12 college football National Championship contenders right now, ranked

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Ranking the 12 teams in college football with a shot at the title

We are switching things up here at our weekly college football top ten.

You cannot be surprised by this. After all, we told you that this weekly list was based on vibes, good intentions, our whims of the moment, and enough caffeine to fuel a late-night cram session for an entire freshman class at Texas.

But because the Longhorns might actually be back — more on that in a moment — and because this year’s college football season is living up to all the expectations of chaos, we thought it would be a good time to rank our top 10 contenders for a national title.

So we ranked 12 instead.

Whims and vibes, kids. Whims and vibes.

1. Georgia (5-0)

The Georgia Bulldogs got quite the scare this past weekend. On the road against Auburn, Georgia found themselves tied with the Tigers as the fourth quarter began. Certainly two turnovers did not help them at Jordan-Hare on Saturday, one an interception thrown by quarterback Carson Beck, the other a fumble from Oscar Delp.

What did help them? Brock Bowers. The tight end put on a show Saturday, reminding anyone who needed reminding that he might not just be the best TE prospect in the upcoming draft class, but he might be one of the best players in all of college football.

What else will help Georgia going forward? Their schedule. They face just four opponents currently ranked in the Top-25 over the rest of the season, with three of those games coming at home.

2. Michigan (5-0)

The Wolverines have been absolutely dominant this season, and that continued this past weekend. Michigan rolled over Nebraska by a final score of 45-7, and that result is very much in line with what they have done this year. The average score in their five games?

34-6.

They have allowed just three offensive touchdowns this season, only one of which came in the first half. Rutgers scored on a long touchdown pass in the first quarter, but both UNLV and Nebraska reached the end zone against them in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand.

Looking ahead, they might not get tested until mid-November, but those are not just some pop quizzes, but some true final exams. Michigan will make a trip to Penn State, followed by their annual heavyweight bout with Ohio State two weeks later.

They survive that run, and they might have a claim as the top team in the country.

3. Texas (5-0)

The phrase “Texas is back” has become something of a joke. A meme. Something that floods your social media timelines when the Longhorns are struggling in yet another big game.

This year, however, it seems true. Texas really is back.

The Longhorns enter the Red River Rivalry with an unblemished record, having won all five games by an average of 23 points. Last week against Kansas was a dominant performance, as the Longhorns racked up 661 yards of offense — the most in school history in a Big 12 game — as they ran for 336 yards and threw for 325. Quinn Ewers has settled in as the unquestioned leader of this offense, and is making plays with his legs, which has been huge for Texas.

Up next? An Oklahoma squad that has dreams of wrecking the notion that Texas is back.

4. Ohio State (4-0)

It hasn’t always been pretty, but the Buckeyes are still undefeated and riding the emotional high of defeating Notre Dame in South Bend. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day might be the most criticized man in the state of Ohio, but when it comes to the big moments so far this season, he has his team prepared.

Offensively, it hasn’t looked like the old Ohio State, but the pieces are still coming together. QB Kyle McCord looked his most effective on the game winning drive in South Bend, firing passes in between defenders and tight windows to lead the Buckeyes down the field. Marvin Harrison Jr, Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming are still very good at football, and the defense made a statement, equaling the physicality of the Fighting Irish. Maryland is going to be frisky, but the Buckeyes should be alright.

5. Florida State (4-0)

The ‘Noles are rolling after passing their first two major tests with flying colors. The defense has been opportunistic, but the offense has truly flown to new heights. Offensive coordinator Alex Atkins has formed this offense into a versatile one, with QB Jordan Travis being the dynamic point man of the machine. They also have two transformers on the outside at WR in Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, both of whom have the ability to go up and catch passes over opponents in contested catch situations. There are more crucial games left on their schedule, including dates with Duke and a suddenly frisky Miami team, but the Noles are legit, and have an inside track to one of the four playoff spots.

6. USC (5-0)

Perhaps the person under the most pressure in the Pac-12 right now?

USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

The Trojans had a 34-7 lead over Colorado late in the second quarter last week, but the Buffaloes ripped off 34 points over the final 30-plus minutes to turn what was looking like a USC rout into a one-score game. Head coach Lincoln Riley gave Grinch the “vote of confidence” stating definitively “yes I do” when asked if he still had faith in his DC.

The problem for USC? Things get much, much tougher from here on out. Following this weekend’s game against Arizona, four of their final six games are against ranked opponents. They’ll face some extremely explosive offenses down the stretch, including Oregon and Washington.

Riley may have confidence in Grinch now, but will he still come Thanksgiving?

7. Oregon (5-0)

The Pac-12 has so many dominant teams, and Oregon is one of them. They’ve been tested multiple times (an early road scare at Texas Tech comes to mind), but since then they’ve allowed 22 points in three games and scored over 40 points in each of those three games, including a 42-6 drubbing of Colorado that left most of the nation asking ABC to throw in the towel. The Ducks defense is big and physical, in the mold of a Dan Lanning and DC Tosh Lupoi style of defense. QB Bo Nix leads the offense, which has the ability to create fireworks at any moment on the field. The road to a potential CFP berth won’t be pretty for the Ducks, though, with three straight games vs ranked opponents without even mentioning a November date with USC. The Pac-12 is extremely strong this year, and Oregon is fighting to be one of the best of the bunch.

8. Washington (5-0)

Washington improved to 5-0 on the season with a 31-24 win over Arizona that was closer than expected. However, that may have been a blessing in disguise for the Huskies, as it allowed them to highlight another factor of their offense. While the Wildcats threw numbers into coverage and tried to take away big plays, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was comfortable checking the ball down, taking what the defense gave him, and living for the next play.

The result? Penix finished having completed 30 of 40 passes for 363 yards, the run game accounted for four touchdowns, and the Huskies left town undefeated.

Now Washington gets a chance to catch their breath, with a bye week ahead of next weekend’s showdown with Oregon. If that game is half as exciting as last year’s edition, we are in for a treat.

9. Penn State (5-0)

Penn State is a weird team. Yes, they have spurts of dominance and great play (see: Iowa game), but they also kind of lull around and look lethargic until pulling away from teams late. Sure, that might work against the Northwestern’s of the world, but to beat the teams that the Nittany Lions are being mentioned with, the offense has to step it up. In his first year as the starting QB, Drew Allar has been … fine? Nothing sensational, but we’re still waiting for the breakout game. Sophomore RBs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton are both awesome, and the offensive line has their moments, but the Allar game hasn’t come yet. The defense will keep them in games—they have too much talent and are coached too well not to. But their ceiling is only how high that offense can take them. An Oct. 21 date in Columbus will surely give us a better idea.

10. Washington State (4-0)

Hello, Washington State Cougars. You have our attention and respect.

The Cougars are soaring into the meat of their Pac-12 schedule after defeating the Oregon State Beavers last week. The name of the game here for Wazzu is that offense, which can put up points with anyone in the country. QB Cam Ward is both a Heisman and NFL Draft sleeper, who gives you the freewheeling and fun playing style that everyone wants to see in football nowadays. WRs Lincoln Victor and Josh Kelly both stand out in this open offense that has players running up and down the field, and if you get into a track meet with these guys, you might be left eating their dust. They already have wins over two top-25 opponents (at the time they played them) and have a date with UCLA next on the schedule. Oct. 21, they travel to Eugene to take on the Ducks, which might result in the scoreboard breaking.

11. Notre Dame (5-1)

One of the coolest bits of content this past week was this from Notre Dame. They shared a video of their game-winning drive against Duke, complete with the headset audio from their coaching staff. You can hear head coach Marcus Freeman, offensive coordinator Gerad Parker, special teams coordinator Marty Biagi, QB coach Gino Guidugli, and RB coach Deland McCullough work through all possible scenarios in the heat of the moment:

This video also highlights just how close Notre Dame is to establishing themselves as a true contender, or falling out of rankings such as this one entirely. They lost on the final play against Ohio State — a win that would have vaulted them to the top of lists like this one — and needed a fourth-down scramble from Sam Hartman to beat Duke on the road.

We will know much more about this team in two weeks. They face a feisty Louisville team on the road this Saturday night, and then their yearly tilt with USC follows at home next Saturday night. By then, we’ll know just how close they are, or if they remain too far away.

12. Oklahoma (5-0)

Brett Venables built an imposing defense at Clemson, establishing himself as one of the top defensive minds in college football.

In his first year at Oklahoma, it was woes on that side of the ball that proved their undoing. The Sooners ranked 122nd in total defense a year ago, giving up nearly 6,000 yards and allowing 49 touchdowns.

This year’s squad ranks 30th in Total Defense through five games, a far cry from where Venables wants to be but a massive improvement from a year ago. Add to that an offense that is clicking (73 points against Arkansas State, 66 against Tulsa, and 50 against Iowa State) and you have a recipe for success in the college game.

How far have they come? We’ll know more Saturday when they take on Texas. If they exact revenge for last year’s 49-0 loss, expect them to vault up this list.