Danny Kanell’s latest top 12 has a little extra twist to it after Week 9: there are actually 13 teams in the mix thanks to a tie at fifth. That means the former Florida State quarterback didn’t just sort out the best teams in the country - he expanded the list before heading into Week 10.
Texas Tech checks in at No. 13 after getting back on track with a 34-26 home win over Arizona. The Red Raiders answered a loss to Cincinnati by starting QB Thomas Castellanos, and he made the most of the opportunity. Castellanos, the ex-Boston College and Florida State quarterback, was 11-of-24 for 144 yards and two touchdowns while also carrying 19 times for 117 yards and one score.
LSU sits at No. 12 despite being idle this week, and the Tigers now turn their attention to Alabama at home on Saturday. That matchup is one of the biggest games on the Week 10 slate, and Kanell has LSU inside his top 12 while Alabama is not included.
Ole Miss comes in at No. 11 after a 45-15 home win over Auburn. The Rebels bounced back from their loss to Texas and moved to 6-2 on the season.
Trinidad Chambliss threw for 263 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and he added 65 rushing yards and another score. Georgia is next, and that one looms large for both teams.
Texas lands at No. 10 after a 31-3 win over Mississippi State. Arch Manning delivered one of his better outings of the season, going 16-of-20 for 220 yards and three touchdowns as the Longhorns improved to 6-2. The schedule doesn’t ease up from here, either, with Missouri, LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M still ahead.
Notre Dame is No. 9 after beating Navy 35-13 in a game that was closer than it looked at halftime. The Irish now head into a huge matchup with Miami.
CJ Carr finished 19-of-29 for 210 yards and two touchdowns, while Nolan James Jr. ran nine times for 107 yards and two scores. Jonaz Walton added 12 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown.
BYU stays in the rankings at No. 8 after edging Arizona State 27-20. The Cougars led 17-3 at halftime but had to hold on to improve to 7-1.
Bear Bachmeier went 19-of-30 for 236 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and Sione I Moa scored twice on the ground despite only gaining 20 yards on eight carries. Utah is up next.
Wake Forest keeps climbing and now sits at No. 7 after blasting Virginia 51-7 in ACC play. The Demon Deacons are 7-1 and look like one of the more dangerous teams in Kanell’s group.
Gio Lopez completed 13 of 21 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown, while Ty Clark III ran eight times for 48 yards and three scores. Merrimack comes next before a trip to SMU.
The tie at No. 5 brings Kentucky into the picture. The Wildcats were off this week, but at 7-1 they’re positioned for a November that could go in a lot of different directions. Will Stein’s team opens that stretch with Tennessee on the road.
Indiana shares that No. 5 spot after escaping Minnesota in overtime. The Hoosiers won their second straight Big Ten game despite uneven offense for much of the day.
Josh Hoover was replaced by Grant Wilson, who went 9-of-17 for 156 yards and the winning touchdown to Charlie Becker. Indiana is 8-1 and still in the hunt for another Big Ten title and a return to the CFP.
UCLA is No. 4 and still unbeaten at 8-0, making the Bruins one of the biggest surprises in the country. Some have compared them to this year’s Indiana, and the question now is whether Bob Chesney can keep the run going through November.
Even after losing Nico Iamaleava, Ty Dieffenbach has filled in well. UCLA shut out Nevada 27-0, and the closing stretch is loaded: Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and USC.
Georgia checks in at No. 3 after a 27-8 win over Florida in Atlanta. The Bulldogs were in control early, taking a 24-0 lead into halftime, and their defense did the heavy lifting by holding Florida to 252 total yards and forcing four turnovers, including three interceptions from two different Gator quarterbacks. Ole Miss is next.
Utah is No. 2 after handling Cincinnati 49-25 on the road. Morgan Scalley’s team is still unbeaten at 8-0, and this one never turned into a trap game. Devon Dampier threw for 260 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while Wayshawn Parker and Daniel Bray combined for 157 rushing yards and two scores on 15 carries.
Miami rounds out Kanell’s list at No. 1 after surviving North Carolina in a 38-35 win in Chapel Hill. The Hurricanes had to fend off three onside kicks, with penalties leading to re-kicks, and the defense had to sweat through a game in which the offense kept the pressure on.
Miami is 8-0 and could be in position for the No. 1 seed in the CFP if this keeps up. Notre Dame is next in South Bend.
In Other News...
Shane Beamer Just Gave Kentucky Fans Another Reason To Feel Overlooked
South Carolinas win at Oklahoma gave Shane Beamer plenty to celebrate, but his postgame message also landed with a familiar sting for Kentucky fans. Beamer said no SEC team had followed a big win with another big win the next week, a sweeping claim that brushed past the kind of stretches Kentucky has put together in recent seasons. For a program that has spent a lot of time fighting for respect in its own league, it was the sort of comment that tends to travel quickly.
Kentucky has already shown it can answer a major victory with another one, including a recent run of wins against ranked opponents that undercut the idea that the Wildcats have been unable to sustain momentum. The broader point is one Kentucky supporters know well: this team has earned a reputation for being tougher and more resilient than outsiders often give it credit for, even when the conversation around the SEC seems to skip right over Lexington. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Playoff Case Faces A Huge Reality Check Before Tennessee
Kentucky spent its bye week without adding to the schedule, but the conversation around the Wildcats only got louder. At 7-1 and sitting atop the SEC at 5-1, they have forced their way into the College Football Playoff debate, with various analysts and ESPN staff placing them anywhere from No. 4 to No. 9 in their projections. The appeal is obvious enough: road wins, a strong strength of record, and a rsum that looks better every time the league standings are checked.
Still, the ranking buzz comes with a reality check, because the Wildcats have also been flagged for some statistical shortcomings that keep them from looking like a fully polished playoff team just yet. The next chance to answer those questions comes in Week 9 against Tennessee, a matchup that matters not just for Kentucky's place in the SEC race but for how seriously the playoff field is willing to treat the Wildcats moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Former Kentucky Guard Sees Early Promise In Two Wildcats Standouts
Travis Ford left Lexington with a strong impression after Kentuckys exhibition game, and it was easy to see why. The former Wildcats guard and coach came away talking about both Malachi Moreno and Milan Momcilovic, seeing early signs that each could become a real part of Kentuckys next step under the spotlight. Fords praise carried the kind of weight that comes from having worn the jersey and understood the pressure that comes with it.
Moreno drew notice not just for his promise on the floor, but for the way Ford described his character, while Momcilovic stood out for the shooting range and versatility that can change how a defense has to guard Kentucky. For a team always under a microscope, those are the kinds of traits that can travel well once the games start to count. The encouraging part is obvious; the bigger question is how quickly both can turn that early promise into something the Wildcats can lean on. [Read more 🡒]