Written By: Ryan Lippert|@Lippert42
Rankings By: Ryan Lippert, Bobby Greco (@BobbyGreco), Aaron DuCharme (@aaronducharme1)
The long wait has officially ended for college football fans as last week brought the beginning of the Pac 12 football season meaning the majority of teams set to play in 2020 have started their seasons. Going into Week 11 of the college football season with just about a month left before bowl season, we have seen some great football. As a lot of teams have played multiple games by now, the College Football Playoff picture is starting to clear up a bit but there is still plenty of football left to be played. With that in mind, here are the teams who made our Week 11 College Football Power Rankings.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0): The top team on this list should be no surprise to college football fans and they were a unanimous decision by our voters. The Crimson Tide have been steamrolling through the competition this year on their way to an undefeated record. Quarterback Mac Jones has surprised a lot of experts putting his name into Heisman trophy contention as well as improving his draft stock. He has thrown for 2,196 yards with 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions, thanks in large part to his two first-round caliber receivers in Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith. It also helps that he has one of the best backs in football to take some pressure off him in Najee Harris who has 124 carries for 714 yards and 14 touchdowns. Unfortunately, Alabama’s game against LSU was postponed so they will have to wait a week to continue their National Title campaign.
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-0): Notre Dame sent a huge message to the college football world that they very much belong in the National Championship contender conversation in a double-overtime upset win over the Clemson Tigers this past weekend. Sophomore running back Kyren Williams continued to show that he is one of the best backs in the country as he ran the ball 23 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns. The run defense of the Fighting Irish stepped up to the challenge as well, holding star running back Travis Etienne to only 28 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. They will look to continue their College Football Playoff push on the road against Boston College this weekend.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0): Personally, I believe the case could be made for the Buckeyes to be a spot higher on this list due to pure talent but they have also only played three games so far. However, those three games have shown pure dominance. Quarterback Justin Fields has cemented himself as a Heisman Trophy contender and top tier quarterback in the 2021 draft class. Fields has put on a show in the first three games, throwing for 908 yards with 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions while also rushing for 57 yards and a score. It helps that he has two very talented wide receivers in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave who are both off to impressive starts to their season. The Buckeyes will look to keep their momentum going on the road against a hot Maryland team.
4. Clemson Tigers (7-1): Unfortunately for the Tigers, they have been without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence for the past two weeks. While D.J. Uiagalelei played well, Lawrence’s absence was felt as the Tigers suffered their first loss of the season last Saturday to Notre Dame. Luckily for the Tigers, there is still plenty of opportunities for them to make the College Football Playoff as they are a very talented team, especially with Lawrence set to return to practice this week. Along with the return of their leader, they will hope to get star running back Travis Etienne going again after a rough game last week. They have a bye week this weekend before going back on the road against Florida State next weekend.
5. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-0): One of the surprise teams that has taken the country by storm this season is the Cincinnati Bearcats. They continued to assert their dominance and show that they belong in the playoff picture this past weekend in a 38-10 victory over Houston. They have been led by quarterback Desmond Ridder who has shown that he is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. Ridder has thrown for 1,156 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions along with rushing for 394 yards and eight scores so far. The Bearcats have a matchup against a struggling East Carolina team on Friday night in which they should be able to continue their undefeated season.
6. Florida Gators (4-1): This past weekend was a huge moment for the Florida Gators as they came away with a 44-28 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs to claim the top spot in the SEC East. Quarterback Kyle Trask continued to show that he is one of the top passers in the country, throwing for 474 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception against the Bulldogs. Florida’s secondary also stepped up big time holding the Bulldogs to a combined 112 passing yards for two touchdowns while coming away with three huge interceptions. The Gators will continue their push to the SEC title and College Football Playoff in a home game against former quarterback Feleipe Franks and the Arkansas Razorbacks.
7. BYU Cougars (8-0): Much like Cincinnati, the BYU Cougars have been a team that has surprised the country with an undefeated start to their season. They have been led by their extremely talented quarterback Zach Wilson who is very much in the Heisman conversation and has seen his NFL draft stock rise rapidly. Wilson has put on a clinic for the Cougars so far throwing for 2,512 yards with 22 touchdowns and only two interceptions while also rushing for 158 yards and eight touchdowns. He has had help from an impressive arsenal of weapons, led by receiver Dax Milne who has 45 receptions for 805 yards and six touchdowns so far. The Cougars have a by week this weekend before a matchup against North Alabama next weekend where they will look to continue to make their case for the College Football Playoff.
8. Miami Hurricanes (6-1): Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, they ran into the machine that is the Clemson Tigers early in the season, giving them their lone loss of the year. However, they have responded well since that loss. They have followed that rough performance with three straight wins including a 44-41 road win against a talented North Carolina State team. Quarterback D’Eriq King has continued to improve that he is one of the top playmakers in the country while improving this Miami offense tremendously from last season. He has thrown for 1,831 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions while also rushing for 406 yards and two touchdowns. King and the Hurricanes will look to continue their hot streak on the road against Virginia Tech this weekend.
9. Texas A&M Aggies (5-1): Over the past few years, the Aggies have been a very good football team that has simply struggled to make the extra push due to a very tough SEC conference. Fortunately for Aggies fans, their team has started to make that push this season as they are sitting second in the SEC West behind Alabama who gave them their only loss on the year. Since that early loss, they have compiled four straight wins including a 48-3 blowout on the road against South Carolina. Quarterback Kellen Mond has continued to lead the Aggies in impressive fashion, throwing for 1,468 yards with 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions along with 112 rushing yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, their game against Tennessee this Saturday was postponed so the Aggies will have an unexpected bye week this weekend.
10. Indiana Hoosiers (3-0): Rounding out our top ten is one of the biggest surprises of the college football season so far. The Hoosiers are off to an undefeated start which was started with an upset victory over Penn State in their season opener followed by a win on the road against Rutgers and a 38-21 home victory over Michigan this past weekend. They have been led by the tremendous player of their quarterback Michael Penix Jr. who has thrown for 750 yards with seven touchdowns and an interception so far. It helps that Penix has two very talented receivers to throw to in Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle who are both off to impressive starts to their season. The Hoosiers will look to continue their undefeated season in a road game against Michigan State this weekend.
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-1)
12. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (7-0)
13. Georgia Bulldogs (5-2)
14. SMU Mustangs (7-1)
15. Oregon Ducks (1-0)
16. Wisconsin Badgers (1-0)
17. Marshall Thundering Herd (6-0)
18. Iowa State Cyclones (5-2)
19. Liberty Flames (7-0)
20. Northwestern Wildcats (3-0)
21. Oklahoma Sooners (5-2)
22. Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (6-1)
23. Army Black Knights (6-1)
24. Appalachian State Mountaineers (5-1)
25. Purdue Boilermakers (2-0)