The 13th week of the college football season is now complete, and rivalry weekend lived up to our expectations. The Oregon Ducks and Michigan Wolverines’ impressive victories have caused a lot of movement in the Week 14 college football rankings.
Even though conference championship weekend is still ahead of us, it’s becoming clear which college football teams are the best. Fittingly, if a few more dominoes fall into place, those same conference title matches have the power to derail a predicted top-four.
The primary lesson learned from the 2023 Notre Dame Fighting Irish season is the same as it was from the previous one. A run of 9–4 seasons shows that the quarterback position is the main thing preventing the Fighting Irish from winning. Even though Sam Hartman had moments of exceptional play this season, Notre Dame was continually harmed by mistakes and inaccuracies. The Irish are limited to 9–10 victories until Marcus Freeman finds a player who can lead this offense and build a well-rounded team.
James Madison crushed Coastal Carolina away from home after suffering a devastating first-round loss. Although James Madison’s resume isn’t the same after losing to Appalachian State at home, the number of Power 5 teams with four losses and unattractive resumes justifies the team’s ranking in the top 25 following an 11-1 regular season.
The Tennessee Volunteers should have been aiming for an 8-4 record the entire season. Hendon Hooker’s success was never going to be replicated by Joe Milton, and Tennessee probably knew this going into the season. Now that we’re looking ahead to 2024, Nico Iamaleava is very excited.
The SMU Mustangs haven’t dropped a game since October 1st, and in Week 13, they completely dominated Navy. Preston Stone, a sophomore quarterback, has been outstanding in the closing stages, and SMU’s current momentum could result in an upset victory over Tulane.
There ought to be a statue of Illie Gordon III on the Oklahoma State University campus. After halftime, the Cowboys were behind 24-6, and things appeared hopeless. Gordon then won it in overtime by simply running for three touchdowns in the second half and adding two more. Something like this, an incredible performance, makes sense given the chaos of Week 13. While we continue to criticize Oklahoma State for two close losses, the final score of 9-3 is what matters most.
The Toledo Rockets have one of the longest winning streaks in college football this season with 11 games under their belt. We recognize that going into Week 13, the Rockets’ schedule strength and FPI prevented them from being ranked among the top 25 college football teams. That’s on the committee if a win over Miami (OH) in the MAC Championship doesn’t change that.
Positive things to say about the Oregon State Beavers are currently nonexistent. They will lose a fantastic football coach, the Pac-12 will no longer exist, and a few key players will probably leave via the transfer portal. A very promising season comes to an unjustifiable end for coaches, players, and fans. The Beavers’ future appears bleak, regrettably.
