Ranking 133 College Football Teams After Week 9: Its Crowded at the Top (And in the Middle)

Ranking 133 College Football Teams After Week 9: Its Crowded at the Top (And in the Middle)

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Read The Athletic’s latest edition of college football rankings for all 133 FBS teams. 

We’ve reached the first week of in-season College Football Playoff rankings, so how should the top four look?

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The AP and Coaches Polls have placed Georgia at No. 1 and Michigan at No. 2 for several weeks. That hasn’t been the case in The Athletic 133, and I suspect it won’t be the case with the CFP selection committee on Tuesday night.

The committee, like me, tries to place heavy weight on what you’ve actually accomplished. As a result, the top three here remain the same as last week: Ohio State, Georgia and Florida State.

I have finally moved Michigan into the top four, almost solely because of what Washington has done the last two weeks, struggling to get past Arizona State and Stanford, both 2-6 on the year. I could excuse one off game, but not two. Michigan’s wins against Nebraska and Minnesota have also begun to look better in recent weeks. (For comparison, Georgia’s wins against Kentucky and Florida are better than what Michigan has done.)

My prediction for the CFP top four in order on Tuesday will be Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Washington get in there at No. 4.

This is always an interesting week, because once the CFP releases its rankings, which are often different from the polls, many voters shift their priorities as well. But not here, where we try to be consistent all year and emphasize the accomplishments.

Here is this week’s Athletic 133.

1-10

Oregon jumps to No. 6 after demolishing Utah on the road. The Ducks look like a real national championship contender. They were two yards away from putting Washington away and being undefeated. Now there’s no margin for error.

Oklahoma falls back to No. 7 after losing to Kansas but stays ahead of Texas for now because of the head-to-head result, and Ole Miss slides into No. 10 thanks to losses by Oregon State and Utah. Alabama falls to No. 9 because of Oregon, but I am not ruling out the Tide from getting back to the CFP. The LSU game this week is obviously the big one.

GO DEEPER

Auerbach's Top 10: Could Oregon jump Washington despite head-to-head result?

11-25

Louisville shut out Duke 23-0 and moves up to No. 11; Notre Dame destroyed Pitt 58-7 and moves up to No. 12. Penn State drops to No. 13 after escaping Indiana thanks to a late touchdown and safety, but the Hoosiers had the ball with a chance to take the lead.

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Oklahoma State, Kansas, Tennessee and Kansas State all jump into the top 25. The Cowboys have won four in a row and sit ahead of both Kansas teams (unlike in both polls) because they, you know, beat both of them. Oklahoma State has clearly become a different team in its last four games with the emergence of Ollie Gordon II.

GO DEEPER

Behind the AP Top 25 ballot: CFP vs. poll, Kansas' historic win and who can still win title

Robert Thorne
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Robert Thorne

Robert Thorne covers electric vehicle innovations, autonomous driving systems, global mobility trends, and automotive engineering developments.