implications.
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame left no doubt that they would fall victim to an upset by an inferior opponent again, blowing out Florida State 52-3. Riley Leonard threw for 215 yards and a touchdown, as well as rushing for 70 yards and two scores. Jadarian Price added 95 yards and a touchdown of his own on the ground for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame welcomes another ACC opponent to South Bend this weekend when Virginia comes to town.
8. BYU Cougars
It took a controversial penalty call and a last-second field goal, but BYU went on the road and beat their rival Utah 22-21 to remain undefeated. Defense and Special Teams played a big role in the Cougars’ victory, as Keelan Marion had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and the defense forced three turnovers, including interceptions by Jakob Robinson and Crew Wakley. Jake Retzlaff only threw for 219 yards but did have a rushing touchdown. Will Ferrin went 3/3 on Field Goals, including the game-winner from 44 yards out with three seconds to play. BYU will look to improve to 10-0 in their game against Kansas on Saturday night.
9. Boise State Broncos
Boise State beat Nevada 28-21 on Saturday night. The game was tied 14-14 at the half, but Ashton Jeanty rushed for two touchdowns in the 2nd half to give him three touchdowns and 209 yards rushing for the game. The Broncos’ other touchdown was scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Maddux Mansen to Matt Lauter. Boise State heads to the Bay Area to take on San Jose State on Saturday.
10. SMU Mustangs
SMU was on bye this past weekend and now sits atop the ACC after Miami’s loss on Saturday. The Mustangs take on Boston College at home this weekend.
11. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama won a crucial road game going into Death Valley and knocking off LSU 42-13. Crimson Tide Quarterback Jalen Milroe had a big game with his legs rather than his arm, rushing for 185 yards and four touchdowns. Alabama’s defense smothered LSU, forcing three turnovers, and did not give up a touchdown until garbage time in the 4th quarter. The Crimson Tide host FCS opponent Mercer on Saturday.
12. Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss kept their playoff hopes alive and well following their 28-10 win over Georgia. Jaxson Dart got in done through the air and on the ground, throwing for 199 yards and a touchdown, as well as leading the Rebels in rushing with 50 yards. The Ole Miss defense also showed out, forcing three turnovers, and Kicker Caden Davis went 5/5 on Field Goals. The Rebels are on bye this weekend before heading to Gainsville to take on Florida in two weeks.
13. Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia suffered their second loss of the season, 28-10, to Ole Miss and now has an uphill climb to get into the SEC title game and make the College Football Playoff. Carson Beck threw for only 186 yards and had two turnovers, including his ninth interception in the last four games. The Bulldogs could not get much going on the ground either as Nate Davis only had 47 yards and lost a fumble, but did rush for a touchdown. Georgia hosts Tennessee in their final SEC game, and must win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
14. Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M was on bye this weekend after losing to South Carolina the weekend before. The Aggies welcome another set of Aggies to town when New Mexico State visits College Station in a non-conference matchup.
15. Miami Hurricanes
Miami suffered their first loss of the season after falling 28-23 on the road. Cam Ward had a good game despite the loss, throwing for 348 yards and three touchdowns, but did lose a fumble, which was the only turnover of the game. Georgia Tech did a good job of keeping the ball away from the Hurricanes’ offense, as the Yellowjackets dominated Time of Possession, having the ball for nearly 35 minutes. Miami is off next weekend before their final two, now must-win ACC games against Wake Forest and Syracuse.
16. Clemson Tigers
Clemson went into Blacksburg and defeated Virginia Tech 24-14. It took until the second half for the Tigers to get on the scoreboard, but Cade Klubnik led three drives that finished with him throwing a touchdown pass to give him a stat line of 211 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Phil Mafah had another great day on the ground, rushing for 128 yards, his sixth time breaking the 100-yard mark this season. Clemson finishes out their ACC schedule at Pitt next weekend.
17. Army Black Knights
Army knocked off North Texas in a low-scoring affair 14-3 on Saturday. After trailing 3-0, the Black Knights responded with a 48-yard drive ending in a Bryson Daily rushing touchdown. Daily only threw for 15 yards on the game but rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns, the second one concluding a 94-yard drive that took nearly 14 minutes off the clock in the 2nd half. Army is off this weekend before taking on Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium in two weeks.
18. Washington State Cougars
Washington State took care of business against future PAC-12 opponent Utah State, winning by a final score of 49-28. John Mateer threw for 179 yards and four touchdowns, three of which were to Kyle Williams. Mateer also rushed for a touchdown, but the Cougars were mainly led by Wayshawn Parker on the ground as he rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Washington State heads on the road next weekend to take on New Mexico.
19. Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State was off this past weekend after their upset loss to Houston the week before. They host Arizona State in a crucial game for both teams in regards to keeping their hopes of making the Big 12 title game alive.
20. Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado picked up a very impactful win in Big 12 play, 41-27, over Texas Tech. Shedeur Sanders led the Buffaloes with 291 yards passing and three touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown as well. Travis Hunter caught one of those touchdowns and had 99 yards receiving on the game. The Sanders family also got it done on the defensive end as Shilo Sanders recovered a fumble, one of three turnovers forced by the Buffaloes’ defense. Colorado hosts Utah in the Big Noon game this Saturday.
21. LSU Tigers
LSU saw their SEC title and playoff hopes go by the wayside after losing 42-13 to Alabama. Garrett Nussmeier threw for 239 yards and a touchdown but also threw two interceptions. Kyren Lacey caught that touchdown to go with his 79 receiving yards. The Tigers look to bounce back in the swamp against Florida next week.
22. South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina defeated Vanderbilt 28-7 in Nashville on Saturday. LaNorris Sellers threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns. The Gamecocks’ biggest contributor offensively was Raheim Sanders, who caught one of those touchdowns on top of rushing for 126 yards and two touchdowns. South Carolina hosts Missouri in a battle of ranked SEC teams on Saturday.
23. Louisville Cardinals
The Cardinals were off this past weekend following their big win at Clemson the week before. Louisville heads to the Pacific Coast to take on Stanford in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.
24. Missouri Tigers
Two touchdowns in the final minute of the game gave Missouri a 30-23 victory over Oklahoma. The two teams combined for 28 points in the final 3:18 of the game. First, the Sooners tied the game and then returned a fumble for a touchdown to take a 23-16 lead with two minutes to play. Missouri then responded by going 75 yards in 57 seconds, capped off by a Theo Wease touchdown reception, his second of the game. Zion Young then won it for the Tigers, returning a fumble for a touchdown, one of four turnovers they forced in the game. Missouri heads on the road to take on South Carolina this weekend.
25. Tulane Green Wave
The American Athletic Conference has two teams in this week’s rankings following Tulane’s 52-6 win over Temple. The Green Wave defense held Temple to just 159 total yards and five first downs the whole game. Offensively, the Green Wave rushed for 327 yards and five scores, led by Makhi Hughes going for 153 yards and two touchdowns, and Arnold Barnes III with two scores of his own. Tulane puts their undefeated conference record on the line at Navy, a team previously ranked this year, on Saturday.
Next Four Teams
Iowa State Cyclones: Loss 45-36 at Kansas last week, this week vs. Cincinnati
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns: Win 55-19 vs. Arkansas State last week, this week vs. South Alabama
Arizona State Sun Devils: Win 35-31 vs. UCF, this week at Kansas State
Pitt Panthers: Loss 24-19 vs. Virginia last week, this week at Clemson