College Football Power Rankings: Week 13 (2021)
Week 12 brought us a number of statements among the top teams in the country. Some positive statements, others not so much.
Ohio State demolished Michigan State, not only solidifying themselves as contenders but solidifying the Spartans as pretenders in the process. Michigan stomped Maryland, but as impressive as that win is, it means nothing if they still can’t get over the Ohio State-sized hump that has eluded them in recent seasons. Notre Dame clearly smelled playoff blood in the water and ran over an overmatched Georgia Tech team. And you wanted style points from Cincinnati? You got ’em. The Bearcats ran it up 48-14 against an SMU team that was in the top 20 of my power rankings just three weeks ago.
On the flip side, we already touched on Michigan State. That was as bad as it gets in as big of a game as you can draw up for the Spartans. Oregon also fell flat on its face. After playing with fire basically all year, they were burned for the second time; this time by Utah. The loss all but ends the Ducks’ playoff hopes. And nobody gave Wake Forest the memo that Clemson is having a down year. The Demon Deacons made the Tigers look like the Tigers of recent years in a 21-point blowout loss to ice Wake out of any potential playoff talks. Where do all these teams slot in after another crazy week in college football? Let’s find out.
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* (NR) = not ranked in last week's power rankings
Big Movers
Michigan State Spartans
In a section where I usually like to highlight the teams who took the biggest leap forward, Michigan State headlines a group of teams who all tumbled down the rankings. The Spartans are just 1-2 since beating Michigan, and after that performance on Saturday against Ohio State, it's fair to wonder if we all dreamt the outcome of that game. The Spartans got punched in the mouth early against the Buckeyes and never recovered, leading to a 49-point blowout loss and ending any hope of Michigan State sneaking into the playoffs.
Oregon Ducks
The Ducks have had close call after close call all year, and for the second time, they found themselves in the loss column. Except this loss wasn't close at all. Utah controlled this game from start to finish, and Oregon really was never within striking distance or showed any hope of staging a comeback. The Ducks climbed out of a self-inflicted hole in the rankings after their loss to Stanford as they continued to scratch and claw for wins and better positions in the rankings, but there's no recovering from this loss. They can still salvage a Rose Bowl berth, but first they'll have to beat their in-state rival Beavers and then get revenge on the Utes. It won't be easy.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
This defense was solid enough at the beginning of the year, playing a mostly "bend but don't break" style. However, the last month and a half has been more of a Swiss cheese style of defense for the Deacons, and it's cost them two huge games. The most recent loss is a reminder that if Wake Forest wants to actually compete in a conference that's been pretty exclusively dominated by one team, they're going to have to bring in better players on the defensive side of the football. Clemson is obviously a talented football team as they consistently have one of the country's best recruiting classes, but the Tigers put up more points against Wake than they did against UConn. Ouch.
Newcomers
Clemson Tigers
Rewind to August. What would you have said if I told you the Clemson Tigers would be re-entering the power rankings for the first time in two months in Week 13? I wouldn't have believed me either, but that's the kind of year it's been for Clemson as they learn what it's like to transition from premier NFL talent to underclassmen getting their first real taste of college football action. Clemson's offense has been underwhelming all year, but it wasn't so against Wake Forest as they put up their highest point total against an FBS opponent all year. They're 8-3 and have won four and a row, so while this isn't a vintage Clemson year, they're still fully capable of winning 10 games.
Random Musings
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State hit some early-season bumps in the road, which some college football fans freaked out about, of course. But this was to be expected as quarterback C.J. Stroud needed time to adjust to the speed of college football. It's safe to say the concerns around the Buckeyes are all but vanished, as Stroud is now the Heisman favorite, and his Ohio State Buckeyes are absolutely rolling. They made Michigan State look like anything but the seventh-ranked team in the country, blowing them completely off the field in a 49-point win. Ryan Day is one of the best coaches in the country, and if his team is going to keep playing like that, they've got just as good of a chance to win the National Championship as anyone.
Cincinnati Bearcats
I still think the Bearcats are going to need some help getting in the playoffs, but the one advantage they do have is Notre Dame is hot on their tails, and they already beat the Irish in South Bend. The other beneficial situation for Cincinnati is that the four other teams surrounding them in the playoff picture all have to play each other at some point. Georgia and Alabama will probably meet in the SEC title game, and Michigan will take on Ohio State next week. Cincinnati will probably finish undefeated, and their recent thrashing of SMU finally added much needed style points.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Cowboys have one loss, and it was a close one against Iowa State. This team has been rolling all year, but they've got one final date with the in-state rival Sooners to determine their postseason fate. The Bedlam Series hasn't exactly been kind to the Cowboys of late. Or ever, for that matter. The Sooners have taken the last six meetings, 16 of the last 18, and Oklahoma State's record in the head-to-head series is somehow just 18-90-7. And it's not like the Cowboys have been a bad team recently. They've been ranked in five of the last six matchups. This is a different Oklahoma State team however; one lead by a tremendous defense coming off a shutout of Texas Tech. Oklahoma's offense has struggled all year, setting up the perfect spot for the Cowboys to turn the tide in this rivalry.
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Mike Wagenman is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @mjwags23.