By Mike Loveall, LastWordOnCollegeFootball.com
Last Word on College Football Top 25 Week 13
Call it “Divisional Week.” The Division races are settled. All that’s between us and the College Football Playoff selection is “Championship Week.” The post-season is officially upon us. Unless you’re the Big 12, of course.
“The Game” didn’t disappoint. It lived up to the hype with a thrilling Ohio State double-overtime victory over Michigan. That gave the Big Ten East division, arguably the best in college football, to Penn State. On the other side of the conference, Wisconsin used a big fourth quarter to keep its Top 10 ranking and set-up an interesting Big Ten Championship game next weekend in Indianapolis.
Further south, Alabama‘s python-like defense squeezed the life out of Auburn. The Tide will play Florida — again — for the SEC crown. It’s not all bad news for Auburn as the Tigers might still get the SEC’s bid to the Sugar Bowl.
Out west, Colorado continues their surprising season winning the Pac-12 South. Their win over Utah earns them a date with Washington for the conference title next week in Santa Clara.
After Louisville‘s shocking defeat to Houston last week, the Cardinals layed another egg against in-state foe Kentucky this weekend, restoring the Clemson / FSU hierarchy to the ACC.
How does it look going into Championship Week? See below.
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LAST WORD ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25 WEEK 13
| Rank
|
Team
|
Points
|
Previous
|
|
1. |
ALABAMA (15) (12-0) |
399 | 1 | |
| Field goals weren’t enough for Auburn to stop Alabama’s march to Atlanta. The Tide will play Florida for the chance at another SEC Title and top seeding for their third consecutive College Football Playoffs. Mike Loveall
|
||||
2. |
OHIO STATE (1) (11-1) |
382 | 2 | |
| “The Game” lived up to its hype as Ohio State beat Michigan 30-27 in double overtime. The Buckeyes were outmatched the majority of the game but stepped up when they need to most. Now all there is to do is wait and hope that the Committee gives them a chance at another National Championship. Rob Gritzer
|
||||
3. |
CLEMSON (11-1) |
366 | 4 | |
| Clemson dominated South Carolina 49-7, adding some style points to affirm their position in the playoffs. The Tigers should clinch another ACC Title next week and now have to wait for seeding depending on what happens in the rest of the country. Justin Gordon
|
||||
4. |
WASHINGTON (11-1)
|
352 | 6 | |
| The Huskies handled their business by dismantling Wazzu in the Apple Cup. Next, UDub tries to keep the Pac-12 North’s CCG winning streak alive, when it faces Colorado in Santa Clara Friday evening. Donald King
|
||||
5. |
MICHIGAN (10-2) |
335 | 3 | |
| Michigan lost a heartbreaker at Ohio State. Their Playoff hopes aren’t completely dead. Michigan owns a head-to-head win against whoever wins the Big Ten and one of the teams in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Yesh Ginsburg
|
||||
6. |
WISCONSIN (10-2) |
316 | 5 | |
| Wisconsin rallied late with 21 4th quarter points to beat Minnesota 31-17 Corey Clement did it again with 26 carries for 100 yards and two fourth quarter touchdowns. Next week, Wisconsin will look to secure a playoff spot with a win in the Big Ten Championship over Penn State. Rob Gritzer
|
||||
7. |
PENN STATE (10-2) |
304 | 8 | |
| The Nittany Lions shook off a slow start against Michigan State to lock up a trip to the Big Ten Championship against Wisconsin next Saturday night. Trace McSorley threw for 376 yards and four TDs. He’ll need a similar performance against the Badgers next week to put Penn State in the playoff. Zach Jones
|
||||
8. |
OKLAHOMA (9-2) |
288 | 7 | |
| The Sooners had a bye this week as they prepare to play Oklahoma State next weekend. This upcoming Bedlam game will have a ton on the line as a Big 12 championship, a Sugar Bowl appearance and an outside shot at the playoffs will be up for grabs. Jason Rhea
|
||||
9. |
COLORADO (10-2)
|
279 | 9 | |
| Mike McIntyre completed one of the most amazing coaching feats in all of CFB this year, as Colorado won the PAC-12 South title over Utah. Sefo Liufau will now attempt to take down CFP contender Washington in the PAC-12 title game. Donald King
|
||||
10. |
OKLAHOMA STATE (9-2) |
244 | 10 | |
| Don’t let the record fool you, Mike Gundy was happy to get to 10-wins last week. He’ll have a chance to get to 10 official wins this week — and a conference title — if the Cowboys can beat Oklahoma in the Bedlam game. Jason Rhea
|
||||
11. |
USC (9-3)
|
241 | 13 | |
| USC looks like one of the best teams in the country right now. Unfortunately for the Trojans, September still happened, This team now has a very good shot at the Cotton Bowl, though. Yesh Ginsburg
|
||||
12. |
WESTERN MICHIGAN (11-0)
|
221 | 12 | |
| The Broncos capped their first undefeated regular season in school history on Friday with a 55-35 rout of Toledo. Sophomore RB Jamauri Bogan rushed for a career high 198 yards and a TD. Next up is the MAC championship game against Ohio. A win should guarantee them a spot in the Cotton Bowl. John Bava III
|
||||
13. |
FLORIDA STATE (9-3)
|
216 | 16 | |
| Florida State dominated Florida in a 31-13. For the second straight week, Dalvin Cook rewrote the record books, this time by becoming the schools all-time leader in rushing touchdowns. Jonathan Bailey
|
||||
14. |
WEST VIRGINIA (9-2)
|
189 | 20 | |
| West Virginia cruised past Iowa State in Ames this week 49-19. Shelton Gibson stole the show for the Mountaineers with 161 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This is the second time WVU has reached nine wins under coach Dana Holgorsen. Brendan Dzwierzynski
|
||||
15. |
NAVY (9-2) |
148 | 22 | |
| Navy will be playing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the postseason. The only question? Will it be the Armed Forces Bowl or the Cotton Bowl? Navy has to beat Temple and hope for a Western Michigan loss or for the committee to jump Navy over the Broncos for the G5 bid to the NY6 Bowl. Mike Loveall
|
||||
16. |
LOUISVILLE (9-3) |
133 | 11 | |
| Louisville fell to rival Kentucky 41-38. Lamar Jackson’s Heisman trophy chances took another major hit after turning the ball over 4 times against the Wildcats. Jonathan Bailey
|
||||
17. |
VIRGINIA TECH (9-3)
|
132 | NR | |
| The Hokies secured the a spot in the ACC title game in Justin Fuente’s first season in Blacksburg. Are we seeing the transition from one long-time successful coach to another? Mike Loveall
|
||||
18. |
STANFORD (9-3)
|
112 | 25 | |
| The Cardinal completed its regular season at 9-3 with a shellacking of overmatched Rice at home on Senior Night. Stanford won its last five games in a row, in what may have been David Shaw’s best coaching job yet. Donald King
|
||||
19. (T) |
AUBURN (8-4) |
91 | 15 | |
| Playing again without starting QB Sean White, Auburn managed to keep it close in the first half. However, Alabama would not be denied a flawless season, as they scored two touchdowns in the beginning of the third quarter. The Tigers now sit at 8-4, waiting to see where they will go bowling. Lauren Beasley
|
||||
19. (T) |
FLORIDA (8-3)
|
91 | 14 | |
| The Gators haven’t seen solid QB play since the Tim Tebow days. Their offensive woes continued against FSU as they went down 31-13 in Tallahassee. Florida plays Alabama in the SEC Championship next week. They’ll need more than a stout defense against the best team in the country. Zach Jones
|
||||
21. |
LSU (7-4)
|
83 | NR | |
| The Tigers took down the Aggies on the road. They were without Leonard Fournette. They had a back up in Derris Guice, who broke a school record. He ran for 285 yards and four touchdowns. They rest up for their bowl game with their new and official head coach Ed Orgeron. Kate Pearson-Halyburton
|
||||
22. |
NEBRASKA (9-3)
|
70 | 19 | |
| The Cornhuskers continue their slide down the rankings. In the Top 10 just four weeks ago, they’ve lost to Ohio State and Iowa by a combined 89 points since then. Nebraska limps into bowl season a wounded team. Mike Loveall
|
||||
23. |
SOUTH FLORIDA (10-2)
|
52 | NR | |
| Willie Taggart has South Florida at 10 wins this season with no bad loses. While the Bulls won’t get a chance to play for the conference championship, Taggart will get a few calls from some big time programs. Look for the Bulls to be a tough out wherever they play in December. Mike Loveall
|
||||
24. |
IOWA (8-4)
|
45 | NR | |
| Iowa is another team that has overcome a weak start to finish the season strong. After beating Michigan three weeks ago, the Hawkeyes pummeled Nebraska on Saturday and go into the bowl season red hot. Mike Loveall
|
||||
25. |
PITTSBURGH (8-4) |
36 | NR | |
| This really was a football game, not a basketball score accidentally reprinted. Pitt beat Syracuse 76-61 in the highest-scoring regulation game in FBS history. The two teams combined for 20 touchdowns. Pitt’s offense had had 644 overall yards and averaged 10.9 yards per play. With wins over Clemson and Penn State, Pitt now awaits what should be a good bowl game bid. Tony Siracusa | ||||
Others Receiving Votes: Boise State (22), Air Force (17), Utah (17), Temple (11), Tulsa (3), Miami (2), Houston (2), Washington State (1), Wyoming (1).
The College Football Playoff Committee has shown a willingness to shuffle the top of the rankings around after Championship Week, even for teams not playing. Will we see more of that this year? And what about the Michigan and Ohio State, two non-divisional winners that sit ranked above both teams playing in the Big Ten title game?
We are nearing the end of another incredible season. Enjoy the final few acts while you still can.
Previous LWOS Polls:
Preseason Top 25
Week 1 Top 25
Week 2 Top 25
Week 3 Top 25
Week 4 Top 25
Week 5 Top 25
Week 6 Top 25
Week 7 Top 25
Week 8 Top 25
Week 9 Top 25
Week 10 Top 25
Week 11 Top 25
Week 12 Top 25
About the poll: Sixteen Last Word on College Football writers submit ballots and points are awarded on a inverse-scale (a first place vote receives 25 points, a 25th-place vote receives 1 point).
Main Photo:
