We head into the final month of the regular season – it flies by every year – and the first official playoff rankings have been released. The stunner this past week was Oklahoma’s upset loss to Kansas. The SEC, Big Ten, ACC and PAC-12 all have at least one overall unbeaten, amongst the Power Five conferences. The SEC has an enormous day coming up, highlighted by Missouri at Georgia, LSU at Alabama and Texas A&M visiting Ole MIss.
1. Georgia – The two-time reigning national champions were sharp against the Gators, posting a 43-20 triumph in Jacksonville. The Bulldogs have won 41 of 42, and face their stiffest test of the season Saturday at home with Mizzou, which was off last week.
2. Florida State – The Seminoles are the class of the ACC and they have an impressive list of wins. Florida State went to Winston-Salem and downed Wake Forest 41-16 this past week. FSU heads to struggling Pitt, which got destroyed last Saturday at Notre Dame.
3. Ohio State – The Buckeyes took care of business at Wisconsin 24-10 this past week, moving to 8-0. Ohio State’s defense is strong. The Buckeyes now go to Rutgers for an early kickoff. An unscathed path to the Saturday after Thanksgiving looks very doable.
4. Michigan – The off the field headlines swirl, while the Wolverines sit at a perfect 8-0. Michigan was off this past week. Purdue heads to the Big House Saturday. The Wolverines are aiming for a third straight Big Ten title and Playoff berth.
5. Washington – Since the victory over Oregon, the Huskies have survived a couple of scares against two of the teams at the bottom of the PAC-12. Washington beat Stanford 42-33 last week. It’s off to USC Saturday and the start of a brutal November slate.
6. Missouri – The Tigers are eyeing a big win in Athens over the two-time defending national champion Bulldogs. Missouri was off this past week gearing up for Georgia. With a win, the Tigers would be in the SEC East driver’s seat.
7. Oregon – The Ducks had one of the best weeks of any team, taking down always tough Utah 35-6 to improve to 7-1. Oregon hosts Cal, which lost a 50-49 shootout to USC, Saturday. Dan Lanning’s Ducks are very much in play to get to the PAC-12 title game.
8. Oklahoma – The Sooners have to be ranked ahead of Texas, because they have the same record and OU beat the Horns. A 38-33 loss at Kansas was a tough pill to swallow. Oklahoma has another tough test coming up Saturday, going to Oklahoma State.
9. Texas – The Longhorns, with quarterback Quinn Ewers out due to injury, put up big numbers in a 35-6 win over BYU. This week, it’s Kansas State in Austin. The Wildcats are talented and capable of putting up big points. Texas is in the hunt.
10. Alabama – The Crimson Tide were off this past Saturday to get ready for the big showdown in T-Town with LSU. Of course, the Fightin’ Tigers were also off. If Bama wins, the Tide is in great shape for a return to the SEC Championship Game.
11. Ole Miss – The Rebels took care of Vanderbilt 33-7 this past Saturday to make it 7-1. The lone loss is to Alabama. Ole Miss has a big test with Texas A&M Saturday. A win, and some help from LSU, and the Rebels are still in the mix for everything.
12. Air Force – The flying Falcons won – what we think – is the first major college snow game of the year, beating Colorado State 30-13. Air Force is 8-0. The Falcons have beaten Navy. They play Army in Denver Saturday for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.