Another week of great college football matchups is in the books, and we stand a week closer to the first ever College Football Playoff. Several teams enriched their hopes to be in the Top 4, although some did so by the skin-of-their-teeth (we’re looking at you, Florida State). Almost as intriguing as the race for the top is the race for the protected bid from the Group of Five to play in a Big Six bowl game. Boise State, Colorado State, and Marshall all appear in this week’s LWOS rankings. In what order, though? Please read on to find out.
LWOS Week 13 College Football Rankings
| 1 | Florida State (7) | Another escape for Florida State, as they needed a late field goal to defeat Boston College at home. However, they are still undefeated and have a big rivalry game against Florida coming up at home next week before the ACC title game. – Matthew Atkinson | |
| 2 | Oregon (3) | The Ducks are just two games away from a playoff birth. Marcus Mariota is the Heisman frontrunner, but they still must play Oregon State next week, and the Civil War is never an easy game. – Elijah Klein | |
| 3 | Alabama (2) | The Tide overcame a slow start to continue their march to the playoffs; can they exorcise the ghost of the Kick Six in next week’s Iron Bowl? – Mike Loveall | |
| 4 | TCU (1) | TCU, coming off a bye, enters this week with a thrilling matchup against Texas on Thanksgiving. Despite TCU’s midseason loss to Baylor, they appear to control their destiny to have a stake in the College Football Playoff. – Kaden Kotinek | |
| 5 | Baylor | The Bears are in a tight race for the Big 12 title and can’t afford to have a bad game during the next two weeks. Their last game of the year will be the crucial one, as they take on Kansas State. – Connor Ferguson | |
| 6 | Mississippi State | The Bulldogs still have a realistic shot at the playoffs. They still have one of the best players in the country in Dak Prescott, but may need some other teams to lose in order to stay in the Top 4. – Elijah Klein | |
| 7 | Ohio State | The Buckeyes appeared to suffer from a bit of Florida State syndrome with a slow start against five-touchdown underdog Indiana. The Hoosiers led in the third quarter, but J.T. Barrett and company turned on the jets late, buoyed by 4 total touchdowns from Jalin Marshall in the 42-27 win. – John Bava | |
| 8 | UCLA | The UCLA Bruins emerged victorious Saturday night after their third consecutive victory over crosstown rival USC, 38-20. The Bruins square off against Stanford this Friday and a win will clinch the Pac-12 South. – Kaden Kotinek | |
| 9 | Michigan State | The Spartans took their frustration out on Rutgers, crushing them 45-3. They face Penn State on the road next week and a win would ensure a good bowl game even if they miss the Big Ten title game. – Matthew Atkinson | |
| 10 | Georgia | The Bulldogs filled up on cupcakes this weekend and turn their attention to in-state rival Georgia Tech this week. It should be a fun battle of 9-2 teams. Georgia will also be keeping an eye on Missouri vs. Arkansas on Friday, and if the Hogs beat the Tigers, Georgia will head to Atlanta to represent the SEC East. – Charlie Taylor | |
| 11 | Kansas State | The Wildcats need to win out and hope for a TCU loss if they hope to win the Big 12 title. An easy game against Kansas is next on the schedule. – Connor Ferguson | |
| 12 | Arizona State | Arizona State struggled initially against Washington State, but pulled away in the second half. A huge rivalry game against Arizona that will determine the Pac-12 South Champion if UCLA loses awaits. – Al Preziosi | |
| 13 | Arizona | Arizona played one of their most impressive games of the year against Utah on the road in a blowout win. Their battle next week against Arizona State will be one of the most important games in Territorial Cup history, especially if UCLA loses to Stanford. – Al Preziosi | |
| 14 | Wisconsin | Bucky held off Iowa this past Saturday, and can lock up the B1G West with a home win over Minnesota next week. Might Gordon re-claim his single-game rushing record? – Donald King | |
| 15 | Georgia Tech | The Yellow Jackets earned a spot in the ACC Championship without even playing this week. Next up: A huge in-state clash with hated rival Georgia that has more relevance than most years. – Michael Gray | |
| 16 | Auburn | The Tigers will look to end their skid this weekend when they face rival Alabama in the Iron Bowl. The game doesn’t have quite the hype and playoff ramifications that it did a few weeks ago, but the Tigers can still knock Alabama out of the SEC Championship and likely the College Football Playoff with a win. That would be enough to wipe away the three losses and consider this a successful season. – Charlie Taylor | |
| 17 | Mississippi | Ole Miss was the second team to get steamrolled on Arkansas’ path back to relevance in the SEC West. Now the Rebels will look to play spoiler in the Egg Bowl. – Michael Gray | |
| 18 | Louisville | The Cardinals doomed ND to yet another four-loss season in South Bend in Week 13. Louisville welcomes in-state rival Kentucky this weekend, with a chance to finish 9-3. – Donald King | |
| 19 | Oklahoma | It’s a disappointing season for the Sooners, but they should still end up 9-3 and in the Top 25. They were dreaming of the CFP, but it’s not a bad year overall. – Yesh Ginsburg | |
| 20 | Minnesota | Trailing Nebraska 21-7 at halftime, the Gophers went on a 21-3 run to close out the game and come out victorious in Lincoln for the first time since 1960. Saturday’s season finale against hated rival Wisconsin is a de facto title game for the Big Ten West. – John Bava | |
| 21 | Missouri | Well, it’s not always pretty, but Mizzou continues to find ways to win with a dominant pass rush and opportunistic explosive plays on offense. Next week, they face an Arkansas team that has shutout its last two SEC opponents by a combined score of 47-0. Win and they go to the SEC Championship. No pressure. – Michael Gray | |
| 22 | Clemson | The Tigers bounced back with a win over a quality FCS team; both Clemson and Louisville have key opportunities to highlight the ACC in inter-conference rivalry games this weekend. – Mike Loveall | |
| 23 | Colorado State | Colorado State continues to slide up and is our highest-ranked mid-major. They may end the year ranked, but they need Boise to lose this weekend if they want that Access Bowl. – Yesh Ginsburg | |
| 24 | Marshall | The CFP Committee continues to be unimpressed with The Thundering Herd, but all it does is win. One more over Western Kentucky, and Rakeem Cato’s squad will complete its perfect season. – Donald King | |
| 25 | Boise State | The Broncos blasted Wyoming at War Memorial Stadium, and welcome in Utah State for their last regular season game. A win clinches the Mountain West, by virtue of that Week 2 head-to-head win over Colorado State. A Big 6 bowl bid remains a possibility. – Donald King | |
| Others receiving votes: Utah (3), USC (3), LSU (2), Nebraska (2), Iowa (1), Northern Illinois (1) | |||
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