Kirk Herbstreit reveals his top performing teams from Week 13

After an exciting close to the college football regular season in Week 13, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit has once again released his weekly list of top performing teams.

As always, Herbstreit’s list highlights both the big and small teams, though this week’s version features just one team outside of the Power 5 conferences. See below for Herbstreit’s full list, along with a brief summary of what each team accomplished this past week.

Kirk Herbstreit top performing teams Week 13

Michigan Wolverines — As an Ohio State alumnus, it must have pained Herbstreit to list the Wolverines first, as justified as it is. The Michigan defense held the Buckeyes to just a field goal in the second half as quarterback JJ McCarthy scored four total touchdowns in a dominant 45-23 victory. If the Wolverines can beat Purdue this weekend, they’ll claim their second straight Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff appearance.

South Carolina Gamecocks — After ending the Playoff hopes of Tennessee last week, South Carolina did the same to in-state rival Clemson on Saturday. The Gamecocks defense forced three turnovers and quarterback Spencer Rattler scored three total touchdowns in the 31-30 victory. South Carolina also surpassed its win total from last year with the win, ending the regular season 8-4.

Florida State Seminoles — Florida State closed the season on a strong note, notching a 45-38 victory against Florida. The Seminoles rushing attack combined for 227 yards and five touchdowns in the win, which marked the fifth straight and allowed FSU to improve to 9-3.

NC State Wolfpack — The Wolfpack snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday with a thrilling 30-27 victory against North Carolina in double overtime. Kicker Chris Dunn finished the game 3-for-4 on his field goals, including 2-for-2 in the overtime periods.

Tulane Green Wave — Tulane edged out Cincinnati by a score of 27-24 thanks to a late touchdown pass from Michael Pratt to Deuce Watts. The victory allowed the Green Wave to claim the regular season AAC title and clinch their spot in the conference championship game against UCF.

Arizona Wildcats — The Wildcats defeated rival Arizona State 38-35 on Saturday for the first time in five years. Running back Michael Wiley stole the show with 214 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries.

Oregon State Beavers — Despite trailing by three touchdowns with under five minutes to go in the third quarter, Oregon State outscored rival Oregon 28-3 the rest of the way to claim a 38-34 victory. The Beavers did the majority of their damage on the ground, totaling 268 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

Tennessee Volunteers — Coming off of an embarrassing loss to South Carolina last week, Tennessee bounced back in a big way. The Volunteers handed rival Vanderbilt a 56-0 loss behind 362 yards rushing and six touchdowns on the ground. With the victory, Tennessee reached 10 wins for the first time since 2007.