Chris’ college football Top 25 rankings after Week 11
| November 18, 2023 | Sports,
The 24 hours leading up to its matchup with Penn State were tumultuous to say the least. Michigan was awaiting a ruling from the Big Ten regarding its ongoing sign-stealing scandal, which resulted in Jim Harbaugh getting suspended for the rest of the regular season last Friday afternoon.
The team was in the middle of their flight to State College when the news broke; once they landed, an emergency meeting was held on the tarmac between Harbaugh and his staff. Sherrone Moore was tabbed as the interim for Michigan’s hardest stretch of the season.
You wouldn’t have been able to tell that the program was going through chaos if you watched the game, however. Michigan handled business in a controlling win over the Nittany Lions, giving it its first signature win of the 2023 campaign.
While they have been far and away the most dominant team in America, the Wolverines hadn’t faced anyone that could make them flinch. A physically imposing win over a top 10 opponent in a hostile environment silenced any doubts the public had about this team.
A dominant afternoon from Blake Corum paired with a lockdown defense was plenty enough to secure the victory. Even though he wasn’t present, this was a vintage Harbaugh performance, and you can tell his squad was playing for him.
J.J. McCarthy wasn’t asked to do much, throwing for 60 yards on eight pass attempts. McCarthy has been stellar this year, but has yet to be asked to win them a game against an elite opponent. Ohio State should give McCarthy that opportunity in a couple weeks as it looks to avenge back to back heartbreakers.
As far as the Big Ten’s decision to suspend Harbaugh, it broke precedent to say the least. The investigation is still ongoing, and the swiftness of the conference’s punishment isn’t a great look.
Michigan and the Big Ten have since reached a resolution to have Harbaugh return after the regular season, nonetheless dropping the hammer on an ongoing investigation is a risky precedent to set. From this point forward, the conference will be expected to handle future cheating scandals the same way they handled this one.
Things are gonna get dicey in the offseason and we already have heard reports connecting Ohio State and Rutgers to similar practices as Michigan. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if more Big Ten schools have some form of sign-stealing uncovered in the coming months.
Kirby Smart said he couldn’t tell that Michigan was stealing signs in their Orange Bowl matchup two years ago, probably because his 2021 squad was so dominant that any cheating would have been redundant.
While this year’s rendition of Georgia football may not be the same caliber of that team, it sure looked like it against Ole Miss. With the East already clinched courtesy of Missouri blowing out Tennessee earlier in the afternoon, the Bulldogs celebrated their sixth division title in seven years by trouncing the Rebels 52-17.
Back-to-back wins over highly ranked SEC opponents propelled the Dawgs’ to the top spot in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Great teams get hot in November, and that appears to be the case with Georgia.
The run game has come to life, and returning Brock Bowers only makes this group that much more dangerous.
My biggest question regarding UGA is if they can make the playoff with a loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship. This will largely depend on what happens elsewhere, but assuming it goes undefeated in the regular season, Georgia would have some very quality wins.
I would put a one-loss Georgia over a one-loss Ohio State or a one-loss Michigan. With that being said, Georgia is better than Alabama and are more than capable of avenging their last loss in the SEC title two years ago.
While some teams are focusing on making a run for their conference title or the playoff, others aren’t as fortunate. The coaching carousel began this week, and we already have a premier job open in College Station.
Jimbo Fisher was fired from Texas A&M after a 45-25 tenure that saw no division titles or double-digit win seasons. Don’t worry about Fisher, though, he will be more than compensated by the Aggies, receiving a gargantuan buyout.
Fisher will receive a record $77.5 million to not coach college football. While the price of the buyout is understandably the main focus of this story, the real story is who A&M hires next.
This is a top-tier job in college football. I couldn’t care less about the lack of success in this program’s past because they have everything needed to compete at the highest level in the future.
Whoever lands this job will inherit arguably the best financial resources in college football, whether it be the ability to pay for top level assistants or to leverage NIL in recruiting. A&M also boasts elite facilities and proximity to incredible high school talent.
What’s great about the Aggies’ job is that you have everything needed to win a National Championship without having to live up to previous legends. There is no Nick Saban or Tom Osborne to follow; if you win a title, you’re going to be coaching there as long as you want.
Honestly, winning 10 games every now and then will keep you well employed for many years.
So, who is on the radar for this job? I would look for Duke’s Mike Elko and Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith as suitable candidates.
Elko has ties to A&M, spending four seasons as their defensive coordinator before immediately turning Duke into a respectable program. If Elko can go 15-8 in Durham, imagine what he is capable of in College Station.
Jonathan Smith is another name worth mentioning for his work with the Beavers. Anyone that can make Oregon State a top 15 team deserves a look for any major opening. While Smith is an Oregon State alum and has deep ties to the area, the program’s uncertain future in a sinking Pac-12 may mean he decides to jump ship.
Texas A&M could swing for the fences on Dan Lanning, and that would be an amazing hire. However, I don’t think Lanning is going to leave Oregon. As expected, Deion Sanders’ name has come up for the job, which would be fascinating. I’m not sure if A&M has interest in Coach Prime, but they can easily get him if they really wanted to.
Texas A&M getting this hire right will have a ripple effect on the entire sport. If this becomes a truly elite program, then it will lead to a power shift in the SEC.
This is already one of the most talented rosters in the country. If it gets properly developed into a contender, then other schools will have a much harder time poaching talent from the state of Texas.
With their arch rival in the Longhorns joining the conference next year, the Aggies’ entire program is at a crossroads.
Chris’ College Football Top 25 Rankings:
1.Georgia Bulldogs (10-0) W vs Ole Miss 52-17, last week-1
2.Michigan Wolverines (10-0) W vs Penn State 24-15, last week-2
3.Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0) W vs Michigan State 38-3, last week-3
4.Washington Huskies (10-0) W vs Utah 35-28, last week-5
5.Florida State Seminoles (10-0) W vs Miami(FL) 27-20, last week-4
6.Texas Longhorns (9-1) W vs TCU 29-26, last week-6
7.Alabama Crimson Tide (9-1) W vs Kentucky 49-21, last week-7
8.Oregon Ducks (9-1) W vs USC 36-27, last week-8
9.Missouri Tigers (8-2) W vs Tennessee 36-7, last week-14
10.Oregon State Beavers (8-2) W vs Stanford 62-17, last week-12
11.Louisville Cardinals (9-1) W vs Virginia 31-24, last week-11
12.Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2) L vs Michigan 24-15, last week-9
13.Ole Miss Rebels (8-2) L vs Georgia 52-17, last week-10
14.LSU Tigers (7-3) W vs Florida 52-35, last week-13
15.Oklahoma Sooners (8-2) W vs West Virginia 59-20, last week-16
16.Arizona Wildcats (7-3) W vs Colorado 34-31, last week-20
17.Utah Utes (7-3) L vs Washington 35-28, last week-18
18.Kansas State Wildcats (7-3) W vs Baylor 59-25, last week-23
19.Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-3) BYE, last week-21
20.James Madison Dukes (10-0) W vs UConn 44-6, last week-24
21.Tulane Green Wave (9-1) W vs Tulsa 24-22, last week-22
22.Liberty Flames (10-0) W vs Old Dominion 38-10, last week-25
23.Tennessee Volunteers (7-3) L vs Missouri 36-7, last week-17
24.Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-3) L vs UCF 45-3, last week-24
25.North Carolina Tar Heels (8-2) W vs Duke 47-45, last week-unranked
Dropped out of rankings- Kansas