Chaos reigned supreme in Week 13 of the college football season.
Seven top 20 teams fell Saturday, with the SEC‘s hopes of getting four teams in the College Football Playoff likely being decimated. Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M all went down, making the bubble situation look murky. A wrench was also thrown in the Big 12 title race, as BYU and Colorado each lost, allowing Arizona State and Iowa State to control their own destiny. What a job Kenny Dillingham has done as the Sun Devils’ head coach after they were picked to finish last in the conference to open the season.
I thought this year was going to be great because of the playoff expansion, even though you wouldn’t really know what to expect until things play out. Well, this has been the best regular season that I can remember in my career thus far.
That said, let’s get to my top 10!
1. Oregon (Last week: 1)
Record: 11-0
Week 13 result: Idle
Ohio State continues to look more and more impressive each week, but it’s tough to put it at No. 1 when the team who beat it is still undefeated. Oregon was off Saturday, marking a crucial bye week for the Ducks as they’ll be in the Big Ten Championship Game after their matchup with Washington. Getting whatever rest they can is certainly optimal as they look to play deep into January.
2. Ohio State (Last week: 2)
Record: 10-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Indiana, 38-15
Here’s what I love most about Ohio State: it has answers everywhere. When you get into these matchup-style games, these playoff and championship games — and inevitably, what’s going to be taking place here down the stretch as we end up crowning a national champion — is that you’re going to get into a spot where you need answers and must adjust. You’re not going to be able to just throw your fastball right down the middle and win.
Often, in college football, you see teams just trying to rely on what they’re best at all the time. That’s not always going to be there for you. So, you’ve got to have a secondary pitch. Ohio State has the answers. It can do a lot of different things to beat you at the top end.
Offensively, Ohio State has shown over the course of the year that it can do just about anything. The Buckeyes can obviously throw the football on the outside. Quarterback Will Howard has proven that he can be very good. In fact, this was one of his best, most efficient games as a Buckeye. Their wide receiver corps is incredible. I love that they can run the ball when they need to. They ran the ball well when they needed to against Penn State and threw it well when they needed to against Indiana.
Defensively, they’re starting to have multiple answers on that side of the ball. This is not a team that just has one system that has weaknesses that can be defeated if you attack just that. We’ve seen the Buckeyes now adjust since that game against Oregon. OSU brought so much pressure onto quarterback Kurtis Rourke, as it allowed just 15 points and 151 total yards. A lot of that was on the first series and then on that late touchdown drive. In the middle of the game, Indiana couldn’t do much of anything. Ohio State even got a punt return touchdown from safety Caleb Downs in Saturday’s game, so this is a team that can beat you in many ways.
Ohio State takes care of business & Is Indiana a playoff team?
3. Texas (Last week: 3)
Record: 10-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Kentucky, 31-14
Texas picked up another decisive win Saturday. The only concern was quarterback Quinn Ewers‘ health, as he played through an ankle injury in the win. Reports indicate he’ll be fine to play in the massive tilt at Texas A&M. Anyone who has heard or read me throughout the season knows that I believe Arch Manning is a more than capable backup.
4. Penn State (Last week: 5)
Record: 10-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Minnesota, 26-25
That was a gutsy win by Penn State at Minnesota on Saturday. How about calling a fake punt in your own territory when leading by one point late in the fourth quarter with your playoff hopes on the line? Slow clap for head coach James Franklin on that call. Penn State needs a major upset from Michigan to make the Big Ten Championship Game, but it seems in-line to host a first-round playoff game. That would be quite the scene in Happy Valley.
Penn State QB Drew Allar threw for 244 yards and a touchdown to go with a touchdown run in its win at Minnesota. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
5. Georgia (Last week: 6)
Record: 9-2
Week 13 result: Defeated UMass, 59-21
This is still a dangerous team. When Georgia is at its best, it can certainly win a national championship. Quarterback Carson Beck had another strong outing Saturday, throwing for 297 yards and four touchdowns.
6. Notre Dame (Last week: 10)
Record: 10-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Army, 49-14
Another dominant win for Notre Dame over the weekend, making quick work out of Army. I know the Northern Illinois loss from Week 2 wasn’t great, but Notre Dame might be a sneaky team entering the CFP. The Fighting Irish look like they’re going to host a first-round game. I wouldn’t want to face that Notre Dame team in South Bend. They’re a physical team that’s more talented than people believe. They are also gaining confidence, picking up their eighth win by at least three scores.
7. Tennessee (Last week: 9)
Record: 9-2
Week 13 result: Defeated UTEP, 56-0
Nobody had a better Saturday than Tennessee. Everything that needed to happen for Tennessee happened. The Vols were clapping and doing the Gator Chomp when they watched Florida take down Ole Miss. Maybe it didn’t feel great for Tennessee fans to root for Florida, but those feelings can be put aside when playoff spots are on the line.
Alabama & Ole Miss: Will they miss the CFP after suffering a third loss?
8. Miami (Fla.) (Last week: Unranked)
Record: 10-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Wake Forest, 42-14
I’ve said it all season long, but I’m still a believer in quarterback Cam Ward. Although Miami’s defense hasn’t been great, Ward has been terrific, throwing for the second-most yards in the nation (3,774) while leading the country in touchdown passes (34). He seems likely to be in New York when the Heisman Trophy is announced, while Miami might have benefited from Saturday’s chaos.
9. Indiana (Last week: 4)
Record: 10-1
Week 13 result: Lost to Ohio State, 38-15
Let’s hit this first: Indiana is firmly in the College Football Playoff. There’s not a doubt in my mind, and there’s likely not a doubt in the committee’s mind, because everything broke Indiana’s way after Saturday’s loss. If it takes care of business against Purdue, Indiana should be in.
The matchup against OSU was too big for Indiana at this time, but top-five matchups are always too big for teams the first time they play them. This has happened all year. Georgia and Ohio State live in this atmosphere, and both programs lost top-five matchups on the road earlier this year.
While Georgia and Ohio State live for these matchups 365 days each year, you can’t say the same for Indiana. It’s a program that’s trying to level up. The Hoosiers didn’t know exactly how good they were to start the year. This was thrust upon Indiana because it played so well in its 10 previous games. There were times in that game where, I thought, the moment was too big for the players and the coaches. I think head coach Curt Cignetti would even admit that.
The punt team set Indiana back. You’re not going to win a football game when you allow 14 points off miscues from your punt team. If they didn’t have a botched snap on a punt late in the first half or allow a punt return touchdown to open the second half, the Hoosiers’ touchdown in the fourth quarter would’ve made it a three-point game.
I don’t think Indiana played badly. Was Ohio State’s defense dominant? No doubt, but Indiana’s defense held Ohio State to a season-low 316 yards. It was very similar to the way Georgia lost to Ole Miss. Indiana played better in its loss than Alabama did against Oklahoma.
This game was not evidence that Indiana wasn’t as good as we thought. Rather, this was evidence that Ohio State is really good. Top-five teams are 23-3 at home this season. Indiana made some drastic, giant mistakes that cost it the game. I know that Indiana will be better the next time it gets a chance to do this.
No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Highlights
10. SMU (Last week: 10)
Record: 10-1
Week 13 result: Defeated Virginia, 33-7
SMU handled business against Virginia over the weekend. You can’t argue with what SMU is doing. Head coach Rhett Lashlee has done a marvelous job. It’s actually kind of in a similar mold to what Cignetti has done at Indiana or what Deion Sanders has done at Colorado. Lashlee got a lot of transfers to come with him from Miami, where he was previously the offensive coordinator, and they’re largely contributing. In its first year in the ACC, SMU will play in the conference title game, securing a berth with Saturday’s win.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
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