Danny Kanell updates Top-12 in college football following Week 14

Danny Kanell spent Rivarly Weekend reveling in the chaos unfolding all across college football during the final week of the 2024 regular season.

Following another upset-laden slate of games, including previous No. 2 Ohio State falling for a fourth-straight year to rival Michigan in The Game, Kanell overhauled his personal Top 12 ranking with a healthy dose of four Big Ten teams and a surprise addition — and exclusion — from the SEC.

“What a finish,” Kanell tweeted before revealing his #DKTop12. “This year more than ever you have to rank teams based on who earned it.”

1. Oregon Ducks

Much like the national polls, Kanell kept the undefeated Ducks in its familiar No. 1 spot ahead of its matchup vs. Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday from Indianapolis. Oregon (12-0, 9-0) has been considered college football’s consensus top team this season, thanks in large part to its head-to-head Top 25 wins over Boise State, Ohio State and Illinois.

Win or lose in Indianapolis — though most prognosticators expect the Ducks to win — the Ducks are practically guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff 12-team field on Selection Sunday. The only question is whether Oregon gets a first-round bye as the Big Ten champ or hosts a first-round game in Eugene.

2. Texas Longhorns (+3)

Kanell gave the Longhorns (11-1, 7-1 SEC) a solid boost after their 17-7 road win over 20th-ranked Texas A&M in Saturday’s revival of the Lone State Showdown.

Not only securing state bragging rights, Texas’ win over the Aggies also locked up a spot in next weekend’s SEC Championship game against Georgia, a chance at revenge following the Bulldogs 30-15 win in Austin. Regardless of the result in Atlanta, the Longhorns remain is perfect position for either a first-round bye as SEC champ or an opportunity to host a first-round playoff game in Austin.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions (11-1, 8-1 B10) were the clear beneficiary of Ohio State’s loss to Michigan in The Game, the Buckeyes’ fourth-consecutive defeat in the rivalry series. That result, coupled with Saturday’s 44-7 drubbing of Maryland, punched Penn State’s ticket to the Big Ten Championship game vs. No. 1 Oregon.

Kanell kept PSU as his third-ranked team and bookended it with the SEC’s two title game contenders, meaning there will undoubtedly be more Top 5 movement after Championship Weekend.

4. Georgia Bulldogs (+4)

The Bulldogs were Kanell’s biggest movers from Week 13 after rallying from a 17-0 deficit to outlast rival Georgia Tech 44-42 in eight overtimes Friday night from Athens. Despite another slow start, Georgia (10-2, 6-2 SEC) clearly did enough to impress Kanell ahead of its date vs. Texas in next Saturday’s SEC Championship game in Atlanta.

While the Longhorns will be dead-set on avenging the mid-October loss in Austin, the Bulldogs are focused on reasserting themselves as the SEC’s top team. This is Georgia’s fourth-straight SEC title game appearance and sixth in the last seven years, but the Bulldogs are just 2-4 in Atlanta during that stretch.

5. SMU Mustangs (+1)

The Mustangs (11-1, 8-0 ACC) have been one of college football’s biggest surprises this season after rolling through its first season in the ACC unscathed. Winners of nine straight since an 18-15 loss to BYU, SMU has clearly made a believer out Kanell ahead of next weekend’s ACC championship game appearance vs. a three-loss Clemson.

The Tigers backed into the ACC title game despite a 17-14 loss to rival South Carolina thanks to Syracuse’s surprise Week 14 upset of Miami, which now must sweat out Selection Sunday to see if there’s still a place for them in the College Football Playoff field. Meanwhile, SMU shouldn’t have much of a problem, win or lose in Charlotte.

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1)

The Fighting Irish continued to roll over the opposition with a 49-35 win at Southern Cal, Notre Dame’s seventh straight win by 14-or-more points. The latest victory secured the Irish a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff field, though exactly what seed remains to be seen.

What’s not in question is Notre Dame’s position as a host for a first-round Playoff game, even if its opponent remains at the whims of the CFP committee once all the dust settles from Championship Weekend.

7. Tennessee Volunteers (+3)

Much like Notre Dame, the Volunteers (10-2, 6-2 SEC) have done all they can to get themselves into the Playoff’s 12-team field, winning six of its last seven games, including a 24-17 upset of rival Alabama in the Third Saturday in October series.

Kanell projects Tennessee to be the SEC’s third of four CFP bids, holding steady while Texas and Georgia — the Vols’ lone loss in the second-half of the season — battle it out for the league’s crown in Atlanta this weekend. Tennessee will be on the bubble for a first-round home game depending on who the seeding falls ahead of it.

8. Ohio State Buckeyes (-6)

Kanell’s biggest fallers after Week 14 was clearly the Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2 B10), which were slapped down by a 13-10 home loss to an unranked Michigan squad in The Game on Saturday. It was Ohio State’s fourth-straight loss to the Wolverines, reigniting the hot seat discussion around head coach Ryan Day.

Still, it’s clear Kanell is confident the two-loss Buckeyes will remain in the CFP 12-team field, slotting them one spot ahead of the same Hoosiers squad they dominated with a 38-15 win in Week 13.

9. Indiana Hoosiers

The aforementioned Hoosiers held pat at No. 9 in Kanell’s personal ranking after responding to the Ohio State loss with a never-in-doubt 66-0 drubbing of in-state rival Purdue on Saturday.

Kanell still has faith Indiana (11-1, 8-1 B10) will make the CFP’s 12-team field despite unfavorable analystics, mostly due to its outright dominance over everyone except Ohio State. Given its resume, the Hoosiers are likely in line for a first-round road game against one of the Big Ten’s non-champions.

10. Arizona State Sun Devils (NR)

Another new arriver on Kanell’s Top 12 list, the Sun Devils crack into the field after locking up a berth in the Big 12 championship game in Arlington, Texas, against Iowa State next Saturday.

The Big 12 has been a mess much of the season, as midseason contenders BYU and Colorado were knocked out of the mix in the last several weeks. Meanwhile, Arizona State (10-2, 7-2 B12) has won five straight, including victories over BYU and Kansas State, to close out the regular season.

11. Boise State Broncos (NR)

Kanell moved the Mountain West-leading Broncos into his Top 12 after Boise State finished the regular season on a 10-game win streak following a 3-point loss to undefeated Oregon in Week 2. Fueled by Heisman Trophy-contending running back Ashton Jeanty, the Broncos are the favorites to secure the CFP’s fourth and final first-round bye as the fourth-highest ranked conference champion.

Of course, Boise State must get past a revenge-minded UNLV, which already fell at home to the Broncos 29-24 in late October. A win in the MWC title game would secure Boise’s place in the 12-team field while a loss could throw the entire field on its head.

12. South Carolina Gamecocks (NR)

Kanell’s big surprise is the Gamecocks (9-3, 5-3 SEC) jumping fellow three-loss Alabama and Ole Miss, both of whom won their head-to-head with South Carolina during the regular season. Of course, since those back-to-back losses, the Gamecocks rolled off six straight wins.

That run included Top 25 wins over Texas A&M, Missouri and Clemson, the last of which came in Saturday’s in-state rivalry game that South Carolina rallied to win on the road. Whether or not the College Football Playoff committee agrees with Kanell is yet to be seen, but the Gamecocks have clearly made their case of late.