AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 21: ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit walks on the field before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)Another week of college football has come and gone. With it, comes another set of rankings from Kirk Herbstreit.
On another Saturday marred by canceled and postponed games, some of the country’s best teams still put on a show. The Big Ten featured two Top-25 match-ups between No. 3 Ohio State and No. 9 Indiana in the East and No. 10 Wisconsin and No. 19 Northwestern in the West. The Buckeyes and the Wildcats emerged victorious, establishing their respective grasps on each division. Meanwhile, Oklahoma dismantled Oklahoma State in Bedlam in Norman.
The country’s top teams faced relatively little adversity on Saturday. Alabama blew out Kentucky 63-3, while Florida downed Vanderbilt. Ohio State barely got past Indiana 42-35 and finally showed signs of weakness. Notre Dame and Clemson did not play on Saturday.
Without many upsets near the top, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit left his “Top 6” rankings mostly the same.
Here’s the full look at Herbstreit’s rankings after week 12:
- Alabama
- Notre Dame
- Clemson
- Ohio State
- Florida
- Cincinnati
My top 4 after week 12
1-@AlabamaFTBL
2-@NDFootball
3-@ClemsonFB
4-@OhioStateFB
Next 2@GatorsFB @GoBearcatsFB— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 22, 2020
Alabama and Notre Dame retain the top two spots after Herbstreit put them there last week.
The only change from Herbstreit’s Week 11 rankings come at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots. Clemson didn’t play this weekend but leapt up one spot above Ohio State. Justin Fields and the Buckeyes looked out-of-sync against the Hoosiers, particularly in the secondary. Florida comfortably beat Vanderbilt, but probably won’t be able to jump unless one of the top-4 teams lose in the coming weeks. Cincinnati faced their toughest test of the year, sliding past UCF 36-33.
A handful of teams find themselves on the outside looking in at Herbstreit’s rankings. Most notably, 8-0 BYU and one-loss Texas A&M still haven’t cracked into the top six. Undefeated Oregon and Northwestern also have an argument to be ranked amongst the nation’s elite.
All this to say, there’s still a lot of college football left to play this year. Stay tuned for more coverage as the postseason continues to take shape.
