College Football Rankings: Georgia remains on top while Oklahoma State, Michigan move up in RJ Young's Top 25
By RJ Young
FOX Sports College Football Writer
Editor’s note: Every Sunday morning during the college football season, RJ Young will release his updated Top 25 rankings.
Jim Harbaugh wants you to know that he’s proud of what he has built at Michigan and that he hasn’t run from the challenge of beating the program’s archnemesis.
And now that he has earned his first win against the Ohio State Buckeyes, a team he failed to beat his first five years in Ann Arbor — and one the Wolverines hadn’t beaten since 2011 — he’s talking his noise.
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RJ Young, Cardale Jones, Geoff Schwartz and Beanie Wells dive into Jim Harbaugh’s legacy after Michigan won The Game 42-27 on Saturday, marking Harbaugh’s first career victory over his archrival.
Knowing the Buckeyes had been jawing about how The Game was no longer a rivalry, about how an entire class of Buckeyes hadn’t lost to Michigan during Harbaugh’s tenure, he pulled receipts.
"Some people were born on third and think they hit a triple," he said.
Perhaps that was a reference to Buckeye coach Ryan Day inheriting a ready-made program that he didn’t have to rebuild because former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer left it in outstanding condition. Or perhaps it was simply a reference to the company softball game.
But the people who needed to hear it absolutely did.
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Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates on the field of the Big House after the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes in The Game.
The victory Saturday means that a) Michigan won its first outright division title and will play in the Big Ten title game for the first time, b) Michigan has a chance to win its first Big Ten title since 2004 and c) with a win Saturday, Michigan can not only win the B1G title but also secure a place in the College Football Playoff for the first time.
But even with the win over Ohio State — the Wolverines' first victory this season over a Top-25 opponent — Michigan is not in my top four this week. Oklahoma State is; after beating Oklahoma on Saturday, the Cowboys have four wins over Top-25 teams.
Results need to matter more than my or your opinion, and that is how I create my rankings, using rationality and reason and the following criteria:
1. How many AP Top-25 teams (ranked at the time of the matchup) a team has beaten.
2. A premium placed on being undefeated. Power 5 teams, more than likely, play tougher schedules than Group of 5 teams.
3. Being undefeated supersedes strength of schedule, with the belief that winning every game is more difficult than losing a game to a good football team.
4. Results, résumé and winning matter. When two teams have identical résumés, that's when the eye test becomes necessary.
Here are my Top 25 teams in the country for Week 13:
1. Georgia Bulldogs (12-0)
Defeated Georgia Tech 45-0
Top-25 wins: four
2. Cincinnati Bearcats (12-0)
Defeated East Carolina 35-13
Top-25 wins: one
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-1)
Defeated Oklahoma 37-33
Top-25 wins: four
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RJ Young discusses the possibility of the Oklahoma State Cowboys making the College Football Playoff after they defeated the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday. The Cowboys will play the Baylor Bears in the Big 12 championship.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1)
Defeated Auburn 24-22 (4OT)
Top-25 wins: four
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RJ Young discusses the Alabama Crimson Tide's overtime victory over the Auburn Tigers and who should be No. 2 in the country. He also discusses what the game did for Bryce Young's Heisman hopes.
5. Michigan Wolverines (11-1)
Defeated Ohio State 42-27
Top-25 wins: one
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RJ Young reacts to the Michigan Wolverines' beating the Ohio State Buckeyes for the first time since 2011. RJ discusses Jim Harbaugh, Hassan Haskins and where Michigan should be ranked after winning "The Game."
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1)
Defeated Stanford 45-14
Top-25 wins: one
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Notre Dame defeated Stanford 45-14 behind Jack Coan's 345 passing yards and three total touchdowns.
7. Houston Cougars (11-1)
Defeated UCONN 45-17
Top-25 wins: one
8. San Diego State Aztecs (11-1)
Defeated Boise State 27-16
Top-25 wins: zero
9. Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (11-1)
Defeated Louisiana-Monroe 21-16
Top-25 wins: zero
10. UTSA Roadrunners (11-1)
Lost to North Texas 45-23
Top-25 wins: zero
11. Baylor Bears (10-2)
Defeated Texas Tech 27-24
Top-25 wins: three
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Baylor held off an upset scare with help from QB Blake Shapen's two touchdowns and 254 passing yards. With the win, the Bears kept their Big 12 championship hopes alive.
12. Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2)
Defeated Nebraska 28-21
Top-25 wins: three
13. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2)
Lost to Michigan 42-27
Top-25 wins: two
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Joel Klatt breaks down Michigan's big win over Ohio State.
14. Ole Miss Rebels (10-2)
Defeated Mississippi State 31-21
Top-25 wins: two
15. Michigan State Spartans (10-2)
Defeated Penn State 30-27
Top-25 wins: two
16. BYU Cougars (10-2)
Defeated USC 35-31
Top-25 wins: two
17. Oregon Ducks (10-2)
Defeated Oregon State 38-29
Top-25 wins: one
18. Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-2)
Defeated Georgia Southern 27-3
Top-25 wins: one
19. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (10-2)
Defeated South Alabama 27-21
Top-25 wins: zero
20. Oklahoma Sooners (10-2)
Lost to Oklahoma State 37-33
Top-25 wins: one
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RJ Young names his top five college football rivalries on the Ohio State vs Michigan Live Tailgate. Young picks Oklahoma vs. Texas as his top matchup.
21. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-2)
Defeated Boston College 41-10
Top-25 wins: one
22. Pittsburgh Panthers (10-2)
Defeated Syracuse 31-14
Top-25 wins: zero
23. Utah Utes (9-3)
Defeated Colorado 28-13
Top-25 wins: one
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Utah defeated Colorado 28-13 behind three touchdowns from Cameron Rising. Tavion Thomas rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown.
24. North Carolina State Wolfpack (9-3)
Defeated North Carolina 34-30
Top-25 wins: one
25. Utah State Aggies (9-3)
Defeated New Mexico 35-10
Top-25 wins: zero
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young, and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube. He is not on a StepMill.