UK & Ireland College Football Media Top 25 Rankings: Week 11
By Simon Carroll
If the AP or CFP committe can’t get it right, then perhaps we can!
Since the start of the 2022 season, some of the UK & Ireland’s most talented writers, content creators and students of the college game have combined to deliver their own weekly set of college football rankings. The UK & Ireland CFB Media Top 25 is announced every Monday evening, and today we can bring you the standings after Week 11. Buckle up – there’s a surprise or two!
2024 - Week 11
- OREGON DUCKS (10-0, =)
- OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (8-1, ↑2)
- TEXAS LONGHORNS (8-1, ↑2)
- INDIANA HOOSIERS (10-0, ↑2)
- BYU COUGARS (9-0, ↑3)
- PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (8-1, ↑1)
- TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (8-1, ↑2)
- NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (8-1, ↑2)
- MIAMI HURRICANES (9-1, ↓6)
- ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (7-2, ↑3)
- SMU MUSTANGS (8-1, ↑1)
- BOISE STATE BRONCOS (8-1, ↓1)
- OLE MISS REBELS (8-2, ↑5)
- GEORGIA BULLDOGS (8-2, ↓12)
- ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS (9-0, ↑1)
- TEXAS A&M AGGIES (7-2, ↓1)
- CLEMSON TIGERS (7-2, ↑3)
- WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (8-1, ↑3)
- COLORADO BUFFALOES (7-2, ↑4)
- KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (7-2, ↑2)
- LSU TIGERS (6-3, ↓4)
- LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (6-3, ↑2)
- MISOURI TIGERS (7-2, NE)
- IOWA STATE CYCLONES (7-2, ↓10)
- TULANE GREEN WAVE (8-2, NE)
*NE – New Entrant. Teams dropping out: Vanderbilt, Pitt
TAKEAWAYS
Mountain West Pushing For A Bye?
IF Boise State wins out... could the Broncos land the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff? 👀@Wendys x @Andy_Staples x @AriWasserman pic.twitter.com/GRLP9Lpnw5
— On3 (@On3sports) November 6, 2024
Does the Group of Five smell blood in the water?
With Miami’s catastrophic loss to Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes slip down to 9th in the rankings. As per the convoluted new playoff format, they still remain in the coveted #4 seed – which if this was the end of the season would mean a first round bye. However, the gap between them, the presumed ACC champs, and the leading non-P4 team is as tight as ever…
Boise State sit in 12th, one spot lower than last week presumably due to a sluggish win over Nevada. But with only three spots separating them and the fourth-strongest conference champ, the Broncos have every chance of jumping the P4 conference in the rankings if they win out and their more esteemed competitors slip up further.
Before the season started, it was so thoroughly presumed the top four conference winners would come from the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12, most thought that was the ACTUAL rule. It is not, and if the ACC isn’t careful they’re about to find out that this new 12-team bracket can be rather unforgiving when it comes to mediocrity.
Why The #5 Seed Matters
Before CFP’s first rankings, reminders on how the rankings won’t correlate to seeding in the playoff because:
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 5, 2024
- Four highest-ranked conference champs seeded Nos. 1-4.
- Next seven highest-ranked teams, as well as fifth conference champ, seeded Nos. 5-12 in their ranking order.
Working out how all the chips fall within the playoffs has without doubt become the most fun aspect of ranking teams this season. Now, if the UK & Ireland Top 25 was gospel and this was the end of the season, we would actually have two of the top four teams not having a bye – a result of the Big Ten’s dominance in 2024. Still, there’s more to play for than just a conference title and a week off in late December…
Many thought Notre Dame had been widely marginalised in the new format – after all, as an independent, they can’t win a conference and can’t come in the top four, thus never being able to earn a bye. But look a little deeper, and the #5 seed in the playoff bracket is actually a really nice second prize. Firstly, you will get a home game against the worst team in the playoffs – and sometimes, that team might not even have finished in the Top 12 if the best GO5 Champ is poor in comparison to it’s Power 4 counterparts. After that, presuming they win, they will then face the #4 seed in the playoffs, better known as the winner of the worst of the conferences that achieve a bye. Confused? Good.
So, in our scenario, Ohio State would be the #5 seed, despite being ranked #2 (courtesy of Oregon being the presumed champ). That might be a little galling, but it means they would welcome Boise State to the ‘Shoe in the first round, before heading to Miami in the quarter finals – as discussed earlier, a team languishing in 9th in the Top 25. When all is said and done, that’s not a bad route to the final four.
Roll Wave Baby!
Ignore these odds. If Tulane wins out, including beating a ranked Army, and Boise State loses, Tulane is in.
— Green Wave News (@JJGREENWAVE) November 10, 2024
And as a reminder to all voters, Tulane beat ULL in Lafayette…Tulane is the best team in Louisiana. pic.twitter.com/MNxPsEImYx
Any regular reader of my work will already know of my fondness for Tulane University, so I thought I’d finish this week’s rankings review with a homage to the Green Wave from New Orleans. One of the most prestigious academic institutions in America have routinely punched abover their weight in recent seasons – firstly under the tutelage of Willie Fritz, and now with former Troy HC Jon Sumrall at the helm.
Two years ago, they won the American conference and stunned USC in the Cotton Bowl. Last season they nearly rolled it back before losing a heartbreaker in their conference title game to SMU. And, this year, they ran both Kansas State and Oklahoma close and have won every other game since. Tulane have a very remote shot at a playoff berth, that includes toppling Army in their own conference whilst simultaneously hoping the Big 12 cannibalises itself and/pr Boise State fall apart. Likely? No. Possible? Very much so. However their season ends, seeing them keeping up with the Jones’ once again is great for the sport. Roll Wave!
Players Of The Week:
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
Defense: Shilo Sanders, DB, Colorado
