2024 college football rankings: Joel Klatt’s top 10 teams after Week 14

Rivalry week really showed out in college football.

There were a ton of exciting finishes over the weekend. Of course, Michigan’s upset win over Ohio State was the headliner. That was a huge victory for Sherrone Moore to cap off what has been an exciting two weeks for the program following a largely underwhelming season. But Michigan remained confident in its process as its coaching staff told us on a call last week that if it was one-score game late, it felt good about its chances of winning that game.

Obviously, there was the fight at the end of Michigan-OSU, which was just one of many heated moments to occur on Saturday. If you want my detailed thoughts on “The Game” and the fights that broke out across college football over the weekend, take a listen to the most recent episode of my podcast, “The Joel Klatt Show.”

With rivalry week in the books, the regular season has also concluded. With conference championship weekend just days away, I think there are eight teams who’ve already secured a spot in the College Football Playoff. Here are my top 10 teams, which includes all eight teams that I think have a spot secured.

1. Oregon (Last week: 1)
Record: 12-0
Week 14 result: Defeated Washington, 49-21

Oregon continued to look the part of a team that’s viewed as the indisputable No. 1 team in the country. A lot of attention has gone toward quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Oregon’s offense, but it had 10 total sacks in its win over Washington on Saturday. Oregon still must beat Penn State in the Big Ten title game to get a first-round bye, but the Ducks have comfortably been in the CFP for a bit. 

2. Texas (Last week: 3)
Record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated Texas A&M, 17-7

I don’t think the score in Texas’ win was indicative of how that game played out. Texas was a lot better than what a 17-7 final would suggest. Texas A&M’s only points came off a tipped pick-six. That Texas defense is dominant. When it’s at its best, I think Texas is probably my pick to win the national championship. At its very best, Texas might be better than anyone else, even though it’s tough to go against Oregon — and I still think Ohio State is very good.

3. Penn State (Last week: 4)
Record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated Maryland, 44-7

With Ohio State’s loss, Penn State will get the chance to play for the Big Ten title. Penn State hammered the Terrapins and put up points late, to the dismay of Maryland coach Mike Locksley. I agree with James Franklin and if your 2s and 3s are in the game, they deserve the opportunity to play hard. But now there’s a possible path for Penn State to end up with the No. 1 overall seed in the CFP.

4. Notre Dame (Last week: 6)
Record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated USC, 49-35

Notre Dame has quietly been a very good team. If the Irish could just throw it a little better, I would be very high on Notre Dame. I was kind of surprised that USC was able to move the ball as well as it did against Notre Dame’s defense, which ranks third in the nation in scoring and 10th in yards allowed. But Notre Dame’s offense has been humming as of late, scoring at least 49 points in five of its past seven games. 

5. Georgia (Last week: 5)
Record: 10-2
Week 14 result: Defeated Georgia Tech, 44-42 (8 OT)

Georgia is in the CFP regardless of what happens in the SEC title game. It’s just not one of my favorites to win the national championship after watching that game against Georgia Tech. There have been too many instances this season with Georgia where it didn’t look very good, at least relative to what it had been in the past and compared to other title contenders. Georgia survived that game on Friday. (By the way, Tech, go for two at the end of the first overtime.)

6. Tennessee (Last week: 7)
Record: 10-2
Week 14 result: Defeated Vanderbilt, 36-23

Tennessee fans and I seem to have a tenuous relationship, but I’m happy that you guys are going to the CFP. You guys might have secured a home game in the first round as well after that win over Vandy on Saturday, when Nico Iamaleava threw four touchdowns after falling in an early hole. 

7. Ohio State (Last week: 2)
Record: 10-2
Week 14 result: Lost to Michigan, 13-10

There’s going to be a lot talked about from Saturday’s loss against Michigan. Michigan’s defensive line dominated that game and Michigan’s ground attack delivered the final blow, as it has rushed the ball for 394 yards on 6.7 yards per carry over the past four fourth quarters of “The Game.” Michigan knew it needed to make it a one-score game and that it could win in that style.

Ryan Day fell to 1-4 against Michigan, losing his past four games. This guy is an incredible coach. He’s 65-6 against everyone else. This matchup has been his demise, and I think it’s because it has been played on Michigan’s terms. It felt like Ohio State made the decision to allow Saturday’s game to play out the way it did. I kept thinking to myself, “When is the tempo going to come? When is the perimeter game going to come?” It never really materialized. I don’t think Ohio State trusted Will Howard a lot with the way he was playing, and I think it had a ton of trust in its own defense. 

This loss is going to hurt — a lot. Yet, Ohio State is still in this thing, and there isn’t a great team in America. Ohio State already saw Oregon and lost by a point on the road. Ohio State still has a very clear path to winning a national championship. I know it was an emotional loss. I fully understand that, but if this team can fix just a few issues from Saturday’s loss, then it could very well win the national championship. 

Day and OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles already adjusted well following the Oregon loss, as its defense was better later in the year. Now, Day must make those adjustments with the offense. Ohio State found out on Saturday that it can’t get dragged into a street fight on offense. It needs to play along the perimeter. That offensive line isn’t good enough to win a street fight. It cannot be a running team and win. It needs to be a passing team, which means that it needs to trust Howard and he, in turn, has to play better.

8. Indiana (Last week: 9)
Record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated Purdue, 66-0

I do think Indiana is in the CFP. When you look at everything that has happened and the Hoosiers’ résumé, you’d realize this isn’t a bubble team. They dominated Purdue after that loss to Ohio State. With Saturday’s win, Indiana has 11 wins by an average of 33 points per game. Only one of its wins was by less than 14 points, which was against Michigan. That win looks better now after Michigan’s upset on Saturday, doesn’t it? 

If you still have qualms over Indiana’s strength of schedule, it doesn’t look as bad as people would anticipate. It’s 65th, which isn’t great, but a few other CFP teams or contenders have a strength of schedule around that mark. SMU’s strength of schedule is 75th, Miami (Fla.)’s is 55th and Notre Dame’s is 57th.

9. SMU (Last week: 10)
Record: 11-1
Week 14 result: Defeated Cal, 38-6

If SMU loses to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, it would be a bubble team. It’d be interesting to see if the committee would penalize SMU or not for losing that game. If the season ended right now, SMU would likely hold a CFP spot. Can that extra game actually knock out the Mustangs? That’s fascinating. SMU had another 30-point showing on Saturday. It’s fifth in the nation in scoring (39.2 points per game).

10. Alabama (Last week: Unranked)
Record: 9-3
Week 14 result: Defeated Auburn, 28-14

I think Alabama is a bubble team. However, and I don’t love this, but here’s what I think is going to happen: Alabama will be the last team in the CFP. You can argue all you want that Ole Miss should be in there. I do believe, with the way that the committee has treated Indiana and SMU at times, that brand name can carry the day. The path of least resistance can lift Alabama into the CFP. Now, this is just a prediction, but I think Alabama will make it in even if SMU loses on Saturday. 

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.

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