With Week 9 of the 2023 college football season now in the books and the first release of this year’s College Football Playoff rankings set to be revealed Tuesday night, it’s an exciting time to be a fan of the sport.
Several national championship contenders are now starting to separate themselves from the pack, particularly Oregon, who defeated Utah 35-6 this past weekend in Salt Lake City. Georgia and Ohio State also picked up impressive wins on Saturday, while Oklahoma suffered its first loss of the season, which has me feeling a bit worried about the Sooners.
Let’s take a look at my latest top-10 rankings following Week 9 of the college football season.
1. Michigan Wolverines
Record: 8-0
Week 9 result: Idle
There isn’t a team in college football that has looked as dominant and consistent through the first nine weeks of the season than the Michigan Wolverines. This team is clearly now going to be on a mission coming down the stretch with upcoming games against Purdue, No. 9 Penn State, Maryland and No. 3 Ohio State.
2. Georgia Bulldogs
Record: 8-0
Week 9 result: Defeated Florida, 43-20
We all knew Georgia was a really good team and arguably the most talented team in the country. Carson Beck is a talented QB and is developing without Brock Bowers. That’s going to pay huge dividends for Georgia down the stretch. Georgia’s offense is modernizing a little bit with Beck throwing for over 300 yards in four of his last five starts. This is going to be a really tough team to beat.
Georgia blows out Florida in first game without Brock Bowers
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
Record: 8-0
Week 9 result: Defeated Wisconsin, 24-10
I’m not going to be shocked if Ohio State is No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. I won’t be shocked if it isn’t, either. But the Buckeyes have the most impressive résumé at this point in the season. Have they been the most impressive team when it comes to the eye test? Probably not. Their résumé continues to get stronger though, especially with how well Notre Dame has played.
Similar to Georgia, Ohio State is different than it’s been over the last couple of years. The Buckeyes rank second in scoring defense and 38th in scoring, which I think is jarring to some of their fans because they just aren’t used to it. It feels different, but I’d take this version of Ohio State over the last few iterations. I’ve seen the other versions of Ohio State come up just short over the last few years. If you want to beat Michigan, Georgia and Alabama, this vein is probably better. Even then, Ohio State has a Heisman-caliber player (Marvin Harrison) and is getting healthier at receiver (Emeka Egbuka) and running back (TreVeyon Henderson).
Ohio State achieves a 24-10 victory over Wisconsin
4. Florida State Seminoles
Record: 8-0
Week 9 result: Defeated Wake Forest, 41-6
Florida State took care of business Saturday against Wake Forest, scoring 24 unanswered points in the second quarter and cruising to a 41-16 win. Jordan Travis threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding a score on the ground. The Seminoles have now put up 30-plus points in 14 straight games, the longest active streak in the nation and second in ACC history behind its own run of 17 games from 2012-14.
5. Washington Huskies
Record: 8-0
Week 9 result: Defeated Stanford, 42-33
I’ve got the Huskies at No. 5 because of their head-to-head win over Oregon. Michael Penix Jr. is back as the Heisman favorite after throwing for 369 yards and four touchdowns in Washington’s win over Stanford this past weekend. Penix and the Huskies have a tough slate coming up with three straight games against ranked opponents: at No. 24 USC, vs. No. 18 Utah and at No. 16 Oregon State, before closing out the season against in-state rival Washington State.
6. Oregon Ducks
Record: 7-1
Week 9 result: Defeated Utah, 35-6
Utah was short-handed, there’s no doubt about that, but Oregon handled the Utes in Salt Lake City on Saturday. It wasn’t close from the beginning. I came away from that game thoroughly impressed with Oregon and everything it does. Of the teams that I’ve seen live this year, Oregon is in the top two. The Ducks have everything you need to be great and win a national championship. I’ve enjoyed both of my pregame meetings with Dan Lanning. He’s laser-focused, and you can tell he knows exactly what he’s doing. For such a young coach, he’s one of the best young coaches I’ve ever met with.
The defense is built way differently than any other Oregon team I’ve covered, which dates back to when the Ducks made the title game in 2014. Offensively, I think Bucky Irving is the best running back in the Pac-12 and possibly the country. They’re really big and physical up front and have length and speed on the outside. And that’s not even mentioning that they have a quarterback who has made more starts than anyone in the history of the sport and who is playing well, too. Bo Nix is a legitimate Heisman candidate.
Oregon is just very good. Quite frankly, I know this team lost the game to Washington, but Oregon is the best team in the Pac-12. I would be surprised if it doesn’t win the conference and fails to make the College Football Playoff.
Oregon dominates Utah in Salt Lake City
7. Texas Longhorns
Record: 7-1
Week 9 result: Defeated BYU, 35-6
The Longhorns got back to taking care of business against teams they should handle after letting Houston hang around the previous week. Maalik Murphy filled in nicely for Quinn Ewers, who was sidelined with an injury to his throwing shoulder. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 170 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Longhorns’ 35-6 win over Rice. Meanwhile, Jonathon Brooks continues to excel in the backfield, now ranking fifth in the nation in rushing at 115 yards per game. He is also a threat out of the backfield, hauling in 17 catches over the last three games.
8. Alabam Crimson Tide
Record: 7-1
Week 9 result: Idle
Remember when Alabama was tied with USF at halftime back in Week 3? Nick Saban’s team has taken care of business since that point, winning six in a row and now sitting at 7-1 heading into an SEC showdown with LSU this weekend. This is a huge matchup for the Crimson Tide. Will they be able score enough points to keep up with Heisman hopeful Jayden Daniels and the high-powered LSU defense?
9. Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 7-1
Week 9 result: Lost to Kansas, 38-33
If I was a glass-half-full Sooners fan, I would say, “Hey, we’ve almost reached the mountain top with one loss before.” If I was a glass-half-empty Sooners fan, I’d realize that they’re reverting to the 2022 version of themselves, which should scare the ever-living daylight out of those fans. The last three games have been eerily similar to how they played last year, giving up 32 points and 455 yards per game. Last year, Oklahoma gave up 30 points and 461 yards per game. It’s identical, and each of its last three games has been decided by one score. The Sooners fell short in a lot of those games last year, and it’s eerily familiar to the team that went 5-7.
Kansas’ massive 38-33 upset over Oklahoma
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Record: 6-2
Week 9 result: Defeated Pittsburgh, 58-7
I love the veteran leadership this team has with Sam Hartman at quarterback. This is still a really physical team up front. Audric Estime ranks in the top five among Power 5 teams in both rushing yards (901) and rushing touchdowns (12). The Fighting Irish have a huge upcoming matchup against Clemson on the road this weekend.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him on Twitter at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
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