College football Week 11 power ratings: Texas Tech moves into Tier 3 while Miami tumbles to Tier 5

There aren't many big changes to the top of the power rankings this week other than the Miami Hurricanes dropping down two tiers after getting upset by SMU. Meanwhile, Oklahoma and Utah move up after impressive wins on Saturday. 

Each week during the season, I'll break down the rankings by tiers so bettors can see where I cut off each group. I'll also move teams based on results, discuss changes in the betting market and set the hypothetical point spread from Tier 1 compared to the rest of the tiers. 

Stop by the SportsLine college football Discord channel or hit me up on X at @TheTomCasale to let me know if you agree or disagree with the rankings.

College football Week 11 power ratings 

Tier 1

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Alabama Crimson Tide

There is no change at the top with Ohio State and Alabama. The Crimson Tide had a bye week and Ohio State disposed of Penn State at home. The Buckeyes should cruise until the season finale against Michigan, while Alabama faces an LSU team on Saturday that already fired its head coach. These two looked locked in at the top spots.

Tier 2 (+2 from Tier 1)

3. Texas A&M Aggies
4. Georgia Bulldogs
5. Indiana Hoosiers
6. Oregon Ducks

The teams in Tier 2 are rated close together and just a step below Ohio State and Alabama. Oregon and Indiana have tricky road tests this week, although I think both teams find a way to win. Texas A&M faces another tough opponent in Missouri on Saturday. The Aggies can add to an already impressive resume with a win on the road. A win over the Tigers would likely move Texas A&M to the top tier next week. 

All these teams are serious contenders to win the National Championship, although I would make them slight underdogs against Ohio State and Alabama on a neutral field.

Tier 3 (+4 from Tier 1)

7. Ole Miss Rebels
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
9. Texas Longhorns
10. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Tier 3 is what I consider the most dangerous group moving forward. All these teams have stumbled at some point during the season, but they are good enough to compete for a title. 

We saw Miami move out of this tier after losing to SMU as a double-digit favorite. Texas Tech moves up a tier following its dominant road win over Kansas State. The Red Raiders have a massive game against BYU this week in a matchup between the Big 12's top two teams. We see how high the market is on Texas Tech with the Red Raiders being 10.5-point favorites over the undefeated Cougars.

The team that is most intriguing to me is Notre Dame. I mentioned after the Fighting Irish's two close losses to Miami and Texas A&M that I thought they would still run the table and make the College Football Playoff. Barring a major upset, the Irish are in the 12-team field and worth a look at +1100 to win the National Championship. 

Tier 4 (+8 from Tier 1)

11. Oklahoma Sooners
12. BYU Cougars
13. Vanderbilt Commodores
14. Missouri Tigers
15. Michigan Wolverines

Tier 4 is a group of very good teams that can beat anyone in the Top 10. Vanderbilt and Missouri are the epitome of this group. Both teams are playoff contenders, although they came up just short in their two biggest tests of the season. Missouri gets another shot to beat an elite opponent Saturday with Texas A&M coming to Columbia.

While all of these teams are College Football Playoff contenders, I would make them underdogs by over a touchdown against Ohio State and Alabama on a neutral field.

Tier 5 (+12 from Tier 1)

16. Utah Utes
17. Miami Hurricanes
18. USC Trojans

Miami tumbles down two tiers after its second loss of the season. Some people might wonder why I have the Hurricanes rated over Louisville and SMU - the two teams that defeated them. Keep in mind, these are betting power rankings. I would still make Miami slight favorites over those two on a neutral field, although it's really close. 

I make these three teams roughly 12-point dogs on a neutral field against either Ohio State or Alabama with Utah having the most upside of the four. I still believe the Utes are the only team talented enough to upset Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game. 

Tier 6 (+14 from Tier 1)

19. Louisville Cardinals
20. SMU Mustangs

Don't look now but Louisville and SMU are both serious threats to win the ACC and reach the College Football Playoff, especially with Georgia Tech losing on Saturday. The two teams face each other on Nov. 22 at SMU in what could be an elimination game for the ACC Championship. 

There isn't a big gap between Tier 5 and Tier 6. It's also a down year for the ACC and that's why the top three teams are rated 17 or lower. Out of the three, I think Louisville is the most complete and the team moving forward.

Next three: LSU Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, Washington Huskies