College Football Power Rankings: Washington slides up to No. 3 with Alabama ahead of Ohio State
His name is Bond. Isaiah Bond.
Tell me you won’t hear that line about 1,000 times before Saturday’s SEC Championship Game. A 5-foot-11 wide receiver from Buford, Georgia, kept Alabama’s hopes alive of going to the College Football Playoff with a miracle catch to beat Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
That’s right. A wideout from Georgia kept alive a dream to defeat Georgia. That’s getting ahead of things. The line above co-opted from old James Bond films is just the beginning. Bond, the receiver, actually wears a 007 necklace.
He certainly had a license to kill Auburn. OK, we’ll leave the puns right there. It was more like a Kick (to the junk) Six for the Tigers. Bama is still alive, but the SEC is in weird position this week. An Alabama win over Georgia puts the league in peril of missing the BCS/CFP for the first time since 2005.
With losses suffered by Ohio State and Louisville, the playoff picture is focused a bit. Mostly, pay attention that — if the four unbeaten Power Five schools (Georgia, Michigan, Washington and Florida State) win out — all the hand-wringing and contrived Tuesday night “reveals” are moot. In that scenario, the Dawgs, Wolverines, Huskies and Seminoles would go. Maybe in that order.
Take a good look. These are the last Power Rankings of 2023.
College Football Power Rankings
Biggest Movers 6 Oklahoma State 8 Oregon State
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Georgia | The Threepeat lives. A 29th straight win (this one over Georgia Tech) is a new SEC record. Per CBS Sports Research, the Bulldogs became the first team since Yale from 1888-92 to start 12-0 across at least three straight seasons. Now, go prove it again against Alabama! | — | 12-0 |
2 | Michigan | A master class in game management by Sherrone Moore. Ten possessions, six scores for the acting coach. This is a result with lasting impact. Michigan can still win the Big Ten and CFP. Ohio State cannot. Stay tuned for more developments in the offseason. | — | 12-0 |
3 | Washington | If Washington State’s Cam Ward scrambles for an open first down on Wazzu’s last possession, UW may be out of it. Kalen DeBoer showed a brass set with that end around in his own territory on fourth down to keep the game-winning drive alive. | 1 | 12-0 |
4 | Florida State | As the day progressed, it became obvious FSU was going to have to win out. Georgia, Washington and Michigan weren’t going down. The Seminoles rallied on the road at Florida in The Swamp. An 18th consecutive win is the third-longest active streak. | 1 | 12-0 |
5 | Oregon | Not a bad audition for the last Pac-12 Championship Game in the last (for now) Civil War. Ducks QB Bo Nix dismantled Oregon State to set up a revenge rematch with Washington. Let it roll in Las Vegas. | 1 | 11-1 |
6 | Texas | The Longhorns didn’t just clinch a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game, they strangled it. Not much negative went on in a 50-point point win over Texas Tech. Now the question becomes, is that loss to Oklahoma going to keep Texas out of the CFP? The ‘Horns are 11-1 for the first time since 2009. | 1 | 11-1 |
7 | Alabama | I don’t know, Auburn, maybe rush more than two on the last play vs. Jalen Milroe before that miracle pass? That was a difference in a 33-24 win that kept Bama’s dreams alive. This continues to be Nick Saban’s best coaching job at Alabama. | 1 | 11-1 |
8 | Ohio State | It’s the little things. Two turnovers to none for Michigan. Kyle McCord throwing a crippling interception in the first quarter. Ryan Day didn’t get outcoached; he got out-aggressived against Michigan. (If that makes sense.) | 5 | 11-1 |
9 | Missouri | The Peach Bowl awaits after Missouri’s first 10-win season since 2014. A dominant performance against Arkansas concluded a 10-2 regular season. Cody Shrader finished leading the nation in rushing (1,489 yards). | — | 10-2 |
10 | Oklahoma | If the Sooners were trying to impress the CFP Selection Committee, they were a bit late. The Sooners scored 69 points, winning by 24 over TCU, but were left out of the Big 12 title game. OU beat Texas only to lose to Kansas and Oklahoma State in consecutive games by a total of six points. Ouch. | 1 | 10-2 |
11 | Ole Miss | Did someone say it was a down year in the SEC? For the first time since 1962, the Rebels have won 10 games in two out of three years. If it’s the Citrus Bowl next against Iowa, I want to see how Lane Kiffin matches up against Hawkeyes defensive coordinator Phil Parker. | 1 | 10-2 |
12 | LSU | Jayden Daniels likely clinched a Heisman Trophy finalist spot with 355 total yards and four touchdowns against Texas A&M. Daniels is on pace to become the most efficient passer in history. Throwing 36 touchdowns against 4 interceptions will redo a coach’s image. | 2 | 9-3 |
13 | Oklahoma State | After an up-and-down season, the Cowboys secured a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. Credit the Cowboys for rallying after being down by 18 points against BYU. Ollie Gordon II continued his low-key Heisman run with 166 yards rushing. | 6 | 9-3 |
14 | Arizona | After routing Arizona State, the Wildcats just might be the Big 12 preseason favorite in 2024. Noah Fifita is going to go into next season as a Heisman candidate after throwing for five touchdowns. | 1 | 9-3 |
15 | Penn State | Michigan State was distracted Friday while hiring a new coach. Penn State took advantage shutting out the Spartans and likely advancing to the Peach Bowl. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen each rushed for at least 118 yards. | 1 | 10-2 |
16 | Tulane | How many teams are hotter than Tulane? Since losing to Ole Miss in Week 2, the Green Wave have won 10 in a row. They are one win away — in the AAC Championship Game — from a second straight New Year’s Six berth. | 1 | 11-1 |
17 | Louisville | The Cardinals can still win the ACC but things will never be the same after losing a rivalry game to Kentucky. A Louisville win can only harm the ACC. It may knock the league and FSU out of the CFP race. | 7 | 10-2 |
18 | Liberty | Beat UTEP to go undefeated, what else are you supposed to do? Coach Jamey Chadwell ordered up a local mariachi band to celebrate. Liberty vs. James Madison in the New Orleans Bowl — if it happens — would be a Group of Five Super Bowl. | — | 12-0 |
19 | Notre Dame | We’re not making this up. It looks like the Pop Tarts Bowl for the Fighting Irish against Oklahoma State. Fun fact: In the history of Notre Dame football, two coaches have won at least nine games in their first two years with the program: Charlie Weis and Marcus Freeman. | 1 | 9-3 |
20 | Toledo | If not for a 2-point season-opening loss to Illinois, the Rockets would be in serious consideration for a New Year’s Six Bowl. As it stands, an 11-1 season and berth in the MAC Championship Game isn’t bad. Coach Jason Candle has won 13 out of his last 14 games. | 2 | 11-1 |
21 | Oregon State | Revenge is a dish best served Autzen. The Beavers’ world collapsed in the space of 24 hours with a blowout loss at Oregon on Friday and then the loss of coach Jonathan Smith to Michigan State. | 8 | 8-4 |
22 | SMU | Who needs television revenue when you can play for an AAC title? The Mustangs clinched a spot against Tulane in what will be their last AAC game this week in New Orleans. Rhett Lashlee won 10 in his second year as a head coach and received an extension from SMU. | 1 | 10-2 |
23 | NC State | The Wolf Pack just seem to be hanging around this final five each season. NC State finished the regular season winning five straight. North Carolina didn’t know what hit it. The Pack scored on all six first-half possessions and ran up 327 yards. For the fourth straight season, Dave Doeren won at least eight games. | NR | 9-3 |
24 | Tennessee | Looks like the Gator Bowl for the Volunteers after an easy win over Vanderbilt. Joe Milton threw a career-high four touchdown passes. More importantly, Nico Iamaleava got extensive playing time. | NR | 8-4 |
25 | James Madison | The dream of a bowl game remains alive as long as there aren’t enough qualifying teams. The Dukes deserve a shot after beating Coastal Carolina by 42 in Conway, South Carolina. | NR | 11-1 |
Out: Kansas State, UNLV, New Mexico State
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