Fox Sports college football expert Joel Klatt released his top 10 college football rankings after an interesting Week 12 produce massive shakeups in the SEC and the Big 12.
Week 12 featured an SEC heavyweight bout between the No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers. In a potential elimination game, the Georgia Bulldogs won 31-17 by shutting out the Vols in the second half. Carson Beck had one of his best games of the season, 347 yards and two touchdowns, and the UGA pass rush racked up five sacks.
The Bulldogs rose to No. 6 thanks to the win, while Tennessee fell to No. 9, where Georgia was previously ranked.
The Big 12 featured a major upset in the Kansas-BYU game. The BYU Cougars were looking to keep their undefeated season alive against the Kansas Jayhawks (3-6), who were considered inferior competition. Instead, they received a rude awakening, stunningly losing 17-13. Kansas scored the go-ahead touchdown with 13:19 left. Even with three drives and plenty of time, BYU couldn’t muster anything other than two punts and a turnover on downs. BYU falls out of Joel Klatt’s rankings, and BYU is tied with Colorado for the best conference record in the Big 12.
With the third College Football Playoff rankings coming on Nov. 19, there’s more urgency to lock in a playoff spot. Oregon has more than likely earned a spot, finishing 8-0 in the Big Ten even if it looked sloppy against Wisconsin (5-5). Notre Dame will more than likely earn a playoff spot if it beats Army. Georgia did great work in making sure it is in perfect position for a spot, too.
Tennessee, meanwhile, could slide out of the playoff bracket just as Georgia did last week, opening the door for SMU, Texas A&M or Colorado to take the final spot.
Next week will be huge for the Big Ten. Undefeated Indiana heads to Columbus to play the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Big 12 also might have some big changes. BYU plays Arizona State, a much more difficult opponent than Kansas.
Honorable Mentions: Miami Hurricanes, Boise State Broncos, Texas A&M Aggies, Colorado Buffaloes
Here are Joel Klatt’s top 10 teams:
No. 10: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Record: 9-1 (plus-26.6 average point differential)
Result: Win vs. Virginia Cavaliers 35-14
No. 9: Tennessee Volunteers
Record: 8-2 (plus-16.1 average point differential)
Result: Loss at Georgia Bulldogs 31-17
No. 8: Alabama Crimson Tide
Record: 8-2 (plus-20.1 average point differential)
Result: Win vs. Mercer Bears 52-7
No. 7: Ole Miss Rebels
Record: 7-2 (plus-22.4 average point differential)
Result: Bye
No. 6: Georgia Bulldogs
Record: 8-2 (plus-8.7 average point differential)
Result: Win vs. Tennessee Volunteers 31-17
No. 5: Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 9-1 (plus-19.4 average point differential)
Result: Win at Purdue Boilermakers 49-10
No. 4: Indiana Hoosiers
Record: 10-0 (plus-25.2 average point differential)
Result: Bye
No. 3: Texas Longhorns
Record: 9-1 (plus-25.1 average point differential)
Result: Win at Arizona Razorbacks 20-10
No. 2: Ohio State Buckeyes
Record: 9-1 (plus-27.5 average point differential)
Result: Win at Northwestern Wildcats 31-7
No. 1: Oregon Ducks
Record: 11-0 (plus-19 average point differential)
Result: Win at Wisconsin Badgers 16-13
