My Top 25 Rankings: Ole Miss climbs, Oklahoma falls and James Madison joins the party

Kellis Robinett
·3 min read

There is no rule that states every undefeated team in college football has to be ranked when the calendar turns to October, but there should be.

Sixteen teams remain undefeated on the season, and you will find all 16 of them right here.

I don’t care if you beat Oregon, Samford, South Carolina, Kent State and Missouri like No. 1 Georgia. I don’t care if you beat Middle Tennessee, Norfolk State, Appalachian State and Texas State like my new No. 25 team James Madison. If you have a perfect record this far into the season, I am voting for you.

It was a wild week in college football. Ten ranked teams lost. Many others won ugly. Why not reward the teams that have taken care of business every week?

Four new undefeated teams have joined the party.

UCLA is my highest ranked newcomer at No. 17, followed by TCU at 19, Coastal Carolina at 24 and James Madison at 25.

And even though they have lost one game, I also voted newcomer Mississippi State at No. 18 after it whipped Texas A&M.

No changes at the top

I put some thought into punishing Georgia for the way it played against Missouri on Saturday. The Tigers are not good, and yet they pushed the Bulldogs to the brink.

But Georgia still has an incredibly impressive win over Oregon on its resume, and it found a way to win on the road in the SEC when the Bulldogs clearly weren’t playing their best.

Alabama doesn’t have any great wins yet. Ohio State has looked amazing, but the Buckeyes have played a weak schedule. Clemson hasn’t won impressively enough to move up. Nor has Michigan or USC.

Ultimately, I didn’t make any changes at the top of my ballot.

Teams on the rise

Oklahoma State was the biggest climber this week, jumping up to No. 7 following a road win over Baylor. The Bears beat the Cowboys when it mattered most last season. But Mike Gundy’s team got revenge this weekend.

They look like the team to beat in the Big 12 at the moment.

Mississippi also jumped into my top 10 following a win over Kentucky. Wake Forest, Utah, Penn State, Oregon and BYU also climbed in my rankings thanks to a bunch of teams losing around them.

It’s a football state

Both K-State and KU are once again featured in my top 25.

The Jayhawks stayed at No. 20 following one of the ugliest wins you will ever see over Iowa State.

The Wildcats climbed to No. 22 coming off a home victory over Texas Tech.

Selfishly, I’m hoping both teams remain ranked until they play at the end of the season on Nov. 26. The Sunflower Showdown is one of the oldest rivalries in the country, but KU and K-State have only met once when both were ranked. That happened in 1995, with the Wildcats winning big in Manhattan.

Saying goodbye

Arkansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Washington all left my top 25 this week.

The Huskies are the only team I considered keeping around.

I have serious questions about the Sooners. They might struggle to make a bowl game if they don’t make some changes on defense.

On deck

If I voted for 30 teams instead of 25, there’s a good chance Cincinnati, Florida State, Purdue, Washington and Washington State would be on my ballot.

Kellis Robinett’s Top 25

1. Georgia (1)

2. Alabama (2)

3. Ohio State (3)

4. Clemson (4)

5. Michigan (5)

6. USC (6)

7. Oklahoma State (8)

8. Tennessee (10)

9. Mississippi (12)

10. Wake Forest (13)

11. Utah (17)

12. North Carolina State (7)

13. Oregon (18)

14. BYU (20)

15. Penn State (19)

16. Kentucky (9)

17. UCLA (NR)

18. Mississippi State (NR)

19. TCU (NR)

20. Kansas (20)

21. Syracuse (21)

22. Kansas State (24)

23. Baylor (17)

24. Coastal Carolina (NR)

25. James Madison (NR)

Last week’s ranking in parentheses.

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