College Football Top 10 Ranking: Indiana, Texas A&M, Georgia move up

It’s the second year of the 12-team College Football Playoff. When the CFP committee starts releasing rankings later this season, they won’t be the end-all, be-all, given the new seeding rules for the 12-team field. However, the rankings are still enjoyable, and people will continue to argue over them. They still matter. 

So after every weekend, after the dust settles from the games, I’m going to unveil my updated top 10. 

1. Ohio State (6-0)

Say what you want about the quality of Ohio State’s opponents so far this year, the Buckeyes make the teams they face feel hopeless. Illinois is at least a decent opponent, and at no point in the game did it seem like Illinois had a chance to keep it close. Though Ohio State fans may have some gripes about opening the offense a little more, Matt Patricia‘s defense continued its incredible run. It would be difficult to argue against the notion that the Buckeyes are far and away the best team in college football. They smother teams.

2. Miami (5-0)

Miami is the only other team in the sport you would consider ranking ahead of Ohio State. Why? Because Miami has a better resume than the Buckeyes, even if the Florida State win got considerably worse on Saturday. The Hurricanes possess wins over Notre Dame, Florida, South Florida and Florida State, and it’s hard to argue how they looked against those teams. Miami has all the pieces — most importantly, studs on both lines — to win at a high level. The Hurricanes were off this week, but there’s no question they are the favorite to win the ACC and look pretty dangerous nationally.

3. Indiana (6-0)

Some people rolled their eyes last week when Indiana was listed in the top 10. Because the Hoosiers aren’t a traditional power, it takes more for them to prove to the world they’re actually good. But is anyone calling them a fraud now? Indiana went out West and outplayed Oregon for four quarters, winning the game 30-20. Combine that with a 63-10 win over Illinois, and there’s nobody in the country doubting whether Indiana is good anymore. Are you ready for Indiana to go undefeated in the regular season? That seems likely right now.

4. Texas A&M (6-0)

Texas A&M is off to a 6-0 start under head coach Mike Elko. It has been time for the Aggies faithful to start believing this team may be different. While many in the fan base are waiting for something bad to happen to Texas A&M in SEC play, Elko’s squad just keeps winning. Most recently, Texas A&M took care at Florida at home, capped off by a dominant, time-consuming touchdown drive that slammed the door late. This is the first time since 2016 that Texas A&M has started 6-0. Now look at the remainder of its schedule. There isn’t a single team listed that the Aggies can’t beat. It’s becoming very clear this team is CFP-bound.

5. Ole Miss (6-0)

Ole Miss came into Saturday’s game as a 32-point favorite over Washington State. The Rebels won the game, 24-21. What is the takeaway here? Did Washington State expose some deep-rooted issues with the Rebels? Or did the Rebels just have a clunker? Though it’s hard to answer, the Rebels’ next two games are against Oklahoma and Georgia. Ole Miss remains in the top 10 — obviously — because it’s an undefeated team in the SEC, but we’ll find out who they really are in the next two weeks. My suspicion is Lane Kiffin‘s squad is still really good, and it just had an off week.

6. Alabama (5-1)

The more we advance into the season, the more it is becoming clear that the Crimson Tide just had a bad day in their season-opening loss to Florida State. The best part of the new way the sport is set up? It doesn’t matter. Alabama captured a win over Missouri on Saturday, capping off a three-game winning streak over ranked SEC teams. The Crimson Tide also possesses wins over Vanderbilt and Georgia. Quarterback Ty Simpson has been playing at a high level and Kalen DeBoer‘s team is humming. The Tide is back. Must be the black hoodie?

7. Texas Tech (6-0)

Texas Tech was always going to be the true test of whether a single booster with a desire to invest in NIL could purchase a really good team. We’ve all been on the edge of our seats waiting to see if the Red Raiders would gel or if it would be a failed experiment. Through five weeks, Texas Tech has navigated every test without breaking a sweat, which includes Saturday’s thumping of Kansas. You keep waiting for Texas Tech to run into that weird Big 12 game, but the Red Raiders may just be head and shoulders better than everyone else in their conference.

8. Georgia (5-1)

Georgia barely moved the ball on offense for the entire first half of its win over Auburn, but it got out of town with a 20-10 win. Though the Bulldogs aren’t as dominant as they once were, Kirby Smart continually puts on a coaching clinic, finding ways to win tough games on the road in the SEC. One thing cannot be debated: after the controversial Jackson Arnold fumble, Georgia completely shut down the Tigers offense the entire second half. Georgia’s only loss also came against Alabama, a team that has now captured three consecutive wins against ranked opponents. It’s OK to feel uncertain about Georgia right now. Next weekend, the Bulldogs have a chance to back up their ranking again when they host Ole Miss.

9. Oregon (5-1)

No team saw its resume take a bigger blow this week than Oregon. Of course, the Ducks lost handily at home to a very good Indiana team. Also, Oregon’s signature win over Penn State looks much worse now that the Nittany Lions have lost to UCLA and Northwestern the last two weeks. That said, Oregon is still one of the most talented teams in the country, and it has a manageable schedule moving forward. Oregon ran the table all the way to the Big Ten title last year before losing in its first CFP game. This loss may propel the Ducks to something bigger.

10. LSU (5-1)

The way the national discourse has discussed LSU, it’s like the Tigers are a two- or three-loss team. But even with offensive concerns, LSU has advanced to 5-1, and its only loss is to a really good Ole Miss team in a competitive game. LSU’s most recent game was a win over South Carolina, and the Tigers defense never allowed the Gamecocks to feel like they had a chance to win. Though other teams — like Tennessee and Georgia Tech — may feel like they’re entitled to this spot, LSU is still a tough out. LSU’s next three games are against Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Alabama. We’ll soon find out if LSU is built to stay here.