My CFB Top 25 ratings
- Mark Tanner
- Oct 30
- 5 min read
by Mark Tanner
Every year, there is a team of 62 sports writers and broadcasters who come up with the CFB Top 25 ratings every week, and every year, many people have major problems with the list. This year, it seems like more and more people are disagreeing with these ratings. This is why I have decided to come up with my own ratings and the reason behind them.
Official Top 25 Rating
Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0)
Indiana Hoosiers (8-0)
Texas A&M Aggies (8-0)
Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
Georgia Bulldogs (6-1)
Oregon Ducks (7-1)
Ole Miss Rebels (7-1)
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-0)
Vanderbilt Commodores (7-1)
T-10 Miami Hurricanes (6-1)
T-10 BYU Cougars (8-0)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2)
Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-1)
Tennessee Volunteers (6-2)
Virginia Cavaliers (7-1)
Louisville Cardinals (6-1)
Cincinnati Bearcats (7-1)
Oklahoma Sooners (6-2)
Missouri Tigers (6-2)
Texas Longhorns (6-2)
Michigan Wolverines (6-2)
Houston Cougars (7-1)
USC Trojans (5-2)
Utah Utes (6-2)
Memphis Tigers (7-1)
My Ratings
Indiana Hoosiers +1
The Hoosiers have proved to everyone they deserve to be #1 with notable wins over #3 Oregon and #9 Illinois. With Heisman candidate and Columbus alum Fernando Mendoza leading this team as QB, they will be unstoppable in the postseason.
Texas A&M Aggies +1
The Aggies have something Ohio State doesn't: wins over ranked opponents. The Aggies have beaten #8 Notre Dame and #20 LSU. You also have to take into account their monster offense, averaging over 480 total yards per game.
Ohio State Buckeyes -2
Ohio State has had no real competition this year. The hardest team they have faced was Texas in Week 1, and they only won by a touchdown. Since that game, Texas has dropped 19 spots in the rankings, making that win not that memorable. Sure, they are undefeated, but strength of schedule counts.
Alabama -
I think Bama is perfectly ranked since their amazing comeback after their Week 1 loss to Florida State.
Georgia -
With wins over Tennessee and Ole Miss, Georgia deserves to stay in the #5 spot.
Ole Miss +1
Ole Miss’ only loss is against Georgia by 8. They have shown us a great offense with high scores against Arkansas and #13 Oklahoma, and with a notable win against #4 LSU.
Oregon -1
Oregon’s only notable win was against #3 Penn State when they won by 6 points, but as we know now, Penn State is not a very good team, losing four straight games after this one. Oregon is still a very well-rounded team with big names on both offense and defense.
Vanderbilt +1
Vanderbilt has finally found their rhythm in the SEC. Their QB Diego Pavia has 15 TDs, 1,698 yards, 258 rushing yards, and is a Heisman runner. Vandy is looking at a first CFB playoff appearance since its birth in 2014.
Miami +1
U of Miami is second with the most ranked wins in CFB. With one of the best defenses in college football, they have allowed a high of 24 points this season. Not to mention their stellar offense led by Cason Beck and Malachi Toney, leading to big scores. The only thing pulling Miami back from being higher in these rankings is the coaching and mid-season drop. If they can be consistent and continue to win, they will be ranked higher.
Georgia Tech -2
Georgia Tech is a monster of a team, but frankly, we have never seen them play a good team except Clemson—who we now know is nowhere near where they were hyped up to be—and Wake Forest, who they only beat by 1. Even though they are still undefeated, the rigor of their season is lacking, so I needed to bring them down.
BYU -
I think BYU is perfect where they are. They are currently undefeated, and this is certainly a side of BYU we haven't seen in years.
Notre Dame -
Even though Notre Dame has lost to two ranked teams this year, they still deserve the #12 spot. They lost those two games by a combined four points.
Virginia +2
Virginia has come out of nowhere this year. The reason I moved them up two spots is because they won against the same Louisville team that beat #2 Miami. I think that needs to be shown a little more love.
Texas Tech -1
Texas Tech lost to an unranked ASU by four points, plus their schedule rigor is very low, making them fall just below Virginia.
Tennessee -1
Tennessee has only had two ranked games this year, and they lost both. We have not seen them perform against a good team, and the two times they did, they lost. The only reason they are not lower in the rankings is because they lost both games by a combined total of 20 points.
Louisville -
Louisville beat the previous #2 team, Miami, securing them the 16th spot.
Cincinnati -
The Bearcats are #1 in the Big 10 and have put up more than 20 points in every single game they have played. Also, taking into account their 38-30 win over #14 ISU, they deserve the #17 spot.
Missouri +1
The Tigers have only played two ranked teams, and they lost to both, but they were both top 10 teams. They only lost by a combined 10 points, showing that they could beat these teams; they just need a little more grit and practice.
Oklahoma -1
The Sooners lost to a terrible Texas team by 17 points and to Ole Miss by eight points. Sure, they won against Michigan and Auburn, but since then, Auburn is no longer ranked, and Michigan dropped six spots in the Top 25.
Houston +2
Houston is currently third in the Big 12 with a win over #24 ASU. Their only loss is to Texas Tech.
Texas -1
Texas has had a rough season this year, leading to a loss to Florida, one of the worst teams in the SEC with a 3-4 record. Arch Manning has not lived up to the preseason hype, with only a 60% completion rate and six interceptions. They are only on my Top 25 because of the blowout win over previous #6 Oklahoma.
USC Trojans +1
The Trojans have won against previous #15 Michigan and a decent Michigan State team. Their two losses are versus ranked teams, and they lost both games by 10 points or less.
Utah +1
Utah is only moving up because of their blowout win over ASU and because I have decided not to include Michigan in my Top 25 at all.
Memphis +1
Memphis beat previous #24 USF by a field goal, earning the #24 spot.
USF N/R
I am including USF instead of the Michigan Wolverines in my list because USF had such a dominant season, winning over Boise State and Florida, while Michigan has not won one ranked matchup. USF has such a dominant offense, scoring less than 31 points in only one game versus Miami, who has one of the best defenses in CFB.
Which list do you agree with more?
My Top 25
Official Top 25
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