Kirk Herbstreit ranks top seven teams from college football Week 12

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit is back again with his top performing teams from this past weekend after an exciting Week 12 of college football. There were several big performances to choose from, but as usual, only seven schools made the cut.

Kansas led off the list after handing BYU its first loss of the season to shake things up in the race for the Big 12 Championship. The Jayhawks held on for a narrow 17-13 road victory to keep their hopes of bowl eligibility alive.

Elsewhere on the list, Georgia came in at No. 2 coming off of a bounce back victory against Tennessee. The Bulldogs kept themselves in the race for the College Football Playoff with two games remaining on their schedule and a 6-2 conference record.

You can view the full list of Herbstreit’s top teams from Week 12 below.

1. Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas lost its first three conference games this season but has since won three of its past four contests. That included handing BYU its first loss of the year in a 17-13 victory in Provo over the weekend.

The Jayhawks got two touchdowns from running back Devin Neal, who last week became the all-time leading rusher in school history. They need to win their remaining two games to make a bowl for the third straight season under Lance Leipold and face Colorado, which is now tied for first place in the Big 12, next week.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia’s College Football Playoff hopes were hanging by a thread after a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss last week. However, the Bulldogs kept them alive with a 31-17 win against Tennessee, shutting out the Vols in the second half to close out SEC play on Saturday.

Quarterback Carson Beck had one of his best games of the season to finish 25-of-40 passing for 347 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Georgia faces Massachusetts and Georgia Tech to close out the year and will hope a 10-2 record is enough to make the 12-team CFP field.

3. Arizona State Sun Devils

The Sun Devils are quietly climbing up the Big 12 standings after a 24-14 victory against Kansas State this past weekend. They have now won five of their past six games and are tied with Iowa State for third place in the conference.

Quarterback Sam Leavitt led the offense in the win against the Wildcats with 275 yards passing and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Arizona State next faces BYU in Week 13, and if it wins that game, would move into second place in the conference with a chance to compete for a Big 12 title.

4. Florida Gators

Florida proved that it is not going to give up on this season on Saturday, as the Gators snapped a two-game losing streak with a 27-16 win against No. 22 LSU. The Gators entered the fourth quarter tied at 13 but would go on to score a pair of touchdowns to pull away at home.

With the win, Billy Napier is now just one more victory away from achieving bowl eligibility in his third season in Gainesville. Florida just needs one more win to do so with games against Ole Miss and Florida State remaining.

5. New Mexico Lobos

The Lobos handed Washington State its second loss of the season this past week as it rallied for a 38-35 victory to land in the top five of Herbstreit’s best teams. New Mexico trailed by two touchdowns at halftime and needed a late touchdown as quarterback Devon Dampier punched in the go-ahead score with 21 seconds remaining.

Dampier finished the game with four total touchdowns, including three on the ground, as he rushed for 193 yards and threw for 174 more. The Lobos are now just one more win away from achieving bowl eligibility after starting out the season 0-4.

6. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina also won in dramatic fashion over the weekend as it scored the game-winning touchdowns with 15 seconds remaining to beat Missouri by a score of 34-30. It marked the fourth straight victory for the Gamecocks, who end the year with a 5-3 record in SEC play, their best yet under coach Shane Beamer.

Quarterback LaNorris Sellers put together one of his best performances of the season in the win with 353 yards passing and five touchdown throws to go with 45 yards rushing. South Carolina is now just one more win away from tying its record of eight wins under Beamer and faces Wofford this week.

7. Stanford Cardinal

Stanford rounds out Herbstreit’s list of the top performing teams from Week 12 after an exciting comeback win against Louisville. The Cardinal at one point trailed 28-13 in the second half before rallying to kick the game-winning field goal from 52 yards out as time expired to claim a 38-35 victory.

Ashton Daniels threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns to one interception to go along with 34 yards rushing in the win. Stanford snapped a six-game losing streak and will look to carry over the momentum into this week.