Joel Klatt releases updated Top-10 rankings following Week 14

The late-season chaos – as well as some on-field melees – carried over into Rivalry Weekend as four more Top 20 teams went down in the final Saturday of the 2024 regular season.

And FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt had a front-row seat to the wildest of them all.

With Klatt and fellow FOX broadcaster Gus Johnson in the booth, the craziness started early Saturday when an unranked Michigan shocked the college football world with a 13-10 upset of then-No. 2 Ohio State. It was the Buckeyes’ fourth-consecutive loss in the always-contentious The Game rivalry series. That was soon followed by unranked Syracuse spoiling Miami‘s ACC championship hopes with a 42-38 road upset, and Clemson falling at home to in-state rival South Carolina.

Suffice it to say, there was plenty of movement in Klatt’s personal Top-10 rankings as revealed below:

1. Oregon Ducks (12-0)

Klatt doesn’t mess with a good thing and keeps college football’s lone remaining undefeated team at No. 1, and for good reason. Oregon has been among the most consistent teams this season, outscoring the opposition by roughly 24.6 points per game. Behind a loaded offense that’s led by Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback Dillon Gabriel, the Ducks have flown head-and-shoulders above the rest of the field this season.

It’s because of that dominance that Oregon is guaranteed no worse than a first-round home Playoff game regardless of what happens against Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game. Of course, a Big Ten title in your first season in the conference would be a nice feather in the Ducks’ cap, as well as that first-round bye.

2. Texas Longhorns (11-1) +1

The Longhorns won their way into the SEC Championship Game matchup vs. Georgia by way of escaping College Station with a 17-7 win over bitter rival Texas A&M. That sets up an opportunity for Texas to avenge its lone loss this season – a 30-15 defeat in Austin – and secure a coveted first-round bye as the SEC champion.

Of course, the battled-tested Bulldogs will have a lot to say about that, and will be playing to re-assert themselves as kings of the SEC after coming up short for last year’s league championship. The good thing for both programs is the SEC runner-up will likely still make the College Football Playoff‘s 12-team field, with a potential home game as a consolation prize.

3. Penn State Nittany Lions (11-1) +1

Following a demoralizing 20-13 loss to Ohio State in early November, the Nittany Lions were written off. But Penn State responded, and courtesy of the Buckeyes’ shocking loss to Michigan coupled with its 44-7 win over Maryland, the Nittany Lions are back in the Big Ten Championship Game mix with a date vs. undefeated Oregon in Indianapolis.

Albeit inconsistent at times, PSU has shown it has the potential to beat just about anyone and will likely still earn a first-round Playoff home game even with a loss to the Ducks. That said, a win over Big Ten rookie Oregon would go a long way in validating both James Franklin and the league in general, and secure a first-round bye in the process.

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1) +2

The Fighting Irish remain one of college football’s hottest teams with 10 straight wins since an embarrassing 16-14 Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. But rather than let that one loss derail its season, Notre Dame has repeatedly proven it belongs in the CFP’s 12-team field, including in a 49-14 drubbing of previously undefeated Army two weeks ago.

Given its success this season, the Top-5 ranked Irish are effectively guaranteed a first-round home game in the upcoming Playoffs but must now sit and wait for the committee to rule on its seeding and eventual opponent. Not a bad place to be for Notre Dame and third-year head coach Marcus Freeman.

5. Tennessee Volunteers (10-2) +2

Klatt is clearly high on a Tennessee squad that avoided some of the embarrassing SEC road pitfalls that plagued many of its brethren, falling to a Top-10 ranked Georgia and Arkansas away from Neyland Statdium. That, coupled with a huge rivalry win over Alabama, have the Vols sitting pretty waiting for Selection Sunday.

Outside of some Championship Week shenanigans, Tennessee should benefit from the Week 14 losses by Ohio State and Miami, and appears on track to host a first-round Playoff game in Knoxville. And given the Vols’ potent offense and defense – both ranked second in the SEC – the SEC will have at least three contenders for the CFP national championship.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) -4

As mentioned, Klatt was on hand for last Saturday’s upset in The Game, and he knows the type of team Ohio State is capable of being. It’s for that reason the FOX Sports analyst only drops the Buckeyes four spots in his personal Top-10.

While a fourth-straight loss to Michigan won’t do much for Ryan Day‘s job security, it shouldn’t hurt Ohio State’s CFP chances all that much, and Klatt agrees. Considered one of college football’s most talented rosters, the Buckeyes are a serious Playoff threat and now get an extra week to rest before likely hosting a first-round game in the Horseshoe.

7. Georgia Bulldogs (10-2) -2

Georgia needed eight overtimes, but the preseason No. 1 team rallied back from a 17-0 deficit to outlast upset-minded Georgia Tech, 44-42, in Athens, showing the sort of battled-tested resiliency that is necessary in a Playoff format. But now the Bulldogs advance to the SEC Championship Game against a Texas team hellbent on revenge after a 30-15 loss in Austin earlier this season.

Klatt doesn’t appear as high on Georgia as the national polls, dropping them two spots and behind the Vols despite winning the head-to-head (31-17) last month, but the SEC runner-up is unlikely to be eliminated from the field regardless of the outcome in Atlanta.

8. Indiana Hoosiers (11-1) +1

Previously undefeated Indiana bounced back well from its first defeate of the season – a 38-15 Week 13 loss to Ohio State – and rolled in-state rival Purdue 66-0 on Saturday. It was a clear statement to the CFP selection committee that the Hoosiers belong in the 12-team field. And Klatt agrees.

Indiana remains a controversial pick given its absolute absence of Top 25 wins, but wins have to matter and the Hoosiers’ 20-15 win over the same Michigan team that downed the Buckeyes last weekend will hold weight with the committee, and likely means an at-large bid for Indiana.

9. SMU Mustangs (11-1) +1

Since the Hoosiers’ loss at Ohio State, it’s the Mustangs that have emerged as college football’s best Cinderella story in 2024. SMU rolled through ACC play unscathed in its first season in the league, and the pairing of head coach Rhett Lashlee and quarterback Kevin Jennings have created quite the dynamic.

The Mustangs now advance to what is effectively a CFP play-in game in Charlotte for the ACC Championship against three-loss Clemson. The Tigers are reeling from a Week 14 lost to South Carolina and a fourth loss will eliminate them completely. Of course, a Clemson win would throw the entire field into a blender and assure the ACC multiple Playoff bids.

10. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3) NR

The big surprise in Klatt’s Top 10 is the inclusion of a three-loss Alabama, especially a week after the CFP committee dropped the Tide out of its 12-team field following an embarrassing 24-3 loss at unranked Oklahoma. But here we are.

Despite its struggles this season – including road losses at Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma – Alabama remains a powerful bubble team and a true wildcard for the Playoff committee to wrestle with. Ultimately it’ll come down to whether the Crimson Tide’s Top 25 wins outweigh its losses in the minds of the 13-member selection committee. For Klatt, they clearly do.

Just missed out: Ole Miss Rebels (9-3), South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3), Boise State Broncos (11-1), Miami Hurricanes (10-2)