Top College Football Resumes: Washington moves into the top four

Washington gutted out a quality road win in the rain in Corvallis and Florida State lost its starting quarterback on Saturday.

The loss of Seminoles starter Jordan Travis isn’t the only reason Washington jumped Florida State in this week’s resume ranking. Beating Oregon State in Corvallis — not an easy win for any team — probably would have launched the Huskies over the Seminoles even if Travis hadn’t suffered a gut-wrenching injury that will end the college career of one of the most inspirational leaders we’ve seen in the sport recently.

If Washington and Florida State win their next two games, they’ll both make the College Football Playoff. Of the four remaining games between the two, Washington in the Apple Cup seems like the most sure thing. The three other games (Florida State at Florida, Washington vs. Oregon, Florida State vs. Louisville) all feel uncertain. That is providing hope for Texas, and it also could sprinkle some seeds for chaos in the next two weeks.

1. Georgia

The Bulldogs showed a moment of weakness — the long Jaylen Wright TD run — and then suffocated Tennessee while also scoring at will. The scoring at will part was especially impressive considering receiver Ladd McConkey was out Saturday. Dillon Bell was the star of the day, and his performance highlighted the difference between this Georgia team and the two teams that just won national titles. The defense isn’t as close to perfect as those teams’ defenses were, but this team’s offense has far more weapons.

2. Ohio State

The Buckeyes flexed for the second consecutive week, but the competition level increases dramatically this week. The offense feels dramatically different when TreyVeon Henderson is playing. Saturday, he carried 15 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

3. Michigan

Playing at Maryland the week before the Ohio State-Michigan game has now proven stressful in recent years for the Buckeyes and the Wolverines. This game didn’t need to be so close, and fortunately the Michigan defense made sure it didn’t get tighter. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy needs to get back to the rhythm he played with earlier in the season. We’ve seen him play well against Ohio State already, so that wouldn’t be a surprise.

4. Washington

The Huskies’ win at Oregon State might be their most impressive yet. The elements forced them into a game that suited the Beavers better, yet Washington found a way to win. Vegas says Oregon will be favored should the two meet in the Pac-12 title game, but don’t discount the idea of a 13-0 Pac-12 champ Washington. 

5. Florida State

The Seminoles’ resume has taken hits as the rest of the ACC has faltered, and now Florida State must move forward without quarterback Jordan Travis. This team should still make the College Football Playoff if it goes 13-0, but beating Florida and Louisville in consecutive weeks just got a lot more difficult.

6. Texas

The Longhorns tried to shoot themselves in the hooves Saturday at Iowa State, but the Texas defense — one jump-pass lapse excepted — made sure the Cyclones couldn’t wreck their CFP hopes. They’ve got to beat Texas Tech on Friday, and then they would head to the Big 12 title game. There — against Oklahoma State, Kansas State or Oklahoma — Texas will need to make fewer mistakes than it did against Iowa State, because those teams can capitalize.

7. Alabama

On Saturday, the Crimson Tide enjoyed a delicious cupcake and then watched Auburn get devoured by its cupcake. That should not make Alabama players relax. Remember, the first Bryan Harsin Auburn team took Alabama to four overtimes a week before Alabama whipped eventual national champ Georgia in the SEC title game.

8. Oregon

The Ducks have shredded everyone they’ve played since Washington. Now comes a chance to exorcise some demons. Oregon’s collapse against Oregon State last season drove much of the Ducks’ offseason training. This will be a very important game. We don’t yet know if it will be the last edition of the Civil War for a while, but it sounds as if the schools are trying to keep the series going. Oregon needs this one to keep its CFP hopes alive.

9. Louisville

The Cardinals won a back-and-forth game against Miami and now face a Kentucky team reeling from a loss against shorthanded South Carolina. Louisville has lost four in a row against Kentucky and needs to break that streak to keep its tenuous CFP hopes alive. Louisville has by far the worst loss of any one-loss team (Pittsburgh) and the fewest quality wins of the contenders. The Cardinals can control whether they win the next two. They can’t control the chaos they’d need to get them a spot in the CFP. (But they should be huge Texas Tech, Washington State and Oregon State fans.)

10. Oklahoma

There’s a glut of two-loss teams around the No. 10 spot. Ole Miss, Missouri and Penn State all could be here, but the best win among them is the Rebels’ win against LSU. Only one of the two-loss teams has a win against a team elsewhere on this list, and it’s Oklahoma. The Sooners haven’t been perfect, and like Florida State and Penn State, they had to rely on a backup QB. But Jackson Arnold helped Oklahoma survive BYU, and now Oklahoma needs to beat TCU Friday and wait to see who plays in the Big 12 title game when the dust clears.