Week 13 Top 10 Analysis: BYU the Biggest Loser
It’s the final 2 weeks before conference championships go up for grabs in the 2024 college football season, and the latest AP Top 25 poll is out, with one big loser after losing at home last week. Previously undefeated, 6th-ranked BYU fell to unranked Kansas for their first defeat of the season, and they ended up dropping 7 spots in the polls, now finding themselves in 14th. Yikes. The Cougars’ next game isn’t much of a relief either, as they head to Tempe to face 8-2 Arizona State, who’s 3rd in the Big 12 behind Colorado and themselves.
BYU finds themselves now in the middle of the poll with not a whole lot of time left to make up, having just one regular season contest remaining that could give them a much-needed Big 12 title game appearance. Without it, BYU’s playoff chances are significantly damaged more than they already are now with the Kansas loss. They’re still a couple of games up ahead of the rest of the conference, but they need to quickly shake off the fact they lost at home to an unranked team that originally had no shot of beating them in the first place.
The rest of the newest Top 10 didn’t have much of a change, aside from a couple of teams making 2 or 3 spot jumps up to pass BYU. With that, here’s a look at the full AP Top 25 heading into Week 13, the 2nd to last weekend of regular season competition.
1. Oregon: 11-0, def. Wisconsin 16-13
This is the 3rd game where the Ducks have shown some form of weakness, especially after their latest dramatic escape from a pesky Badgers team in Madison last Saturday night. For a team that’s been atop the Top 25 rankings since Week 9, Oregon hasn’t always played like one. Last weekend’s result was also very unlike the same Ducks team that had won its previous 4 games by double digits, including three consecutive wins where they scored 38 points against Michigan, Maryland, and Illinois. Now, with 6-5 Washington on the horizon and just one win away from the program’s 2nd ever undefeated regular season, the pressure is on one of the Playoff’s biggest, if not the biggest, contenders.
2. Ohio State: 9-1, def. Northwestern 31-7
The Buckeyes made it two convincing wins in a row after dispatching Northwestern last week after a dominant 45-0 shutout against lowly Purdue two weeks prior here, moving to 9-1 on the season, their only loss to the team one spot ahead of them in the Poll. So, OSU is clearly different from BYU here. And not only that, Ohio State’s dueled with at least 1 fellow ranked team in the last 5 games, something BYU has not done. Beating more ranked teams definitely increases your playoff chances compared to just sweeping aside some unranked mediocrity.
3. Texas: 9-1, def. Arkansas 20-10
Another close shave in the Top 25, the Longhorns were similar to BYU, except that they were in enemy territory down in Fayetteville. Texas had a bit of a down week last Saturday with the sluggish 20-10 grind-out victory over Arkansas, especially considering their previous game saw them smack Florida at home. With two games left on the calendar, unlike some other teams, Texas has a bit more breathing room compared to the other SEC powers. They should be able to put away 4-6 Kentucky for Senior Day while their last regular season contest is a date with 15th ranked 8-2 Texas A&M down in College Station, just two days after Thanksgiving.
You might want to save some leftover turkey if you have plans for that one. And what happens if the Horns go down? That probably wouldn’t help their playoff chances, especially since if the Aggies pull off the upset and Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Ole Miss win that week, then there’d be a six-way tie for first place in the SEC.
4. Penn State: 9-1, def. Purdue 49-10
The Nittany Lions had zero trouble last Saturday, mauling Purdue in West Lafayette to move to 9-1 on the season, their single loss to Ohio State, a game they maybe could’ve won under other circumstances. They’ll most likely move to 11-1 on the season after they dispose of the Big Ten basement consisting of Maryland and Minnesota, who may have surprised some people with their 6-4 record. And even with a loss, they’d still be fine-tuned for the Big Ten championship game, where the Nittany Lions are most likely to face Oregon.
5. Indiana: 10-0, bye week: last def. Michigan 20-15
Yes, the Hoosiers, a real Cinderella story of the 2024 season! They’re in the top 5 and getting a break before heading to Columbus to face #2 Ohio State in a game that could create even bigger shockwaves depending on the result. So what about their case for making it to the Big Ten title game and maybe even the Playoff? Will IU keep its perfect record intact? Or will the expected happen, seeing as how the Buckeyes are a current 12-point favorite? Wait, really? Very interesting…
So BYU has to deal with facing off with some less-than-ideal opponents for the final two weeks. At least the Houston contest will be an easy victory, unlike the Arizona State visit which could doom BYU even more than they already are. At least no one else in the Big 12 is ranked in the current Top 10, where BYU once was, because that would put as much pressure on them as Oregon has had the last few weeks, honestly.
As for the rest of the Top 10, #6 Notre Dame climbs from #8 after a convincing win over unranked Virginia, with 24th ranked and STILL UNBEATEN Army next before the Irish vie for the Golden Shillelagh at USC in the LA Coliseum. #7 Alabama, up from #9, faces a struggling Oklahoma team that still can’t find its footing on offense before the Iron Bowl at home against arch-rivals Auburn.
#8 Georgia moves up from #11 and has a turkey shoot contest next against unranked UMass before clashing with Georgia Tech for some Clean Old Fashioned Hate. #9 Ole Miss heads to the Swamp to face Florida, then back home to Starkville for the Egg Bowl, while 10th ranked Tennessee drops 4 spots from 6th after losing to Georgia, with their next contest an easy turkey shoot against UTEP before they face in-state rivals Vanderbilt to cap things off. But at 11-2, they have the most pressure even more than Oregon and BYU do. One more loss could severely alter the Vols’ Playoff plans, and the Dores know a thing or two about knocking off top-tier conference opponents.
Related: Longhorns Fans are Already Fired Up For A&M Showdown
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