FAVORITE TEAMS

Good morning, everyone! November is the month where chaos reigns in college football. The next four weeks of will be insanity. No one is safe and the standings will continue shifting for every conference until the third week or last week of November. Teams like Ohio State, Alabama, and Georgia aren’t safe, and conferences like the Big 12 and Pac-12 are lurking for playoff positioning. Once the smoke clears, we’ll see who survives and advance to their respective conference championships. Hold on to your seatbelts people!

Also, I’m posting this as the AP Poll rankings. I’m not using the College Football Playoff rankings setup since I have a lot of other stuff to work on for the NFL and the World Cup. Have a great day everyone!

#1 GEORGIA (8-0) – Georgia approaches November with a tricky situation. They host a hot Tennessee team. They follow up with back-to-back road games against Mississippi State and Kentucky before finishing at home against Georgia Tech. The Dawgs upcoming three games will be the deciding factor of their SEC East division opportunity and playoff opportunity. If they want to afford a loss, it should only be against the Vols.

#2 TENNESSEE (8-0) – The Volunteers of Tennessee has one more test: the Georgia Bulldogs. A win could solidify their spot in the SEC Championship. After them, they play Missouri as a sendoff at home before their last two road games at South Carolina and Vanderbilt. A win over Georgia will make Hendon Hooker the new sheriff in town since Peyton Manning in the late ’90s.

#2 OHIO STATE (8-0) – The Buckeyes go back-and-forth in road and home this month. Northwestern and Indiana are cakewalks. The road to Maryland will be tricky with a potential shootout. If they survive, they have an epic matchup with Michigan at home that will decide the Big Ten East winner.

#4 MICHIGAN (8-0) – Just like the Buckeyes, Michigan has a treacherous road ahead. Rutgers and Nebraska should be cakewalks. But then things get dicey as they host Bret Bielema and a hot Illinois team. If they survive, they have an epic matchup on the road at Ohio State, which decides the Big Ten East winner. If things set up well, Michigan could see Illinois again.

#5 CLEMSON (8-0) – November is the month where Clemson must wake up. They travel to South Bend for a potential trap game. They finish the rest of their regular season at home against Louisville, Miami, and South Carolina. Any of the three could end Clemson’s playoff hopes and potentially more.

#6 ALABAMA (7-1) – The bye is much needed to clean up the miscues after the issues they went through in October. A lot will be put on Bryce Young to carry the Tide through November. They have two more treacherous road games at LSU and Ole Miss before finishing things off against Austin Peay and Auburn at home. Surviving the road will put them in great position for the SEC championship.

#7 TCU (8-0) – The Horned Frogs stay undefeated and in Texas for the rest of the season. They host Texas Tech and Iowa State but travel to Texas and Baylor. Don’t sleep on TCU, but don’t expect anything from them either. Any of their remaining opponents could end their run prior to the Big 12 Championship.

#8 OREGON (7-1) – Oregon has one of the toughest schedules in November that will test their meddle. They travel to Colorado for a cakewalk game. Then they host against Washington and Utah before traveling to Corvalis to meet Oregon State. The Ducks are hot, but let’s hope we’re talking about their run and not a cooked duck for dinner while other Pac-12 teams play in a conference championship.

#9 USC (7-1) – The Trojans bounce back and have the last two weeks of tough matchups at UCLA and a home finale against Notre Dame. Prior to that, they host Cal and Colorado for easy wins. I almost forgot to mention that USC is in California for the rest of the season.

#10 UCLA (7-1) – The Bruins has some ground to make up with needed help from others to defeat Oregon. The Bruins handle business as usual against the state of Arizona in back-to-back weeks. Then they host USC for a renewed epic rivalry showdown in a 4-way Pac-12 fight (Utah vs Oregon) on November 19th for the top two spots in the conference.

#11 OLE MISS (8-1) – The Rebels set themselves up for what could be an SEC West shake-up if Alabama is unable to survive November. Ole Miss is currently on a bye before they host Bama after Bama plays LSU. Then, Ole Miss travels to Arkansas and host their rival, Mississippi State. Ole Miss still has a shot at an SEC West title and potentially a playoff spot if anyone wants to believe it.

#12 UTAH (6-2) – Utah couldn’t keep up with UCLA and suffered their second loss. Fortunately, they bounced back the next week with a major upset over USC to stay in the Pac-12 title race. Quarterback Cam Rising and Tavion Thomas were out against Washington State, but they overcame adversity to win in Pullman for the first time since 2011. They enter November with the easiest road to the Pac-12 championship with only Oregon standing in their way.

#13 KANSAS STATE (6-2) – The Wildcats played their best game this season against the state of Oklahoma that were previously in the Top 10 this season, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Any of the remaining opponents on their schedule could end Kansas State’s hopes. They play Texas and Kansas in the regular season finale but also travel to Baylor and West Virginia, and those stadiums are some of the worst places to play in the Big 12 this late in the season.

#14 ILLINOIS (7-1) – The Fighting Illini could be well-established for a big run through November. They host Michigan State and follow up with a big matchup against Purdue for control of the Big Ten West. Then they travel to Michigan for a conference shake up opportunity before traveling to play their rival, Northwestern. If Michigan and Illinois finish off their last week with a win, they could see each other again.

#15 LSU (6-2) – LSU overcame October and went 3-1 after their skeptical start this season. The Tigers and Brian Kelly are figuring things out and also have a playoff opportunity, believe it or not. They host vulnerable Alabama and UAB. Then, they follow up with tricky road matchups against Arkansas and Texas A&M. Upsetting Bama would set their path off to a strong start, but they must stay poised against their Southwest counterparts of the division to win the SEC West.

#16 PENN STATE (6-2) – The Nittany Lions failed to defeat Michigan and Ohio State last month. But it’s ok because they’re deemed one of the top four Big Ten teams. Their remaining games against Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers, and Michigan State should cap off their month at 4-0.

#17 NORTH CAROLINA (7-1) – North Carolina is quietly playing their best football this season thanks to freshmen phenom Drake Maye. Under the leadership of Mack Brown, the Heels see themselves in the ACC championship if they finish November strong. They face three of their rivals in the last four games (at Virginia, at Wake Forest, and home against NC State). Georgia Tech could be sneaky, but the offense is good enough to put them down.

#18 OKLAHOMA STATE (6-2) – The Pokes’ playoff hopes and potentially Big 12 championship hopes could be all for not. However, they still have some ground to make up with needed help from any team playing TCU and Kansas State in November. Oklahoma State faces Kansas on the road. Then they host Iowa State before traveling to Norman to face their rival in Oklahoma. Then they finish off their home stand against West Virginia. They can’t sleep on the Jayhawks, who are looking for one more win for bowl-eligibility. They also can’t sleep on the Sooners because they’re looking for revenge.

#19 TULANE (7-1) – The Green Wave is flowing steadily in 2022. Despite the Southern Miss loss, they took care of four 2021 bowl-eligible teams, including currently ranked Kansas State. They look like the most complete team in the AAC, but let’s see how fare coming off a bye next week. Road games against Tulsa and Cincinnati and home games against UCF and SMU is a recipe for chaos for the team in NOLA.

#20 WAKE FOREST (6-2) – Wake got walloped by quarterback Malik Cunningham and defense last week, so their Atlantic and ACC title hopes are over. It gets worse because their November schedule is one of the toughest in the nation. They play at NC State, at home against both UNC and Syracuse, and travel to Durham to face Duke. Their first three opponents, for now, are ranked. Wake’s ranking hopes look bleak as of now.

#21 NC STATE (6-2) – The Wolfpack goes into November with false optimism. They lost to ranked Clemson and Syracuse, and also lost quarterback Devin Leary to a season-ending injury. The team’s scrambling for a new quarterback to finish off strong. Unfortunately, their November schedule puts them in a tough spot. They play back-to-back home games against Wake Forest and Boston College and road games against Louisville and North Carolina. Their month could end between 2-2 and 0-4

#22 SYRACUSE (6-2) – The Angry Orange lost back-to-back games this season and have plenty to make up for. Games at Pittsburgh, home against Florida State, and the last two games on the road at Wake Forest and Boston College won’t be easy. If they have the juice to overcome adversity, this would be the time to churn out for a 10-win regular season finish.

#23 LIBERTY (7-1) – Hugh Freeze’s contract extension should motivate Liberty to finish the season strong. Freeze travels to Fayetteville to face his former SEC West foe in Arkansas. Then they travel northeast to play Jim Mora’s UConn Huskies. Finally, they finish their regular season at home against Virginia Tech and New Mexico State. I’m unsure where Liberty will play for a bowl game but finishing the month at 4-0 and going 11-1 would be a great way to cap off the Flames’ season along with Freeze’s pay raise.

#24 OREGON STATE (6-2) – The Beavers could be the world-enders of the Pac-12, but it starts with a road matchup against the Washington Huskies. If they take care of business this weekend, they host Cal and travel to Arizona State. Then they come back home to host Oregon, who has Utah prior to this matchup. Whether Oregon wins or not, they might be worn down to where Oregon State could end the Ducks’ hopes of a Pac-12 title appearance and playoff hopes.

#25 UCF (6-2) – The Knights are in prime position to play in the AAC championship. Unfortunately, they will be tested in their first two games on the road at Memphis and Tulane. Then, they host Navy before traveling to Tampa to face their in-state rival in USF. The first two games will decide UCF’s fate for an AAC title appearance.