College Football Polls

Ohio State jumped to No. 2 in the Week 13 Associated Press poll after a dominant win over Michigan State.

There was significant shake-up throughout the Top 10 with Oregon and Wake Forest suffering upset losses, while teams like Notre Dame and Oklahoma State continue to climb. 

Here is the latest Top 25 heading into the last week of regular-season action across the country.

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AP Poll

1. Georgia

2. Ohio State

3. Alabama

4. Cincinnati

5. Notre Dame

6. Michigan

7. Oklahoma State

8. Ole Miss

9. Baylor

10. Oklahoma

11. Oregon

12. Michigan State

13. BYU

14. Texas A&M

15. UTSA

16. Utah

17. Iowa

18. Wisconsin

19. Houston

20. Pittsburgh

21. Wake Forest

22. San Diego State

23. Louisiana-Lafayette

24. North Carolina State

25. Arkansas

---

The biggest game entering the week was between College Football Playoff contenders Ohio State and Michigan State, but one of those teams was superior.

Ohio State dominated from the opening kickoff on the way to a 49-0 lead by halftime, led by an outstanding showing by quarterback C.J. Stroud:

C.J. Stroud had a ridiculous first half performance: 29-31, 393 pass yards and 6 touchdowns 😳 pic.twitter.com/C1row39Vz6

— ESPN (@espn) November 20, 2021

The Buckeyes eventually left with a 56-7 victory that left little doubt that they are one of the top four teams in the country.

Michigan State fell to No. 12 after the team's second loss of the season.

Oregon also dropped down to No. 11 after its second loss, a disappointing 38-7 blowout at the hands of Utah.

Like Ohio State, it was a one-sided game from the beginning as the Utes went up 28-0 by halftime.

UTAH 78-YARD PUNT RETURN TO END THE HALF 🤯

The No. 23 Utes are dominating No. 3 Oregon 28-0

(via @pac12)
pic.twitter.com/kmGl7Phy9e

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 21, 2021

Utah jumped from No. 24 in last week's poll up to No. 16.

Wake Forest had a chance to prove itself as a top contender Saturday but suffered a 48-27 loss to Clemson in a game that featured a combined six turnovers.

"They took advantage of our mistakes," Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson told reporters after the game. "I thought our guys played hard, never quit, even to the bitter end. But we just made too many mistakes."

It was enough to drop the Demon Deacons to 21st in the latest poll.

Alabama struggled more than usual in a tough test against Arkansas, but the Crimson Tide pulled out a 42-35 victory. Bryce Young totaled 559 passing yards and five touchdowns to keep his Heisman Trophy campaign rolling.

Georgia had no such trouble with a 56-7 win over Charleston Southern, easily staying undefeated and No. 1 in the country.

Notre Dame impressed with a 55-0 win over Georgia Tech, while Oklahoma State also pitched a shutout against Texas Tech with a 23-0 conference win.

Both teams will be worth monitoring as the season nears its end, though most of the nation will have its eyes on Ohio State vs. Michigan next Saturday. 

The College Football Playoff Committee may have just lost its last excuse to keep Cincinnati out of the Top Four.

Oregon's blowout loss to Utah didn't shake up the latest Coaches Poll much, with Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Cincinnati staying stagnant in the Top Four, but it will cause some movement when the committee reconvenes ahead of Tuesday's announcement.

Here's a look at how the coaches see things at the top of the sport:

1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Cincinnati
5. Notre Dame
6. Michigan
7. Oklahoma State
8. Ole Miss
9. Oklahoma
10. Baylor
11. Oregon
12. Iowa
13. Michigan State
14. Texas A&M
15. BYU
16. Houston
17. Pitt
18. Wisconsin
19. Utah
20. Texas-San Antonio
21. Wake Forest
22. San Diego State
23. UL Lafayette
24. NC State
25. Kentucky

Oregon never stood a chance in its trip to Utah, with the Utes getting out to a 28-0 halftime lead before breezing to an easy victory. Tavion Thomas rushed for three touchdowns as Utah put itself in position for a Pac-12 championship. 

"It really was a tough situation for them coming out and being down 28-0," Utes coach Kyle Whittingham told reporters. "That was really the biggest portion of the game and the thing that really give us a ton of momentum."

Ohio State positioned itself as a clear playoff team, wresting control of the Big Ten with a 56-7 win over Michigan State. C.J. Stroud threw for 432 yards and six touchdowns to put himself at or near the top of Heisman lists. The Buckeyes will play Michigan next week for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game. 

"We've got everything riding on this thing coming up right around the corner," Ohio State coach Ryan Day told reporters. "And I got to tell you, the game wasn't even over yet and I was thinking about it. There's just so much going on here."

Wake Forest's 48-27 loss to Clemson was the only other upset in a quiet week for college football, though that game was an upset in ranking only. The Tigers have reeled off four straight victories and still have a shot at reaching the ACC Championship Game if Wake Forest loses at Boston College next week. 

The top seven remained the same in the latest College Football Playoff rankings announced Tuesday.

Georgia and Alabama were easy calls for the top two spots after blowout victories Saturday, while Oregon, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Michigan and Michigan State also won. It keeps the pressure on the committee to determine the order with only four openings in the playoffs.

Voters kept things status quo heading into Week 12 as teams try to separate themselves on the field.

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CFP Rankings

1. Georgia

2. Alabama

3. Oregon

4. Ohio State

5. Cincinnati

6. Michigan

7. Michigan State

8. Notre Dame

9. Oklahoma State

10. Wake Forest

11. Baylor

12. Ole Miss

13. Oklahoma

14. BYU

15. Wisconsin

16. Texas A&M

17. Iowa

18. Pittsburgh

19. San Diego State

20. North Carolina State

21. Arkansas

22. UTSA

23. Utah

24. Houston

25. Mississippi State

---

One of the bigger stories the past few weeks was the placement of Oklahoma in early versions of these rankings, which was lower than in the Associated Press or Coaches Poll.

The committee seemed to get it right as the Sooners suffered their first loss of the year Saturday, falling to Baylor 27-14. The Bears totaled 296 rushing yards in the upset while forcing two interceptions against Caleb Williams.

"They played better than we did," Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said after the game.

Oklahoma dropped from No. 8 to No. 13 in the CFP rankings after the loss, while Baylor moved from 13th to 11th.

Ohio State also had a tough matchup on paper in Week 11 against Purdue, but the Buckeyes felt little resistance on the way to a 59-31 victory. Receiver Garrett Wilson scored four touchdowns, including three in the first half to help build a 45-17 lead.

.@GarrettWilson_V is COOKING:

118 total YDS | 3 total TDs

All in the first half.

(via @BigTenNetwork) pic.twitter.com/zZkzrkNgxc

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 13, 2021

Georgia also had an easy time on the road while earning a 41-17 victory over Tennessee, while Alabama won 59-3 over New Mexico State.

Oregon wasn't quite as dominant in a 38-24 win over Washington State, but its full-season resume is still enough to remain No. 3 ahead of Ohio State in the latest ranking.

The next three spots have also been heavily debated with Cincinnati remaining undefeated after a 45-28 win over South Florida. Michigan State and Michigan each still have one loss after earning wins over Maryland and Penn State, respectively.

Michigan State currently sits at No. 7, although Saturday's game at Ohio State could create a significant shift.

Among the other notable rankings, Ole Miss climbed from 15th to 12th in the poll, while Wake Forest is now No. 10 (up two spots). UTSA, one of three remaining undefeated teams, is No. 22 overall.

Oklahoma tumbled down the Associated Press Top 25 poll following a largely unremarkable Saturday for the top teams in college football.

The Sooners, who were ranked fourth heading into Week 11, suffered a 27-14 loss to Baylor, a result that may have put a permanent dent in their quest for a College Football Playoff berth as well. 

The AP voters saw fit to drop Lincoln Riley's squad to 12th, while Baylor climbed to 11th.

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AP Top 25

1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Cincinnati
4. Oregon
5. Ohio State
6. Notre Dame
7. Michigan State
8. Michigan
9. Oklahoma State
10. Ole Miss
11. Baylor
12. Oklahoma
13. Wake Forest
14. BYU
15. UTSA
16. Texas A&M
17. Houston
18. Iowa
19. Wisconsin
20. Pittsburgh
21. Arkansas
22. Louisiana
23. San Diego State
24. Utah
25. North Carolina State

---

Week 11 had the potential to reshape the CFP race.

Oregon hosted Washington State, which was coming off a win over Arizona State. Purdue already knocked off two top-five opponents and could've made it a third against Ohio State. Even in a down year for Penn State, a trip to Happy Valley was far from a breeze for Michigan.

In the end, the Ducks, Buckeyes and Wolverines all prevailed.

Meanwhile, Alabama coasted past New Mexico State, 59-3, in a non-conference contest, and a 17-point second quarter propelled Georgia in what proved to be a comfortable 41-17 dissection of Tennessee.

Down in 11th, Texas A&M still had a plausible road to the semifinals despite already suffering two losses.

The Aggies could have claimed the SEC West by winning out and watching Alabama lose another game. And taking down SEC East champion Georgia in the conference title game would all but guarantee A&M a top-four seed.

But Ole Miss handed A&M a 29-19 defeat in Oxford, Mississippi. That clears the path for the Crimson Tide to clinch the division with a Week 12 win over Arkansas.

The Razorbacks could play the role of spoiler in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to continue building on their progress in Sam Pittman's second season.

Week 12's most anticipated tilt will see Michigan State play Ohio State in the Horseshoe. An upset of the Buckeyes would almost certainly catapult the Spartans back into the top four.

Out west, Oregon plays Utah in the Ducks' stiffest test before the Pac-12 championship.

Oklahoma fell seven spots in the rankings after its first loss of the 2021 season, though much of the Coaches Poll remains the same heading into Week 12, with Georgia, Alabama and Cincinnati taking care of business at the top.

Here is the rest of the Top 25 with only a few weeks remaining in the regular season.

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Coaches Poll

1. Georgia

2. Alabama

3. Cincinnati

4. Ohio State

5. Oregon

6. Notre Dame

7. Michigan

8. Michigan State

9. Oklahoma State

10. Mississippi

11. Oklahoma

12. Wake Forest

13. Baylor

14. Iowa

15. BYU

16. Texas A&M

17. Houston

18. UTSA

19. Pittsburgh

20. Wisconsin

21. Louisiana Lafayette

22. Arkansas

23. San Diego State

24. North Carolina State

25. Utah

---

The biggest result of the weekend came in the Big 12 with Oklahoma hoping to keep its perfect season alive against Baylor, but it was not meant to be as the Bears dominated the line of scrimmage on the way to a 27-14 victory.

Abram Smith and Gerry Bohanon each topped 100 rushing yards for the Bears, who totaled 296 rushing yards on 6.3 per attempt.

What a run from @BUFootball's Abram Smith! pic.twitter.com/o29YppdpIv

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 13, 2021

🗣 GERRY, GERRY, GERRY@BUFootball extends its lead to 10 points thanks to this TD run from Gerry Bohanon! pic.twitter.com/LRbCLwbJw7

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 13, 2021

Oklahoma wasn't nearly as effective while being held to a season-low 14 points. The team averaged just 2.8 yards per attempt while quarterback Caleb Williams threw two interceptions with zero touchdowns.

The Sooners fell to No. 11 in the latest poll while Baylor (8-2) jumped from No. 18 to No. 13.

Ole Miss also moved up to No. 10 after earning a 29-19 win over Texas A&M, becoming the third-best team in the SEC behind Georgia and Alabama.

Michigan was on upset watch against Penn State until Erick All came through with a 47-yard catch-and-run for the go-ahead touchdown:

No. 6 Michigan holds off Penn State on the road in Happy Valley 🙌 pic.twitter.com/SuS7lIHfwV

— ESPN (@espn) November 13, 2021

It helped lift the Wolverines to a 21-17 win, enough to stay in contention for the College Football Playoff.

Other top teams proved themselves over the weekend, including No. 1 Georgia with a 41-17 victory over Tennessee. The Bulldogs completed a perfect 8-0 record in SEC play to potentially set up an exciting conference title game against Alabama on Dec. 4.

Ohio State also sent a message with a 59-31 win over Purdue, scoring 45 points in the first half over a team that shut down Iowa and Michigan State earlier this season. C.J. Stroud helped his Heisman Trophy chances with 361 passing yards and five touchdowns for the Buckeyes.

It sets up a tough test against Michigan State next Saturday in a battle of Top 10 teams.

Wake Forest kept its ACC title hopes alive with a 45-42 win over NC State thanks to four total touchdowns from Sam Hartman.

UTSA, meanwhile, fell two spots to No. 18 despite improving to 10-0 with a 27-17 win over Southern Miss.

Georgia remains the class of college football. Cincinnati and Alabama escaped. 

Unfortunately for Michigan State and Wake Forest, they can't say the same thing.

Georgia is still the unquestioned No. 1 team in the latest Associated Press poll and is followed by Cincinnati, Alabama, Oklahoma and Oregon.

Here is how the Top 25 played out.

1. Georgia
2. Cincinnati
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Oregon
6. Ohio State
7. Notre Dame
8. Michigan State
9. Michigan
10. Oklahoma State
11. Texas A&M
12. Ole Miss
13. Wake Forest
14. BYU
15. UTSA
16. Auburn
17. Houston
18. Baylor
19. Iowa
20. Wisconsin
21. North Carolina State
22. Coastal Carolina
23. Penn State
24. Louisiana-Lafayette
25. Pittsburgh

Michigan State and Wake Forest, two teams that were afterthoughts heading into the season before turning into potential spoilers, saw their playoff hopes likely dashed over the weekend. The Spartans became the second team to fall victim to upset-minded Purdue this season, with Aidan O'Connell throwing for 536 yards and three touchdowns for the Boilermakers.

One of O'Connell's touchdown passes was a wild flea-flicker that head coach Jeff Brohm said he found on YouTube.

"We run a multitude of trick plays, you guys have seen that," Brohm told reporters. "This is one we do, kind of double reverse stuff, you know, throw it behind the line of scrimmage. To be honest with you, I stole it from a YouTube video of a high school team years ago, and the first time we ran it, it went for a touchdown."

Wake Forest saw its surprising 8-0 start halted in a 58-55 thriller at North Carolina. The Tar Heels scored 24 fourth-quarter points for the come-from-behind victory. Ty Chandler rushed for 213 yards and four touchdowns, while quarterback Sam Howell had three total touchdowns.

"I've told them: Every Saturday you build memories," Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown told reporters. "That's what you do. And this is a game that they will remember for the rest of their lives. And I'm really, really proud that my name is associated with them."

While every other title contender was victorious this week, not all of them were dominant. Cincinnati did not do itself any favors with the College Football Playoff selection committee with a 28-20 win over a 3-6 Tulsa team. The Bearcats turned the ball over three times and committed seven penalties in the sloppy effort.

Alabama's offense also failed to show up in a 20-14 win over rival LSU. While it's not likely to hurt the Crimson Tide in the eyes of the committee, it's more proof that this team is far more beatable than last year's iteration. 

Attention at this point of the season has turned to the College Football Playoff rankings, but the sport's coaches may have provided a Tuesday preview with the latest edition of their poll.

Following its 43-6 rout of Missouri, Georgia still sits atop the latest Coaches Top 25 Poll, which was released Sunday:

1. Georgia

2. Alabama

3. Cincinnati

4. Oklahoma

5. Ohio State

6. Oregon

7. Notre Dame

8. Michigan

9. Michigan State

10. Oklahoma State

11. Texas A&M

12. Ole Miss

13. Wake Forest

14. Iowa

15. BYU

16. Texas-San Antonio

17. Houston

18. Baylor

19. North Carolina State

20. Auburn

21. Coastal Carolina

22. Pittsburgh

23. Penn State

24. Wisconsin

25. UL Lafayette 

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Saturday brought plenty of chaos and near-misses, with many of the nation's top teams receiving stiff tests from unranked foes.

Most notably, Purdue handled Michigan State, No. 3 in the initial CFP rankings, with relative ease in a 40-29 victory. Boilermakers quarterback Aidan O'Connell threw for 536 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, while wide receiver David Bell posted 11 catches for 217 yards and a score.

Purdue beat Iowa this season when the Hawkeyes were undefeated and will have another chance at upsetting a playoff contender with a showdown against Ohio State set for Week 11.

Michigan State wasn't the only previously unbeaten contender to lose Saturday, as North Carolina defeated Wake Forest 58-55. It is not unreasonable to suggest the result virtually eliminated the ACC from CFP contention.

Elsewhere, TCU beat Baylor, Arkansas beat Mississippi State, Tennessee beat Kentucky, Illinois beat Minnesota and Boise State beat Fresno State. All five victors were unranked in the first CFP poll, while the losers were all ranked and looking to play their way into favorable bowl games.

Saturday could have brought even more chaos, but Alabama escaped a showdown with LSU with a six-point win. The Tigers had three drives in Alabama territory during the fourth quarter alone, but they ended with zero points.

Ohio State also survived a scare from Nebraska, which has made a habit of losing close games to contenders this season. The Cornhuskers lost by more than one score for the first time all year in Saturday's 26-17 defeat, but they had the ball while down six in the fourth quarter with a chance to pull off a stunning upset.

Cincinnati also almost saw its quest to become the first Group of Five team to reach the CFP end during Saturday's 28-20 win over Tulsa.

The Golden Hurricane turned over the ball on downs at the Bearcats' 2-yard line in the game's final two minutes, only to have one more chance to force overtime when Cincinnati fumbled while trying to run out the clock. Yet Tulsa failed to score, with quarterback Davis Brin sliding instead of extending the ball at the goal line on third down and Steven Anderson fumbling on fourth down. 

While the Bearcats didn't do themselves any favors in the style-points department, their victory and results elsewhere ensure they remain alive in the chase for a playoff spot.

The Top Five in last week's coaches poll escaped the weekend unscathed.

As for the rest of the Top 25, well, not so much.

Georgia remains the class of college football after a blowout win over Florida and is followed by Cincinnati, Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio State.

Here is how the remainder of the Top 25 played out.

1. Georgia
2. Cincinnati
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State
6. Michigan State
7. Oregon
8. Notre Dame
9. Wake Forest
10. Michigan
11. Oklahoma State
12. Texas A&M
13. Baylor
14. Auburn
15. Ole Miss
16. Iowa
17. Kentucky
18. UTSA
19. Houston
20. BYU
21. Coastal Carolina
22. NC State
23. Penn State
24. SMU
25. Pitt

Michigan State firmly established itself as a playoff contender with a 37-33 comeback win over rival Michigan. The Spartans trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half before scoring 23 of the game's final 26 points. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 197 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winning score with 5:08 remaining.

Walker has rushed for 1,194 yards and 14 touchdowns this season to put himself firmly in the Heisman race. 

"I don't believe in self-imposed limitations," Michigan State coach Mel Tucker told reporters. "I've said this before publicly, our goal is to win every game on our schedule. Whether it's home or away or regardless of who it is, that's our goal. Whether we can do that or not, only time will tell. What does success look like? I've been asked several times, success is us reaching our full potential as a football team.

"And so we have not hit our ceiling yet, we still have room for improvement and we have a tough schedule ahead."

The Nov. 20 matchup between Ohio State and Michigan State is looking increasingly like a game that will determine the Big Ten's CFP chances. The Buckeyes moved to 7-1 with a 33-24 win over Penn State on Saturday, while Iowa's outside chance of making a run ended with a 27-7 loss to Wisconsin.

Potential SEC dark horses Ole Miss and Kentucky also saw their chances of making the CFP go down in upset losses. Ole Miss dropped a 31-20 trip to Auburn, while Kentucky lost by two touchdowns in Mississippi State.

Another Group of Five spoiler also went down, with SMU losing a 44-37 thriller to Houston. San Diego State saw its hopes of an undefeated season dashed with a 30-20 home loss to Fresno State. 

The selection committee for the College Football Playoff will be releasing its first Top 25 rankings of the 2021 season Tuesday night, and, buddy, there are going to be some arguments.

Not about Georgia at No. 1, of course. The Bulldogs were already the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP poll before squeezing the life out of Florida for a 34-7 victory on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to a Nakobe Dean pick six just before halftime, Georgia's defense/special teams has now scored four touchdowns while allowing its opposition to score just five. The Dawgs are officially in 2001 Miami (10 touchdowns scored against 12 allowed) and 2011 Alabama (five scored against nine allowed) territory of absurd dominance on D.

Beyond that, though, the order of Nos. 2-7—no matter what it is—will be highly controversial. Alabama, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Oregon all have an argument for debuting in the Top 4, but only half of them can do so.

Before we dive into the cases for and against each of those six teams, let's be sure to point out that—while certainly more important than the AP poll—these initial rankings still don't really matter.

When all four teams that debuted in the Top 4 actually made it into the playoff last year, that was very much the exception to the rule. In the first six years of the CFP, only 13 of the 24 national semifinalists debuted in the Top 4. The vast majority of them (21 of 24) did start in the Top 7, but Ohio State famously went from No. 16 to national champion in 2014. Oklahoma also vaulted from a starting spot at No. 15 into the Top 4 the following year.

And looking at it from the opposite direction, 2020 was the first time that there was not at least one team that finished outside the Top 10 after debuting in the Top 4. 2016 Texas A&M was the only one to actually drop all the way out of the Top 25, but there's typically at least one team that fades considerably in November.

In other words, if you're a fan of one of these teams that isn't in the Top Four on Tuesday night, there's still plenty of time to get there.

With that in mind, let's try to figure out what the selection committee will decide this week.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Case For: Ridiculously good offense, and that loss to Texas A&M isn't anywhere near as bad as it looked at the time.

Quarterback Bryce Young is a bona fide Heisman Trophy front runner, leading an offense that has averaged 45.9 points per game this season. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. took a few weeks to get into the zone, but he averaged 160.5 yards of total offense and 2.5 touchdowns per game in October.

Aside from the final three quarters of the road game against Florida, the Crimson Tide have been virtually unstoppable.

And that three-point road loss to the then-unranked Aggies? That hardly seems unforgivable now that A&M is thriving and has bounced back into the AP Top 15. At any rate, that loss is much less of an eyesore than Oregon's loss to Stanford.

Jumping out to that 35-0 lead over Ole Miss before cruising to a 21-point victory was an impressive best win, too.

Case Against: Already lost one game, and hasn't looked like the Alabama of yore.

The committee isn't going to compare 2021 Alabama to any other iteration of this program, but there's no question that this hasn't been quite a vintage Crimson Tide team as far as game control is concerned.

Not only did they lose to a team that already had two losses, but they were considerably less than dominant in the wins over Florida and Tennessee. They owned the first quarter of the former and the fourth quarter of the latter. However, a now-.500 Gators team out-played them over the final 45 minutes and a now-.500 Volunteers team went into Tuscaloosa and legitimately hung with Alabama through the first 45 minutes.

None of that will matter if they win out, but it could be a justification for slotting Alabama outside the initial Top 4.

        

Cincinnati Bearcats

Case For: Undefeated with a pair of road wins over Power Five programs

Plain and simple, Cincinnati did exactly what we've been waiting for a Group of Five team to do to make things interesting.

When UCF ran the table in both 2017 and 2018, it did so against an uninspired schedule. The Knights didn't play a single road game against a ranked team, and (excluding the bowl games) only faced two mediocre Power Five programs, beating 4-8 Maryland the first year and 7-7 Pittsburgh the latter year.

But Cincinnati went on the road against preseason No. 17 Indiana and preseason No. 9 Notre Dame, winning both of those contests by double digits. Indiana has since fallen apart for a 2-6 overall record, but that 24-13 win at Notre Dame is still one of the most impressive victories by any team in this entire season.

Not only that but both the Pac-12 (Oregon) and the ACC (Wake Forest) are already down to just one team with any argument whatsoever for a spot in the Top 15. Might as well put an undefeated Cincinnati in the Top 4 alongside the best team from each of the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12.

       

Case Against: Only one game against a remotely noteworthy opponent and hasn't looked good lately.

As awesome as the road win over Notre Dame was, what is Cincinnati's second-best win now that it looks like Indiana isn't any good? The home win over UCF sans Dillon Gabriel? The season opener at home against 4-4 Miami-Ohio?

The Bearcats will eventually need to face a pretty good SMU team (Nov. 20), plus either a rematch with the Mustangs or a showdown with Houston in the AAC championship. But the overall schedule thus far isn't that great, and two games against SMU is nothing compared to what the rest of these contenders will face the rest of the way.

And while there's only so much Cincinnati can do about the strength of its schedule, it should have at least played well in the recent wins over Navy and Tulane.

Sure, they were both road games, but 2-6 Navy had the ball with a chance to tie in the closing minute while a 1-7 Tulane team with a terrible defense held the Bearcats offense in check. The latter was a 14-12 game at halftime, and Cincinnati didn't exactly flex its offensive muscles after the intermission with just one drive of more than 40 yards.

Style points are going to be crucial for Cincinnati to ultimately land in the playoff, and it hasn't gotten many as of late.

      

Michigan State Spartans

Case For: Last undefeated Big Ten team; just scored a massive win over AP No. 6 Michigan.

Let me first say how incredible it is that we're even having this conversation. At Big Ten media days in July, Michigan State was picked to finish in dead last in the Big Ten East, and Sparty was considerably behind both Rutgers and Maryland in that poll. Going from an expected seventh-place finish in their division to a certain spot in the current Top 7 is the type of thing that could make Mel Tucker a unanimous Head Coach of the Year.

Speaking of year-end honors, go ahead and lock in Kenneth Walker III for a spot among the Heisman finalists. The Wake Forest transfer was already leading the nation in rushing yards per game heading into a Week 9 gem against rival Michigan, in which he rushed 23 times for 197 yards and five touchdowns. He has been the heart and soul of the Big Ten's lone remaining unblemished team.

In addition to that come-from-behind 37-33 win over the Wolverines, the Spartans burst onto the scene in September with a 38-17 road win over then-AP No. 24 Miami. The Hurricanes are only 4-4 overall, but they do have wins over Pitt, NC State and Appalachian State, as well as close calls against North Carolina and Virginia. The committee is sure to view that as an impressive victory.

       

Case Against: Close calls against Nebraska and Indiana; major question marks in the secondary

The Spartans needed a Jayden Reed punt-return touchdown late in the fourth quarter at home against Nebraska just to force overtime and ultimately win that game. And against an Indiana team adjusting to a new starting quarterback (Jack Tuttle) in the middle of the season, Michigan State narrowly eked out a 20-15 victory, thanks in large part to a pick six of Tuttle in the first quarter.

Two close calls is better than the many that Oklahoma has had, and it's better than the losses that Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon have suffered. But for a team that did not have a win over a currently ranked opponent until that comeback win against Michigan, those razor-thin margins against two teams unlikely to even qualify for a bowl game were a bit concerning.

And even in that win over Michigan, Michigan State's Achilles' heel was on full display: less-than-mediocre pass defense.

The Spartans have a great pass rush, but they just allowed more than 400 passing yards against a Wolverines offense that had not previously topped 255 this season. MSU is now allowing 301.0 passing yards per game.

Granted, hemorrhaging passing yards on a regular basis never kept Oklahoma from reaching the playoff. But with so little separating No. 2 from No. 7 at this point, those defensive numbers against what wasn't a particularly daunting schedule prior to this weekend will be a major talking point for the committee.

      

Ohio State Buckeyes

Case For: Offense is sensational and the defense appears to have improved a lot since mid-September.

At 49.3 points per game, Ohio State entered Week 9 as the highest-scoring offense in the country by a margin of more than a field goal per game.

C.J. Stroud was averaging well over 10 yards per pass attempt, TreVeyon Henderson was averaging nearly nine yards per rush attempt and each portion of the Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba three-headed receiving monster was well on its way to a 1,000-yard campaign.

Even on what ended up feeling like a down night against Penn State, the Buckeyes racked up 466 yards of total offense and scored 33 points against a mighty fine defense.

A national championship pitting this offense against Georgia's defense would be objectively fantastic.

And after getting shredded for 472 yards and six touchdowns on the ground through the first two games, Ohio State's defense has held its last six opponents to 383 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. As long as that continues, one could argue this is the most well-rounded team in the country.

         

Case Against: Lost to Oregon and has feasted on a diet of cream puffs.

Winning those Week 4-8 games by a combined score of 231-44 was quite the display of dominance, but are we really supposed to be impressed by steamrolling Akron, Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana? It's likely that only one of those teams will get to six wins this season, and that's probably going to come down to the regular-season finale between Maryland and Rutgers.

Take out those four games and you're left with the home loss to Oregon, the season opener against Minnesota that was a toss-up prior to a defensive touchdown late in the third quarter, the home game against Tulsa that was a one-score game until late in the fourth quarter and the Week 9 win over Penn State in which the Buckeyes uncharacteristically scored a touchdown on just one of six red-zone possessions.

If you want to believe in Ohio State as a title contender, it's not hard. But it's also not that hard to talk yourself into this being a borderline Top 10 team that made the most of a few of its games against sub-par competition.

       

Oklahoma Sooners

Case For: The only 9-0 team in the country hails from the third-best conference.

Undefeated in the Big 12 isn't quite as impressive as undefeated in the SEC or Big Ten, but it's still quite the achievement for the Sooners. And aside from that bizarrely slow start in the first half against Kansas in Week 8, they have been humming on offense since making the switch from Spencer Rattler to Caleb Williams at quarterback.

Perhaps more than anything else that could come from Tuesday night's rankings show, I want to hear selection committee chair Gary Barta say something about how it is handling its evaluation of Oklahoma based on the quarterback situation.

We can't sit here and say that Oklahoma would have more convincingly beaten Tulane, Nebraska, West Virginia, Kansas State and Texas if Williams had been the starter back then. However, it'd be fair to acknowledge that this team has been different over the past month and make an effort to rank the Sooners based on their current state.

      

Case Against: Too many close calls and a surprisingly weak schedule.

Oklahoma's first five wins against FBS opponents were each by a one-possession margin. It was dreadful defense against Tulane and Texas; dreadful offense against Nebraska and West Virginia. Without suffering a loss, the Sooners slipped all the way from No. 2 to No. 6 in the AP rankings, and it often felt like they didn't even deserve to be that well off in the polls.

And making matters worse, Oklahoma has not yet faced a currently ranked opponent.

That's going to change in a big way down the stretch against Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State, but the Sooners had a painfully weak nonconference schedule and have thus far only faced the bottom 60 percent of the Big 12.

Again, they've looked good lately, winning three straight by multiple scores. But strength of schedule and those early margins have to matter, right?

       

Oregon Ducks

Case For: Road win over Ohio State, road win over Ohio State and road win over Ohio State.

The way that Oregon fans and Ohio State naysayers have been bringing up that Week 2 result in complaining about the AP rankings week after week, you'd think it was the only game that either team has played.

But there's no question it was a damn fine win.

Even though C.J. Stroud threw for nearly 500 yards, the Ducks defense did a sensational job of digging in its heels when the Buckeyes got to the fringe of field-goal range. And C.J. Verdell was a strong candidate for the "September Heisman" as a result of his 195 total yards and three touchdowns against the Ohio State defense.

The Ducks do have the worst loss (at Stanford) of any team in this conversation, but they also have the best win. Balancing those two outcomes will be tricky for the committee, but please do not assume that Oregon is going to rank ahead of Ohio State just because of that 12.5 percent of their respective resumes.

       

Case Against: The other six FBS games Oregon has played.

In addition to the loss to sub-.500 Stanford, Oregon needed a late touchdown to win its opener against Fresno State, had to erase a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to take down Cal, had to climb out of an early 14-0 hole to beat UCLA, didn't pull away from winless Arizona until the fourth quarter and allowed 29 points against a Colorado offense that had been held to 14 points or fewer in five of its previous six games.

In other words, that one fantastic road win over Ohio State has been surrounded by a bunch of "meh."

Injuries and suspensions/ejections—especially on defense—have surely played a part in Oregon's inability to put together a complete game in the past month and a half. However, that doesn't change the fact that the Ducks have been consistently scraping by against a recent schedule that (aside from the road game against UCLA) a legitimate title contender would be expected to dominate.

       

Our Projection:

1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Oklahoma
5. Michigan State
6. Cincinnati
7. Oregon

I'm reasonably confident Oregon will check in at No. 7, but I truly have no idea how Nos. 2-6 will be arranged. Alabama and Ohio State will most likely be a package deal with the Crimson Tide one slot ahead of the Buckeyes because of their more difficult schedule. Though with the way they have been playing over the past month-plus, it would be very easy to argue that Ohio State is the second-best team in the country.

I do hope I'm wrong about Cincinnati and that the Bearcats get to begin the CFP rankings at No. 2 to match their current spot in the AP and Coaches polls. But a Group of Five team has never been ranked in the Top 6 by the CFP selection committee, so we should probably be prepared for Cincinnati to debut outside the Top 4. 

What do you think we'll see on Tuesday night?

              

Kerry Miller covers college football and men's college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @kerrancejames.

The top of the poll largely remains the same, but at least two potential playoff teams saw their chances end over the weekend to shake up the latest Coaches Poll.

Georgia reigns supreme as the top team in the nation and is now followed by Cincinnati and Alabama, both of whom leapfrogged Oklahoma. Ohio State rounds out the Top Five.

Here is how the entire poll played out.

1. Georgia
2. Cincinnati
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State
6. Michigan
7. Michigan State
8. Oregon
9. Ole Miss
10. Iowa
11. Notre Dame
12. Kentucky
13. Wake Forest
14. Texas A&M
15. Oklahoma State
16. SMU
17. Penn State
18. Baylor
19. Pitt
20. San Diego State
21. Auburn
22. UTSA
23. Iowa State
24. Coastal Carolina
25. NC State

Oklahoma remaining undefeated is a slight miracle considering how poorly the Sooners have played this season. Lincoln Riley's team trailed by as many as 10 points and was down 17-14 going into the fourth against the Kansas Jayhawks before scoring 21 points in the final 15 minutes. 

Upset losses by Penn State and Oklahoma State created the largest ripple in the polls, with both teams nosediving several spots.

The Nittany Lions were part of the first nine-overtime game in college football history, a ghastly 20-18 affair that saw them unable to mount any offense against an Illinois team that entered 2-5. Penn State's nightmarish offensive performance saw the Lions put up only 227 total yards of offense while failing to capitalize on three Illini turnovers.

"Obviously we did not have our guys ready to play. I think there was a difference between playing Iowa on the road and having that type of loss with the type of injuries we had going into our bye week," coach James Franklin told reporters. "But at the end of the day, all that matters is that we get the job done, and we did not today."

Penn State has lost two straight games, going from potential Big Ten favorite to being in serious danger of dropping three consecutive contests with next week's visit to Ohio State looming.

Iowa State continued getting its season back on the right track with a 24-21 win over eighth-ranked Oklahoma State. Brock Purdy threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and Breece Hall added the game-winning touchdown on the ground with five minutes, 29 seconds remaining.

The Cyclones began the season as a top-10 team but failed to look the part in an ugly 2-2 start. They've since reeled off three straight wins to jump back into the Top 25. 

"The character of this game is what we've talked about," Cyclones coach Matt Campbell told reporters. "It's not always going to be pretty. It's not always going to be easy."

Coastal Carolina also lost any hope it had of reaching a New Year's Six bowl game with a 30-27 loss to Appalachian State.