What the College Football Playoff Rankings should look like this week
![Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart screams during the first half against the Florida Gators at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL on Saturday, October 28, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fdd19e8eb1f6f959bf1b60932bda74e47f1b228e737c2033032f56f6771c99dfd.jpg "Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart screams during the first half against the Florida Gators at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL on Saturday, October 28, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]")
No. 20: Arizona Wildcats (6-3, NR). Freshman QB Noah Fifita is a must-watch TV. Fifita was given the keys to this team after Junior Jayden de Laura left Arizona’s win at Stanford with an injury. Arizona’s last 5 games have all been against ranked opponents and the Wildcats have looked better in each game, starting with tough losses against Washington, a game that slipped away in the second half, and a triple OT thriller at USC. But since they have turned it around, the Wildcats are playing their best football, sporting three straight ranked wins. After this week’s 27-10 wire-to-wire win over no. 19 UCLA, Arizona is showing why they deserve to be in the top 20 teams in College Football.
No. 19: LSU Tigers (6-3, -5). Another good team with a tough schedule, but who in the SEC doesn’t face a hard road? They have a Heisman candidate, Jayden Daniels, at QB, but faces concussion protocol this week. While their loss at Alabama destroys all CFP and SEC Championship hopes Tigers fans were holding onto, LSU should still have a good Bowl invitation.
No. 18: Missouri Tigers (7-2, -6). They played a competitive game against Georgia, on the road in a hostile environment against #1. They’ve won against ranked opponents, and the other loss on the ledger was LSU. They still face strong opponents in Tennessee, Florida, and Arkansas; if they hold their own they stand a chance of playing in a New Year’s 6 bowl game.
No. 17: Kansas Jayhawks (7-2, +4). Kansas had themselves a great Saturday, winning at Iowa State. as a ranked underdog. This follows a win against Oklahoma, establishing the Jayhawks as a force in the Big 12. They are also hopeful of a strong finish and an NY6 bowl game.
No. 16: Oklahoma Sooners (7-2, -7) The Sooners are on a bad skid, fumbling what looked to be a promising season as they started 7-0 and were in the CFP conversation. OU is now looking to stop the skid, maintain its ranking, and hope for a good bowl bid. This team is in grave danger of playing their bowl game before Christmas.
No. 15: Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2, +7). The Cowboys are on a 5-game win streak after starting 2-2 including a massive, anomalous 33-7 loss at home against South Alabama. This path of redemption was highlighted with a great win over Oklahoma in the final edition of the Bedlam Rivalry while both teams are in the Big 12.
No. 14: Utah Utes (7-2, +4). While the Utes seem to be out of the running for the Pac-12 Championship game after suffering losses to both Oregon schools, they are still playing with life. Arizona State stood no chance during the Utes’ 55-3 thrashing in Salt Lake City.
No. 13: Tennessee Volunteers (7-2, +4). Just like the Utes, the Vols took care of business in borderline gratuitous fashion, dismantling UConn 59-3 in Knoxville. Joe Milton, Jr. looked as polished as anyone and the Heisman hopeful will need to prove he’s worthy of that title down the stretch. The Volunteers still have Missouri and Georgia on the calendar and are still hopeful NY6 contenders.
No. 12: Oregon State Beavers (7-2, +4). The Beavers were in control against the Buffaloes in Boulder on Saturday through the first 3 quarters. However, Coach Prime has made it a habit of fighting back in the fourth quarter as they have done on multiple occasions this season. Despite the late change in momentum, HC Jonathan Smith and co. weathered the storm and escaped with a 26-19 victory to stay in the conversation for the premier bowl games. The Beavs still have a daunting schedule left, including a visit from the Huskies and a trip to Eugene for the final Civil War game in the near future.
No. 11: Louisville Cardinals (8-1, +2). After an uncharacteristic loss at Pitt, the Cardinals have righted the ship to stay among the elite football programs this season. The Cardinals are in line for a stellar rest of the season, assuming they can get past a pesky UVA squad that sent waves through the North Carolina program and almost rained on Miami’s parade too. Louisville still holds a lot of power in the rankings, an upset of the Seminoles in the ACC Championship Game should prove them to be one of the greatest dark horse teams we have seen in the CFP era.