Week 13 Rankings

Your Top 25:

Rk	Δ	Team	Pts
1	0	Alabama	67.4

Bama topped the Catamounts of Western Carolina 48-14 in a game that was uncomfortably close for much of the first half. WR Amari Cooper came out of the game after taking a hit to the knee, but should hopefully be well enough to play in next week's Iron Bowl.

2

0

Mississippi State

64.2

The Bulldogs easily bested Vanderbilt, winning 51-0 in Starkville and limiting the Commodores to all of 228 yards of offense.

3

0

Ohio State

61.4

The Buckeyes struggled against Indiana before kicking it into gear in the fourth quarter to win 42-27 and secure a spot to the Big Ten Championship.

4

+1

Baylor

60.2

Two deep touchdown passes by QB Bryce Petty gave the Bears an early lead that they never relinquished as they bested Oklahoma State 49-28.

5

+1

Marshall

59.8

The still undefeated Thundering Herd break into the Top 5, albeit after an ugly 23-18 victory over UAB.

6	+1	Wisconsin	59.7
7	+1	Oregon	59.4
8	-4	Georgia	58.8
9	0	TCU	57.1
10	+3	Michigan State	56.3
11	0	Georgia Tech	54.8
12	0	Auburn	52.7
13	+2	Oklahoma	50.4
14	-4	Ole Miss	50.0
15	-1	Florida State	49.6
16	+1	UCLA	49.0
17	+1	Georgia Southern	45.2
18	+3	Missouri	44.2
19	+5	Boise State	43.9
20	0	Kansas State	43.8
21	+6	Arizona	43.3
22	-3	LSU	43.0
23	+5	Arkansas	42.8
24	-1	Louisville	42.6
25	-9	Nebraska	42.4

See full rankings here.

Teams falling out of the Top 25:

• (26) Arizona State (beat Wazzou 52-31, less impressive than Arkansas's shutout of Ole Miss)
• (35) Duke (lost to North Carolina 45-20)

Teams worse than the average FCS team:

• (128) Georgia State (fell to 1-10 after a respectable 28-0 loss to Clemson)
• (129) SMU (still winless after a 53-7 pounding by UCF)

Largest improvement in rank: +13 North Carolina rises after upsetting cross-state rival Duke Thursday night.

Largest drop in rank: -16 Arkansas State lost 45-27 to Texas State, allowing the Bobcats' RB Robert Lowe to run for 236 yards.

Conference Rankings

Conference	Average
SEC	41.19
Big Ten	31.62
Pac-12	31.54
Big 12	31.21
ACC	30.68
Mountain West	20.94
Conference USA	19.76
American	17.65
Sun Belt	16.01
MAC	14.18

Games to watch next week:

An employee of the Mississippi State Athletic Department polishes the Golden Egg in preparation for the game on Saturday.

The Egg Bowl: (2) Mississippi State at (14) Ole Miss (3:30 PM EST, CBS) Ole Miss has fallen apart at the end of the season, dropping out of contention for the SEC West after losing their last three conference games. That won't stop me from naming the Egg Bowl the best game to watch. Ole Miss is still a good team despite their recent losses, and the Rebs have a decent chance to win this one from home. Mississippi State could still end up in the Playoff and in the SEC Championship Game, though the latter will depend on what happens in the next game on the list.

Line: Mississippi State by 1.5

The Iron Bowl: (12) Auburn at (1) Alabama (7:45 PM EST, ESPN) Like Ole Miss, Auburn has also lost their lost two conference games and are no longer contending for the top spot in the SEC West. War Eagle still has a chance to spoil Bama's season, though; a Crimson Tide loss could knock them out of Playoff contention and if coupled with a Mississippi State win, would cancel their trip to the SEC Championship. Bama is favored, especially playing at home, but after last year's wild ending, how could you not watch this year?

Line: Alabama by 9

Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate: (11) Georgia Tech at (8) Georgia (Noon EST, SEC Network) Continuing our eastward march across the Deep South, we arrive at the game that will decide the bragging rights for the state of Georgia. This game has no conference implications; Georgia Tech has wrapped up the ACC Coastal Division, and Georgia needs a Mizzou loss to represent the SEC East in the conference championship. Don't expect the intensity of this game to be diminished because of that though as these two top teams face off in Athens.

Line: Georgia by 9.5

Week 12 Rankings

Your Top 25:

Rk	Δ	Team	Pts
1	0	Alabama	69.3

Alabama's defense cements the Tide's position at #1, scoring a safety and nabbing three interceptions to beat the previously unbeaten Mississippi State 25-20.

2

0

Mississippi State

63.4

The magic may have ended for Mississippi State last night, as they lost their unbeaten record and control of the SEC West. But the 9-1 Bulldogs are only half a game behind Bama, and they still look like one of the best teams in the country. If they can find a little bit more magic, the Bulldogs can still go to both the SEC Championship Game and the Playoff.

3

+1

Ohio State

62.2

Ohio State held off the Golden Gophers of Minnesota in the snow, winning 31-24, but the Buckeyes' rise to #3 has more to do with Auburn's loss to Georgia.

4

+7

Georgia

60.4

Georgia cracks back into the Top Five after the Bulldog running game dominated Auburn. Both Nick Chubb and Todd Gurley had over 100 rushing yards in the 34-7 victory over the Tigers.

5

0

Baylor

60.0

Baylor stays put at #5 after a bye week.

6	+1	Marshall	59.9
7	+5	Wisconsin	59.7
8	+1	Oregon	58.4
9	-3	TCU	57.6
10	-2	Ole Miss	57.3
11	+2	Georgia Tech	55.3
12	-9	Auburn	55.1
13	+1	Michigan State	54.6
14	+2	Florida State	49.9
15	+5	Oklahoma	47.9
16	-6	Nebraska	47.5
17	+1	UCLA	46.7
18	-3	Georgia Southern	45.0
19	-2	LSU	44.4
20	+3	Kansas State	43.5
21	+11	Missouri	42.3
22	0	Duke	40.7
23	+4	Louisville	40.6
24	+4	Boise State	40.6
25	-6	Arizona State	40.4

See full rankings here.

Teams falling out of the Top 25:

• (#26) Clemson (lost at Georgia Tech 28-6)
• (#32) Florida (lost vs. South Carolina 23-20)
• (#35) Notre Dame (lost vs. Northwestern 43-40)

Teams worse than the average FCS team:

• (#128) SMU (lost vs. South Florida 14-13)
• (#129) Georgia State (bye)

Largest improvement in rank: +12 Buffalo buffaloed Akron, posting 310 rushing yards in a 55-24 win.

Largest drop in rank: -14 Rice was stampeded by the still-undefeated Thundering Herd, allowing Marshall to post 581 yards of total offense in a 41-14 loss.

Conference Rankings

Conference	Average
SEC	42.24
Big Ten	32.01
Pac-12	31.70
Big 12	31.55
ACC	31.06
Mountain West	20.99
Conference USA	20.01
American	17.25
Sun Belt	16.51
MAC	14.10

Games to watch next week:

(#10) Ole Miss at (#28) Arkansas (3:30 PM EST, CBS) We start, as we usually do, in the SEC West, but you can see what a relatively weak slate of games we have this weekend when Ole Miss-Arkansas is the best I can give you. The Razorbacks beat LSU this week, winning their first SEC game since Bret Bielema took over as head coach, and have a chance to go bowling after missing out the past two years. Ole Miss has lost their last two conference games, but still has an outside chance of winning the West. Does home-field advantage win this one for Arkansas, or will SEC teams start taking the Razorbacks more seriously after their W over LSU?

Line: Arkansas by 3

(#39) Boston College at (#14) Florida State (3:30 PM EST, ABC/ESPN2) Florida State managed to do it again, coming back from behind to beat Miami (FL), and the Math is grudgingly giving the Seminoles credit as they slowly rise in the rankings. But Boston College could provide the Noles with yet another test; the Eagles have the 12th best rushing offense in the nation, posting 264 yards per game. However, BC has had a schizophrenic year, upsetting USC at home in September but then losing to Colorado State two weeks later. The USC-beating version needs to show up to Tallahassee if they want a chance to pull off a second upset.

Line: Florida State by 1

(#29) USC at (#17) UCLA (8 PM EST, ABC) This year's version of the Battle for Los Angeles has major conference implications after Arizona State's loss to Oregon State has reopened the contest for the Pac-12 South. USC, UCLA, ASU, and Arizona are all bunched up at the top with two losses each. UCLA has already won the head-to-head against the two teams from the Copper State, and would go to the Pac-12 Championship Game with victories over USC and Stanford. USC has beaten the Wildcats but has lost to the Sun Devils; a win this week will give the Trojans a share of the divisional title, but may not be enough to send them to the Pac-12 Championship.

Line: UCLA by 8

(#20) Kansas State at (#41) West Virginia (Thursday 7 PM EST, Fox Sports 1) Kansas State is still vying for the Big XII title, but after last week's loss to Texas, West Virginia needs a miracle on the scale of the eight planets aligning (sorry, Pluto) just to get a share of the conference title. The Mountaineers can easily play spoiler though, and with West Virginia hosting, this game looks to be the most even matchup of the week.

Line: Even

(#23) Louisville at (#35) Notre Dame (3:30 PM EST, NBC) Notre Dame suffered an embarrassing overtime loss to Northwestern in South Bend this week, and now the 7-3 Cardinals look better than the 7-3 Irish. This game won't have any conference consequences--Florida State has locked up the Atlantic Division, and Notre Dame is merely ACC-adjacent in football--but both teams are looking to improve their resumes before the bowl season begins.

Line: Louisville by 2

(#27) Arizona at (#34) Utah (3:30 PM EST, ESPN) Back to the muddled Pac-12 South, where all but Colorado could end up representing the division in the conference championship. Utah, despite having three conference losses, could still represent the South iff (1) Utah wins this game against Arizona, (2) the Utes beat bottom-dwelling Colorado, (3) Arizona beats Arizona State, (4) UCLA beats USC, and (5) Stanford beats UCLA. Arizona's path is slightly easier and slightly similar; for the Cats to win, Arizona must beat (1) Utah and (2) Arizona State, (3) UCLA must beat USC, and (4) Stanford must beat UCLA. Bottom line: either team must win this game just to keep their hopes alive.

Line: Utah by 5.5

Week 11 Rankings

Your Top 25:

Rk	Δ	Team	Pts
1	+2	Alabama	69.3

The Crimson Tide comes in at #1 after a thrilling 20-13 overtime win over LSU.

2

-1

Mississippi State

68.9

Mississippi State had little difficulty against FCS Tennessee-Martin, winning 45-16, but the Math is disappointed. We were expecting a final score of 84-0 from the best team in the country. Even Kentucky was able to put up 59 points against the redundantly-named Skyhawks.

3

-1

Auburn

62.8

Auburn falls out of the top tier after getting upset by Texas A&M at Auburn. You don't win football games doing this:

4

+2

Ohio State

60.7

Buckeye QB J.T. Barrett led OSU to a 49-37 victory in a surprisingly low-defense game against Michigan State. Brutus is now sitting where Sparty sat last week.

5

+6

Baylor

59.6

The Bears mauled Oklahoma, winning 48-14 in Norman; Baylor is now part of a three-way tie for the top spot in the Big XII (with TCU and Kansas State).

6	+4	TCU	59.3
7	+0	Marshall	58.6
8	-3	Ole Miss	58.3
9	+0	Oregon	58.2
10	-2	Nebraska	55.5
11	+3	Georgia	55.4
12	+5	Wisconsin	53.6
13	+6	Georgia Tech	53.2
14	-10	Michigan State	52.4
15	+0	Georgia Southern	50.9
16	+2	Florida State	49.4
17	-4	LSU	49.1
18	+3	UCLA	46.8
19	+4	Arizona State	46.8
20	-8	Oklahoma	46.4
21	+1	Clemson	44.6
22	+3	Duke	44.3
23	-7	Kansas State	43.9
24	-4	Notre Dame	41.9
25	+4	Florida	41.8

See full rankings here.

Teams falling out of the Top 25: (#28) Boise State is the only team to fall out of the Top 25 this week after avoiding the upset against (#94) New Mexico.

Teams worse than the average FCS team:

• (#128) SMU (lost 38-28 to Tulsa)
• (#129) Georgia State (lost 45-21) to Troy

Largest improvement in rank: +13 Penn State curiously rose 13 places after a 13-7 win over Indiana; Texas rose less mysteriously after upsetting West Virginia 33-16.

Largest drop in rank: -17 Houston falls after a 31-24 loss to Tulane, a game the Math expected the Cougars to win by 25.

Conference Rankings

Conference	Average
SEC	43.17
Pac-12	32.09
ACC	31.67
B1G	31.57
Big 12	31.53
Mountain West	21.23
Conference USA	19.89
American	17.55
Sun Belt	17.39
MAC	13.91

Games to watch next week:

(#2) Mississippi State at (#1) Alabama (TBA) For the second time this season, two teams atop the SEC West and arguably the two best teams in the country face off. Mississippi State won the last edition against Auburn, propelling the Bulldogs to #1. But the Dogs lost that rank this week after a less-than-impressive win against UTM and a Crimson Tide win over LSU. Whoever wins this game will have the top spot in the division. However, a Bulldog win would all but guarantee their trip to the conference championship; an Alabama win would keep the hopes of Ole Miss and Auburn alive.

Line: Alabama by 12.5

(#3) Auburn at (#11) Georgia (TBA) Georgia bounced back nicely from their loss against Florida with a 63-31 victory over Kentucky. The Bulldogs are vying with Mizzou for the SEC East title; Georgia has won the head-to-head against Missouri, but with two conference losses, needs Mizzou to lose at least one more time. Meanwhile, after losing to Texas A&M, Auburn needs to win out and needs Mississippi State to lose to both Alabama and Ole Miss in order to win the SEC West. Long story short, neither Auburn nor Georgia controls their own destiny right now, but both need to win this game to keep their hopes alive.

Line: Auburn by 6.5

(#10) Nebraska at (#12) Wisconsin (3:30 PM EST, ABC) Moving to the Big Ten, while Ohio State is the clear favorite in the East, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are bunched up at the top in the West. Some clarity should arrive next weekend with the Huskers travelling to Madison to take on the Badgers. Nebraska and Wisconsin look markedly better than Minnesota; Nebraska and Wisconsin post 491 and 478 total yards per game, compared to the Gophers' 364. Also, with Minnesota being a 20-point underdog against Ohio State on Saturday, the winner of the Nebraska-Wisconsin game is the likely favorite to win the Big Ten West.

Line: Wisconsin by 9.5