College Football Week 13 Top 12 Poll
by Wayne Root
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2024The latest AP Poll Top 25 rankings are in after Week 12 of college football and there were some shake ups following another wild weekend! Oregon and Texas had close calls, Georgia got back on the winning end of things and BYU is no longer undefeated. A lot happened again!In our Week 13 Top 12 poll, the Buckeyes will remain at No. 2 behind the Ducks, but could engage in a rematch next month for the conference title if Ohio State wins out. The Big 10 absolutely dominates the poll with four of the top five coming from their conference. 1. Oregon (11-0)Oregon had a close call against Wisconsin on the road. Still, the Ducks came away with a 16-13 win over the Badgers to remain undefeated. Thanks to a pair of scores in the fourth quarter, the top-ranked Ducks avoided a colossal upset and stayed unbeaten this season with a victory at Camp Randall over Wisconsin. Dillon Gabriel didn’t play well, so he’ll have to fix that come the postseason. He finished with 218 yards passing and one interception.2. Ohio State (9-1)Ohio State rolled to a 31-7 victory over Northwestern on the road after trailing 7-0. Thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Will Howard to Carnell Tate and two scores on the ground from Quinshon Judkins, the Buckeyes set up next week's huge Big Ten showdown against unbeaten Indiana with a throttling of the Wildcats. Will Howard threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns and Quinshon Judkins ran for two on the ground. Carnell Tate caught both scores but Jeremiah Smith hit 100 yards receiving. Well balanced on Saturday.3. Texas (9-1)Texas edged out Arkansas 20-10 on the road in a game too close for comfort. Quinn Ewers actually played a solid game, but the offense failed to generate much rhythm. After the Razorbacks cut the deficit to three points at 13-10 a few minutes into the fourth quarter, Texas went on an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by Matthew Golden's 1-yard reception from Quinn Ewers to put it away. Ewers only threw for 176 yards but tossed two touchdowns. Now at 9-1, Texas controls its path to the SEC and College Football Playoff.4. Penn State (9-1)Penn State dominated Purdue to continue its wins over teams not named Ohio State. This 49-10 win was basically over by the time the fourth quarter began. Drew Allar threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Once Beau Pribula came in, he threw and ran for a score. The Nittany Lions play at Minnesota next week before concluding the regular season against Maryland in Happy Valley. If they're able to finish 11-1 with the only loss coming to Ohio State, James Franklin's team is essentially locked into an at-large playoff berth.5. Indiana (10-0) Indiana had the week off, Curt Cignetti got a massive contract extension and the Hoosiers have a date with Ohio State coming up. What a time to be an IU fan. Week 13 showdown against Ohio State with the winner likely headed to Indianapolis to play Oregon for a conference crown and automatic playoff berth. Indiana doesn't have a win over a ranked team yet this season, so the Buckeyes will be a true test. With the way they’re playing, this is one of the best teams in the country. But, they’ll get their biggest test. But if they win, can we talk about a national title?6. Notre Dame (9-1) Notre Dame rolled to another victory over Virginia and have now won eight games in a row. Since that loss to NIU, the Fighting Irish have dominated. Riley Leonard threw for 214 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Jeremiyah Love had 137 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The Fighting Irish thwarted the pesky Cavaliers by forcing five takeaways and controlling the line of scrimmage. Notre Dame takes on unbeaten Army in Week 13. The Black Knights could surge ahead of Boise State as the Group of Five favorite with an upset.7. Alabama (8-2) Alabama rolled to a non-conference victory over Mercer to improve to 8-2 on the season. Jalen Milroe had a field day too. He finished with 186 yards and two touchdowns through the air while running for 43 yards and another score. The first-teamers played into the third quarter as Alabama rolled up 508 total yards, including 319 through the air from four different quarterbacks. Alabama pushed a step closer to a playoff berth after handling Mercer at home and heads to Oklahoma next week.8. Georgia (8-2)It was a great night for the Bulldogs, getting back on track and keeping their College Football Playoff hopes alive. You gotta love playing top 10 opponents at home. Thanks to a couple touchdowns in the second half and suffocating play defensively down the stretch, Georgia bounced back from a loss to Ole Miss in a big way. Carson Beck had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score to go along with 32 yards rushing.9. Ole Miss (8-2)Ole Miss had the week off fresh off the win over Georgia. So the Rebels are certainly feeling themselves, but can they keep it up? Back in the saddle after blowing out Georgia in Week 11, the Rebels appear to be in control of their own playoff destiny by simply beating Florida and Mississippi State this month to finish the regular season with 10 wins. The offense can beat anyone in the country, but it’s the defense that’s really stepped up. Put it all together and Ole Miss might be one of the best teams in the country that can win it all on their best day.10. Tennessee (8-2)Tennessee survived a drop despite the loss to Georgia. But now with another loss, there are more questions about the Vols’ offense.Tennessee has one of college football's best wins this season after toppling Alabama a few weeks back at Neyland Stadium, but had a chance to virtually lock in a playoff appearance if the Vols were able to beat Georgia on the road, but it wasn't to be. Tennessee scored the first 10 points of the game before the Bulldogs dominated from that point onward. Just a bad night? Or was Georgia just that good Saturday evening? Either way, this two-loss team’s playoff chances took a hit.10. Miami (9-1)Miami slid in last week's AP poll and CFP Top 25 after the upset loss at Georgia Tech, but used its second open date to fine-tune any issues prior to the final two games of the campaign against Wake Forest and Syracuse. Win both of those and Miami clinches a spot in the ACC Championship Game, likely against SMU. 11. BYU (9-1)The cardiac Cougars were at it again last week, beating Utah in the final seconds with a game-winning field goal to stay unblemished. A win over the Jayhawks in Week 12 would've clinched a spot in the league championship game next month, but Kansas prevailed in the fourth quarter. A team of destiny of sorts similar to TCU's run a few years ago, BYU had previously found ways to win games in crunch time on multiple weekends before the magic finally ran out.12. SMU (9-1)SMU came up with a major fourth-down stop with 1:11 remaining and scored a few plays later to put it away. Now, one more win is all that separates the Mustangs from a berth in the ACC Championship Game. Brashard Smith rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown while Kevin Jennings tossed three touchdowns passes as SMU won its seventh-straight game. SMU travels to Virginia in Week 13 before closing with Cal.
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