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Week 8 proved to be an eventful Saturday for many top 10 teams. Washington narrowly escaped Arizona State with the help of a controversial flag pickup and a late interception returned for a touchdown. Oklahoma managed to hold off UCF by stopping a late two-point conversion. Texas barely escaped Houston with a fourth-down stop. Florida State staged a comeback to defeat Duke, a game that shifted when Duke’s quarterback Riley Leonard got injured again.
As a result, there have been some changes in this week’s Athletic 133 rankings and a new number one team: Ohio State. The Buckeyes secured a 20-12 victory over Penn State, holding them to just one successful third-down conversion out of 16 attempts. With two wins over current top-15 teams, Ohio State has earned the top spot this week.
However, it’s still uncertain whether Ohio State will be able to beat Michigan. Michigan has won the last two matchups against Ohio State and has been dominant against weaker opponents this year. Their impressive performance, coupled with the narrow escapes of other top-10 teams, strengthens the case for Michigan. However, until Michigan faces Penn State on November 11th, it’s hard to rank them any higher. Personally, I have Michigan in my College Football Playoff predictions, but these rankings are based on evaluating what teams have accomplished on the field. Margin of victory is important, but the opponents played weigh heavier in the rankings.
Here is this week’s updated Athletic 133 ranking:
1. Georgia
2. Florida State
3. Ohio State
4. Washington
5. Oklahoma
6. Texas
7. Michigan
8. Oregon
9. Oregon State
10. Penn State
11. Utah
12. North Carolina
13. Alabama
14. LSU
15. Kentucky
16. USC
17. Miami
18. TCU
19. BYU
20. Florida
To see the full rankings, visit The Athletic’s website.
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