There were some great games in Week 12 of college football. Here are my updated national power rankings heading into Week 13.
I will do a top-25 college football power rankings every week for the duration of the regular season. These power rankings will be based on where every team stands at the current moment, not a prediction of where these teams will be at the end of the season. The team’s ranking from the week prior will be in parenthesis next to its current ranking.
#1- Oregon (1)
Oregon survived a tight game against Wisconsin to remain the lone undefeated Power Four team. They are all but guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff and will be focusing on winning the Big Ten to secure their first-round bye.
#2- Ohio State (2)
Ohio State dominated Northwestern on Saturday. Next up, they have a massive game with Indiana which would put the loser on the bubble of the College Football Playoff race.
#3- Texas (3)
Texas is the only one-loss team left in the SEC. However, due to their strength of schedule, they likely need to win out to make the College Football Playoff, starting with Kentucky this weekend.
#4- Indiana (4)
Indiana faces Ohio State in a massive showdown. They will look to prove that they are the real deal on the national stage against the #2 team in the nation.
#5- Penn State (5)
Penn State is quietly hanging around the top of the rankings. They still face Minnesota and Maryland to close the season and if they win those games, they will be in the CFP.
#6- Alabama (8)
Alabama travels to Oklahoma this weekend as they look to stay in the midst of the CFP race. They are the top team in the 2-loss SEC jumble with a head-to-head win over Georgia. If they win out, they are also likely to make the SEC Championship Game against the Texas/Texas A&M winner.
#7- Notre Dame (7)
Notre Dame has thrashed opponents since their loss to Northern Illinois. After being written off because of that loss, they are two wins away from securing a CFP berth, starting with Army this weekend.
#8- Ole Miss (10)
Ole Miss is another SEC team that is likely to make the CFP if they win out. They do have a tough test on the road against Florida this weekend, who just upset LSU on Saturday.
#9- Georgia (11)
Georgia picked up a massive victory over Tennessee to ensure that they will also make the CFP if they win out. That means they just need to defeat Georgia Tech and UMass at home the next two weeks.
#10- Miami (9)
Miami has been forgotten about in the national conversation but still control their own path to an ACC Championship and a first-round bye in the CFP. That path starts with a game against Wake Forest this weekend, where Miami should unleash some frustration.
#11- Tennessee (6)
Tennessee lost a game to Georgia which would have guaranteed them a spot in the College Football Playoff. They are now firmly on the bubble and need to win out to guarantee they get a spot in the bracket, starting with UTEP on Saturday.
#12- Boise State (13)
Boise State just keeps winning to keep themselves at the top of the race for the Group of Five playoff spot. They face Wyoming and Oregon State in the next two weeks with everything on the line.
#13- SMU (14)
SMU is the under-the-radar team in the ACC race. If they can take down their last two opponents, Virginia and Cal, they will make the ACC title game.
#14- Texas A&M (15)
Texas A&M is in a position to play their way into the SEC Championship Game if they can take down Auburn and Texas over the next two weeks.
#15- Colorado (16)
Colorado just keeps winning but has their hardest test in weeks with a road trip to Kansas—a team that has knocked off back-to-back ranked Big 12 opponents the past two weeks.
#16- South Carolina (19)
South Carolina might be the hottest team in the country. They just picked up another ranked win over Missouri and can pick up another ranked win in the final week of the season against Clemson. It is a real long shot, but they have a chance to be the first-ever three-loss team in the College Football Playoff.
#17- Clemson (17)
Clemson survived against Pittsburgh on Saturday. They can now focus on their huge matchup with South Carolina and hope for chaos ahead of them in the ACC so they can make their championship game.
#18- Army (18)
Army is undefeated and technically controls its own destiny to the CFP. If they beat Notre Dame this weekend, they will likely fly up the rankings and have a chance to seal the deal with an AAC Championship.
#19- BYU (12)
BYU dropped a game to Kansas over the weekend and are now underdogs against Arizona State this weekend. A second loss would likely boot them from the Big 12 Championship Game race.
#20- Tulane (21)
Tulane’s only two losses this year came in a close game against Kansas State and against Oklahoma. If BYU and Army slip, they will be the top choice to make the CFP from the Group of Five.
#21- Arizona State (NR)
Arizona State is one of the hottest teams in the country. They just took down Kansas State on Saturday and now have a chance to propel themselves into the Big 12 title race with a win over BYU this weekend.
#22- Iowa State (25)
Iowa State is also back in the Big 12 title race if they can beat Utah and Kansas State in the next two weeks. If Colorado and BYU both lose this weekend, the Cyclones would move into the driver’s seat to make the Big 12 title game.
#23- UNLV (NR)
UNLV still has a chance to salvage their season by playing spoiler against Boise State in the Mountain West title game. However, they would need some help in the form of Colorado State dropping a game in order to get that chance.
#24- Illinois (NR)
Illinois has snuck back into the ranking by default. To be honest, after #22 Iowa State, these last three teams don’t even deserve to be ranked, but it is a top 25 so, alas. If the Illini can beat Rutgers and Northwestern to end their season, it will still be a really solid season for their program.
#25- Syracuse (NR)
Syracuse is lingering in the ACC and has the chance to make a massive impact on the national landscape if they can upset Miami to end the regular season.
Teams that dropped out after Week 12: Washington State (20), Louisville (22), LSU (23), Kansas State (24)
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