Johnny McGonigal’s Week 12 poll
Week 12 of the college football season is finished, and the updated Associated Press Top 25 poll is out (See AP Top 25, Page D-13). As an AP voter this season, I’ll be sharing my top 25 week by week and giving you a peek behind the curtain as to my thought process.
(My rankings from last week are in parentheses.)
1. Georgia (1)
2. Cincinnati (2)
3. Ohio State (4)
4. Alabama (5)
5. Notre Dame (7)
This was a big week for those behind Georgia. Cincinnati held SMU’s Tanner Mordecai to 66 passing yards in a 34-point beatdown of the eight-win Mustangs — the Bearcats’ most impressive win outside their triumph at Notre Dame. Ohio State is, in my opinion, the top oneloss in the country. The Buckeyes, led by C.J. Stroud and first-round receivers, feel like Georgia’s greatest challenger after roasting Michigan State, 56-7. Alabama’s Bryce Young, who’s battling Stroud for the Heisman, put on a show (559 passing yards, five touchdowns) in a relatively close win against Arkansas. And Notre Dame keeps chugging along, overwhelming Georgia Tech by 55 points.
6. Oklahoma State (6)
7. Michigan (9)
8. Baylor (12)
9. Oklahoma (13)
10. Ole Miss (11)
Is Michigan going to meet the same fate as Michigan State against Ohio State? Maybe. We’ll find out for sure what kind of team Jim Harbaugh has next week. The Big 12, meanwhile, will be clearer come next Saturday. Oklahoma State is already in the conference title game after shutting out Texas Tech. But the Cowboys can keep Oklahoma out with a Bedlam win next week. Baylor edged Kansas State, giving the Bears a shot to play for the conference crown, too. At this point, if either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State win out, the Big 12 could backdoor a playoff berth.
11. Oregon (3)
12. Michigan State (8)
13. UTSA (14) 14. BYU (15)
15. Pitt (17)
It was difficult to rank Oregon and Michigan State. Both have grade-a wins, and both got smoked. Oregon lost to Utah by 31, while Ohio State boat-raced the Spartans. Oregon slots in just outside the top 10 because of its road win over the Buckeyes. Michigan State’s win over Michigan keeps Sparty from falling all that far. Meep meep, the Roadrunners of UTSA remain unbeaten. BYU shut out Georgia Southern in the second half. And Pitt won the Coastal on the back of Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison, securing its spot as the ACC’s highestranked team.
16. Houston (16)
17. Utah (21)
18. Louisiana-Lafayette (20)
19. Texas A&M (19)
20. Wake Forest (10)
Houston stays where it is after managing Memphis on Friday night. Utah deserves the top spot among threeloss teams after it kicked Oregon’s tail. Louisiana-Lafayette moves up a few spots after picking off Malik Willis twice in a rout of Liberty. Texas A&M doesn’t move anywhere after blowing the doors off Prairie View A&M. Why the SEC is still allowed to have these penultimate FCS games is beyond me. Wake Forest, meanwhile, takes a tumble after getting manhandled by Clemson’s running game. The Demon Deacons still control their own ACC Atlantic path, but that wasn’t pretty.
21. Wisconsin (18)
22. N.C. State (24)
23. Iowa (25)
24. Clemson (NR)
25. San Diego State (23)
The Badgers fall a few spots here after needing a late touchdown to fend off Nebraska, the feistiest three-win team in the country. But Wisconsin still stays ahead of Iowa thanks to its head-to-head blowout from earlier in the year. The Hawkeyes and N.C. State slide up with their wins over inferior opposition. San Diego State squeaked out an eight-pointer over two-win UNLV. And welcome back, Clemson.
Dropped: Arkansas (22)
Local perspective
I didn’t consider ranking Penn State despite freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux’s promising debut in a 280 win over Rutgers. Penn State has perhaps the best resume of any four-loss team — but four losses is four losses.
Pitt, meanwhile, is 9-2. The Panthers reached nine wins for the first time since 2009. Now, it has a chance to earn 10 regular season wins for the first time since 1981.
Pickett isn’t playing perfect, but he’s still effectively contending for a Heisman Trophy invite. Addison might win the Biletnikoff Award, given to college football’s top receiver. And the defense, despite allowing big play after big play to Virginia, proved again that it’s capable of coming up in the clutch.
I feel like a broken record here, but the rankings don’t matter all that much for Pitt. At this point, the Panthers are in the ACC title game, and that’s plenty to play for. But the last time Pitt finished a season in the top 10 was 1982. That’s a real possibility this year.