Our Weekly college football top 25 rankings are a big part of every season, and OTL will update its top 25 following the games each weekend. The 11th weekend of the 2022 season was headlined by Washington’s upset of Oregon, Alabama’s win at Ole Miss, TCU’s victory over Texas, and UCLA’s loss to Arizona. Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and Tennessee take the top four spots, with TCU at No. 5, LSU at No. 6 and Alabama at No. 7 in the post-Week 11 top 25 rankings. With the 11th week of the 2022 season officially in the books, here are the top 25 teams in college football:
College Football Top 25 Rankings (After Week 11)
1. Georgia (10-0)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Mississippi State
Quarterback Stetson Bennett recorded four overall touchdowns to ensure Georgia avoided a letdown loss at Mississippi State (45-19 final). The Bulldogs led 17-12 at halftime but pulled away in the final two quarters thanks to Bennett’s strong play and a defense that limited Mike Leach’s offense to just 4.6 yards a snap over 67 plays.
2. Ohio State (10-0)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Indiana
As expected, Ohio State dominated on both sides of the ball to crush Indiana 56-14. Injuries in the backfield are adding up for coach Ryan Day’s team, however. TreVeyon Henderson should return soon, but Miyan Williams left with an injury after rushing for 147 yards on 15 carries.
3. Michigan (10-0)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Nebraska
Another week, another dominant victory for Michigan. The Wolverines dominated from the opening snap, dispatching Nebraska 34-3 on Saturday afternoon. Running back Blake Corum ran for 162 yards to power an offense that averaged six yards a snap. The Wolverines allowed only three points and limited the Cornhuskers to just 146 overall yards.
4. Tennessee (9-1)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Missouri
A week after Georgia’s defense kept Tennessee’s offense in check, the Volunteers posted 724 yards in a 66-24 rout of Missouri. Quarterback Hendon Hooker added to his Heisman profile with 355 passing yards and three touchdowns, with receiver Jalin Hyatt (seven catches for 146 yards) as the No. 1 target. Upcoming games against South Carolina and Vanderbilt should help Tennessee get to 11-1 and make a strong case for the CFB Playoff.
5. TCU (10-0)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Texas
A 17-10 victory at Texas is a statement win for coach Sonny Dykes’ squad. The Horned Frogs were a touchdown underdog but leaned on a standout defensive effort (3.3 yards per play) and got a few timely plays on offense to leave Austin with the victory. The win over the Longhorns also booked a trip for TCU to the Big 12 title game.
6. LSU (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Arkansas
Freshman linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. recorded eight tackles (four for a loss), four sacks and two forced fumbles in a monster defensive effort to ensure LSU wouldn’t have a hangover loss to Arkansas. The Tigers managed only 284 total yards in a 13-10 victory, but Saturday’s win in Fayetteville (and Alabama’s victory against Ole Miss) clinched the SEC West title for coach Brian Kelly.
7. Alabama (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Ole Miss
Assessing Alabama’s motivation with the SEC West out of reach and road struggles this year was a huge question coming into Saturday’s game at Ole Miss. Although the performance was far from perfect, the Crimson Tide deserve credit for not packing it in and winning in a tough spot. Quarterback Bryce Young threw for 209 yards and three scores, the rushing attack churned out valuable yardage in the second half, and the defense made a couple of timely stops late to secure the win.
8. USC (9-1)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Colorado
The Trojans had a sluggish start but pulled away for a 55-17 victory over Colorado on Friday night. The news from the win wasn’t all good for coach Lincoln Riley, as running back Travis Dye suffered a season-ending injury against the Buffaloes.
9. Clemson (9-1)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Louisville
It wasn’t perfect, but Clemson got a much-needed 31-16 victory over Louisville to keep its playoff hopes alive and erase some of the bad feelings from last week’s loss at Notre Dame. Turnovers (three) and some iffy defensive play (six yards a play allowed) need to be addressed. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei played most of the way at quarterback and accounted for 217 total yards and two scores.
10. Utah (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Stanford
Quarterback Cam Rising threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Tavion Thomas accumulated 180 yards and two scores on the ground to lead Utah to an easy 42-7 win over Stanford. Up next: A huge road date at Oregon.
11. Penn State (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Maryland
Freshman running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 195 yards and two scores to power a ground game that averaged 5.8 yards per carry in a 30-0 blowout of Maryland. The defense recorded seven sacks and limited the Terrapins to only 134 total yards. Penn State has won its last two games by a combined score of 75-14.
12. North Carolina (9-1)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Wake Forest
Thanks to Saturday night’s 36-34 win over Wake Forest, the Tar Heels clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game against Clemson on Dec. 3. Quarterback Drake Maye led the way in the victory, torching the Demon Deacons for 519 total yards and four overall scores.
13. Washington (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Oregon
The Huskies scored their first victory in Eugene since 2016 and ended Oregon’s playoff hopes with a 37-34 upset over the Ducks. Washington averaged 9.2 yards a play, scored on seven of the team’s nine drives and got a brilliant performance from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (408 passing yards and two touchdowns).
14. Oregon (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Lost to Washington
The Ducks’ playoff hopes ended after Washington stunned coach Dan Lanning’s team 37-34 in Eugene. Oregon simply had no answers on defense to stop the Huskies’ passing game (408 yards). However, the Ducks are still in good shape to play for a Pac-12 title if it can beat Utah and Oregon State in the next two weeks.
15. Ole Miss (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Lost to Alabama
The Rebels outgained Alabama (403 to 317), but three drives that ended in Crimson Tide territory without points were a big reason why coach Lane Kiffin’s team came up just short in a 30-24 loss. The defeat eliminated Ole Miss from SEC West contention. However, with wins over Arkansas and Mississippi State the next two weeks, the Rebels would have double-digit victories for the second year in a row.
16. UCLA (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Lost to Arizona
The Bruins outgained Arizona 465 to 436, but the Wildcats did a better job at finishing drives and got key a defensive stop or two with the game up for grabs.
17. Kansas State (7-3)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Baylor
Will Howard delivered once again (19 of 27 for 196 yards and three scores) after Adrian Martinez was lost due to injury in a surprisingly dominant 31-3 victory over Baylor. In addition to Howard’s clutch play, the Wildcats got 156 total yards from running back Deuce Vaughn, while the defense forced two turnovers and got two stops on fourth down to prevent any Baylor comeback.
18. Notre Dame (7-3)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Navy
It was a tale of two halves in Baltimore, but Notre Dame held on for a 35-32 over Navy. The Fighting Irish led 35-13 at the half behind an offense that averaged 9.2 yards per play. However, the offense recorded only 12 yards in the second half, and the defense gave up 19 points over the final two quarters. Although coach Marcus Freeman has plenty to work on, his team successfully avoided a massive letdown after the win versus Clemson last week.
19. Florida State (7-3)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Syracuse
The Seminoles crushed Syracuse 38-3 to continue their late-season surge under coach Mike Norvell. Florida State has won its last three games by a combined score of 124-22.
20. UCF (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Tulane
The Knights are in full control of the AAC and a trip to a New Year’s Six bowl after a 38-31 victory at Tulane. Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee led a ground game that rushed for 336 yards, and the defense limited a standout Green Wave rushing attack to just 155 yards (with 70 coming on one play).
21. Tulane (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Lost to UCF
Defense and the ground game were two strengths of Tulane in 2022, but both areas struggled in Saturday’s 38-31 loss to UCF. Although the defeat is a setback, coach Willie Fritz’s squad can still get to the conference title game by beating SMU and Cincinnati in its next two games.
22. Cincinnati (8-2)
Week 11 Result: Defeated East Carolina
The Bearcats used a couple of big plays on offense and a kickoff return for a touchdown to beat East Carolina 27-25. The Bearcats play at Temple next week before a crucial showdown against Tulane in Week 13.
23. Coastal Carolina (9-1)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Southern Miss
No Grayson McCall? No problem for Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers beat Southern Miss 26-23 to clinch a spot in the Sun Belt title game.
24. Oregon State (7-3)
Week 11 Result: Defeated California
Saturday night’s 38-10 win over California clinched back-to-back seasons of at least seven victories for Oregon State. That’s the first time the program reached that mark since 2012-13.
25. Oklahoma State (7-3)
Week 11 Result: Defeated Louisiana Tech
Quarterback Spencer Sanders didn’t start due to injury, but he came off the bench to throw for 84 yards and a score and help the Cowboys beat Iowa State 20-14.
The Next Tier: Texas, NC State, UTSA, Troy, Illinois, Duke, Purdue, Minnesota, Liberty, South Alabama