SID Sports Week 9 Top 25
Breaking down my Week 9 Rankings and Player of the Slate
We’re past the halfway point of the season, and now are heading into a time where we know a lot about the landscape of college football. We know who the playoff contenders are, we know who’s involved in conference races, and we have a better idea on who the Heisman candidates are and are not. But, do we know how to rank the Top 25 teams?
Ohio State 7-0 LW: 1
Ohio State has held the reigns of the top spot after winning an ugly affair against Penn State. Neither quarterback looked all that good, but Miyan Williams was able to get something going on the ground for the Buckeyes. They’ll need that ground game down the stretch, especially against Michigan and in postseason play.Washington 7-0 LW: 5
One week after the Huskies survived a College Kickers Moment, they struggled against Arizona State. It’s a classic trap game, but Michael Penix Jr. and company figured out a way to win, like all good teams do. They own perhaps the nation’s most impressive win against Oregon and look like a title contender at this point in the season.Georgia 7-0 LW: 2
The Dawgs fall again by virtue of other teams notching bigger wins. But don’t be fooled, Georgia is still very much a good team. They had the week off after drubbing Vanderbilt, but will be heading into a tough stretch to close SEC play against Florida, Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee. If Georgia isn’t for real, they’ll drop one of those they shouldn’t. But I think they are, and they’ll head to the SEC Championship undefeated.
Michigan 8-0 LW: 4
We’re still waiting for Michigan to play someone. Anyone. Instead, they’re too busy stealing signs when they should be stealing strength of schedule from some of their fellow national title contenders. Veterans’ Day against Penn State can’t come quick enough.Oklahoma 7-0 LW: 3
Struggling against UCF is enough to drop in the rankings, especially since the game came down to a two-point conversion. Either way, good teams find a way to win and the Sooners did just that. I wouldn’t count out a rematch of Red River in the Big 12 Championship for a spot in the Playoff, and Oklahoma still looks like the favorite in that matchup.Florida State 5-0 LW: 6
Mike Norvell’s squad notched a quality win over Duke last weekend, proving they’re in the drivers’ seat for the ACC. Also, can anyone stop Jordan Travis? It appears not, and with Johnny Wilson coming back from injury, the Seminoles are only getting more dangerous down the stretch against a flurry of weaker foes and Miami.Texas 6-1 LW: 9
Texas was dealt a bad hand when Quinn Ewers went down with an AC joint injury against Houston, but the Longhorns survived without their star quarterback. Head Coach Steve Sarkisian said Ewers is “week to week at this point,” and is turning the reins over to Maalik Murphy or Arch Manning. One of those quarterbacks is now tasked with keeping the most promising Texas season this side of Colt McCoy alive. Can they do it? The remaining schedule isn’t too tough, but a matchup in Austin against Kansas State will tell us a lot.Oregon 6-1 LW: 7
If it wasn’t for a missed kick, we could be seeing the Ducks competing for the top spot. Instead, they’re hoping for revenge in the PAC-12 title game. Dan Lanning’s squad has a big game against Utah this weekend with major conference—and playoff—implications on the line. I think the Ducks have the firepower and defensive wherewithal to knock off the suging Utes, but crazier things have happened in the nation’s craziest conference.Alabama 7-1 LW: 12
Don’t look now, but here comes the Tide. They shook off a shaky start to put down everyone the SEC has lined up across from them, including wins over Ole Miss and Tennessee by 14 points each. They’re off this weekend before welcoming LSU to Bryant-Denny in a crucial SEC West matchup.Utah 6-1 LW: 19
Speaking of don’t look now, Utah is rolling without Cam Rising. I’m resigned to him not playing at all this season, but it doesn’t look like they need him if pig farmer Bryson Barnes keeps outplaying star quarterbacks. He’ll get that chance again this week against Oregon.
Ole Miss 6-1 LW: 13
I thought the Rebels would be out of SEC contention when they dropped a game at Bryant-Denny to Alabama, but here they are in the thick of it. They’ve rattled off three straight close wins and have a Vanderbilt team they should beat up on this weekend. Keep an eye on the Veteran’s Day matchup in Athens against Georgia to see if Lane Kiffin’s squad is ready to make some noise in the SEC or not.Oregon State 6-1 LW: 17
Yes, Oregon State beat Utah and they’re ranked below the Utes. That’s because Utah has better wins and the transitive property doesn’t apply in rankings. The Beavs are very quietly still in the conference title hunt, and even in playoff contention if they win out. That’ll include wins over Washington and Oregon, as well as a PAC-12 title win over one of those two again, or a rematch against Utah. That’s some serious resume building. They have the defense to do it, they just need D.J. Uiagalelei to take his play to the next level.
Penn State 6-1 LW: 8
What’s even going on in Happy Valley? Each year, it’s getting to be the same thing: Wow, Penn State’s looking good this year! Oops, they just lost bad to both Ohio State and Michigan. Next year’s surely their year, right? Honestly, I’m getting sick of it. Drew Allar is clearly not ready for national title conversations, even though the Nittany Lions are expected to break through soon. They have to at some point, right?James Madison 7-0 LW: 20
That’s right, we’ve got some Group of Five magic! The only downside, James Madison cannot compete in postseason play after the NCAA denied their waiver to participate in postseason play. Come on, NCAA. First Tez Walker, and now this! Let the Dukes play! I, for one, would have them as a New Years’ Six lock at this point, but the NCAA had to come in and ruin that party for the second-year FBS program.Notre Dame 6-2 LW: 21
I’m struggling to find a top-flight team that I’m more confused by than Notre Dame. They have played four Top 25 games so far with a 2-2 record. In three of those games, they’ve looked like a quality team (yes, they looked good in a last-second loss to Ohio State). But the Louisville game was abysmal. Are the Irish a good team? Yes. Are they deserving to rank higher? Honestly, I have no clue.LSU 6-2 LW: 25
Allow me to nominate a sneaky Heisman candidate that nobody is considering: Jayden Daniels. The Tigers’ senior signal caller has been lights out this season, completing 73 percent of his passes for 2,573 yards, 25 touchdowns and three picks. He’s also added 521 yards on 91 carries and five touchdowns, but has put the ball on the ground twice with one fumble lost. He’s kept LSU alive this season, and the tigers have a massive game against Alabama next on the docket. It’s time for Daniels to show off for the nation.Missouri 7-1 LW: Next Five Out
Missouri dropped out of the rankings following their loss to LSU, but they’re back after wins over Kentucky and South Carolina. They have one of the SEC’s most explosive and exciting players in wideout Luther Burden III and are very much in the SEC East conversation. Their November 4 game in Athens is a de-facto division championship game, and I wouldn’t sleep on the Tigers this time.North Carolina 6-1 LW: 10
The Tar Heels were victims of perhaps on of the season’s most surprising upsets: a 31-27 loss to Virginia. The Cavaliers are very much not good this season, and they still exposed the cracks in the North Carolina team. Perhaps more disappointing has been Drake Maye’s play this year: 65 percent completions, 2,249 yards, 14 touchdowns and five picks. He also has 201 yards and five scores on 68 carries. That’s not the Heisman-candidate, potential first pick in the NFL Draft play we expected, and it finally caught up with the Tar Heels.Tulane 6-1 LW: 24
The Green Wave continue to climb, and because of James Madison’s unfortunate situation, look like the leader for the Group of Five New Year’s Six member. They’ve got quarterback Michael Pratt back and fully health and continue to roll through American foes. I don’t find a loss on the rest of their schedule, and a 12-1 Tulane team will be very scary for whoever is unlucky to draw them in postseason play.Duke 5-2 LW: 15
I’m starting to think Riley Leonard may not have been ready to play in the Florida State game. He was largely ineffective at 7-16 passing for 69 yards and a pick along with one 13 yard carry and backup Henry Belin IV was much worse. It’s clear that Leonard is the key to this Duke team’s success. Maybe this next week of rehab and practice will make sure he’s right before their matchup with Louisville on Saturday.Air Force 7-0 LW: UR
I’ll admit it, I’ve been sleeping on Air Force this season. But they’re really good. They’ve paired the nation’s top rushing attack with a top-five scoring defense and look very scary. Their 35 to 14 point differential is out of this world. I think they’re for real, and have a very real chance to quickly climb these rankings if they keep running through the opposition. The only challenging opponents left on the docket are a November 4 home game for the Commander-in-Chief Cup against Army and a season-closing trip to Boise State. This could very well be an undefeated Air Force at the end of the season.USC 6-2 LW: 11
USC got absolutely exposed the past two weeks by quality defense. I’m not ringing the panic bell just yet, but when the Clay Helton comparisons start flying out, it’s time to worry. I think the biggest remaining thing for USC comes in the offseason: please, for the love of God, fire Alex Grinch. He’s bordering on Brian Ferentz-level football terrorism at this point. Until the Trojans have a living, breathing defense, I think they’re out of PAC-12 and National Championship conversations. And just wait until they get beat up every week in the Big 10.UCLA 5-2 LW: 18
UCLA hasn’t really played since our last rankings, and you may be asking me why they fell so much since then? Well, their wins diminished when Washington State decided to drop three straight. Without a quality win and losses to each of their Top 25 foes, the Bruins’ resume crumbles. This is a building year, though, as Dante Moore gets comfortable playing college football. I think UCLA has a bright future, but it just isn’t ready to shine this season.Louisville 6-1 LW: 14
The Cardinals also get a big drop after a loss to Pittsburgh, where they allowed the anemic Panthers to score 31 points. 31! That can’t happen. I still think Louisville has a quality team, but you cannot let Pitt of all people run the score up on you. Let’s see how they rebound against Duke this weekend.Kentucky 5-2 LW: Next Five Out
Claiming our final spot in the rankings is Kentucky, back for more. Their win over Florida looks better each week, but back-to-back losses to Georgia and Missouri by double digits does not look great. They have a chance to rebound against a Tennessee team I don’t really believe in, but then again, I don’t really believe in the Wildcats either.
Next five out: Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, Tennessee, Oklahoma State
Dropped out: Washington State (No. 16), Kansas (No. 22), Tennessee (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).
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR Ohio State
”Maserati Marv” gets his first Player of the Week nod after a huge game against Penn State where he was the only player on either team’s offense that seemed to show up. Working against Kalen King and the rest of the Nittany Lions’ talented secondary, Harrison notched a career high 11 catches for 162 yards and a score.J.J. McCarthy, QB Michigan
Lost amid the Michigan sign stealing scandal was a great game by McCarthy against rival Michigan State. While the Wolverines haven’t played anyone of note yet, McCarthy continues to carve up opposing defenses. This time, he torched the Spartans for 287 yards and four scores while completing 77 percent of his passes.Bryson Barnes, QB Utah
When an unheralded quarterback outplays the reigning Heisman champion, they get a nod here. Barnes, the Utes’ pig farming savior, put together his most impressive game of the season against USC, going 14-23 through the air for 235 yards, three touchdowns and one pick. The stats may not jump off the page, but the context of Utah knocking off USC on the road adds to the impressiveness of his game.
There you have it, my ballot explainer for Week 9. How did I do? Do I hate your team? Love them? Let me know on social media or in the comments!