1. Michigan (12-0)
This was the most difficult choice to make, but Michigan beating Ohio State is the most impressive win from any team this season. They’re looking like the nation’s top team, and I think only Georgia can be a reputable foe for the Wolverines. J.J. McCarthy has looked poised all season and his weapons of Wilson, Johnson, and Lovett haven’t let him down. With how good this team is, it feels like it’s make-or-break for Harbaugh to prove that he can’t just win big games, but that he can win monumental games.
2. Georgia (12-0)
If you have Georgia at one, I get it. I won’t even argue with you. While Georgia early this season didn’t necessarily impress me, they’ve looked great as of late beating Missouri, Florida, and Ole Miss. I know Georgia Tech taking them to the wire isn’t a great look, but they were resting stars like Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey. With them back vs Alabama, I think they roll their way past the Tide and back to the College Football Playoff.
3. Washington (12-0)
I’ve been a major defender of Washington this season and a huge Michael Penix for Heisman truther. All of that still remains true in my mind. They maybe aren’t winning games in “impressive” fashion, but they’re winning and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. For the Huskies, it doesn’t matter where they play either. They went on the road to Arizona, USC, and Oregon State and won. Utah, Oregon, and Boise State came to them and they still won. On offense, the receiver combination of Odunze and Polk is deadly, and defensively, the Huskies have a remarkably deep defensive line unit.
4. Texas (11-1)
My top three feels definitive. Then, the waters get murky. From four to seven, I could change as the days go by. Right now however, I think the Texas Longhorns should be here. Ever since they lost to Oklahoma, they’ve battered teams. Steve Sarkisian’s squad has beaten their last six opponents by an average score of 35.1-18.1. Defensively, they’re super deep, especially on the defensive line with Ethan Burke, Byron Murphy II, Barryn Sorrell, and T’Vondre Sweat. It also helps that they have Jonathan Brooks in the backfield and Xavier Worthy out wide.
5. Oregon (11-1)
There’s an argument to be made that even with a loss to Washington, Oregon is one of the four best teams in America. Bo Nix feels like the Heisman front-runner at the moment, and much like Texas, Oregon hasn’t let a loss define the remainder of their season. Following their loss to the Huskies, the Dan Lanning-led Ducks have outscored their last six opponents by an average score of 42-16. The Ducks are rolling right now and are opening as 9.5 point favorites vs Washington tonight.
6. Florida State (12-0)
I would love to put the Seminoles higher, but after a lot of reflection, the injury of Jordan Travis prevents me from having them higher. If they do pull off an impressive win vs Louisville in the ACC Championship game with Rodemaker at the helm, then maybe there’s an argument to get them in the top four. But I just can’t do it right now.
7. Ohio State (11-1)
The only team I have in the top eight that has no control over their fate is Ohio State. They have resume building wins against Penn State, Notre Dame, and Rutgers, but losing for the third year in a row to Michigan hurts. Ryan Day and company are praying for the doomsday scenario of Florida State, Texas, and Oregon losing along with Michigan and Georgia winning. It feels improbable, but you never know.
8. Alabama (11-1)
Had Alabama not dropped a game early on vs Texas, then they’d easily be a top four team. Jalen Milroe is playing at an extremely high level the past few weeks and is reaching his 2023 peak. If they have any hopes of taking down Georgia, now is the time. Milroe is playing great and the linebacker duo of Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell have been fun to watch get after the quarterback.
9. Penn State (10-2)
The little brothers of the Big 10. Penn State feels perfectly content going 10-2 every year and getting beat by Ohio State and Michigan. It’s disappointing to see because they have a lot of talent on this year’s roster. From Drew Allar and Kaytron Allen on offense to Abdul Carter and Adisa Isaac on defense, the Nittany Lions are talented. They just can’t get over the hump.
10. Missouri (10-2)
While TCU was America’s team on a larger stage in 2022, the Missouri Tigers are America’s team for 2023. Eli Drinkwitz and Brady Cook have stood on business all year long picking up wins over Kansas State, Kentucky, Florida, and an absolute curb stomping of Tennessee. Drinkwitz gets off the hot seat and makes Columbia, MO an attractive location for highly rated recruits and coveted transfers.
11. Iowa (10-2)
It’s been a wild year for Iowa. They have one of the worst offensives in the whole country, but because of their stout defense led by Cooper DeJean, they’ve picked up wins over Rutgers, Wisconsin, and Northwestern. Them being in the BIG 10 Championship game with how bad their offense has been earns them this high ranking.
12. Tulane (11-1)
I have a soft spot for the Tulane Green Wave. Is it because I bought a Tulane hat when I was a sophomore in high school and it’s been in my rotation since then? Probably. I also believe they’re the best Group of 5 team in the country. Michael Pratt has been extremely efficient this season throwing 21 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. It’d be sweet to see Tulane playing in a New Years 6 Bowl in back-to-back years.
13. Ole Miss (10-2)
Maybe Ole Miss should be above Tulane because they’re the only team to beat Tulane. However, the Rebels underachieved this season when you factor in the talent that they have on their roster, so I can’t put them over the Green Wave. Their wins over LSU and Texas A&M were nice, but they played incredibly flat vs Alabama and were lifeless against Georgia. Better luck next year, Lane.
14. Oklahoma (10-2)
When I think of the Sooners season, I can only think of Robert De Niro as Lt. Moe Tilden in Cop Land yelling “YOU BLEW IT“. When they beat Texas, it felt like they were a shoe-in to make the playoffs and win the Big 12. Nope. They got comfortable which led to Kansas and Oklahoma State taking advantage of them and eliminating their playoff hopes. Oklahoma has performed much better than I anticipated this year, they just couldn’t close down the stretch.
15. Liberty (12-0)
Sometimes, the grass is greener on the other side. I ridiculed Jamey Chadwell for leaving Coastal for Liberty because it felt like a lateral move, and while I still think that, it has worked out for Chadwell and the Flames. Kaidon Salter is leading an offense that is averaging 40.1 points per game and the secondary trio of Brylan Green, Kobe Singleton, and Quinton Reese have made life hell for opposing offenses.
16. Louisville (10-2)
Louisville has been good this year, but they’ve only held themselves back from being in the playoff. They’re in the ACC Championship game and beat big-time opponents like Notre Dame and Duke, but then fell flat vs Pitt and Kentucky. The Cardinals had a clear road to the playoffs, but just shot themselves in the foot. Now, they can be an agent of chaos and ruin Florida States chances at the playoffs.
17. Notre Dame (9-3)
It hasn’t exactly been an ideal season for Notre Dame, especially when the expectations were high with Sam Hartman running the offense. In the rumor mill regarding bowl games, it seems like a possibility the Irish could play LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl and I’d want nothing more than that. I hate Brian Kelly, so getting the chance to beat him would make this season go from average to amazing.
18. Oklahoma State (9-3)
A lot of the discourse on Twitter surrounding the Big 12 Championship game has been that Oklahoma State should be out and Oklahoma should be in. My response to those who think that (CC: Big Game Boomer) is Oklahoma should’ve beat Oklahoma State. It’s simple, you hicks. I’ve loved the way Ollie Gordon has played this season as he’s been dominate rushing for 1,580 yards and 20 touchdowns. The true lifeblood of the Pokes offense.
19. Arizona (9-3)
Arizona has been a pleasant surprise in college football this year. They’ve added to my argument that the PAC-12 has been the best conference this season. That argument has sort of fallen apart sadly as USC, UCLA, and Colorado crawled to the season’s end, but Arizona didn’t disappoint me. Wideout Tetairoa McMillan has been a malignant force to opposing defenses as he’s reeled in 80 passes for 1,242 yards and 10 scores. He’s been reliable for both Fifita and de Laura all year long.
20. Toledo (11-1)
MAC lives matter too. Here at Student Union, we’re staunch defenders of the MAC and the Toledo Rockets have been nothing short of electric all season. Since losing in week one to Illinois, they’ve rattled off 11 straight wins, six of them being by ten points or more. If they can get past Miami Ohio, who is led by Aveon Smith, then there’s a solid shot the Rockets finish the year 13-1.
21. North Carolina State (9-3)
A sneaky underrated team this year has been North Carolina State. Seven games into the season, they sat at 4-3, but have since then won their last five games against competitive in-conference opponents like Miami, Clemson, and North Carolina. I thought this season would be a wash for them this year without Devin Leary, but they haven’t skipped a beat since he left for Big Blue Nation.
22. LSU (9-3)
My preseason SEC winner was LSU. I believed in scumbag Brian Kelly. My faith was in the hands of Jayden Daniels. Currently, they have a 9-3 record with only one impressive win over Missouri. When they did play big opponents like Florida State, Ole Miss or Alabama, their offense stepped up, but their defense proved to be fraudulent. Daniels could win the Heisman this year after leading an offense that averaged 46.4 points per game. He, however, was let down by a defense that allowed 27.8 points per game. Not bad, right? They allowed 45.3 points against Alabama, Missouri, Florida State and Ole Miss.
23. James Madison (11-1)
THE DUKES ARE GOING BOWLING. Justice looks like a Duke wearing a purple fur coat, and boy has justice been served. Even though they’re barred from playing in the conference championship, which they’d probably win, the Dukes got what they wanted all along and that’s to make a bowl game. It sucks that Curt Cignetti is leaving, but what he built at James Madison is nothing short of amazing.
24. SMU (10-2)
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Preston Stone is out for the AAC Championship game. Translation: they’re going to get ROLLED by Tulane. That doesn’t take away from how great SMU has been thus far. Over the course of the year, they picked up big wins over Memphis, Navy, and Tulsa to lead them to be 8-0 in the AAC. Like I said, this weekend won’t be fruitful for them, but they’ve been great up to this point.
25. Troy (10-2)
Rounding out the top 25 is the team that’s most happy about James Madison not being able to play in the Sun Belt Championship game. All jokes aside, the Trojans have found ways to win week after week after week. They’ve beaten Army, Southern Miss, Western Kentucky, and South Alabama to amass a 7-1 record in conference.
