By: Brock Vierra

This week of college football was daubed as a bust for the lack of high-profile matchups but it proved to be another exciting chapter for the chase towards the National Championship as the victories of Florida and Missouri have dropped Tennessee and Kansas State from the Top 25. Poor showings from Colorado, Ole Miss, and Alabama have stalled their upward trajectory. LSU and Alabama share the unenviable distinction of being the only two teams on this list with a loss. Their grace comes as a courtesy from their strength of schedule and quality of loss.

Last week, Kansas was in my top 25. They struggled mightily against the inferior Nevada. They were dropped. Undefeated newcomers Syracuse and Missouri make their first appearance and both the teams from the ACC and Pac-12 continue to rise. Kentucky, Fresno State, Clemson, Florida, Wisconsin, UCF, and Maryland just missed the cut this week.

1. Georgia. The number-one-ranked Bulldogs got off to a slow start against South Carolina, going down 14-0 at one point but in typical Georgia fashion, they grinded out a comfortable win behind a dominating second-half defensive performance.
2. Michigan. Business as usual for the Wolverines. In the third game without Jim Harbaugh, they got their third win. This was a preseason for the Wolverines and with the Big 10 season upon them, we’ll know how serious Michigan is about finishing the job.
3. Texas. Put on upset alert against Wyoming at home, a moment of sheer brilliance saw Xavier Worthy take the football to the endzone and Texas never looked back. They begin Big 12 play at Baylor, the beginning of the goodbye tour that is their departure from the Longhorns’ longtime conference home.
4. USC. A beneficiary of doing nothing, Florida State’s unimpressive performance today sees the Trojans who are on a BYE rise into the last slot in the college football playoffs. With a conference win in hand, the Trojans spent today witnessing the passing prowess of future opponents Oregon and Washington.
5. FSU. Welles Crowther day is an emotional one for Boston College and they gave the Seminoles all they could handle. Quite frankly, BC lost the game. Some wild coaching decisions, a record-setting day for penalties including a face mask on third down that iced the game for FSU instead of BC getting the ball back under 90 seconds and a little luck let Florida State escape the north with a win. They fall due to their poor play.
6. Notre Dame. Another lemon, another win. Notre Dame is the first team in the nation to win four games. Sam Hartman continues to impress and Audric Estime gallops like a horse in a field behind one of college football’s most impressive offensive lines. A huge matchup against Ohio State at home this week will prove how serious the Fighting Irish are this season. Cam Hart versus Marvin Harrison Jr is one to watch.
7. Ohio State. Another slow start was made mute by a blowout against the pass-happy Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. A 35-point second-quarter performance quieted some concerns but their first test of the season against Norte Dame this week will reveal how serious the Buckeyes are this year.
8. Washington. A dominant performance against a program in peril at Michigan State gave the Huskies a sweet taste of their future as members of the Big 10. Michael Penix Jr continues to tear apart defenses, Ja’Lynn Polk is a stud and their defense remains efficient and underrated. They begin Pac-12 play this week, welcoming Cal to Seattle.
9. Penn State. A purposeful effort gave them a pedestrian win versus Illinois. A complete opposite of their overtime thriller from their previous meeting, Penn State ran the ball behind their dominant duo of running backs while the defense provided a stifling but mundane effort. Illinois wasn’t a threat and Penn State shut down whatever chances the Illini had.
10. Oregon. They played Hawaii, let Bo Nix do his thing, and gave him the night off early. A far cry from last week’s thriller in Lubbock, Oregon got back to dominating ways. I do have some concerns about their wide receiver room but the start of conference play will determine how valid my concerns are.

11-25:

11. Utah

12. Oklahoma

13. Colorado

14. Oregon State

15. North Carolina

16. Ole Miss

17. Duke

18. Miami

19. Washington State

20. UCLA

21. Alabama

22. Missouri

23. Iowa

24. LSU

25. Syracuse

For more CFP content, check out Team NBS Media’s Sunday morning recap show, The Last Word.