Week 11 college football rankings: Ohio State drops from No. 1, Alabama and Oklahoma State make statements in Week 10

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Nov 4, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) celebrates his rushing touchdown against the LSU Tigers during the second quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Not only is November the most exciting time in the college football schedule, it’s also the time of year when the CFP rankings come into clear focus. Thanks to a chaotic Saturday, the Week 11 college football rankings are undergoing significant changes.

Week 10 served as a reminder of how difficult it is to stay undefeated this late in the year, with the Air Force Falcons letting their perfect season slip away. Saturday also delivered fantastic matchups between the Georgia Bulldogs vs Missouri Tigers and Oklahoma Sooners vs Oklahoma State Cowboys, with those results dramatically reshaping how we view the best teams in the nation.

Dropped from Rankings: Air Force Falcons (15), USC Trojans (24), UCLA Bruibns (25)

Let’s dive into our top 25 college football rankings after Week 10.

Week 11 College Football Rankings

25. Toledo Rockets

The Toledo Rockets opened the season with a heartbreaking loss, falling from a 27-19 deficit in the fourth quarter only to lose on a game-winning field goal. Since then, Jason Candle’s squad has ripped off eight consecutive victories. A weak strength of schedule will prevent Toledo from gaining much national recognition, but it has a legitimate shot at an 11-1 record in the regular season.

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24. Arizona Wildcats

Three consecutive victories over ranked opponents for the Arizona Wildcats, the latest a double-digit victory. Credit to Jedd Fisch for the quick turnaround, which should include close losses to Washington (31-24) and USC (43-41). Arizona has demonstrated it can compete with some of the best teams in the Pac-12 Conference and with Colorado and a home date with Utah (Nov. 18) up next, the Wildcats have a shot to finish the season with the most wins since 2014.

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23. Liberty Flames

We’ve had the Liberty Flames in our top 25 college football rankings for a few weeks now, but it’s getting harder to ignore the body of work. While Liberty is among a small handful of undefeated teams remaining in college football, its schedule plays a massive part in that. Still, a perfect record warrants recognition especially after a week when several top-25 teams teams picked up their third defeat.

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22. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Even on a Saturday that saw the Clemson Tigers give the football away twice and go 5-for-15 on third downs, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish still couldn’t win. We were high on Sam Hartman coming into the season, but the Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback now has seven interceptions with eight sacks taken in the last four games. The Fighting Irish simply aren’t a powerhouse program anymore and it’s starting to look like the Fighting Irish will lose four times in a season for the second consecutive year.

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21. Tulane Green Wave

The Tulane Green Wave certainly didn’t look like a team on Saturday that made a case to move up. Consider that East Carolina’s lone victory came against Gardner-Webb, while teams like Marshall and App State have crushed ECU by multiple scores. Meanwhile, the Green Wave had to take things down to the closing seconds with Michael Pratt missing an alarming number of throws. While an 8-1 record is still nice, the margin of victory hurt Tulane’s resume.

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20. LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers’ defense was the biggest question mark heading into their matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Simply put, LSU’s defense is exactly what everyone thought it was. Alabama managed over 500 total yards of offense and converted over 70 percent of its third-down attempts. LSU had the offense to contend for a playoff spot, but its defense shoulders the blame for all three losses, with 42-plus points allowed in all three defeats.

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19. Utah Utes

The Utah Utes offense rebounded in Week 10, hanging 513 total yards on Arizona State with nearly 37 minutes of possession time. An effort like that will be needed next weekend against the Washington Huskies. However, this Utes’ defense – 83 total yards allowed, 1-of-16 third-downs – will be relied upon even more. We’re still skeptical of a team starting a backup quarterback, but that could change next week.

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18. James Madison Dukes

The James Madison Dukes faced one of their biggest tests of the season, taking on Georgia State (6-2) in hostile territory. Thanks to Jordan McCloud (6 total TDs, 400 total yards), the Deacons’ perfect season is intact. A win like this should get the CFP committee’s attention. If it doesn’t, UConn might face the consequences in Week 10.

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17. Oklahoma Sooners

It felt like this was coming if you watched the Oklahoma Sooners against UCF and Kansas. The Sooners seemed to be rolling toward a playoff spot after stunning Texas, but they’ve come undone ever since. We certainly can’t fault Oklahoma’s offense for this one. Instead, the big. concern is just how bad Brent Venables’ defense has been in his first two seasons with the Sooners.

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16. Kansas Jayhawks

Here come the Kansas Jayhawks, once more proving they aren’t just a basketball school. On a Saturday that saw their in-state rival suffer a heartbreaking loss to Texas, the Jayhawks moved on past the Kansas State Wildcats. While the 40-14 loss (Sept. 30) to Texas is still an ugly blemish on Kansas’s line this season, it’s victory over Oklahoma and a fight to the finish with the Cowboys look even more impressive. Heck, the Jayhawks would’ve been even higher if they hadn’t blown a 32-24 third-quarter lead to Oklahoma State in October.

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15. Oregon State Beavers

The Oregon State Beavers aren’t good enough or deep enough to challenge for a top-10 spot in the rankings, but head coach Jonathan Smith keeps showing why he’ll be one of the most in-demand coaching candidates for marquee Power 5 programs this winter. Nine wins feels guaranteed, but it’ll be the matchups against Washington and Oregon that determine if the Beavers have one of their best seasons in program history.

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14. Missouri Tigers

Very few college football teams can play the Georgia Bulldogs that close, especially at Sanford Stadium. Brady Cook had a bad Saturday evening, continuing a stretch of some poor play over the last month. Yet, the Tigers kept things neck-and-neck with the Bulldogs outside of that third quarter. While Missouri now has two losses, their performance on Saturday doesn’t warrant being dropped in our rankings.

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13. Tennessee Volunteers

Saturday was easy for the Tennessee Volunteers as they cruised to a 35-3 halftime lead and kept piling on with two defensive touchdowns to open up the second half. Of course, the Missouri Tigers’ offense isn’t going to provide Tennessee with those opportunities next week. Considering what happened on the road in Florida and Alabama, it seems hard to believe Tennessee will win in Missouri on Nov. 11.

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12. Louisville Cardinals

The loss to Pittsburgh is starting to look like a one-off, with Jack Plummer and Co. just taking their opponent far too lightly. Outside of that, Louisville has one of the best resumes in college football this season and they added to it on Saturday with another solid win. The Cardinals will likely need to close out the regular season with five consecutive victories to crack the top 10, but they are headed in the right direction.

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11. Oklahoma State Cowboys

No win in the last few years feels as good as that one for Mike Gundy. The Oklahoma State Cowboys looked awful in September, losing 33-7 to South Alabama and then 34-27 to Iowa State. Since then, the Cowboys have rolled with wins over Kansas State, Kan,sas and now Oklahoma. This was the perfect way for the Bedlam Rivalry to end and Oklahoma State has earned its meteoric rise in the college football rankings.

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Top 25 College Football Rankings after Week 10

10. Penn State Nittany Lions

Week 11 is everything for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Heading into next weekend, James Franklin is 3-16 against top-10 teams and he has a 3-6 record against the Michigan Wolverines. Things are slightly different now because the Nittany Lions are at home, but Franklin’s track record leaves a lot of doubt. If it doesn’t happen next Saturday, it’s fair to wonder if it will ever happen for Penn State under Franklin.

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9. Ole Miss Rebels

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Ole Miss Rebels hung on to take out Texas A&M in the closing minutes. The Rebels aren’t 8-1 without Jaxson Dart, Quinshon Judkins and Tre Harris, with the trio responsible for all five touchdowns in Week 10. However, Ole Miss’ time in the top 10 college football rankings is likely drawing to a close next Saturday, because this defense likely doesn’t have what it’ll take to beat the Georgia Bulldogs.

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8. Texas Longhorns

Great teams find ways to win difficult games under challenging circumstances. Already missing Quinn Ewers, the Texas Longhorns offensive line took a hit on Saturday that put backup quarterback Maalik Murphy in an even more difficult spot. Murphy – 19-of-27, 2 INTs – struggled, but Jonathan Brooks, Adonai Mitchell and CJ Baxter saved the day with 351 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. Texas won’t need as much to go right next week against TCU, but it remains an uphill climb to make it into the playoffs.

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7. Oregon Ducks

One year ago, quarterback Bo Nix and running back Bucky Irving carried the Oregon Ducks. In 2023, the Ducks’ offensive focal points have been just as dominant, but Dan Lanning’s improved defense now supports them. It means the Ducks’ offense doesn’t have to be flawless to win and that’s why they now have a shot at the No. 4 playoff spot if just a few dominoes fall their way in November.

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6. Alabama Crimson Tide

Hats off to Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe. On arguably the biggest night of his career, he came through with a stellar performance that even outshined Jayden Daniels. Milroe didn’t have a monster number through the air, but his work on the ground – 155 yards, 4 TDs – helped lead the Crimson Tide’s dominant ground game (288 yards, 6.6 ypc, 6 TDs). Alabama is back and there’s now a legitimate argument for ranking the Crimson Tide ahead of Michigan and Washington. For now, we’ll hold off.

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5. Michigan Wolverines

The gap between the Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies for the fourth spot in our college football rankings couldn’t be any closer. There’s a lone blemish on the Wolverines’ resume, the absence of a quality win over a top-20 opponent. Considering how well quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the Wolverines’ defense is playing this season, there’s no reason to think Michigan can’t go into Beaver Stadium and beat the Nittany Lions.

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4. Washington Huskies

There’s a new star in the Washington Huskies offense. With Michael Penix Jr. recording another interception and not doing a ton through the air, Huskies’ head coach Kalen DeBoer put the game in the hands of running back Dillon Johnson. All the former Mississippi State running back did was gash the USC Trojans’ defense for nearly 300 scrimmage yards with four touchdowns. Washington’s problematic defense is a major concern moving forward, but the Huskies will have a great shot at maintaining their spot in the college football rankings if they deliver a win against Utah in Week 11.

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3. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes won in Week 10, but they didn’t look like the best team in college football nor like a program that is ready to face the Michigan Wolverines. Rutgers won the time of possession battle (35:37 – 24:24) and outgained Ohio State (361-328), but the Buckeyes did just enough to win. Ohio State would still belong in the CFP Semifinal if the regular season ended today, but our confidence in Kyle McCord is low.

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2. Florida State Seminoles

The Florida State Seminoles control their own destiny. With the head-to-head Ohio State vs Michigan matchup at the end of November, Florida State has a clear path to the College Football Playoff. Jordan Travis is playing well and the Seminoles’ supporting cast and defense make this one of the most well-rounded teams in the nation. Of course, in-state rivals Miami and Florida will make it their mission to try and derail the Seminoles’ dream.

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1. Georgia Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs are No. 1 in the college football rankings after recording a huge victory over the Missouri Tigers. With the Buckeyes struggling to get by Rutgers in Week 10, Georgia took advantage with an impressive victory over a top-12 Tigers program. Even without Brock Bowers, Georgia looks like the best team in college football.

What are the college football rankings today?

  1. Georgia Bulldogs
  2. Florida State Seminoles
  3. Ohio State Buckeyes
  4. Washington Huskies
  5. Michigan Wolverines
  6. Alabama Crimson Tide
  7. Oregon Ducks
  8. Texas Longhorns
  9. Ole Miss Rebels
  10. Penn State Nittany Lions
  11. Oklahoma State Cowboys
  12. Louisville Cardinals
  13. Tennessee Volunteers
  14. Missouri Tigers
  15. Oregon State Beavers
  16. Kansas Jayhawks
  17. Oklahoma Sooners
  18. James Madison Dukes
  19. Utah Utes
  20. LSU Tigers
  21. Tulane Green Wave
  22. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  23. Liberty Flames
  24. Arizona Wildcats
  25. Toledo Rockets
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