The 2023 season concludes with Conference Championship Weekend. We could have the simplest and most impressive College Football Playoff field in the event’s 10-year history, we could have the most complete chaos or we could have something in the middle, with a little last-minute drama.
Michigan’s win over Ohio State moves the Wolverines to No. 2 in this week’s rankings and leaves four undefeated Power 5 teams entering the weekend. If Georgia, Michigan, Washington and Florida State win, the choice is easy. But SEC, Pac-12 and ACC games could be highly competitive and see undefeated teams lose, giving the committee its toughest decisions since 2014.
Oregon probably still has the strongest case among one-loss teams. The Ducks were the first team with a loss according to the committee last week, and if they beat Washington, they will avenge their only loss of the season. Oregon entered the week as a 9.5-point favorite at BetMGM. An Alabama win against Georgia would create maximum chaos, but can you put the Crimson Tide ahead of a Texas team that won in Tuscaloosa?
It is impossible to predict what the results will be and what the committee will do. We just appreciate the biggest conference championship weekend we’ve had in a long time.
GO DEEPER
Behind the AP Top 25 poll: Oregon-Washington making Pac-12 history and other takeaways
The regular season has come to an end, which means teams with losing seasons are essentially stuck in their final positions in these rankings, awaiting some small movements due to bowl games. But there can still be a lot of changes in the top half. Here’s this week’s Athletic 133.
1-10
The only question on the top nine was where to place Ohio State, though that may ultimately be irrelevant to the playoff picture with the other one-loss teams playing in championship games. Here, the Buckeyes drop some positions but remain the first team with a loss because they have two good wins (Penn State, Notre Dame) plus a one-score loss against the No. 2 team. Oregon dominated their opponents in the win, but had no wins over current top 20 teams and lost one score to No. 1 Washington. 3. Texas beat Alabama and dropped a score to Oklahoma, but didn’t have a second win in the top 25. Alabama, of course, lost to Texas and still has a bad showing against the USF on the resume, along with some good wins (Ole Miss, LSU).
All of these teams could jump into Ohio State (and get into the CFP) if they win their conference championship games, and will still likely end up in the New Year’s Six games if they lose. Do I think Ohio State would beat those teams right now? Maybe not. But let’s try to emphasize synthesis and head-to-head in these rankings.
The commercials no. 9 and 10 are important for NY6 purposes. Ole Miss actually jumps here to Missouri due to its wins against LSU and Tulane (although the Green Wave were playing with their backup QB). While Missouri played Georgia closely, its best wins were Tennessee, Kansas State or Memphis, none of which are in my top 25, and the Tigers also lost to LSU, which Ole Miss beat.
GO DEEPER
Emerson: Georgia’s three hopes hinge on defeating the familiar nemesis
11-25
| Rank | squad | Documentation | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
|
eleven |
10-2 |
14 |
|
|
12 |
10-2 |
12 |
|
|
13 |
9-3 |
13 |
|
|
14 |
9-3 |
fifteen |
|
|
fifteen |
10-2 |
9 |
|
|
16 |
9-3 |
17 |
|
|
17 |
11-1 |
winds |
|
|
18 |
12-0 |
22 |
|
|
19 |
11-1 |
twentyone |
|
|
winds |
9-3 |
18 |
|
|
twentyone |
8-4 |
16 |
|
|
22 |
9-3 |
23 |
|
|
23 |
10-2 |
24 |
|
|
24 |
11-1 |
25 |
|
|
25 |
10-2 |
26 |
Oklahoma moves up to No. 11 after beating TCU. While No. 12 Penn State has better losses (Ohio State, Michigan), the Sooners have better wins (Texas, SMU, larger margin of victory vs. West Virginia), and it’s possible Oklahoma could move up to No. 10 if Texas wins the Big 12 and SMU wins the AAC. Louisville slips to No. 15 after losing to Kentucky, one spot ahead of Notre Dame due to head-to-head results.
Tulane beat UTSA and remains the top Group 5 team at No. 17, before a matchup with No. 25 SMU. Liberty is 12-0 and its season-opening win over New Mexico State, which now has 10 victories, it’s a quality victory. James Madison is 11-1 and bowling, but can’t make the New Year’s Six. The big question is whether the CFP committee would put a two-loss AAC champion SMU over a potentially 13-0 Liberty.
GO DEEPER
Sampson: Notre Dame’s highly successful season may not represent a peak
26-50
There are not many changes in this group. Kansas State falls out of the top 25 after a loss to Iowa State. New Mexico State moved up to No. 31 after beating Jacksonville State to move to 10-3. Kentucky’s win against Louisville moves the Wildcats to No. 43, while No. 48 Northwestern and No. 49 Maryland move into the top 25 after wins against Illinois and Rutgers, respectively. Northwestern is neck and neck over the Terps. No. 45 Iowa State beats Kansas State but falls behind 9-3 in Ohio due to head-to-head results. Appalachian State beat Georgia Southern 55-27 to move up to No. 50 with five straight wins to close out the regular season.
51-75
Georgia Tech moves up to No. 51 after battling Georgia to an eight-point loss. Cal jumps to No. 55 after beating UCLA but falls behind Auburn due to head-to-head play. Fresno State drops to No. 61 after finishing its regular season with losses to New Mexico and San Diego State, but the Bulldogs remain ahead of Boise State thanks to the head-to-head victory. San Jose State moves up to No. 70 after beating UNLV and closing out its regular season with six straight wins.
76-100
Colorado ended its season losing eight of its last nine games after a 3-0 start, and Deion Sanders’ group sits at No. 79. Bowling Green moves up to No. 83 after beating Western Michigan and winning five of its last six games, with the only defeat against Toledo. No. 87 USF moved to 6-6 after beating Charlotte 48-14, and Alex Golesh put together one of the most impressive seasons for a first-year coach this season. Old Dominion beat Georgia State at the buzzer to finish 6-6 and move up to No. 88. The Monarchs have played 10 one-score games this season. Utah State beat New Mexico in double overtime and Louisiana beat ULM, as both gained bowl eligibility.
GO DEEPER
Feldman’s candidates to replace Dana Holgorsen in Houston
101-133
No. 103 Northern Illinois and No. 106 Eastern Michigan both won to gain bowl eligibility, but EMU remains behind Western Michigan and Central Michigan due to losses to both. Vanderbilt finishes as the lowest-ranked Power 5 team at No. 114; Baylor is the next closest at No. 109. Sam Houston closed out his season with a field goal against Middle Tennessee, winning three of his last four games after an 0-8 start. UConn won its last two games against Sacred Heart and UMass to move up to No. 120. Tulsa’s win over East Carolina sees the Golden Hurricane finish at No. 125 and the Pirates finish at No. 128. Kent State finishes at No. 133, having gone 0-11 against FBS competition.
The Athletic 133 Rankings series is part of a partnership with AllState.
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)