College Football Power Rankings: Indiana jumps to No. 1 as Alabama, Georgia move up ahead of SEC showdowns
The Hoosiers jumped Miami for the top spot in this week's power rankings after beating Oregon to remain undefeated
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Sixteen days ago, James Franklin was coaching the No. 2 team in the country, grinning alongside Nick Saban on national television before the biggest game of the season.
On Sunday, Franklin was fired.
Life comes at you fast — Ferris Bueller had that part right — but in college football, it hits at light speed. Franklin leaves with roughly $50 million for his troubles after back-to-back losses as a 20-point favorite. The pain, though, lingers for him and for a sport where stability is now a myth. Nothing is guaranteed anymore, except the buyout. If a program once pegged as a national-title favorite can tumble out of the Top 25, another can rise from the ashes just as suddenly.
Look no further than Indiana.
The Hoosiers were 0-for-46 against top-five teams on the road, and then beat Oregon on Saturday. The Hoosiers didn't just beat a top-five team, they dominated them, winning 30-20 despite quarterback Fernando Mendoza throwing a pick six.
College football rankings: Indiana joins the top 3 after Oregon win as Texas, USC climb new CBS Sports 136
Chip Patterson
We've never seen a program crawl out of the sport's damp basement and burst into the penthouse this fast. Curt Cignetti is a quirky magician, blending overlooked transfers with old hands from James Madison to build a machine of buy-in and belief. His eye for veterans who play with purpose has flipped Bloomington's football identity. The buy-in from the administration and boosters in Bloomington has helped tremendously, too.
Indiana has two top-10 wins and a road victory at Iowa. Still, there will continue to be skeptics. After all, we're human. The past dictates how we think about the future. But a 17-2 record over two seasons should be enough proof that Cignetti's Hoosiers demand consideration for No. 1.
"You gotta understand, some people are always gonna be for you and some people are always gonna be against you because they need to be," Cignetti said Saturday. "And then there is a group in the middle."
We've reached the season's midpoint, when reality checks collide with preseason narratives. Penn State and Indiana embodied both sides of that truth Saturday.
Biggest Movers
10
USC
13
Oklahoma
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Hoosiers picked up the biggest win by any team this season with a 30-20 decision at Oregon. No other win in the country matches it. Curt Cignetti is an incredible 17-2 at Indiana and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon, especially against a favorable schedule that doesn't include a ranked opponent for the remainder of the regular season. | 4 | 6-0 |
| 2 |  | The Hurricanes drop a spot despite not playing Saturday. That's not their fault. Indiana's win was just that impressive. The Hurricanes, like the Hoosiers, do not face another opponent currently ranked in the top 25. Next up is Louisville in Coral Gables. | 1 | 5-0 |
| 3 |  | The Buckeyes continue to smother opponents but drop one spot because of the chaos in the top 5. They have won eight straight against AP-ranked teams, the best active streak in the FBS. The Buckeyes allowed their first rushing touchdown of the season in the 34-16 victory at Illinois. | 1 | 6-0 |
| 4 |  | Alabama defeated a ranked opponent for a third straight week with a 27-24 win at Missouri. The Tigers had the nation's second-longest home winning streak. The Tide should have closed this game down earlier, but some mistakes, including a Ty Simpson fumble, allowed Mizzou to hang around. The Tide got some big plays on fourth down from Simpson on their last scoring drive to put the game out of reach. | 3 | 5-1 |
| 5 |  | Did the Rebels have some pre-Georgia jitters? They tailed Washington State for most of the game, but rallied and hung on to defeat the Cougars 24-21 as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss scored three touchdowns. The Rebels travel to Georgia this week. | 1 | 6-0 |
| 6 |  | Georgia flipped the script with the help of some questionable officiating at Auburn, but the Bulldogs' second-half performance was stellar in a 20-10 road win. Did Auburn score to take a 17-0 lead late in the second quarter, or was it a fumble as the officials called on the field? It doesn't matter. Georgia's offense came to life in the second half. | 2 | 5-1 |
| 7 |  | Texas Tech just keeps beating the life out of teams, and it's time people start taking the Red Raiders seriously in the national title chase. The Red Raiders blew out Kansas 42-17, even with Behren Morton exiting the game with a leg injury. Tech may very well be a top-5 team, but we need more quality wins against teams worthy of being in the top-25. They have only one so far on the road against Utah. | 2 | 6-0 |
| 8 |  | Texas A&M has an argument as the best team in the SEC. The Aggies own a big road win at Notre Dame and beat Florida by 17 points, scoring more points than any other offense this season against the Gators in a 34-17 win. The analytics paint the picture of a mid-tier top 25 team, however. Four of their next five SEC games are on the road. | 2 | 6-0 |
| 9 |  | Oregon scored only six points on field goals in the final three quarters in the loss to Indiana. Quarterback Dante Moore struggled, throwing two picks. The Ducks still have what it takes to win the Big Ten, but the Hoosiers and Buckeyes are currently the class of the conference. | 6 | 5-1 |
| 10 |  | It's not easy getting a good read on these Volunteers. They should have beaten Georgia but lost in overtime. They led Arkansas by 17 and then had to hold on for a 34-31 win, during which they recovered three fumbles from the Razorbacks. The rushing attack is ramping up, which is a good sign. DeSean Bishop (146 yards) led a 264-yard outing. | 1 | 5-1 |
| 11 |  | The Tigers have been hovering in top-25 purgatory because of a lack of top-25 showdowns, but that changes next week at Vanderbilt. LSU defeated South Carolina 20-10. Garrett Nussmeier threw a season-high two interceptions. The defense continues to be elite. | 1 | 5-1 |
| 12 |  | The Yellow Jackets are 3-0 in the ACC for the first time in 14 years following a 35-20 victory against Virginia Tech. Quarterback Haynes King is 7-1 at home in ACC games. | 1 | 6-0 |
| 13 |  | Missouri looked the part of a top-15 team against Alabama, but the offense stalled at critical moments during the 27-24 loss. Ahmad Hardy was limited to 52 yards after averaging 146 yards per game. Can Mizzou keep it together after the loss? The Tigers play their first road game of the season this week at Auburn. | 1 | 5-1 |
| 14 |  | The Cavaliers were off last week but return to action against Washington State. The Cougars put a scare in Ole Miss earlier this week. You gotta wonder how two roundtrip flights across the country in the span of a week will affect Wazzu. | 3 | 5-1 |
| 15 |  | Notre Dame's defense has bounced back after a ho-hum start to the season, recording four sacks while forcing three-plus turnovers in back to back games. The Irish defeated NC State 36-7 for their 23rd straight home win against an ACC team. USC comes to South Bend this week for a phenomenal matchup. | 3 | 4-2 |
| 16 |  | USC pulled away from Michigan for a 31-13 victory at the LA Coliseum. Quarterback Jayden Maiava was again terrific, throwing for 265 yards and a touchdown with a pick. The Trojans have scored 30-plus in each game. Leading RB Waymond Jordan will miss the next four to six weeks after a tightrope surgery scheduled for Monday. | NR | 5-1 |
| 17 |  | The Bulls forced five turnovers in a marquee American Conference matchup against North Texas, winning 63-36 on the road. USF has scored 50 points in three straight games, tying the longest streak in conference history. Alex Golesh's team has scored 60 points in two games for the first time in program history. | 4 | 5-1 |
| 18 |  | The Longhorns are alive again in the College Football Playoff with the 23-6 win against Oklahoma. Arch Manning didn't torch the Sooners' defense, but he played within himself and threw for 166 yards and ran for another 34. Texas dominated Oklahoma's offensive line, limiting the Sooners to 48 rushing yards. | NR | 4-2 |
| 19 |  | John Mateer returned only 17 days after hand surgery, but he threw three interceptions and Texas pulled away in the second half for a 23-6 win at the Cotton Bowl. Sooners fans had to be wincing every time Mateer took a hit. Oklahoma has lost back-to-back games to Texas for the first time since 2008-09. | 13 | 5-1 |
| 20 |  | The Cougars were living on the edge late Saturday night, but pulled off a double-digit comeback in the fourth quarter and defeated Arizona 33-27 in double overtime. It was the largest fourth-quarter comeback by BYU in 10 years. BYU has won eight of its last nine road games. Next up is the Holy War against rival Utah. Buckle up. | -- | 6-0 |
| 21 |  | We're counting down the days until Memphis hosts South Florida on Oct. 25. The Tigers sat at home last week during an open date and travel this week to UAB, which fired head coach Trent Dilfer on Sunday. The three-way battle among Memphis, Tulane and USF for the American title is lowkey the most fascinating conference race in the country. | 2 | 6-0 |
| 22 |  | Vanderbilt can rebound and jump up the rankings this week when it hosts LSU in Nashville. The Commodores rested during an open date, licking their wounds following the loss to Alabama two weeks ago in Tuscaloosa. Diego Pavia against LSU's top-5 defense is must-see TV. | 2 | 5-1 |
| 23 |  | You knew Arizona State was in trouble when QB Jeff Sims was forced into action, but it probably wouldn't have mattered if Sam Leavitt was healthy Saturday night in Salt Lake City because the Utes demolished the Sun Devils in the trenches, scoring six touchdowns on the ground in a 42-10 win. | NR | 5-1 |
| 24 |  | Illinois did something no other team has done against Ohio State: score two touchdowns. The Illini still lost 34-16 at home, but it's clear while watching the film that this is a top-25 team with two losses to arguably the two best teams in the country. | 8 | 5-2 |
| 25 |  | The Wolverines are hanging in there despite a second loss against a top-25 team. It's concerning that the Wolverines' defense couldn't slow a USC team missing two starting offensive linemen and its leading running back. | 10 | 4-2 |
