College Football Top 10 Ranking: Georgia re-enters the mix

It’s a new era of college football.

The College Football Playoff committee is releasing rankings now, but they aren’t going to be the end-all, be-all given the new seeding rules of the 12-team field. But the rankings are still fun and people are still going to fight over them. They still matter.

So, every weekend, after the dust settles from the games, I release my top 10. Three days later, we’ll see if the CFP committee agrees or disagrees.

1. Oregon (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten)

Oregon found itself on the ropes at Wisconsin on Saturday night, but the Ducks escaped Camp Randall with a 16-13 win to stay unbeaten. It wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing victory for Oregon, but the Ducks deserve some grace. Getting to this stage of the season unbeaten is extremely difficult — especially with the Ducks’ schedule — and Oregon’s remaining slate is very manageable. Oregon is going to be in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game in December.

Last week’s rank: 1

2. Ohio State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten)

Ohio State played Northwestern at Wrigley Field on Saturday and got off to a slow start. But the Buckeyes scored 31 unanswered points after falling behind by a touchdown early. It wound up winning, 31-7. Ohio State took care of business against another overmatched opponent. It has a big win over Penn State bolstering its resume, but the Buckeyes get another huge test on their regular-season schedule next weekend when they host Indiana.

Last week’s rank: 2

3. Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten)

Indiana finally made the move into the College Football Playoff Committee’s top five on Tuesday. The Hoosiers had a bye week this weekend. We’ll get all the answers about these Hoosiers we’ve been waiting for when it travels to Ohio State next weekend. Indiana has blown out just about everyone on its schedule, but how good are they? They have a chance to shock the world if they beat Ohio State. If they lose? They’re probably still in a solid positon to make the College Football Playoff.

Last week’s rank: 4

4. Penn State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten)

Penn State always seems to care of business of overmatched teams. Saturday was no exception when the Nittany Lions blew out Purdue, 49-10. Penn State star Tyler Warren continued to do it all with 63 yards rushing, 127 yards receiving and two total touchdowns. Penn State seems destined to finish the season 11-1, so James Franklin will get another opportunity to win a big game this season. Between Drew Allar, Warren and that defensive line, the Nittany Lions have the pieces to make a run if they figure things out.

Last week’s rank: 5

5. Texas (9-1, 5-1 SEC)

Texas led Arkansas by only three points with less than 13 minutes remaining in the game, but the Longhorns hung on to beat the Razorbacks, 20-10. Texas is an interesting team because it looks like it could beat anyone in the country when it’s playing well. But eye test is where things end given Texas has no quality wins and hasn’t looked sharp consistently enough. Texas has a big-time matchup with Texas A&M at the end of the year. If it wins, it’s in the SEC title game. If it loses? The Longhorns could find themselves on the bubble.

Last week’s rank: 3

6. Alabama (7-2, 4-2 SEC)

After Alabama lost to Tennessee a few weeks ago, it was easy to write off the Crimson Tide. But Kalen DeBoer seems to have Alabama rolling again. You don’t learn much after a blowout of Mercer, but Alabama has now won three-straight games, which included wins over Missouri and LSU. Alabama is ahead of Ole Miss because both beat Georgia this year, but the Crimson Tide also blew out the LSU team that knocked off the Rebels. The SEC race is incredible this year.

Last week’s rank: 10

7. Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2 SEC)

Ole Miss beat Georgia 28-10 at home last Saturday and looked like the bigger, faster, stronger and more talented team for four quarters. Though people — including me — left the Rebels for dead after losing to Kentucky earlier in the year, they have one of the most talented rosters in college football and a win over Georgia on its resume. The SEC race is a mess, but Ole Miss only has Florida and Mississippi State left on its regular season schedule. Ole Miss spent a lot of money in the offseason to bolster its defensive line and other key spots, and the return on that investment was what happened in Oxford last Saturday.

Last week’s rank: 7

8. Georgia (8-2, 6-2 SEC)

Georgia is back to being one of the most confusing teams in college football. A week removed from getting its doors blown off at Ole Miss, the Bulldogs returned home and beat Tennessee. Ranking Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss can turn anyone’s mind into a pretzel. Georgia has perhaps the best collection of wins of anyone in college football, but it’s just impossible to rank the Bulldogs ahead of the two teams that beat it. If Georgia plays like it did against the Volunteers, it could win the national title this year.

Last week’s rank: NR

9. Notre Dame (9-1)

Though there are probably a ton of bettors who are heartbroken Notre Dame left the backdoor open for Virginia on Saturday, the Irish took care of business at home, beating the Cavaliers, 35-14. Notre Dame has now won eight-consecutive games since the embarrassing loss to Northern Illinois. People may not be taking Notre Dame seriously because that kind of loss has a way of defining a team, but it will 100 percent be in the College Football Playoff if it wins out. Notre Dame has Army and USC still on its schedule, but the Irish 11-1 and firmly in the field when the season ends.has now won

Last week’s rank: 8

10. Tennessee (8-2, 5-2 SEC)

Tennessee went on the road Saturday to Georgia with an opportunity to basically guarantee itself a spot in the Playoff. The Volunteers left with a 31-17 loss. The Volunteers are in a cluster of SEC teams with two losses in conference play and it’s still very much alive in the Playoff race, but now it’s likely going to come down to a debate of some sort. The SEC is a mess right now, so Tennessee is going to have to win its next two games against UTEP and Vanderbilt while rooting for upsets to make things cleaner.

Last week’s rank: 6

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