Brock’s 2023 College Football Top 25 – Week 13
1. GEORGIA BULLDOGS (11-0) (LW: 1)
Perhaps Georgia fans had a scare when the Vols returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown on Saturday, but there was nothing to worry about. Georgia’s defense clamped down, and that kickoff return would be the only touchdown the Vols would score, as the Bulldogs rolled to a 38-10 win.
2. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (11-0) (LW: 2)
It wasn’t as dominant of a game that the Wolverines are accustomed to, but they hit the road and handed Maryland a 31-24 loss. Now their attention turns to “The Game”, where we will see either Michigan or Ohio State get handed their first loss of the season, in their final regular season game.
3. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (11-0) (LW: 3)
Ohio State entered Saturday’s game as a 27.5-point home favorite over Minnesota, so this was more of a tune-up game for Michigan than anything else… and the Buckeyes appear to be in tune. They rolled to a 37-3 win. Treveyon Henderson had his way on the ground averaging nearly 10 yards per carry, with 146 yards and 2 TD’s. The Buckeyes’ attention now turns to Michigan, in a game that, depending what happens elsewhere, could essentially be a playoff game.
4. WASHINGTON HUSKIES (11-0) (LW: 5)
The Huskies earned another big win this week, this time over Oregon State by a score of 22-20. This is another win over a ranked opponent, as the Huskies appear to be determined to make another CFP appearance.
5. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES (11-0) (LW: 4)
Welp. I’ve brought it up week after week. You didn’t need a crystal ball to see that the Seminoles’ slow starts were eventually going to burn them. Well… it’s happened. The slow start didn’t end up affecting their record, but it certainly has affected their future. After inexplicably falling behind 13-0 at home against North Alabama, who entered the game as an FCS team with a 3-7 record for those of you who have never heard of them, Seminoles star QB and Heisman candidate Jordan Travis suffered one of the most gruesome injuries you will see in football. It looked bad on television. You immediately realized that his season would be over. Now, you might be asking what that has to do with the slow start. After all, this injury could have happened on the first play of the game. So, let’s play the “what-if” game. That’s always fun, right? What if Florida State isn’t trailing to a team that they have no business to be losing to? Does Jordan Travis still take off running, or does he play a little more cautiously? If the ‘Noles are up 14-0, does Jordan Travis still feel the need to drag defenders behind him while he fights for extra yards (which was the cause of the injury), or does he go down after feeling contact, knowing that there are more important games on the horizon? We have seen Travis spark this team with his dynamic abilities time and time again. That’s what he appeared to be attempting to do during the play that resulted in his injury. So, if Florida State isn’t struggling against a glorified JUCO team, does Travis still get injured? In all fairness, it’s impossible to know. After all, hindsight is 20/20. But if Florida State isn’t behind by 2 scores to an FCS squad on Senior Night, you could make the argument that the ‘Noles still have the heart & soul of their team at the helm.
It’s now Tate Rodemaker’s ball going forward. He has been behind Travis for years, but now he will need to step up and try to lead this team into the College Football Playoff.
6. TEXAS LONGHORNS (10-1) (LW: 6)
Texas defeated Iowa State 26-16 on Saturday. The Longhorns continue to lurk below the 4th playoff spot. They will obviously need to take care of business on their end, but they may need a little chaos at the top of the rankings if their playoff dreams are to become a reality. That loss to Oklahoma is really hurting right now.
7. OREGON DUCKS (10-1) (LW: 7)
The Ducks’ game against Arizona State had potential to be a trap. Oregon was coming off a win over USC, and will be playing in-state rival Oregon State on a short week this week. Not to mention that despite entering the game with a 3-7 record, the Sun Devils have made things tough for some good teams this season. In fact, they were coming off a 10-point victory over UCLA. But a trap loss wasn’t in the cards for Oregon. They pounced all over Arizona State from the start, taking a 42-0 lead into the half. They would eventually win the game 49-13. Now they will host the Beavers on Friday night in what should be an entertaining matchup.
8. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (10-1) (LW: 8)
Alabama scored early & often, as they cruised past Chattanooga, 66-10. They still have to get past Auburn on the road in the Iron Bowl, but there’s no doubt that Nick Saban’s squad is looking forward to play for the SEC title against Georgia in Atlanta.
9. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (10-1) (LW: 9)
Louisville took care of business on Saturday. Despite being down by 5 in the 4th quarter, the Cardinals were able to get past Miami and they will now face Florida State in Charlotte for the ACC Championship. A conference championship is very much in play for Louisville, especially after FSU lost starting QB Jordan Travis this weekend.
10. OKLAHOMA SOONERS (9-2) (LW: 11)
The Sooners held on against BYU to win 31-24, but the big story of the game was Dillon Gabriel. The Sooners QB left the game with an injury, and his status for the game against TCU this week is still TBD.
11. LSU TIGERS (8-3) (LW: 12)
Jayden Daniels went off once again this week. He threw for 413 yards and 6 TD’s while adding another 96 yards and 2 TD’s on the ground, as the Tigers moved past Georgia State with ease, 56-14.
12. MISSOURI TIGERS (9-2) (LW: 13)
Mizzou narrowly avoided an upset against Florida this past week. However, a game-winning field goal in the waning seconds of the game allowed them to escape with a win.
13. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (9-2) (LW: 14)
Penn State’s defense got back to making life miserable for the opposition this week. They held Rutgers to only 6 points and 229 yards, as they pulled away late for a 21-point victory. However, the Nittany Lions did see QB Drew Allar leave the game with an injury. This is big news, as the offense didn’t loot great against Rutgers, and they will be playing Michigan State on a short week this Friday. James Franklin’s comments post-game made it seem like Allar could be under center Friday night.
14. MISSISSIPPI REBELS (9-2) (LW: 15)
The Rebels got off to a slow start against UL-Monroe, but that’s probably to be expected when you’re coming off games against Georgia & Texas A&M. Ole Miss pulled away in the 2nd half to win 35-3, behind solid QB play from Jaxson Dart.
15. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (8-3) (LW: 16)
The Irish picked up a 45-7 win over Wake Forest on the road. They will close out their season at Stanford next week, in a game that should have a result similar to the one we saw against Wake.
16. ARIZONA WILDCATS (8-3) (LW: 17)
The Wildcats are finishing the season strongly. The team moved to 8-3 after a win against a ranked Utah team. The PAC-12 Championship is still in play for Arizona. They will need help from Oregon State for that to happen, however.
17. OREGON STATE BEAVERS (8-3) (LW: 10)
The Beavers suffered a slim loss to Washington. While it would have been nice for Oregon State to secure a big win over a highly ranked opponent, I think this season has still been successful overall for the Beavers. They can really finish strong with a win over their in-state rival Oregon. Handing the Ducks a loss would most likely keep them out of the PAC-12 Championship Game, as well as kill any College Football Playoff hopes that the Ducks are still clinging on to.
18. TULANE GREEN WAVE (10-1) (LW: 21)
Tulane faced FAU on Saturday and controlled the game to move to 10-1. Reaching double-digit wins was surely an accomplished goal for this team. Now they will try to finish their season undefeated in conference play against UTSA, and then try for the conference championship against (presumably) SMU.
19. IOWA HAWKEYES (9-2) (LW: 24)
The Hawkeyes found themselves in another rock fight this week, and they came out the winner. They snuck by Illinois, 15-13, after falling behind in the 4th quarter. They are set to face the winner of Ohio State vs Michigan for the Big Ten title in Indianapolis.
20. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (8-3) (LW: 25)
The Wildcats were able to get a road win against Kansas. Will Howard didn’t exactly shine, but he did enough, including running in the eventual game-winning TD himself with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
21. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (8-3) (LW: NR)
The Pokes got back in the win column on Saturday. They hit the road and handed Houston a 43-30 loss. Ollie Gordon shrugged off last week’s sour performance with 164 rushing yards and 3 TD’s. This was a big win for Oklahoma State as they control their destiny in regard to the Big 12 Championship. If they beat BYU this week, they will face Texas for the last Big 12 Championship before the conference’s landscape changes immensely.
22. NORTH CAROLINA STATE WOLFPACK (8-3) (LW: NR)
The Wolfpack have been a decent under the radar team this year. They are 8-3, but all 3 losses came to teams who have made an appearance in the Top 10 this season.
23. CLEMSON TIGERS (7-4) (LW: NR)
It’s been a down year for Clemson, but now they have won 3 straight games, two of which came against Top 20 teams, including an impressive 11-point victory over North Carolina on Saturday.
24. UTAH UTES (7-4) (LW: 18)
The Utes fell to 7-4 after a big loss at the hand of Arizona. This has turned into a disappointing season for the Utes, who won the PAC-12 last season. Part of that disappointment is the fact that Cam Rising’s injury was downplayed, which gave this fanbase College Football Playoff hopes.
25. LIBERTY FLAMES (11-0) (LW: NR)
The Flames enter the final week of the regular season undefeated. They don’t really have any signature wins on their resume, but their perfection up to this point deserves to be recognized.
