I don’t have a strict formula for these rankings. I’ll be using a combination of my preseason grades, eyeball test and maybe hatred of a couple programs. These rankings are not saying who I think would win, just who has the best resume so far in this season. Wins, particularly good wins, matter the most. I’m a fan of scheduling real competition, so I might reward ‘good’ losses more than some people. At the end of the day though being 2-10 with 8 good losses means you still suck. All in all this will still be the most accurate top 25 out there.
I’ll be putting the AP rankings next to the team name in parentheses. You can check them out here. https://www.apnews.com/APTop25CollegeFootballPoll
1) LSU Tigers (2)
I have a very hard time seeing how anyone could convince me this team doesn’t deserve to be the number one team in the country. They have the most impressive wins to go along with an undefeated record. Joe Burrow is a legitimate Heisman candidate at QB and their roster has as much talent as anyone. Justin Jefferson and Ja’marr Chase are both pro wide outs and the defense gets a bad rap because they’re playing with a more high tempo offense. This LSU team is still extremely talented on that side of the ball. DBU is alive and well with Grant Delpit, Kristian Fulton and Derek Stingley Jr back there. This team is a real national title contender. Crimson Jack has some more info on the number 1 LSU Tigers.https://bellyupsports.com/2019/10/the-lsu-tigers-should-be-no-1/
2) Ohio State (4)
Ohio State has play makers. Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins are explosive as it gets on offense. I’m telling you these guys are must see TV, they might be the best backfield in the history of the program. On defense Chase Young would be my number one pick in the NFL draft, he already has 8.5 sacks this season. DB Jeff Okudah has three pass breakups and three interceptions. The high end talent is there for the Buckeyes. They’ve been beating everyone by a million including a sneaky good Cincinnati team. I see them steamrolling through the big ten and finding their way into the playoff.
3) Oklahoma (5)
The Sooners are just becoming a better version of themselves every year. Having Jalen Hurts throwing the ball to Ceedee Lamb and Charleston Rambo should be illegal and Tre Sermon just gives defenses one more thing to pray about the night before the game. Lincoln Riley is officially one of the best coaches in the country. The problems with Oklahoma is the same reason they’re so good, they’re Oklahoma. Can they defend enough to get passed the big boys? We will see if this is the year they can win two shootouts to finally get their championship. I don’t think so but its the closest I’ve been to thinking they can.
4) Wisconsin (6)
This is where I ran into a slight dilemma. I’m a big believer in talent and I don’t know if Wisconsin has enough elite guys. Johanthan Taylor is a stud and Jack Coan their best QB in a long time but can they hang with the big boys. The Badgers recruit closer to a Purdue level than to an Ohio State level, that scares me. At the end of the day though the results speak for themselves. The Wisconsin offensive line has absolutely bullied everyone they’ve played. Johanthan Taylor literally cannot be stopped and they made Michigan look like Rutgers. No team behind the Badgers has done enough to be ahead of them this season.
5)Alabama (1)
The Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers are going to be similar for me. There’s a chance Alabama may be the most talented team in the country. I personally have them rated just above LSU as the most talented team in the country. But you have to beat someone to be the best. Duke, South Carolina and Ole Miss are all average teams. Beating them doesn’t do much for me. Their best win is beating Texas A&M. The only problem with that is so have three other teams. Maybe I shouldn’t have dropped Bama. They have beaten everyone they played pretty handily but they have no signature win yet. The good thing for them is they do control their own destiny, so at the end of the day it doesn’t matter where they are ranked now.
6) Clemson (3)
The Clemson Tigers just have not looked great this year but 6-0 is 6-0. The talent is there. I think they’re right below LSU and pretty even with Ohio State. One of the things Clemson has going for them is they could sleep walk through the ACC this year. By the time the playoff comes around this team will undefeated and firing on all cylinders. Don’t sleep on the Tigers.
7) Penn State (7)
I have a confession to make. I believe it was two weeks ago I said ‘I know Penn State is not the 12th ranked team in the country’, I guess I’m not a liar though because now I think they’re the seventh. Honestly I just don’t like this team. Talent wise I don’t think they match up with anyone in the top ten. They beat Iowa, Maryland and Pitt. I guess good for them but what do I know I did bet on Maryland. They play Michigan this week which somehow will actually show me a lot about this team but at as of now they are 6-0 in the Big Ten and that’s good enough for seventh in the country. If you want to read how wrong I was about Penn State here’s the article. https://bellyupsports.com/2019/09/thursday-and-friday-college-football-preview-week-5/
8) Florida (9)
Sure Florida lost to LSU last week but is that really a loss? I don’t think there is a team in the country that could win at LSU at night this year. Florida has a few things going for them Feleipe Franks got hurt, that’s a pretty big plus. Kyle Trask has actually played pretty well filling in at quarterback. The Gators also have an elite defense. David Reese and Johnathan Greenard are two elite linebackers that I love to watch play. These Gators have a Tebow era Florida feel. Without Tebow and that’s really the difference between being a really good college football team and one of the best of all time.
9) Georgia (10)
I have to say I still really like this Georgia team. Looking ahead they do have to play Florida and Auburn, but they avoid Alabama and LSU. So there is a reasonable way they run the table and find themselves in the SEC Championship and a win there sends them to the playoffs. I know a loss to South Carolina is bad especially at home but this is still a good football team. Look for them to bounce back, I’d hate to be Kentucky this week.
10) Notre Dame (8)
The next four rankings were pretty tough for me. Notre Dame rounds out the top four because they did play my number nine team in the country pretty tough. Beating USC and Virginia are both pretty good wins and frankly beating Louisville is a better win than a lot of teams have at this point. Notre Dame has a few things going for them. First off Ian book is a stud, watch him play you will be entertained. Personally 10-13 can go in any order and this was the toughest section for me but the Irish get the nod for now.
11)Baylor (18)
The Baylor Bears are my biggest gainers compared to the AP Poll, I move them up seven spots. They’re undefeated so far and have some pretty solid wins. They beat Iowa State and Kansas State, two teams that have a chance to sneak into the back end of the top 25 when the season is over. Charlie Brewer is one of the better quarterbacks in the country and they have at game changer on defense. The defensive tackle James Lynch already has 8.5 sacks, he’s a true game changer. Personally I believe Baylor is the third best team in Big 12. As of now they’re undefeated and have put together a solid resume. I can’t put them any lower than this.
12) Auburn (11)
Auburn is one of the most talented teams in the country. The only problem is they have to play a lot of the most talented teams in the country. They have quality wins against Texas A&M and Tulane. The Tigers also have one of the best wins so far, beating Oregon on a neutral field. Flipping them and Baylor would be completely fair to me but I just had to give the undefeated team a slight edge.
13) Oregon (12)
The Ducks are the class of the PAC 12 and I really don’t think its close. They have a pro QB, with speed and play makers all over the field. I have them and Auburn ranked as closely as possible. Oregon is the only team outside the top 10 that I think has a chance to make a run at the playoff. The only problem is will the committee respect the PAC 12 enough to put them in.
14) Boise State (14)
This is the ranking I’ve struggled with the most. Boise did what they are supposed to do and scheduled Florida State in week one. They don’t have a crystal ball to see that Florida State was going to suck in the future. They have beaten two quality group of five teams, Marshall and Hawaii. My main problem with this team is that it is the worst Boise State team in a long time. The Mountain West its self is not very good, so they won’t have the ability to add many quality wins. Maybe going undefeated and beating Hawaii for a second time could get you into the top ten? I don’t know, I’m perplexed by this team.
15) Utah (13)
Every experts preseason dark horse, the Utah Utes are off to a 5-1 start. They beat BYU and Washington State, that’s OK. They lost to the best team they played so far USC. My problem is this team just doesn’t pass the eye test to me. The Utes do have one of the best home field advantages in the country though. Overall they have done enough to be solidly in the top 25, I think they end the regular season with three loses and sitting closer to 25.
16) Minnesota (20)
I know someone is going to read this and say ‘but they’re undefeated in the Big Ten’. That is a true statement but I just don’t care. They beat Purdue,, Illinois, and Nebraska, so they’re offically 3-0 in conference as well, again dont care. They beat a Nebraska team who clearly quit after Ohio State crushed their dreams, an Illinois team who was keeping it close until Brandon Peters got hurt and an average or below average Purdue team. After all that I’m still close to jumping onto the Minnesota bandwagon. PJ Fleck is one of the better coaches in the country and quarterback Tanner Morgan is one of my favorite players. We really won’t learn much about this team for a few more weeks expect them to hang out in the teens.
17) SMU (19)
Shane Buechele is a great player. With him leading the charge they have a real chance at winning the AAC, which is making a great argument to have a power six instead of power five conferences. They have wins against TCU and North Texas this year, two pretty solid wins. The Mustangs offense is one of the best in the country and running back Xavier Jones is one of the best players in the country. He already has run for 12 touchdowns this year. Them versus Temple is a top of the line match up this week and whoever wins will most likely finish this season in the top 25.
18) Appalachian State (24)
The Mountaineers are six spots better in the Dylan Shew poll than the AP Poll. To be honest I just love this team, having an elite QB really helps you separate from other teams. Zac Thomas is an elite college quarterback. They are building an elite program and are clearly the class of the Sun Belt. I see them running the table and hanging out in the top 25 all season.
19) Arizona State (17)
Jayden Daniels in a play maker at QB and the Sun Devils have an elite defense. They beat Michigan State in East Lansing and have a solid win against Cal. The Cal win is going to look worse than it is since their QB is hurt. Herm Edwards is building something in the desert, keep an eye out on the Sun Devils.
20) Texas (15)
I really didn’t want to punish Texas. Since they already played some good teams. But they did lose two out of the three, the tow losses being to my #1 and #3 teams. But they were both close and competitive. Beating Oklahoma State is actually a really good win in my eyes. I didn’t want to drop Texas this far but 4-2 is 4-2. Look for the Longhorns to be closer to the top ten at the end of the year.
21) Mizzou (22)
I have to be honest here I see no way this team ends the season in the top 25. They lost to Wyoming in Wyoming, so I guess we can blame the altitude. The only good teams they play this year are Georgia and Florida, if they win either of those they will end the season in the top 25. The problem is that’s not going to happen. This team is just not interesting to me at all to be honest.
22) Cinicnatti (21)
How much I don’t like Missouri is about the same I love the Bearcats. I think they’re the most talented non-power five team. Desmond Ridder is an elite quarterback and Michael Warren is a stud running back. They beat UCF, UCLA and Marshall, all solid wins. This is the team I think actually wins the AAC. I know they got rolled by Ohio State but most people are going to. This football team is for real.
23) Michigan (16)
I know this might me be a little rough, but Michigan has just not looked good this year. The Wolverines got absolutely dominated by the Badgers. Their only good win is against Iowa in the worst game of all time. Shea Patterson just isn’t any good, I hope McCaffrey can come back and get significant snaps. This team does have some talent but they just don’t pass the eye test to me. I could honestly see a collapse from this team knocking them out of the top 25.
24) Tulane (NR)
My favorite team in college football this year. The Green Wave have some nice wins this year. They beat FIU, Houston and Army. Their loss to Auburn wasn’t to bad and they actually have some really nice players. QB Justin McMillan has 8 passing touchdowns and only 2 interceptions and he’s added six more touchdowns on the ground. Corey Dauphine is averaging over 11 yards per carry, with four TD’s. The defense has been pretty good this year. Mostly behind a big and athletic secondary that can tackle. The AAC is tough, with three teams in my top 25, I personally hope Tulane can make some noise this year.
25) Wake Forest (NR)
The Demon Deacons have a couple good wins against Utah State and North Carolina. They’re led by wide out Sage Surrat. He’s third in the country with 711 receiving yards and tied for second with 9 touchdowns. Their loss to Louisville is going to look better at the end of the season and I could see them being the fourth best team in the ACC. This is a team very deserving of being in the top 25.
Winners and Losers
We have some big losers and winners this week. Tulane and Wake Forest sneak into my top 25. Baylor and Appalachian State made the biggest jumps though. I believe the AP Poll will move them up in the coming weeks though. My biggest loser was Texas, which is actually disappointing to me because I wanted to reward the tough schedule so far. Good thing for the Longhorns is I think they end up a top 15 team, also my rankings don’t actually mean anything. Looking ahead we don’t have many great top 25 match ups except for Penn State vs Michigan. So I don’t see big shake ups coming next week.
