Ranking 136 college football teams after Week 11: Indiana drops a spot after Happy Valley escape – The New York Times

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College Football
Week 11
Nick Singleton put a scare into the undefeated Hoosiers on Saturday. Matthew O'Haren / Imagn Images
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Is it better to show a winning edge by pulling out a late victory, or is it better to never have been in danger in the first place?
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For weeks, I’ve ranked Indiana ahead of Ohio State at No. 1 because the Hoosiers’ overall resume was better. To this point, I believe it still is. But as thrilling as Indiana’s acrobatic escape act against Penn State was, Catch of the Year nominee and all, it does change the Hoosiers’ spot in these rankings.
Ohio State is back up to No. 1 here, matching its spot in the initial College Football Playoff rankings and the AP Top 25. Indiana’s last-second win came one week after Ohio State handled business by beating Penn State 38-14 at home. For two teams that won’t play each other until the Big Ten Championship Game at earliest, that’s the most recent comparable data point, and Ohio State just hasn’t found itself in danger the way Indiana has twice now, at Penn State and Iowa.
Ohio State deserves credit for more than taking care of business every week. That Texas opener was Ohio State’s only win by fewer than three scores, and it was quarterback Julian Sayin’s first game as the starter. He’s been lights-out ever since. The Buckeyes are romping through everyone, and that counts for something.
It’s still incredibly close between the two teams at the top of the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have wins at Oregon, Iowa and Penn State, three of the toughest road environments in the country, even if Penn State is having a down year. Ohio State’s best road win is either Washington, who just lost to two-win Wisconsin, or Illinois, which lost to Indiana by 53 points. The Buckeyes’ win against Texas has gotten better with time, but it may lose some luster depending how the Longhorns finish. These positions are not set in stone.
I really try to stay away from ranking based on the eye test, even though it feels like the CFP committee does that at random. It comes into play when tiering teams, obviously, but I don’t mean for these rankings to be predictive. Every week, this sport produces upsets no one saw coming. I’m interested in what you’ve actually done.
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Ohio State’s season has not been as exciting, and Sayin hasn’t had his “Heisman Moment” like Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza just did. But what does it say that he’s never been in position to need one?
Here is this week’s Athletic 136.

Other than Ohio State moving to No. 1, the only changes to the top 10 are Oregon, Miami and Notre Dame sliding up with wins. The Ducks' last-second 18-16 victory at Iowa didn't lock them into a Playoff spot, but it got them much closer.
Texas A&M has a case for No. 1, and I think the Aggies are really good, but they have a win at Notre Dame and not much else on their resume, as LSU is flailing and Missouri was without its top two quarterbacks.
Notre Dame took care of business with a 49-10 win against Navy, while Miami beat Syracuse 38-10. I believe Miami and Notre Dame are on a similar level, and Miami won the teams' Week 1 head-to-head meeting. The CFP committee seems to disagree, ranking Miami eight spots below the Irish last Tuesday.
Miami has been the less consistent team, but the head-to-head results have to matter. Miami also has a blowout win over top-25 USF, while Notre Dame has one win over a team in my top 25 (USC). Miami’s path to the CFP seemingly got a boost because Virginia and Louisville lost over the weekend, though Miami’s loss to Louisville also looks worse after Saturday.

BYU drops to No. 13 for its lopsided loss to Texas Tech, but the Cougars’ win against Utah keeps them ahead of the Utes and Vanderbilt, which lacks a win against a current top-25 team. Virginia and Louisville drop for their respective losses to Wake Forest and Cal.
South Florida moves back into the top 25 after a blowout win against UTSA, and Houston does the same for its win against UCF.

Tulane bounces up 10 spots after its win at Memphis. North Texas is right behind those two American contenders at No. 31, trailing Memphis because the Tigers beat South Florida, which beat North Texas. Don’t rule out No. 32 James Madison for a College Football Playoff spot, either, although the Dukes would need some more American Conference upsets (or perhaps a Duke ACC title). North Texas and James Madison sit behind Tulane/Memphis because of their lack of notable wins. UNT’s best win is Navy, and JMU’s is ... Old Dominion?
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Washington drops after its loss at a struggling Wisconsin; the four Big Ten teams in the mid-30s are admittedly difficult to order. Wake Forest climbs for beating Virginia, but the Demon Deacons are another tough team to place, with wins against SMU and Virginia sandwiched around a blowout loss to Florida State all in the last three weeks.
Iowa State moves up after a win against TCU, while San Diego State drops for its loss at Hawaii. UConn jumps 28 spots for its win against Duke. The Huskies haven’t lost in regulation all season but are weighed down by two of those three OT losses, to Delaware and Rice. Clemson also inches back up into the top 50 for beating Florida State.

Kentucky’s 38-7 win against Florida puts the Wildcats on the cusp of the top 50. Cal’s win at Louisville moves the wildly inconsistent Golden Bears up to No. 53; it feels like Cal could beat or lose to almost anyone.
Hawaii inches up for beating San Diego State. Penn State doesn’t move much for nearly beating Indiana. Southern Miss is up to No. 72 after beating Arkansas State, and Golden Eagles coach Charles Huff, who won the Sun Belt with Marshall last year, might win back-to-back titles in the same league with two different teams. Southern Miss is 5-0 and atop the Sun Belt West Division.
Bill Belichick’s North Carolina continues to improve, now up to No. 74 after holding on to beat Stanford.

Army slides up nine spots for beating Temple, while Wisconsin is no longer the lowest-ranked Big Ten team (or second-lowest) after knocking off Washington. Missouri State is up to No. 89 after beating Liberty; as a Football Bowl Subdivision transition team, the Bears are not eligible for a bowl unless there aren’t enough 6-6 teams, nor are they eligible for the CUSA championship. Fellow FBS newcomer Delaware rises to No. 95 after scoring nine points in the final 34 seconds to beat Louisiana Tech.

Louisiana beat Texas State to move the Ragin' Cajuns up to No. 104. Boston College lost 45-13 to SMU and would be the lowest ranked Power 4 team at No. 110 if not for Oklahoma State, which was idle but is down to No. 124 after Tulsa lost to FAU. Bowling Green has lost four straight, including to Kent State and Eastern Michigan, as the Falcons drop to No. 128.
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Congratulations to Sam Houston, which beat Oregon State for its first win of the season. It took Oregon State’s historically bad special teams allowing a kick return touchdown, a blocked punt touchdown and two missed field goals to make it happen, but a win is a win. That ends any debate about No. 136 for now. UMass lost 44-10 to Akron and is the season's last winless team.
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Chris Vannini has covered national college football issues and the coaching carousel for The Athletic since 2017. A co-winner of the FWAA's Beat Writer of the Year Award in 2018, he previously was managing editor of CoachingSearch.com. Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisVannini

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