We head into November with a great slate of games. At the top of the list, Clemson visits Notre Dame, Georgia battles Florida in Jacksonville, and a Friday night kickoff between BYU and Boise State leads things off. With conference only schedules the importance of all of these games is magnified.
1. Alabama – It was another dominating performance for the Red Elephants, as they crushed Mississippi State 41-0. They’ll have this week off to get ready for LSU, who were crushed at Auburn. Alabama will look for some vengeance from last year.
2. Clemson – It was hairy for the Tigers without Trevor Lawrence against Boston College, but Clemson got a 34-28 win. Now it’s the big one at Notre Dame. D.J. Uiagaleilei certainly looks like the next great Clemson quarterback.
3. Ohio State – It was a big win for the Buckeyes, who took down Penn State 38-25 in Happy Valley. Now comes improved Rutgers, but it should be an Ohio State blowout in the horseshoe.
4. Texas A&M – The Aggies got an impressive win over Arkansas 42-31 at Kyle Field. Texas A&M hits the road to play South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium. Kellen Mond is playing very well for the Aggies.
5. Florida – The Gators smoked Missouri 41-17 in the Swamp and now eye the mega showdown with Georgia. The winner of this one is the front-runner to go to Atlanta. Kyle Trask is having a tremendous season at quarterback.
6. Georgia – The Bulldogs defense and running game was strong in a 14-3 win at Kentucky. Now it’s off to Jacksonville for the Gators. Georgia is beaten up, particularly on defense. The Bulldogs have won three straight in the series.
7. Brigham Young – The Cougars keep on rolling. They pounded Western Kentucky 41-10, and now the stage is set for an awesome Friday night game in Boise on the blue turf against the Broncos.
8. Notre Dame – The Fighting Irish defense was lights out in a 31-13 win over the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. The stage is set for an undefeated showdown against Clemson in South Bend.
9. Cincinnati – The Bearcats are in the running for a major bowl berth. Cincinnati put a 49-10 beatdown on Memphis to make it 5-0. Cincy will have to stay sharp. The Houston Cougars visit on Saturday afternoon.
10. Miami – The Hurricanes have been the third most consistent team in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind Clemson and Notre Dame. Miami is 5-1 and coming off an open date. N.C. State awaits in Raleigh.
11. Marshall – What a season this has been for the Thundering Herd. Marshall comes in at 5-0, led by an outstanding defense. They haven’t allowed more than 17 points in a game thus far this season.
12. Coastal Carolina – It’s been a dream season so far for the Chanticleers. They are a perfect 6-0 and in the driver’s seat in the Sun Belt East Division. South Alabama heads to Conway on Saturday.
13. Oklahoma State – It was a heartbreaker for the Cowboys, who fell in overtime to Texas for their first loss of the season. Oklahoma State is still in good position to make it to the Big XII title game in December. The ‘Pokes go to Kansas State Saturday.
14. Auburn – It was a monster win for the Tigers, who smoked LSU 48-11 on the Plains. Auburn is off this week and then heads to Mississippi State. The Tigers could play themselves into being the second-best team in the SEC West.
15. Indiana – The Hoosiers had no let down, following up their overtime victory over Penn State with a 37-21 win at Rutgers. Now Michigan comes to town. The Wolverines were upset by Michigan State this past week.