Danny Kanell releases top 12 following Week 6, drops prominent SEC team out of ranking

CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell has updated his top 12 teams following a wild week of upsets. As a result, a number of teams have dropped out of his rankings, including two SEC schools that suffered road upsets in Week 6.

Alabama lost to Vanderbilt while Tennessee fell against Arkansas, bumping both teams out of Kanell’s top 12. The Crimson Tide were No. 2 just a week ago after holding off Georgia for a resume-building victory, but dropped the ball big time in the 40-35 loss to the Commodores.

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As for the Vols, they had a chance to win late but failed to make anything happen on the final play of the game, turning it over on downs at the Razorback 16-yard line. Both teams will have an opportunity to redeem themselves and should still be in the SEC title picture come season’s end.

You can view the full top 12 from Danny Kanell below.

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1. Texas Longhorns (5-0)

The Longhorns keep the No. 1 spot in Danny Kanell’s top 12 rankings after they had a bye this past week. That should give quarterback Quinn Ewers plenty of time to get healthy before the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma on Saturday.

Ewers threw for 691 yards and eight touchdowns to two interceptions across the first three games but has missed the past two weeks due to an abdominal injury. Even without him, Texas has made easy work of its opponents but will face a much stronger test against a Sooners defense that ranks 19th in points allowed per game.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0)

Ohio State moves up five spots to replace Alabama at No. 2 after a 35-7 victory against Iowa this past week. The Buckeyes led only 7-0 at halftime but turned on the jets to pull away in the second half.

Will Howard threw for four touchdowns — including three to Emeka Egbuka — as the Buckeyes offense proved itself against one of the top defenses in the country. They’ll look to keep rolling heading into a top five matchup this week against Oregon, a potential preview of the Big Ten Championship.

3. Miami Hurricanes (6-0)

Miami looked well on its way to its first loss of the season Saturday against California. The Hurricanes got down as many as 25 points before storming back with three fourth-quarter touchdowns to escape in a 39-38 win.

Cam Ward once again played the hero role, strengthening his Heisman case by leading Miami 92 yards downfield to score the go-ahead touchdown with just 26 seconds remaining. With how the schedule looks the rest of the way, the Hurricanes are the favorite to win the ACC and make the College Football Playoff.

4. Oregon Ducks (5-0)

Oregon is still looking to prove itself and can do so this week as it hosts Ohio State. The Ducks looked shaky in the first two weeks of the season and have since cruised to wins against weaker competition to begin conference play.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has thrown three interceptions in the past two weeks and will need to be sharper against a Buckeyes team that ranks No. 1 in total defense. There’s still a lot of question marks about this Oregon team, and we’ll get answers Saturday.

5. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0)

If one of Ohio State or Oregon fail to make the Big Ten Championship, Penn State seems like the next likely candidate to compete for a conference crown. The Nittany Lions have one of the best defenses in the country as well as a top 20 rushing attack led by Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

Penn State is far from one-dimensional on offense, however, as quarterback Drew Allar has provided steady play in his second year as starter. They’ll face perhaps their biggest test of the season so far Saturday against USC.

6. BYU Cougars (5-0)

BYU looks like a contender to win the Big 12 in only its second season in the conference and comes in at No. 6 in Danny Kanell’s top 12. The Cougars catapulted themselves into the top 25 after a dominant 38-9 win in Week 4 against Kansas State before going on the road to beat Baylor this past week.

BYU jumped out to a 28-7 lead against the Bears before nearly allowing a comeback but held on as Jake Retzlaff threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions. They are one of only five teams in the Big 12 who have yet to lose a conference game and return home to face Arizona on Saturday.

7. Indiana Hoosiers (6-0)

Indiana is starting to make some noise as a potential dark horse candidate in the Big Ten with a 3-0 start to conference play. That said, all three of their victories have come against teams who have themselves yet to win a league game.

Regardless, it’s been an impressive inaugural season for coach Curt Cignetti as the Hoosiers have already doubled their win total from a year ago. Transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke has given much-needed life to the offense and leads the conference with 1,752 yards passing and 14 touchdowns to only two interceptions.

8. Iowa State Cyclones (5-0)

Iowa State is right up there with BYU as a contender to win the Big 12 early on in conference play. The Cyclones have won their first two league games, including a 20-0 shutout against Houston in the conference opener.

Iowa State ranks sixth in the country in scoring defense with 10.0 points allowed per game and is also among the top 10 in interceptions forced. Offensively, receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins are both already past the 400-yard mark this season and give a pair of elite weapons to QB Rocco Becht.

9. Pittsburgh Panthers (5-0)

Pittsburgh has still yet to face a ranked team and two of its three biggest wins were decided by less than a touchdown, but the record speaks for itself. The Panthers join Miami as the only other undefeated team left in the ACC.

Alabama transfer Eli Holstein took over at starting quarterback and has thrown for 1,567 yards and 15 touchdowns to three interceptions. He also ranks second on the team with 265 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Pittsburgh could be a candidate to compete for an ACC Championship, but a Week 12 matchup against Clemson will loom large if both teams continue to win.

10. SMU Mustangs (5-1)

SMU’s only loss this season comes against an undefeated BYU team. The Mustangs impressed this past week by defeating Louisville by a score of 34-27 as their defense forced an interception with 2:34 remaining.

Kevin Jennings has taken over the starting quarterback role after splitting reps with Preston Stone to begin the season. He has shown an ability to make plays not only through the air, but also on the ground as he totaled 113 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win against the Cardinals.

11. Georgia Bulldogs (4-1)

Georgia bounced back from a tough loss to Alabama in Week 5 by cruising to a 31-13 win against a struggling Auburn team on Saturday. Trevor Etienne ran for a season-high 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the game was never in doubt for the Bulldogs.

With the Crimson Tide losing on Saturday, only three teams remain unbeaten in conference play. That should keep Georgia in the conversation for an SEC Championship, but it has a tough road ahead with three top 10 opponents left on the schedule.

12. Clemson Tigers (4-1)

Clemson rounds out the top 12 for Danny Kanell. The Tigers’ season got off to a rough start with a 34-3 loss to Georgia in the opening week. However, they have reeled off four straight wins since then to put themselves squarely in the conversation to win the ACC.

Cade Klubnik looks to have settled in to the offense and has thrown for 14 touchdowns to only one interception over the past four games. Clemson has a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way as well, facing only one ranked opponent in its final seven games.