The BaumStack Monday Edition: The Top 32 Teams in College Football
[insert somewhat humorous observation about ranking college football teams]
Yeah so I need to write in this thing more. I’ve pretty much stopped doing any sort of picks whatsoever, because again, it took up a lot of time and apparently I’m not allowed to have one bad week of picks, so I’m trying to find other stuff to write about. I think eventually I’ll write about the Jimbo Fisher situation and why coaching buyouts have screwed up our system beyond belief, which college football rivalries are the coolest, why the Bulls need to dissolve the franchise, and why Jordan Love is not as bad at QB as everyone says he is (hint: take two seconds and look at the Green Bay WR depth chart, it shouldn’t be this hard).
But for now, I kinda wanted to see where everything stands heading into the last two weeks of the regular season. It’s kinda crazy how fast it went, but this thing happens every year. Fall is busy, everybody’s got stuff going on, so we blink and BOOM three months are gone just like that. Bowl season will be upon us before we know it, and the college football landscape is still pretty wide open, so I decided to set the record straight and rank the top teams in the nation. After a very long and arduous decision-making process, I decided to go with the top 32 schools, the list and reasoning is as follows (also be sure to read the editor’s note at the very end it’s very important):
32. NC State: Despite some tough losses earlier in the year to some really good teams, the Wolfpack are still near the top of the conference and could put together a solid 9-win year. The defense is pretty strong, ranking in the top half of the league for yardage and scoring. One problem, though, is that they close the year with a frisky Virginia Tech team and rival UNC. The other problem is that the offense is pretty bad in a league full of less-than-desirable offenses. I think they’re poised for some more disappointment.
31. Iowa: Kirk Ferentz can’t keep getting away with this.
30. Tennessee: The Vols only have three losses, but they’re all in SEC play and they haven’t really beaten any teams of good repute. Heck, their best win might be over UTSA back in late September. Joe Milton has a cannon, but sometimes that’s the problem, and while the defense has been solid, they let Missouri tear them apart. They play Georgia next week, which is going to be extremely ugly.
29. Memphis: These guys are actually pretty solid this year, and it feels like we’ve been waiting since before the Ryan Silverfield era to say that. What sucks is that UTSA, Tulane, and SMU are all good too, and the battle for the top of the AAC is pretty tough. A win over the aforementioned Mustangs would go a long way to improving this team’s title odds, but they’d need some help along the way.
28. Kansas: They’re still missing Jalon Daniels, but I’m not sure that they really care. Jason Bean has been more than capable for them, and he’s top three in the conference in yards/attempt and passer rating. The defense is mediocre, though, and it’s the main reason why they lost to Texas and Oklahoma State earlier in the year. Additionally, a lack of true bona fide receiving threats played into last week’s loss to Texas Tech. Don’t get me wrong, this Kansas team is a far cry from when they went 0-9 in 2020, but I feel like they could be doing a lot better than what they’re at right now.
27. Oklahoma State: This is the weirdest team in the country. How do you lose to South Alabama and Iowa State, then beat Oklahoma in the final Bedlam, and then follow that up with a blowout loss to UCF? Somebody connect the dots for me here because the math ain’t mathing.
26. UNLV: The Mountain West is a little weird this year, with Boise State in a slight down year and San Diego State in a major down year. UNLV, Air Force, and Fresno State have rushed to fill the void, but I think it’s the Rebels that have set themselves apart from the pack. They’re 8-2 (5-1 in conference) with a loss to Michigan in week 2 and a one-score loss to Fresno State in week 9. While the Fresno loss hurts, UNLV is still in command of the conference title race, and they have a chance to lock up a title game spot against Air Force on Saturday.
25. Toledo: Respect the MAC.
24. LSU: I don’t trust this team at all.
23. Arizona: This is our first big candidate for surprise of the year. The offense is average, the defense is average, and the special teams is below-average, but they’ve been competitive all year. The played Washington and USC to close finishes, and they’ve rattled off four straight wins, including three against ranked teams. Jedd Fisch should be in contention for PAC-12 Coach of the Year, but they’ll probably pick Dan Lanning or Kalen DeBoer, which is kinda stupid.
22. UNC: This team isn’t as good as everybody wants them to be, especially on defense, and they still have to play Clemson and NC State.
21. Notre Dame: This team makes me really mad. First of all, they should’ve beaten Ohio State way back in week 4, but Marcus Freeman didn’t know how to count to eleven. Secondly, their week 10 loss to Clemson was just inexcusable. On the flip side, they’ve beaten a ranked Duke squad and blown out just about everyone else, but they haven’t been able to win big games this year. I still think Sam Hartman is a good QB, and they’ll likely win their last two games, but a NY6 appearance doesn’t look likely.
20. SMU: Don’t look know, but the Mustangs are 8-2 and tied for first place in the AAC at 6-0. Their two losses early in the year were to two Big 12 schools, and they’ve demolished just about every conference opponent that they’ve faced. Their toughest test will be next week against Memphis, which will help determine who is going ot the AAC championship game. SMU dodges Tulane and UTSA (the other two teams in first place), so to miss the title game would be extremely disappointing. Starting QB Preston Stone has been more than serviceable in filling in for Tanner Mordecai (the current starter at Wisconsin), and the defense is leading the conference in scoring, passing yards allowed, and total yards allowed. I don’t know if they’re a better team than Tulane, but I expect them to be playing for a conference title in December.
19. Kansas State: This team should have a way better record than they do right now (7-3). They lost to Mizzou on an insane field goal, they lost by eight to an Oklahoma State team that had just lost to South Alabama and Iowa State, and they lost to Texas on a very unfortunate 4th & Goal play. Will Howard is top four in the conference in nearly every relevant passing statistic, and the defense is top 3 in the Big 12 in scoring, rushing yards, and total yards. In a better world, the Wildcats would be undefeated and in control of the Big 12 Conference race. Instead, they don’t control their own destiny, which kinda sucks for them. They finish the year with two big rivalry games against Kansas and Iowa State, which in my opinion are both must-watch.
18. Liberty: The Flames are undefeated, but they really haven’t played anybody. The noncon schedule was limited to two MAC teams and an upcoming matchup against UMass, and their C-USA conference schedule isn’t all that intimidating. I’ll give them their flowers for beating everyone like they’re supposed to, but I’d like to see some more aggressive scheduling in the future.
17. Penn State: James Franklin needs to get real for two seconds and win a big game.
16. Utah: I miss Cam Rising.
15. Oklahoma: The Sooners kinda lost the plot this year. After winning Red River, they had a real chance to make the CFP and flip off the Big 12 one final time. Instead, they barely beat UCF, lost to Kansas, and then lost the final Bedlam (a series that they have historically dominated) to Oklahoma State. They can still make the Big 12 title game, but man was this a missed opportunity for Brent Venables & Co.
14. Tulane: I love these guys so much. A year after showing Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams, and the rest of USC who their daddy was, they picked up right where they left off and have ran roughshod through the American. While the offense has been mediocre, the defense is neck-and-neck with SMU for the best in the conference, and the special teams has been elite. They also have some of the best jersey combos known to man.
13. Missouri: Mizzou recently became the first team ever to beat all four FBS Tennessee teams in the same season (MTSU, Memphis, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee). Also, Brady Cook is a very good QB. It kinda sucks that they have to share a division with Georgia, but this team is still really good, and should be in contention for a very good bowl game.
12. Ole Miss: This one really hurts. I’m a pretty big Ole Miss guy (which is kinda weird, because I have no connection to the school at all, but I think they’ve got cool uniforms/school colors and Lane Kiffin seems like a funny guy), and I really thought that this was going to be the year they finally won the SEC West. The Alabama loss was a bit of a setback earlier this year, but they rebounded with a win the Magnolia Bowl over LSU. Then they got stomped by Georgia last week. I think Jaxson Dart is an above-average QB, but the defense needs to harden up considerably. It’s sorta like the NBA mixtapes that I redownloaded TikTok to watch, it’s a lot of great offensive production and explosive plays that blow your mind, but a lack of stops is killing them right now. I think this year was their window to win the league, but not being able to beat a relatively-tame Alabama squad and a Georgia defense that’s seen a little bit of regression kinda stings. They have a good shot at making a NY6 bowl if they win out, but man this one sucks.
11. Oregon State: The Beavs play Washington this weekend and Oregon next weekend, which means that they have the chance to do the funniest thing of all time.
10. Louisville: I really didn’t see this season coming, and I’d be surprised if anyone did. Jeff Brohm has done a great job improving a team that won 8 games last year and making them contenders for the ACC title. The Cardinals have arguably the conference’s best defense along with a top-3 QB, a top-2 WR, and a top-2 RB. Their only blemish was a weird 38-21 loss to Pitt, but a win over Miami next week would clinch an ACC Championship appearance.
9. James Madison: The NCAA is going to disrespect them because they’re moving up from FCS, the national media is going to disrespect them because they’re not in a “Power Conference”, but I will not tolerate any disrespect of the James Madison Dukes whatsoever. This team is 10-0, it’s a travesty that they’re not eligible for the Sun Belt Championship or a bowl game, and they deserve to have national recognition. Also, I just think they’re a solid team.
8. Alabama: Nick Saban can’t keep getting away with this.
7. Texas: This is the Texas team that we have been promised for a while, but they still keep playing with their food. Their wins against Alabama and Kansas were very impressive, and I thought they played well in their Red River loss, but their matchups against Houston, Kansas State, and TCU were entirely too close given the talent disparity. Quinn Ewers is back, which should help, but they need to stop letting teams get back into games that should be bottled up. If they can survive a primetime game at Iowa State this Saturday, I like their odds to win the Big 12 title and play in the CFP, but if they get beat in Ames, we might be back to the same old Texas.
6. Florida State: I really don’t think this team is very good outside of the Jordan Travis-Keon Coleman connection, as evidenced by wins against Boston College, Clemson, and Miami that were entirely too close. They’ve already locked up an ACC Championship appearance, and they’ll likely win out, but I’m gonna need to see something in that title game to convince me that they’re a top 4 team in the country.
5. Oregon: Bo Nix is having himself a year. Nationwide, he’s first in completion percentage, second in passing touchdowns, top five in total completions and passer rating, and top ten in passing yards and yards/attempt. He’s en fuego, and he has the Ducks in prime position for a playoff run. On the other side of the ball, head coach Dan Lanning has developed a stellar defense that’s top-20 nationally in scoring, rushing yards/game, and total yards/game. Their 3-point loss to Washington in mid-October still hurts, but should they meet again in the PAC-12 Championship (which looks pretty likely), I’d take Oregon in a heartbeat.
IF THE PLAYOFF ENDED TODAY HERE’S WHO SHOULD BE THERE:
4. Ohio State: They shouldn’t have beaten Notre Dame, and I just don’t like them, but they’ve got a pretty good defense, and they haven’t lost yet, so I kinda have to rank them here.
3. Washington: The offense is what we were promised USC would be, and the defense is actually good, unlike USC, so yeah, this team is pretty solid. I don’t think they’ll win a rematch with Oregon should the Huskies and Ducks meet again in the PAC-12 Championship, but that isn’t what this is about. Based off their current resume (undefeated, wins against Arizona, Oregon, USC, and Utah, a true Heisman contender in Michael Penix, Jr.), this team should be in the playoff no matter what.
2. Michigan: This defense is for real, and I don’t really think that the Jim Harbaugh suspension really matters. Remember, he already was suspended earlier in the year, and while the games in the early weeks were not nearly as large as these final few matchups, I think these assistants are more than capable (as evidenced by Saturday’s win over Penn State). The only big question I have is on offense, specifically in the passing game. The Wolverines didn’t attempt a single pass in the second half against PSU, and while you can argue that they didn’t need the passing game to beat the Nittany Lions, I still think it’s a little odd. Don’t get me wrong, Blake Corum & Co. have a heck of a running game, but I think they could use some passing yards against Ohio State in a few weeks.
1. Georgia: They’re still good, and a three-peat is still on the table. Carson Beck is a better QB than Stetson Bennett, and they were able to survive a Brock Bowers injury in the middle of this season to stay undefeated. The defense isn’t the world-beater that it was two seasons ago, but it’s still one of the best in the country, and their big win over Ole Miss proved that much. They have a chance to permanently put Alabama’s dynasty out of business, if they haven’t already.
IF THE PLAYOFF ENDED TODAY HERE’S HOW IT SHOULD GO:
I think Georgia would handle Ohio State pretty easily, but Michigan-Washington could be really entertaining. I think Washington could pull the upset, though, especially if J.J. McCarthy refuses to throw the ball. On the flip side, Blake Corum could probably just run all over them and the Michigan D could make Michael Penix look stupid. If Washington wins, I think Georgia three-peats, but if Michigan wins, give me the Wolverines in a title game upset.
Editor’s note: I’ve been approached with offers by some of my amigos to write guest articles and monetize the newsletter. I think we’ll get some guest posts on here soon (topics such as wrestling and college basketball have been mentioned), but as for monetization, I’m kinda unsure. I look at this newsletter/blog/thing as a way to write about stuff that I like and keep my writing/research skills somewhat sharp as I develop my own type of voice in my writing. I don’t really see this as a way to make money, but if you guys would be willing to pay for additional content, we could maybe get something going on that front (maybe like a podcast or guest posts or something else locked behind a subscriber paywall, idk). If you guys have any input on this, either for or against monetization, let me know. All feedback is good feedback.
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