Saturday Blitz Top 25 Rankings Week 14: Florida State Takes No. 1 Spot in Polls

Nothing changed for our Top 25 picture after last week’s games. Well, nothing changed among the teams in the College Football Playoff race. We still have seven undefeated or one-loss teams and another nine two-loss teams in Power Five conferences, making things as jumbled as ever.

After playing lowly-ranked opponents this week, we had to knock down Mississippi State and Alabama a bit, but their spots are still safe in our Top Four. And they’ll have a chance to add back to their resume with wins this weekend.

We still have two SEC teams in the Top 5 and four in the Top 10, with now two from the East and two from the West. But unfortunately, there are still three one-loss teams on the outside looking in that have a great chance to make the College Football Playoff, so we can’t please everybody with our rankings right now.

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With the First Pick

As we get set to bring you our Week 14 Top 25, it is important to reiterate the fact that our rankings are based on record, schedule strength, head to head, and quality wins and losses. We don’t factor in margin of victory at all, nor do we care when a team lost.

Everything is based on an overall body of work, and an emotional reaction to one weekend is never a good thing in our Top 25. We can save that for our Power Rankings.

So with another shake-up, here are our Top 25 rankings for Week 14 of the college football season.

1. Florida State Seminoles, 11-0

The Florida State Seminoles and Jimbo Fisher belong back at No. 1. Yes, they struggled again to pull out a win against Boston College over the weekend, but that was another team with a winning record. Boston College, Miami, Louisville, Notre Dame, N.C. State, and Clemson are all teams with 6 wins, and Oklahoma State and Virginia could be on the way to reaching that mark. That could be eight teams that they have beaten this year who make bowl games, and we can’t ignore that. With an undefeated record in the process, they deserve to be back at No. 1, regardless of how close all of their games are.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide, 10-1

Alabama’s loss to Ole Miss doesn’t look as good this week with the way the Rebels lost to Arkansas, but they still have a huge win against Mississippi State, and they have also beaten West Virginia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Florida, LSU, and the Razorbacks. Those are all teams that could go to bowl games as well, and the Bulldogs are obviously a huge quality win that most teams don’t have. Because of that, they belong at No. 2 right now as the best one-loss team in the country. And if they keep winning, this spot is their’s to lose. They could even move up with Auburn and either Georgia or Missouri on the schedule next.

3. Mississippi State Bulldogs, 10-1

The Mississippi State Bulldogs have only lost to the No. 2 team in the country on the road and still have wins against LSU, Arkansas, Auburn, and Texas A&M. That’s still an incredible resume, and we can’t leave them out of the Top Four knowing that right now. The loss to Alabama did nothing to prove that this isn’t possibly the best team in the country. Dan, Mullen, Dak Prescott, and the crew still deserved to be recognized as an elite powerhouse football team. We are going to do that by putting them in the Top three in the country for right now.

4. Oregon Ducks, 10-1

The Oregon Ducks still have the toughest strength of schedule of any one-loss non-SEC team, so we don’t have to do a lot of explaining as to why they belong in this spot. The loss to Arizona is looking more and more like a quality loss, and the win against UCLA is looking more and more impressive. A great quality win and not having a bad loss on top of their strength of schedule is enough for us to say this is one of the elite teams in college football, and they could have a case to be as high as No. 2.

5. Baylor Bears, 9-1 

Clinging to a head-to-head win against TCU is the only thing keeping the Baylor Bears from being much lower on this list. Their strength of schedule doesn’t warrant this high ranking, but the Horned Frogs are a quality win, West Virginia as the only loss is not a bad loss on the road, and the head-to-head advantage with TCU puts this team at No. 5 just barely. Art Briles’s team is still on the outside looking in when it comes to the College Football Playoff, but things could change quickly.

6. TCU Horned Frogs, 9-1

The TCU Horned Frogs have a slightly better strength of schedule than the Ohio State Buckeyes, so we have bumped them up to No. 6 in this week’s rankings. However, they can’t be No. 5 because that close loss to Baylor is still working heavily against them, which would keep them from winning the conference and likely from making the College Football Playoff. But we do respect this team and acknowledge its greatness. We just can’t move it up right now.

7. Ohio State Buckeyes, 10-1

Unfortunately, strength of schedule has forced us to knock Ohio State down to the worst ranked one-loss team this week. It’s not that they struggled with Indiana, it’s that they played Indiana. With the Big Ten Championship still a game on the schedule, they have a chance to further impress pollsters and move up, but now, the loss to Virginia Tech looks worse and worse by the week. And that bad loss could hold them back significantly the rest of the season. But they could also move up with a nice win.

8. UCLA Bruins, 9-2

Among the 2-loss teams vying for a College Football Playoff spot, the UCLA Bruins are probably in the best position of anybody. Their losses are to Oregon and Utah, nothing to be ashamed of, and they still control their own destiny to win the conference. Doing that would also mean Oregon falling. The Bruins have quality wins against USC, Arizona, and Arizona State, and they have very good losses. Overall, this is just a great team that might be fighting for a College Football Playoff spot very soon.

9. Georgia Bulldogs, 9-2

Playing Charleston Southern should have taken a hit on Georgia’s strength of schedule, but it didn’t really do so. The Dawgs, despite playing in the weaker division ofg the SEC, still have great wins against Auburn, Clemson, Missouri, and Arkansas. And Georgia Tech is coming up. Unfortunately, their losses to Florida and South Carolina are killers, and they still don’t control their own destiny to win the East. So despite being No. 9 in the country, they need some help to be able to move up.

10. Missouri Tigers, 9-2

They just keep on winning. Missouri and Georgia have the same record, and Georgia gets to be on top since they have the head-to-head advantage. But Missouri is the one still in control of the SEC East race, so they are the ones we are still going to keep in this position. Gary Pinkel’s team keeps being bet against, and they keep coming away on top. As a 9-2 SEC team, even playing in the East, they belong in the Top 10. And they’ll have to lose to fall out of this spot.

More from Alabama Crimson Tide

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11. Auburn Tigers, 8-3

We are keeping the Auburn Tigers this high with three losses and no SEC Championship or College Football Playoff race to play for. But while they are 8-3, they have a Top 5 strength of schedule and belong over other 2-loss teams in college football right now, including Kansas State, whom they beat on the road earlier this year. This is still a Top 15 team that could have a strong case to be in the Top 10 when it’s all said and done.

12. Ole Miss Rebels, 8-3

Sticking with what we said about the Auburn Tigers, the Ole Miss Rebels shouldn’t drop too far either. Before anybody freaks out, remember that we don’t take margin of victory into account. So whether the Rebels lost by 1 or 30, we just see it as a loss. And at 8-3, they also have a Top 5 strength of schedule that will only look more impressive after they play Mississippi State this week. So they belong just below Auburn and above plenty of the other 2-loss teams on this list.

13. Kansas State Wildcats, 8-2

The Kansas State Wildcats scored a huge win in Morgantown against West Virginia last Thursday, and their two losses to the Auburn Tigers and TCU horned Frogs are nothing to be ashamed of. The wins over West Virginia and Oklahoma are still very impressive, and at 8-2, these guys have one of the best resumes of any 2-loss team in college football. They are still also in the Big 12 Championship race, and they could be in the College Football Playoff race. Right now, though, they belong just out of the Top 10 and behind Ole Miss and Auburn as well.

14. Michigan State Spartans, 9-2

The Big Ten East can’t be won now, and the Michigan State Spartans had to fall below some other 2-loss teams because their strength of schedule fell a little bit this week. To be fair, the losses to Ohio State and Oregon are nothing to be ashamed of, as those are two of the best teams in college football. But the win against Nebraska doesn’t look like much of a quality win either, so we can’t really give this team more credit than some other 9-2 teams, although they are still a great team.

15. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 9-2

Just like that, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are in the race for the ACC Championship and a whole lot more. At 9-2, they have scored what are now impressive victories against Clemson, Miami, and Virginia. And Georgia and Florida State are on the way. So much for betting against Paul Johnson’s Triple Option offense to still remain relevant in a Power Five conference. Dare we bring up the idea of them being in the College Football Playoff race? Not yet. But they belong in the Top 15.

16. Wisconsin Badgers, 9-2

Wisconsin finally had a game it didn’t dominate, escaping Iowa 26-24. But despite beating another winning team, they are still pretty low in the strength of schedule category, so we have to keep them just outside of the Top 15 right now, regardless of how many yards Melvin Gordon rushes for. This can change only if they win out, which involves beating Minnesota and Ohio State. Otherwise, they’ll be stuck here.

17. Arizona Wildcats, 9-2

The Arizona Wildcats are still just barely in the Pac-12 Championship race, which will be determined by UCLA-Stanford and their game against Arizona State this weekend. But, despite their 9-2 record and huge win against the Oregon Ducks, they have played a very weak schedule, softer than many of the other 2-loss teams. USC and UCLA are not bad losses, and Oregon is a quality win, so they belong here for quality games. But their schedule could be better.

18. Arizona State Sun Devils, 9-2

Just like the Arizona Wildcats, the Arizona State Sun Devils have gotten to 9-2 with a relatively weak schedule considering they are in the Pac-12 South. That’s at least what the numbers say. But they don’t have any bad losses either, and USC and Notre Dame could be considered quality wins, so they are still a Top 20 team. Their resume is just not as good as Arizona’s, which includes a win against Oregon. This weekend’s game is an opportunity for either team to move up.

19. Clemson Tigers, 8-3

Here’s a rundown of Clemson’s three losses: Florida State, Georgia, and Georgia Tech. That’s three Top 15 teams in this poll, two Top 10 teams, and one No. 1 team in the country. At 8-3, their resume is still good enough due to that to be in the Top 20 with some ther 3-loss teams, and we made sure to give them their proper respect. A game against South Carolina could move this team to 9-3, which is very impressive given everything they’ve dealt with at quarterback this year.

20. Boise State Broncos, 9-2

That’s right, we have decided to put the Boise State Broncos in the Top 20 this week. And they are by far the top mid-major team. It can’t be ignored that they have had the toughest schedule of the mid-major teams in the Top 25, and they beat Colorado State head-to-head. Let’s also consider that one of this team’s losses was to Ole Miss. No shame there. These guys belong in the Top 20 right now, and they could be moving up before the season ends.

21. Minnesota Golden Gophers, 8-3

Jerry Kill has his Minnesota Golden Gophers still fighting for a potential spot in the Big Ten Championship game, and after a huge win against Nebraska, these guys still belong in the Top 25. The Golden Gophers have blown out Iowa and beaten Nebraska, and of their 3 losses, one is to TCU and the other is to Ohio State. That’s nothing to be ashamed of either. At 8-3, they have the record and schedule to be No. 21.

22. Oklahoma Sooners, 8-3

With an 8-3 record in the Big 12 and their only losses to Kansas State, TCU, and Baylor, Oklahoma has a very good resume that would not be disappointing for any team who wasn’t thinking national title this year. They still belong in the Top 25 with that record despite having no championship to play for. It’s still a good team that has played a pretty tough schedule with a better resume than most 3-loss teams.

23. Texas A&M Aggies, 7-4

They may be 7-4 and have a pathetic non-conference schedule, but based on the numbers the Texas A&M Aggies have a Top 10 strength of schedule overall. And when you consider that their losses are to Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, and Alabama, it is pretty clear they don’t have a bad loss. Meanwhile, Auburn is a quality win. So that resume is enough for them to be the first 4-loss team in our Top 25.

24. Utah Utes, 7-4

Hopefully, this shows that there is no SEC bias, just strength of schedule bias. The numbers show that Utah is a 7-4 team with a Top 20 strength of schedule, and they have quality wins against UCLA and USC. Meanwhile, their losses to Arizona State, Oregon, and Arizona are not bad losses. Washington State may be, but that team isn’t terrible. These guys still belong in the Top 25.

25. Marshall Thundering Herd, 11-0

Once again, we are putting the Marshall Thundering Herd in our Top 25 automatically for being undefeated this late in the season, but their strength of schedule is still absolutely pathetic. It  is actually worse than more than 100 FCS teams, and that could be a strong case to keep them out. Colorado State’s schedule is not much better, so with a loss we had no problem leaving them out. The undefeated record is the only reason Marshall is in.

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