Danny Kanell updates Top-12 in college football following Week 13

In between feuding with Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones on X/Twitter, Danny Kanell took time to update his personal ranking of college football’s finest following what he described as “maybe one of the most fun weekends in college football history.“

After seven Top 20 teams went down in Week 13, and with just one weekend remaining in the 2024 regular season, Kanell shook up his personal Top 12 ranking that tends to favors the Big Ten, especially at the top. Don’t worry, he didn’t forget about the SEC, but the CBS Sports analyst wasn’t particularly kind to the other Power 2 conference in his latest ranking.

Check out Kanell’s full Top 12 below:

1. Oregon Ducks

As the lone remaining undefeated in all of college football, the Ducks are flying high atop Kanell’s Top 12. And being idle in Week 12 proved to be a welcomed reprieve for Oregon (11-0) after the Big Ten’s other undefeated, Indiana, fell 38-15 to 2nd-ranked Ohio State in Columbus, and Army was trounced by Notre Dame, 49-14, in the Shamrock Series game inside Yankee Stadium.

Of course, before a potential Oregon-Ohio State rematch in the Big Ten championship game in two weeks, the Ducks must first snap a three-game losing streak against former Pac-12 rival Washington (6-5) in the regular season finale.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (+1)

The aforementioned Buckeyes jump up a spot in Kanell’s ranking after dethroning the Cinderella Hoosiers in convincing fashion, as quarterback Will Howard put on a clinic with three total touchdowns and 201 yards on 22-of-26 passing Saturday.

The victory cemented Ohio State (10-1) as a sure-fire College Football Playoff contender, but a Big Ten championship game berth remains up for grabs in The Game on Saturday in Columbus, where Ryan Day seems primed to get the Michigan monkey off his back and snap a three-game losing streak in the contentious series.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions (+1)

The Big Ten reign atop Kanell’s ranking continues as the Nittany Lions (10-1) did just enough to escape Minneapolis with a 26-25 victory over Minnesota and narrowly avoid being the eighth Top 20 team to go down in Week 13.

With only Maryland remaining, Penn State appears set to secure the coveted Top 8 at-large seed and first-round home game in the newly-expanded College Football Playoffs, that is if it doesn’t back into the Big Ten championship game should Ohio State lose a fourth-straight game to Michigan.

4. Miami Hurricanes (+3)

The first non-Big Ten team slots into Kanell’s ranking at fourth after the Hurricanes (10-1) got back on track with a 42-14 win over Wake Forest in Week 13. It was a welcomed return to form for Miami after suffering its first loss of the season two weeks ago vs. Georgia Tech.

The Canes continue to ride-or-die by the hand of their skilled senior quarterback Cam Ward, who combined for three total touchdowns — including two through the air to Jacolby George — to go along with 280 yards on 27-of-38 passing. Miami must now dispatch Syracuse on the road in Week 14 to secure a berth in next week’s ACC championship game vs. SMU.

5. Texas Longhorns

Kanell keeps the Longhorns (10-1) at No. 5 despite all other polls ranking them third, clearly docking Texas for its Playoff resume that doesn’t include a single Top 25 win and its lone loss a double-digit home defeat to Georgia.

Of course, that perception can all change in Week 14 when the Longhorns revive the once-extinct Lonestar State Showdown series vs. hated rival Texas A&M inside the unfriendly College Station confines of Kyle Field. The 15th-ranked Aggies (8-3) pose the biggest threat Texas has faced since the Bulldogs and are all that stand in the way of a rematch in the SEC championship game in Atlanta next weekend.

6. SMU Mustangs

Kanell remains a believer in the upstart Mustangs (10-1), who continue to turn heads around the college football world by locking up an ACC championship game berth following Saturday’s 33-7 road win at Virginia.

SMU must first get past former Pac-12 representative Cal in the regular-season finale before facing either Clemson or Miami — depending on the Week 14 results — in next week’s ACC title game in Charlotte. It’s been an impressive first season in the ACC for Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs and one that doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon.

7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1)

The Fighting Irish (10-1) continue their climb back into the College Football Playoff contention, winning nine straight since a headscratching 16-14 home loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2.

And Notre Dame’s done it with flair, outscoring its last six opponents by an average margin of victory of nearly 34 points. That included an impressive 49-14 dismantling of previously-undefeated Army on Saturday in the Shamrock Series. A win over rival USC will guarantee the Irish hosts a first-round Playoff game under the watchful view of Touchdown Jesus.

8. Georgia Bulldogs (+3)

The SEC hate is strong in Kanell, but even he can’t deny the resurgent Bulldogs (9-2) their due after bouncing back from a 28-10 loss in Oxford to rack up more than 1,000 yards of total offense in back-to-back routs of Tennessee and UMass.

With the win Saturday, Georgia clinched a berth in the upcoming SEC championship game, where it’ll face the winner between Texas and Texas A&M, but not before a little Good, Old-Fashioned Hate. Of course, this isn’t your father’s Georgia Tech (7-4) after the Yellow Jackets knocked off Miami earlier this month.

9. Indiana Hoosiers (-7)

The biggest fallers in Kanell’s Top 12 are the previously-undefeated Hoosiers, whose storybook run ended prematurely in Week 13 as host Ohio State exposed Indiana with a convincing 38-15 loss in Columbus.

Still, Kanell made sure to keep the Hoosiers comfortably inside his Top 12 after repeatedly defending the Big Ten’s Cinderella, including outright welcoming Indiana to the College Football Playoffs despite the setback Saturday.

10. Tennessee Volunteers (NR)

The Volunteers represent Kanell’s final SEC team in his personal Top 12 after boucing back from its 31-17 road loss at Georgia to easily dispatch UTEP 56-0 on Saturday.

It was the kind of win Tennessee needed ahead of its regular-season finale against in-state rival Vanderbilt, which has fallen off with three losses in its last four SEC games since back-to-back wins over Alabama and Kentucky in early October. Should the Vols win a sixth straight in the rivalry series with the ‘Dores, a Playoff bid would be all-but certain.

11. Clemson Tigers (NR)

Kanell appears thoroughly impressed by the resurgent Tigers (9-2), winners of three straight since a disappointing 33-21 home loss to Louisville, after putting up 51 points in a Week 13 rout of The Citadel.

While an ACC championship game berth is yet to be seen, Clemson could work its way into the conference title game with a Syracuse upset of Miami and a rivalry win over No. 18 South Carolina. Of course, given the Gamecocks’ current five-game win streak since a two-point road loss to Alabama, don’t expect this one to be a cakewalk.

12. Tulane Green Wave

Kanell kept the surging Green Wave (9-2) in his personal 12-team field ahead of an upcoming AAC championship game appearance against Army (9-1), which also fell from both the ranks of the unbeatens with Notre Dame‘s 49-14 drubbing inside Yankee Stadium.

While an actual College Football Playoff bid appears dependent on Tulane winning the AAC title and Boise State losing in the Mountain West championship game, there’s no question which Group of Five program Kanell favors.