SID Sports Week 11 Top 25
Breaking down my Week 11 Rankings and Player of the Slate
There were some crazy upsets and some not so crazy blowouts in Week 10. The biggest news remains off the field, when noted football terrorists Brian Ferentz and Alex Grinch were, mercifully to college football fans everywhere, were removed from their positions.
On the field, we’ve still got a lot to sort out. The playoff race is tightening, but there’s still more than enough teams on the outside looking in. The same goes for New Years Six and Conference Championship races. It’s a chaotic, fun time in the sport. But we can return to a semblance of normalcy with some rankings!
Ohio State 9-0 LW: 1
Kyle McCord was nursing an ankle injury all week in practice, so a slow start in a 35-16 win over Rutgers wasn’t too surprising. Still, McCord and the Buckeye offense were able to pull it together down the stretch and notch a convincing victory over an upstart Rutgers program. It helps that TreVeyon Henderson is back and has topped the century mark in both games since his return from injury.Georgia 9-0 LW: 2
Georgia had one of the week’s best wins, but their resume is still a step behind the Buckeyes’, hence the second slot. Even without Brock Bowers, Carson Beck and the Bulldog offense showed they can hang against some quality SEC opponents. Their new tight end, Oscar Delp, is also incredibly talented like Bowers, so I don’t think the Dawgs will rush their all-world offensive threat back.Michigan 9-0 LW: 3
The Connor Stalions saga continues, but so does the Wolverines’ buzzsaw. This week’s victim was Purdue, who Michigan pulverized 41-13. Those points all came on the ground with three different Wolverines finding paydirt. They’ve shown their physical side in recent years, and this game was no different. J.J. McCarthy’s 335 passing yards was also solid as he keeps putting together a great season. Now, the Wolverines get their first real test of the season: a trip to Happy Valley to square off against Penn State.
Washington 9-0 LW: 4
As I’m sure you’ve gathered so far, the Top Five hasn’t changed much. Washington got into a dog fight with USC, but came out on top. You would expect it to be a showdown between Caleb Williams and Michael Penix Jr., but you’d be wrong. Instead, the Huskies leaned on an explosive running game and showed some dangerous balance. The defense did falter against the Trojans, but they do have one of the nation’s best offenses. This is a playoff team, but they need to stay hot and avoid more one-score thrillers.Oregon 8-1 LW: 5
Again, Oregon looks more complete than Washington, but head-to-head results matter and the Huskies own that. Where Washington was in a shootout, Oregon beat down on Cal 63-19. Bo Nix threw for 386 yards and four scores, Bucky Irving found the endzone once and had 89 yards and Tez Johnson torched the Golden Bear secondary. All while the defense stifled Jaydn Ott and the Cal offense. The Ducks are for real.Alabama 9-1 LW: 8
You thought the Tide were having a down year? Hoo boy, they’re just getting started. It was a close game with LSU until Jayden Daniels went down with a concussion, but Alabama kept the pedal to the metal and put away the Tigers 42-28. It seems like the Tide have a quarterback in Jalen Milroe, who showed his dual-threat talent by throwing for 219 yards and leading Alabama in rushing with 20 carries for 155 yards and four touchdowns. This offense is hitting its stride right when they need to and the defense keeps them in games.Florida State 9-0 LW: 6
The Seminoles get jumped, but a 24-7 win over Pitt doesn’t hurt them too much. They still control their destiny, and finishing undefeated will go a long way in the playoff hunt. Jordan Travis continues to light up the scoreboard, throwing for 360 yards and a score on the Panthers’ secondary, while Trey Benson keeps an honest ground game rolling with 97 yards and a score. Florida State has a light schedule the rest of the way, and should be undefeated heading into the ACC Championship.Texas 8-1 LW: 7
Maalik Murphy is not Quinn Ewers, but he might be enough until the Longhorns’ signal caller returns from an sprained AC joint. The Longhorns faltered down the stretch against defending Big 12 Champion Kansas State, but were able to notch the win in overtime. This has been twice that the Longhorn defense has been torched by a quality, but not great quarterback in Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel and Kansas State’s Will Howard. If this is the year they make a playoff run, they have to shore up their secondary.Penn State 8-1 LW: 10
Last time Penn State squared off against a Top 5 opponent in Ohio State, it didn’t end well. They get a chance to right that wrong against Michigan this weekend. It also helps that quarterback Drew Allar is coming off of his best college game against a floundering Maryland: 25-34, 240 yards, four touchdowns. The Nittany Lions also need their defense to have even part of a repeat performance against the run after holding Maryland to -47 yards rushing. That’s right. Negative. If they can get any of that against Michigan, it’ll greatly help their playoff chances which are already on life support.
Ole Miss 8-1 LW: 9
Ole Miss will go as far as their offence will take them. So far, that’s been enough. But down the stretch, you’re going to likely need more than that. The Rebs avoided near disaster against Texas A&M, but were able to put the game away with a Quinshon Judkins touchdown with 1:43 left. The defense did get a stop, which sealed the game. They’ll need to string together a couple more stops in order to achieve their New Year’s Six potential.Louisville 8-1 LW: 11
It sure didn’t take long for Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals to jump back up in the rankings, did it? They’ve rebounded nicely following a perplexing loss to Pitt and are somehow still alive in the ACC and National Title hunts. That’s in big part to tailback Isaac Guerendo, who dominated Virginia Tech last week to the tune of 146 yards and three scores on 11 carries. Even though Jack Plummer didn’t have his best game, Guerendo was there to pick up the slack for a balanced Cardinal team.James Madison 9-0 LW: 14
Somehow, someway, James Madison keeps winning and climbing the rankings. They easily deposited of a solid Georgia State team, holding the Panthers and Darren Grainger to only 82 yards through the air. Jordan McCloud was lights out, throwing for 307 yards and four scores to one pick while adding in 104 and another two touchdowns on the ground. He’s a large part of why the Dukes are rolling right now. NCAA: Let them play in the New Year’s Six and the Sun Belt Championship.Tulane 8-1 LW: 17
Some big losses above the Green Wave allows Tulane to have a big jump in the polls. Well, my poll at least. It wasn’t the most convincing win over East Carolina on the scoreboard at only 13-10, but Tulane dominated this game from the jump. They outgained the Pirates 368-190 and held the ball for 38 minutes. I’d like to see Tulane finish more on their opponent’s side of the field, and only having 13 points to show for a great game like this is concerning.Tennessee 7-2 LW: 21
Finally, Tennessee beats down a team they’re supposed to. While UConn is a very bad 1-8, it’s good to see Tennessee kick into that second gear that we all knew they had. It was a blowout quickly, so we didn’t see too much of the ones, but Joe Milton only had three incompletions and the Vols got ahead with a strong balanced attack. It’s taken a minute to adjust to life without Hendon Hooker, Jaylin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman and company, but it feels like Tennessee has caught fire now. They’ve got a solid game plan and are tough outs now.Oklahoma State 7-2 LW: Next Five Out
I was really flirting with ranking the Pokes last week and it turns out I should’ve. After a loss to South Alabama that only gets more confusing each week, everyone wrote off Oklahoma State. Now, behind star tailback Ollie Gordon II and Alan Bowman, the Cowboys are dangerous once again. They caught Oklahoma sleeping and now have an easy path through newcomes UCF, Houston and BYU to the Big 12 Championship, likely against Texas.Kansas 7-2 LW: 20
Speaking of teams that caught Oklahoma sleeping, Kansas checks in. The Jayhawks are still without Jalon Daniels, but Jason Bean is doing more than enough under center. He’s taking care of the ball, using his legs well and distributing the ball well to his targets. Plus, a solid defense always helps things. They’re basically out of the Big 12 title race with two in-conference losses, but I wouldn’t rule out a potential New Year’s Six bid.Oklahoma 7-2 LW: 11
And here we have the Sooners. Maybe they’re not sleeping, and instead just aren’t as great as we thought they might have been? Now, with losses to both Kansas and Oklahoma State, a Red River title matchup won’t happen. In fact, ever since that rivalry win over Texas, the Sooners have struggled. They’ve come a long way from their 6-7 finish a year ago, but they’re not quite the cream of the crop yet.Arizona 6-3 LW: 24
The Wildcats kept the good vibes going with a 27-10 win over a quality UCLA team. It’s time to start recognizing the fact that Jedd Fisch has build a solid program in Tucson. Noah Fifita was unphased against one of the nation’s best defenses, and they shut down the Ethan Garbers-led Bruin offense. Arizona started the season slow but have had everything fall together down the stretch. They’ll be dangerous in the Big 12 next season.Oregon State 7-2 LW: 25
The Pat Shurmur-led Colorado offense stood no chance against the Beaver defense, and everyone knew it except for Deion Sanders. The key, though, is that Oregon State backed it up in a 26-19 win. D.J. Uiagalelei had a DJU game and the defense attacked all day, holding Colorado to -7 rushing yards and only 225 through the air. There needs to be some chaos, but Oregon State is technically still alive in the PAC-12’s final title race.Utah 7-2 LW: 22
The Utes have been one of the most up and down teams this season, and they were certainly up in their 55-3 destruction of Arizona State. Utah held the Sun Devils to only 83 yards of offense, flexing their defensive muscles. Bryson Barnes tossed four touchdowns, JaQuinden Jackson went over the century mark on the ground with a score, and Utah controlled the game the entire way. They, like Oregon State, are in the middle of the pack in the PAC-12 and are technically still alive in the conference title race.Missouri 7-2 LW: 15
The Tigers gave Georgia everything they had, but it just wasn’t enough. There was a moment just after the half that you thought that Missouri could’ve pulled off the upset of the season, but it wasn’t meant to be. Mizzou has a good team and a chance to keep getting better if they keep recruiting like they have in the special window they have, but they’re just not there yet. Maybe in a few years they’ll give the class of the SEC an even tougher game and come out with some wins.Notre Dame 7-3 LW: 12
Usually a loss to Clemson isn’t a big deal. This isn’t usually. Notre Dame was unable to do anything on offense for the fourth quarter and Clemson was able to escape with a big time upset. Notre Dame was already on the outside looking in on the playoff, but now they’re out of it and likely sitting outside of a New Year’s Six game. Marcus Freeman and company still have a lot to figure out in South Bend.
LSU 6-3 LW: 13
LSU played very well for one half against Alabama, then they lost their X-factor in Jayden Daniels and the train went off the rails. I think, had Daniels stayed in for the entire game, LSU would’ve give the Tide a real tough ride. But he didn’t, and the loss ended LSU’s SEC title and Playoff hopes. They were a longshot anyway, but now they’re officially done.Liberty 9-0 LW: UR
There’s another undefeated Group of Five team out there: Liberty. They’re clearly the class of the CUSA and likely won’t be challenged until Bowl Season arrives. This past weekend, they dominated conference foe Louisiana Tech 56-30 with over 600 yards of offense. The Jamey Chadwell hire is working out amazingly for the Flames and they could be building something very dangerous.Fresno State 8-1 LW: UR
Fresno State rejoins the rankings after a big win over Boise State that makes them the 1B in the Mountain West to Air Force’s 1A. When these two teams likely face off in the conference championship game, we’ll see a very fun schematic matchup between two talented teams. The Bulldogs under Jeff Tedford have a strong passing attack led by quarterback Mikey Keene, but you can’t forget about tailback Malik Sherrod and the ground game.
Next five out: Iowa, UCLA, USC, Air Force, Toledo
Dropped out: Air Force (No. 19), UCLA (No. 20), USC (No. 23)
And, just like always, here’s my Player of the Week ballot. Now, this isn’t a running Player of the Year ballot for me, per se. Instead, I’m voting on who had the best days that particular week. At the end of the season, we’ll evaluate who my Player of the Year was based on these ballots, with point values assigned similarly to the AP Top 25 (i.e. three points for a first place vote, two points for second place, and one point for third).
Dillon Johnson, HB Washington
It’s always been the Penix, Odunze, Polk show for the Huskies until this week. Then, the ground game took over. Johnson dominated the USC defense to the tune of 256 yards and four scores on the ground. There was no way the Trojans could stop him as he ran through every tackle attempt and found the endzone. Without Johnson, Washington doesn’t win that game.Ollie Gordon II, HB Oklahoma State
Gordon is becoming a mainstay in these Player of the Week ballots. The NCAA’s leading rusher added 137 yards and two scores to his tally in the final edition of Bedlam. He’s legitimately played his way into the Heisman conversation.Jordan McCloud, QB James Madison
It’s time for the Group of Five to get some love, and McCloud had an all-time game. His arm accounted for 307 yards and four touchdowns, but one pick does shake off some of the luster. His legs add in another 104 and two scores. The Dukes are the class of the G5 in their second year in the FBS largely because of games like this from McCloud.
There you have it, my ballot explainer for Week 11. How did I do? Do I hate your team? Love them? Let me know on social media or in the comments!