Brock’s 2023 College Football Top 25 – Week 9
1. GEORGIA BULLDOGS (7-0) (LW: 1)
The Bulldogs were off this week, preparing for Florida in the “Cocktail Party” game, which is always a fun one for the fans.
2. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (8-0) (LW: 2)
Michigan vs Michigan State is a heated rivalry game. It’s the type of game that the players get amped up for, and those games are usually closely contested no matter the kind of year either team is having. Well, Michigan just went into East Lansing and slaughtered the Spartans. It’s a down year for Michigan State, but I thought that game spoke volumes as to how high-caliber these Wolverines are.
3. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (7-0) (LW: 4)
That was a huge win for Ohio State. Not just in terms of the Playoff picture, but because they played a Top 10 team and controlled the game from start to finish. They won’t be able to do that to Michigan (I don’t think), but I feel a lot better about their chances against the Wolverines after their performance against the Nittany Lions.
4. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES (7-0) (LW: 3)
I know I’ve said this before, but it applies once again this week – this team needs to start showing up in the 1st half. The Noles were trailing 20-17 at halftime, and wound up with a 38-20 victory, once again allowing no 2nd half points. The scoring splits by half are crazy. After shutting out their opponent in the 2nd half for the 2nd consecutive week, the Seminoles are now beating their opponents 152-50 in the final 30 minutes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that this team can step up in the 2nd half and close games out – but eventually you’re going to run into a team like Michigan, and if you play that type of 1st half against them, the 2nd half magic won’t be enough – it’s going to be a rout in Michigan’s favor.
5. OKLAHOMA SOONERS (7-0) (LW: 6)
The Sooners found themselves in a tight one with UCF, but ultimately left the field with a 2-point victory to remain undefeated.
6. TEXAS LONGHORNS (6-1) (LW: 8)
The Longhorns went into Houston and walked out with a 31-24 win. They remain right behind Oklahoma, hopping for a shot at redemption in the Big 12 Championship Game. They need to continue taking care of the business in front of them before that happens, though.
7. WASHINGTON HUSKIES (7-0) (LW: 7)
Saturday was a MAJOR letdown spot for the Huskies – that was pretty obvious. They played an emotional game against rival Oregon. A game that they not only were close to losing, but star QB & Heisman Favorite, Michael Penix, was obviously playing through some excruciating pain in the final minutes. How are you supposed to get hyped up to play the Sun Devils after that? I loved Arizona State +28, but I didn’t expect the Huskies to need a defensive TD in order to emerge as the victors and remain undefeated against a team with only 1 win on the year.
8. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (7-1) (LW: 9)
The Tide borrowed a page from FSU’s game plan, as they also needed 30 minutes before they woke up. They fell behind 20-7 before roaring back after halftime for a 34-20 victory. We should all know by now that if you don’t play a full 60 minutes against Bama, it’s gonna be a long ride home.
9. OREGON DUCKS (6-1) (LW: 11)
The Ducks bounced back after their disappointing, last minute loss to the Huskies. They took care of business against Washington State, handed the Cougars a 38-24 loss, as they now start a mission to exact revenge against the Huskies in the PAC-12 Championship.
10. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (6-1) (LW: 5)
I was very high on this Penn State team, but on Saturday it looked like they weren’t prepared for a game of that magnitude. The play-calling was… odd. It didn’t look like they had a clear game plan. The whole game felt improvised on Penn State’s part. That’s just unacceptable when you go into Columbus to play a Top 5 team in a game with MAJOR Playoff implications.
11. MISSISSIPPI REBELS (6-1) (LW: 12)
The Rebels earned a 7-point victory at Auburn, as they continue to hang around in the SEC West, hoping for a misstep by Alabama.
12. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (6-2) (LW: 13)
Notre Dame had a well-deserved bye on Saturday, as they have had a grueling schedule so far this season. They will get back in action this week when they host Pitt.
13. OREGON STATE BEAVERS (6-1) (LW: 14)
The Beavers had a bye on Saturday, which is good timing. They will hit the road this week to face a pesky Arizona who has been a tough out for their opponents all year long.
14. UTAH UTES (6-1) (LW: 19)
The Utes continue to be Caleb Williams’ kryptonite. Utah is now 3-0 against Williams, including a blowout in the PAC-12 Championship Game last season. This year was a little different, however, as they earned a true road win with a 3rd string QB at the helm, instead of star QB Cameron Rising.
15. LSU TIGERS (6-2) (LW: 18)
It was practically a bye week for LSU, as they cruised to a whopping 62-0 victory over Army. That’s a good confidence booster for both the offense and defense. It came at a good time as well – the next time they take the field it will be against Alabama.
16. NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (6-1) (LW: 10)
The Tar Heels suffered a shocking loss to Virginia this week. North Carolina was a 24-point favorite in this game. They also had a double-digit lead in the 2nd half. You just can’t lose that game; and you especially can’t lose that game when you are in the drivers seat on the way to an ACC title game appearance.
17. MISSOURI TIGERS (7-1) (LW: 22)
Missouri dominated the ground game against South Carolina. The Tigers rushed for over 200 yards on their way to a 22-point win over the Gamecocks.
18. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (6-1) (LW: 21)
Louisville had a bye on Saturday, which I must assume they used to prepare for Duke this Saturday in a game between two Top 25 teams from the ACC.
19. TULANE GREEN WAVE (6-1) (LW: 23)
Tulane got the win at home on Saturday, but it was somewhat underwhelming as they were a 20.5-point home favorite who needed a go-ahead TD in the final 3 minutes to get past North Texas.
20. AIR FORCE (7-0) (LW: 25)
Air Force remained undefeated by taking down Navy 17-6. It wasn’t a pretty performance by their offense, but it was good enough to remain perfect.
21. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (5-2) (LW: 15)
It was a rough game for Vols fans. When Tennessee plays Alabama it feels bigger than most of their other regular season games – as it should. After taking a 13-point lead into the locker room, the Vols’ offense disappeared and they found themselves unable to score in the 2nd half, which lead to a 14-point loss. Ouch.
22. DUKE BLUE DEVILS (5-2) (LW: 16)
Duke fell victim to FSU’s habit of feverishly played 2nd half’s. The Blue Devils held a 3-point lead at the half, but would end up losing the 2nd half by a score of 21-0. Still though, Duke is 5-2 with the losses being against Notre Dame & Florida State. If you’re a Duke fan, you should still be happy with how this season is unfolding.
23. USC TROJANS (6-2) (LW: 17)
If you’re Caleb Williams, it’s probably not the best time to be asking for ownership shares of the team that drafts you. Not when you are 0-2 in your last two games. In their last 3 games Williams has only 2 TD’s, 3 INT’s, and has been sacked 14 times. It doesn’t help that the two losses are against Notre Dame and a Utah team who is on their 3rd string QB. I know football is a team game, but those recent game logs don’t exactly scream “generational talent”. I still believe him to be the best QB in the country, but “generational” is a big word.
24. UCLA BRUINS (5-2) (LW: NR)
Carson Steele has been running the ball well for the Bruins since he transferred from the MAC to the west coast. He had 3 TD’s in UCLA’s 42-7 rout of Stanford.
25. JAMES MADISON DUKES (7-0) (LW: NR)
James Madison pokes their way into the Top 25 after handing Marshall a 20-9 loss. The Dukes are 7-0 on the season, with a Power 5 win against Virginia – who just beat North Carolina.
