Rivalry weekend is over, and the regular season has come to a close. As some Top 25 teams fell, there is some shuffling in the rankings. Other teams spent the weekend solidifying their status as top teams. Meanwhile, the coaching carousel is spinning, causing some major shakeups for some teams. With all the movement, it has caused some changes to the College Football Top 25 Power Rankings.
1. Ohio State
Ohio State has completed a perfect regular season. It was a 27-9 victory over Michigan that finished the season for the Buckeyes. The game was tight early, with Michigan taking a 3-0 lead and then extending it after a Julian Sayin interception. Ohio State added three in the first quarter, and then converted on a fourth-down touchdown to Jeremiah Smith to take the 10-6 lead, and lead 10-9 going into the halftime break. From there, Ohio State controlled the affair, winning the game 27-9. This sets up a date with Indiana for the Big Ten Title, and likely the top seed in the playoffs.
2. Indiana
Indiana is the other undefeated team left in the country. They are coming off a rivalry game with Purdue, which was not much of a contest. Indiana scored on its second possession of the game and then allowed a field goal later in the first quarter, to lead by just four after a quarter of play. Indiana proceeded to dominate the rest of the game. The Hooisers scored touchdowns on seven of their next eight possessions, while forcing five punts, a missed field goal, and a fumble recovery. Indiana went on to win 56-3 and will play Ohio State in the Big Ten Conference Championship game. Indiana has won the Big Ten just twice, but has not won it since 1967.
3. Georgia
Georgia also came away with a big win in rivalry weekend. They faced Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to end the season. After giving up the early 3-0 lead, Georgia made it 13-3 at the halftime break. The offense did not do much in the second half, managing just three more points, but the defense held the Yellow Jackets out of the end zone on the way to a 16-9 victory. After the loss by Texas A&M, Georgia will return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium attempting to avenge its only loss of the season. Georgia faces Alabama on Saturday for the SEC title.
4. Texas Tech
Texas Tech takes a nice jump after another dominating win to end the season. The Red Raiders handled business against West Virginia, starting with getting Jacob Rodriguez his second rushing touchdown of the season. The defense was dominant, and the offense scored with ease in the game on the way to a 49-0 win. The only blemish on the record is a four-point loss to Arizona State. That was with Berhen Morton out of the lineup for Texas Tech, and Sam Leavitt still playing for Arizona State. They will rematch with BYU on Saturday for the Big 12 Title.
5. Oregon
The Ducks completed an 11-1 regular season with a win over the weekend. They faced Washington over the weekend. The Huskies scored with five seconds left in the first half to be down just six. Washington would make it tight again in the fourth quarter, scoring with 8:54 left in the game to make it 19-24. The Ducks answered with a three-play, 65-yard drive to end the hopes of the Huskies' comeback. Oregon won the game 26-14. They will have conference championship weekend off, as they await their seeding in the College Football Playoff.
6. Texas A&M
Texas A&M is coming off its first loss of the season, as the team fell to Texas. This led to a drop for the Aggies in the Power Rankings. After a scoreless first quarter, Texas hit a field goal to make it 3-0, but the Aggies tied the game and then took the lead on an eight-yard run from KC Concepcion late in the first half, making it 10-3. Still, the Longhorns would dominate in the third quarter, putting up ten points, and then adding another touchdown to start the fourth quarter. EJ Smith ran in a score for Texas A&M to make it a three-point game, but Arch Manning would end Texas A&M's hopes with a 35-yard touchdown run as Texas won 27-17.
Texas A&M was also knocked out of the SEC Title game with the loss and will await its fate with the selection committee next Sunday.
7. Ole Miss
The Rebels took a dominating victory over Mississippi State. They achieved a 21-10 lead at the end of the first half and would go on to win the game 38-19. Meanwhile, Trinidad Chambliss threw for 359 yards with four touchdowns, while Kewan Lacy ran for 143 yards and a score. Ole Miss moves to 11-1, with the only loss being to Georgia, by eight points on the road.
They do take a drop in the Power Rankings, as Lane Kiffin left for LSU. Unlike other playoff contenders who are losing their coach, Kiffin will not be coaching any more games with the Rebels. Meanwhile, nine other members of the staff are also off to LSU, leaving the Rebels in a precarious situation. It would be surprising if Ole Miss if left out of the playoffs at 11-1, but they could see a drop in their ranking due to this upheaval.
8. Oklahoma
The Sooners may have all but secured a spot in the College Football Playoff as they moved to 10-2 on the season. While they have losses to Texas and Ole Miss, they have also knocked off Michigan and Alabama this year. This past week, it was a victory over LSU. LSU took the lead in the fourth quarter, but John Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna III on a 58-yard pass for the score as the Sooners took a 17-13 win. The defense was once again dominant, holding LSU to just 198 yards of total offense in the game.
9. Alabama
Alabama took a win in the Iron Bowl over Auburn in Week 14. The Crimson Tide took a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, but Auburn did not go away. They tied the game in the fourth quarter, but Alabama took the lead back with 3:50 left to play. Auburn was deep in Alabama territory when Cam Coleman fumbled the ball with just 33 seconds left to go in the game. Auburn did get the ball back with 12 seconds left, but could not perform a miracle, falling 27-20.
Alabama's only two losses are a Week 1 loss to Florida State and a later loss to Oklahoma. They will have a chance to jump up in the Power Rankings if they can defeat Georgia for a second time, winning the SEC.
10. Notre Dame
Notre Dame has now won ten straight games. After opening the year 0-2, with losses to Miami and Texas A&M, they have been rolling. This week, it was a 49-20 victory on the road over Stanford. The Irish dominated the first half, leading 35-3, including scoring on a fake punt in the half. Notre Dame is now awaiting their fate with the College Football Playoff committee. With multiple 2-loss teams on the bubble, the Irish hope they are one of the chosen teams.
11. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt joins Notre Dame as a two-loss team. They closed the regular season 10-2 record after a 45-24 win on the road over Tennessee. The Dores scored with 12 seconds left in the first half to tie the game at 21. They would then control the second half of the game, outscoring the Vols 24-3 on the way to a 45-24 victory. Vanderbilt could be on the outside looking in of the CFP, but with the only two losses being to Alabama and Texas, plus wins over South Carolina, LSU, Missouri, and Tennessee, Vandy deserves consideration.
12. BYU
BYU is another team that deserves major consideration for a playoff spot. They have moved to 11-1 on the campaign. After opening up 8-0, with wins over Arizona, Utah, and Iowa State, the team fell for the first time with a loss on the road to Texas Tech. They have since won three straight games, including a 41-21 victory over UCF to close out the regular season. BYU has a chance to avenge the only loss of the season and make it to the CFP with a win in the Big 12 Championship over Texas Tech.
13. Utah
Utah will not be making the College Football Playoff, but it still had a great season. After a 3-0 start to the season, they fell to Texas Tech 34-10. The Utes would then defeat West Virginia and Arizona State, before a three-point loss on the road to BYU. They have since won five straight games. Last time out, Utah took the 31-21 victory over Kansas. It was a back-and-forth game until the fourth quarter, when Utah scored three times, including a 97-yard pick-six to take the win.
14. Texas
Texas took one of the biggest wins of the weekend. The team moved to 9-3 on the season, with a victory over Texas A&M. The Longhorns were great in the second half, taking over the game, and never giving up the lead after taking the lead mid-way through the third quarter. Steve Sarkisian has stumped for a CFP spot, but the resume does not support that. While the loss to Ohio State and Georgia is excusable, the loss to Florida may be too much to overcome.
15. Miami
Miami believes it deserves a spot in the CFP, and punctuated a 10-2 season with a massive victory. The Canes faced Pittsburgh to end the season, and were down early in the second quarter after a Mason Heintschel touchdown pass, making it 7-3. Miami would close the door from there. They led 17-7 at the end of the first half, on the way to a 38-7 victory. With two losses in conference play, falling to Louisville and SMU, Miami misses out on the ACC Championship game based on tie-breakers, which leads Miami to just hope for an at-large spot.
16. Virginia
Virginia took a rivalry weekend victory over Virginia Tech. Virginia had lost four straight heading into the game and 19 of 20 games. Since the meeting in 1999, Virginia has won just two games. Now, it is three. Virginia was great on defense in the game with Tech, not allowing the Hokies to score until a 57-yard touchdown pass from Kyron Drones with 2:03 left in the game. Virginia won the game 27-7. They now have a chance to win the ACC for the first time since 1995, and in the process, clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff.
17. James Madison
James Madison capped an 11-1 season on Saturday, taking a 59-10 win over Coastal Carolina. Bob Chesney will be leaving at the end of the season, but unlike the Ole Miss situation, he will still be coaching JMU if they make a CFP run. In the process, they have to face Troy in the Sun Belt Championship. If they win, the Dukes have a chance to make it to the CFP. Still, they are behind the American Conference teams in the rankings, which means they may be rooting against Virginia.
The two campuses are just over an hour apart, and if Virginia loses and James Madison wins, it could mean a playoff berth for JMU.
18. North Texas
North Texas could easily be making the College Football Playoff, but they need a win this weekend. The Mean Green were dominant in the game with Temple. Drew Mestemaker threw three touchdown passes in the 52-25 victory over Temple. North Texas has just one loss on the year, falling earlier this year 63-36 to South Florida. Eric Morris will be heading to Oklahoma State after the season, but he will coach the rest of the season.
The Mean Green will face Tulane on the road for the conference title.
19. Tulane
Tulane will also be playing for the American Conference Championship. They have just two losses on the year, falling to Ole Miss on the road and then later a loss to UTSA on the road. They have since won four straight, including the 27-0 over Charlotte to end the season. With a win over North Texas, it is a likely playoff berth, but with a loss, it is just another bowl game. Meanwhile, Jon Sumrall will be off to Florida next season, but will finish the year with Tulane.
20. USC
USC has now finished a 9-3 season, with a win over rival UCLA. The team has losses to Illinois, Notre Dame, and Oregon, and struggled early with UCLA. The Bruins led 10-7 at the end of the first half, but USC scored 22 unanswered points to win the game 29-10.
21. Michigan
Michigan drops in the rankings after a loss to Ohio State. The Wolverines had every chance to take the win, including a chance to take a 10-0 lead, but the Wolverines struggled to get the ball in the end zone. They dropped to 9-3 on the season, with losses to Oklahoma, USC, and Ohio State. The team will now wait for their bowl fate to be decided.
22. Arizona
Arizona is coming off a solid win in rivalry weekend. They defeated Arizona State 23-7 to move to 9-3 on the year. It is tied for the best regular season since Rich Rodriguez won ten games in 2014. Jedd Fisch had turned around the program. After going just 6-18 his first two years at Arizona, he was 10-3 with a bowl win in 2023. Brent Brennan took over for Fisch and went 4-8 his first year, but is now going bowling in year two.
23. Navy
Unlike the rest of the top of the American Conference, Navy has not lost its coach. They also will not be playing for a conference title, and have one game of the regular season left. Navy took a 28-17 win over Memphis to move to 9-2, but lost the three-way tiebreaker to play for the conference title due to an earlier loss to North Texas. They will be off this week before facing Army to end the regular season a week from Saturday.
24. UConn
UConn finished the season on a four-game winning streak and was off the last weekend of the year. Still, they have lost Jim Mora Jr. to Colorado State, while star running back Victor Rosa has entered the transfer portal. The Huskies do not have a new head coach, but they will be playing in a bowl game. A win would give the team its first ten-win season as an FBS program.
25. Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech sits at 25th, but has seen its season fall apart. After starting 8-0, they have lost three of the last four and are out of the conversation for the College Football Playoff. This past week, they had a chance for the upset against Georgia, but could not find the endzone, falling 16-9. Now, the Yellow Jackets await where they will be playing a bowl game.
Just Missed: Tennessee, UNLV, Iowa
