College Football Power Rankings: Oklahoma claws back into top 10 as defenses continue to carry CFP contenders
The Sooners' defense rose to the occasion again on Saturday in a pivotal road win over Alabama
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1 min read
Defense is taking over college football as we hit the final weeks of the regular season, and the nation's best teams are reminding us why.
Three of the sport's stingiest defenses now sit inside the top seven of the CBS Sports Power Rankings. Oklahoma clawed its way back into the top 10 by leaning on that side of the ball during the most impressive win of Week 12.
"There's not a more important stat in football than turnovers," Sooners coach Brent Venables said after the 23-21 road win at Alabama.
He's right. The Sooners won despite managing only 212 yards of offense, the fourth-fewest by a team in a win against a top-five opponent this century. They scored 21 points off those turnovers and also blocked a field goal to snap the Tide's 17-game home winning streak and hand Kalen DeBoer the first home loss of his Alabama career.
Meanwhile, Ohio State is on a historic pace, allowing only 7.5 points per game while extending its nation-leading winning streak to 14 games. The Buckeyes, by the way, needed only 203 yards of offense to beat preseason No. 1 Texas in Week 1, the second-fewest yards in a win against a top-five team this century.
Are you noticing the trend?
Undefeated Indiana isn't far behind. The Hoosiers rank No. 2 nationally in scoring defense and have outscored opponents by 348 points -- the best 11-game margin since Georgia's 2021 national title run.
Oh, and Texas Tech continued its cruise to the Big 12 Championship Game with the nation's third-best defense, demolishing UCF 48-9.
Offenses might be sexy, but defenses just get it done when injuries pile up and games against inferior competition get tight late in the season.
Biggest Movers
5
James Madison
6
Alabama
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The show goes on for Ohio State after a 48-10 victory against UCLA. The undefeated Buckeyes are allowing only 7.5 points per game, the sport's second-best showing through 10 games over the last 15 seasons. The last team to allow only 75 total points through 10 games was Michigan in 2023, and the Wolverines went on to win the national championship. | -- | 10-0 |
| 2 |  | The Hoosiers improved to 11-0 for the first time in school history with a 31-7 win against Wisconsin. Fernando Mendoza had twice as many touchdown passes (4) as he did incompletions (2) and broke the single-season school record with 30 passing touchdowns. The Hoosiers rest this week before ending the regular season at Purdue. | -- | 11-0 |
| 3 |  | The Aggies pulled off the largest comeback in school history, outscoring South Carolina 28-0 in the second half to storm back for a 31-30 win. The Aggies put up 371 yards of offense in the second half and needed only 19 minutes, 13 seconds of game time to recover from a 30-3 deficit. | -- | 10-0 |
| 4 |  | Gunner Stockton has been clutch against top 10 teams. The Georgia quarterback has scored 10 total touchdowns in two victories, including the five-TD performance in Saturday's 35-10, pull-away victory against Texas. The Bulldogs' defense held Texas to only 23 yards rushing, the program's fewest since 2017. | 1 | 9-1 |
| 5 |  | The Rebels overcame a 24-20 halftime deficit to pull away for a 34-24 victory against Florida. Ole Miss has won 10 games in three straight seasons for the first time in school history. Running back Kewan Lacy broke the single-season school record with his 18th rushing touchdown. The Rebels end the regular season in the Egg Bowl at Mississippi State. | 1 | 10-1 |
| 6 |  | Dante Moore broke the school record with the highest completion percentage in a game (90%) in the Ducks' 42-13 blowout victory against Minnesota. Coach Dan Lanning moved to 33-0 against unranked teams. | 1 | 9-1 |
| 7 |  | Texas Tech's push to get linebacker Jacob Rodriguez in the Heisman Trophy conversation resulted in an offensive touchdown on a 2-yard run on a direct snap in a 48-9 victory against UCF. He also picked off a pass and led the Red Raiders with nine tackles. Tech reached 10 wins for the seventh time in school history. | 1 | 10-1 |
| 8 |  | Notre Dame won its eighth straight game after starting 0-2 with a 37-15 demolition of Pitt on the road Saturday. The 22-point loss was Pitt's largest loss at home as a ranked team since 1984. The Irish are outscoring opponents by an average of 25.6 points during their winning streak. | 1 | 8-2 |
| 9 |  | The Sooners pulled off the best win of the weekend at Alabama, scoring 17 points off three turnovers in a 23-21 victory. The Sooners own four wins against AP-ranked teams, tying the Tide for the most in the country. The Sooners had only 212 yards of offense, the fourth-fewest by a team in a win against a top five team this century. | 4 | 8-2 |
| 10 |  | Kalen DeBoer suffered the first home loss of his Alabama career and the Tide's eight-game winning streak was snapped in the loss to the Sooners. Ty Simpson threw his first career pick six and was sacked four times. | 6 | 8-2 |
| 11 |  | Deigo Pavia and Co. rested last week ahead of their home finale against Kentucky later this week. The College Football Playoff is still in play for the 8-2 Commodores. | 1 | 8-2 |
| 12 |  | BYU picked up its largest win against a current Big 12 member in a 44-13 victory against TCU. Bear Bachmeier co-leads the country with at least one passing touchdown and one rushing score in seven games. | 2 | 9-1 |
| 13 |  | The Trojans rallied from a 14-0 deficit to defeat Iowa 26-21 and keep the Trojans alive in the CFP race. Jayden Maiava threw for 254 yards and one touchdown. The Trojans travel to Oregon (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS) needing a win to stay alive for a CFP berth. | 2 | 8-2 |
| 14 |  | Four one-loss teams remain at the top of the ACC standings thanks to Georgia Tech's comeback in a strange, back-and-forth 36-34 victory against one-win Boston College. Haynes King was again prolific, recording 424 total yards. | 3 | 9-1 |
| 15 |  | What a strange year for the two-loss Hurricanes. They are tied with THE third-most wins against AP ranked teams this season (3) and yet they're not among the foursome tied atop the ACC standings. Carson Beck threw for 291 yards in a 41-7 shellacking of NC State. | 3 | 8-2 |
| 16 |  | Utah's offense is among the most potent in the country. The Utes scored 40-plus for a seventh time this season, tying for the most in the country, in a 55-28 road win at Baylor. Utah is averaging 51 points in the last three games, a blistering pace not seen since Urban Meyer patrolled the sidelines in 2004. | 3 | 8-2 |
| 17 |  | Michigan became the first Big Ten team in this century to win a conference game despite losing the turnover battle 5-0. The Wolverines' Dominic Zvada walked off the 24-22 victory against Northwestern with a 31-yard field goal at Wrigley Field. The big news after the game? RB Justice Haynes will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing foot surgery. | 3 | 8-2 |
| 18 |  | Virginia is one victory away from the single-season school record of 10 wins after a 34-17 victory against Duke. Chandler Morris returned and threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns with two picks. The Cavaliers are one of those four aforementioned ACC teams tied atop the standings. | 3 | 9-2 |
| 19 |  | Tennessee rolled New Mexico State 42-9, its seventh 40-point game of the season. Joey Aguilar threw for a season-low 204 yards and threw two interceptions. He's up to four picks in the last two games. Next up is a trip to The Swamp in a rivalry game against Florida. | 3 | 7-3 |
| 20 |  | James Madison is on a roll offensively. The Dukes defeated Appalachian State 58-10, scoring seven rushing touchdowns, the school's most ever as an FBS team. App State is the only Group of Five team to score 55 points or more in back-to-back home games. The Dukes need the American teams to continue to eat each other to jump into the CFP as the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. | 5 | 9-1 |
| 21 |  | The Hawkeyes have lost 13 straight games against AP-ranked teams dating back to 2021, and yet they have played every opponent close this season. Saturday marked the first time they lost a game with a 14-point lead since 2020. | 5 | 6-4 |
| 22 |  | North Texas jumps into the top 25 following a 53-24 throttling of UAB. The Mean Green are also in the AP poll this week for the first time since 1959. North Texas scored 21 points off four turnovers and Caleb Hawkins rushed for 189 yards and a school-record five touchdowns. | NR | 9-1 |
| 23 |  | SMU can still reach the ACC Championship Game for a second straight season, but the Mustangs to beat Louisville and Cal and hope for Virginia Tech to upset Virginia and Pitt to upset Georgia Tech. The Mustangs host Louisville this week. | NR | 7-3 |
| 24 |  | The Illinis handed Maryland its sixth straight loss with a 24-6 victory. Bret Bielema leads the Illini against his former program, Wisconsin, this week. | NR | 7-3 |
| 25 |  | Tulane moved to 5-0 at home for only the third time in the last 30 seasons with a 35-24 victory against FAU. The Green Wave have scored 35 points in back-to-back games for the first time this season. The American title race is set for a thrilling finish. | NR | 8-2 |
