2024 SID Sports Bowl Season Rankings

Breaking down the Top 25 and players of the week after Conference Champions

Now, it’s time for the postseason to start up in full! Conference champions have been crowned and the College Football Playoff Committee has decided the bracket. The stage is set.

So, for one last time, let’s get into it. Who’s the Top 25 teams in the nation right now?

To avoid repeating myself, only teams that played last week or ordering notes will have write ups. I’m sure you don’t want to hear me ramble on about the same teams over and over again.

SID Sports Bowl Season Top 25

1. Oregon 13-0 LW: 1
   Oregon, once again, proved they can win close games against good teams when they outlasted Penn State 45-37 in a thrilling Big Ten Championship. The Ducks led the entire way, but Penn State showed that you can move the ball on the vaunted Duck defense. Dillon Gabriel, as he as been all season, was outstanding. Jordan James was solid on the ground and Tez Johnson posted his best game of the season. The Ducks are still the undisputed top team in the nation

2. Notre Dame 11-1 LW: 2

3. Georgia 11-2 LW: 6
   Even with Carson Beck injured, the Dawgs prevailed. Backup Gunnar Stockton wasn’t great, but did what was needed of him to keep Georgia afloat in the second half. It took overtime, but the SEC Championship was decided by the Georgia defense. Sure, Texas racked up a ton of yards, but two clutch interceptions of Quinn Ewers and only allowing one touchdown did the job. It’s been a shaky season in Athens, but Georgia is hitting their stride early. Let’s just see what Beck’s status is and/or how Stockton prepares for his first collegiate starts in the playoffs.

4. Indiana 11-1 LW: 5

5. Penn State 11-2 LW: 4
   Props to Penn State, the offense showed up. They just got beat, plain and simple. Make no mistake, the Nittany Lions are a dangerous team that very well could run the table. Don’t count out James Franklin’s squad just because of his reputation -this team is different than years past.

6. Texas 11-2 LW: 3
   Is it just Georgia that the Longhorns can’t beat, or is that indicative of a larger problem? This time, Quinn Ewers was as close to 100 percent as we’ve seen since the season started, but the running game dried up after looking promising the last few weeks. Is it that Texas just can’t win up front against championship caliber teams? Or is it that Kirby Smart and Glen Schumann have the answer to the Longhorns’ offense? Texas undoubtedly has the talent to go far in this year’s playoffs, but they also haven’t played well against Top 25 teams. Right now, they have zero wins over opponents ranked in my, AP, or CFP Top 25 polls.

7. Ohio State 10-2 LW: 8

8. Boise State 12-1 LW: 9
   Boise State ran roughshod over UNLV on the Smurf Turf to claim their second consecutive Mountain West Title. Ashton Jeanty, as always, was terrific. But the real star of the show was the Boise State defense. UNLV gashed them for some major yards and points when the teams last played, but the Broncos tightened up the gaps and locked down Hajj-Malik Williams and the Runnin’ Rebels. Many people may discount the Broncos in the playoffs, but do so at your own risk. Their defense is really underrated and Jeanty will finally be back to health after three weeks of rest.

9. Arizona State 11-2 LW: 12
   So, uh, yeah. Arizona State belongs. A 45-19 drubbing of Iowa State proves that. The preseason pick to finish last in the Big 12 is headed to the Playoff. Sam Leavitt was great through the air and didn’t feel the loss of Jordyn Tyson at all. Cam Skattebo posted 170 yards on 16 carries for two touchdowns. The defense forced two fumbles. Arizona State may have flown beneath the rader here, but they are a legit quality team.

10. Tennessee 10-2 LW: 10

11. South Carolina 9-3 LW: 11

    I have South Carolina higher than most because of two reasons: a) they beat Clemson head-to-head just two weeks ago, and b) they’ve been as hot as anybody in the nation. Alabama take a seat, South Carolina is the real team to complain in all of this.

12. Clemson 10-3 LW: 19
    I’ll be honest, I didn’t think Clemson had it in them. They held off a torrid SMU comeback to claim the ACC Championship and snipe the playoff bid from the upstart Mustangs. Cade Klubnik wasn’t the most efficient, going 24-of-41 passing, but got the job done with 262 passing yards and four touchdowns. Even with the Tiger rushing game stifled by the SMU front seven, Clemson was able to pick through the SMU secondary and put together a really solid game. I’m unsure about their playoff run, but the Tigers are at least in.

13. SMU 11-2 LW: 7
    Let’s start with this: SMU should 100 percent have gotten the nod over Alabama. I’d call it a toss-up between them and South Carolina, but you see how I lean on that. The Mustangs had a slow start, but a hot fourth quarter almost punched the ticket for SMU. Kevin Jennings was great, aside from one interception, and Brashard Smith is one of the nation’s most underrated backs. The Ponies will need to get more solid on the defensive side, though, if they want to prove they belong with the big boys.

14. Miami 10-2 LW: 14

15. Alabama 9-3 LW: 15

16. Ole Miss 9-3 LW: 16

17. BYU 10-2 LW: 17

18. Iowa State 10-3 LW: 13
    A really bad showing from Iowa State drops them down here. Still, a solid season in Ames, if not a bit disappointing. I’m still shocked by how the defense turned all-or-nothing towards the end of the season. Unfortunately for Cyclone fans, that turned into nothing more often than not. It’s rare you see a team that had a strong unti seemingly disintegrate down the stretch, but that’s what happened for the Cyclone defense. A solid bowl win would mark this as a good season for Iowa State.

19. Army 11-1 LW: 23
    Army’s good vibes keep on rolling heading into Army-Navy week with a healthy 35-14 win over Tulane. There had been a lot of buzz about how Tulane’s defense would be good enough to shut down Army’s triple option attack, but apparently nobody told Bryson Daily or Kanye Udoh about that. Army passed the ball only twice, racking up 338 rushing yards on the day with 6.1 yards per carry. I’d love to see the Black Knights in the playoffs, but a blowout by Notre Dame and a Tulane loss to Memphis made that an impossibility.

20. Colorado 9-3 LW: 20

21. Illinois 9-3 LW: 21

22. Syracuse 9-3 LW: 22

23. UNLV 10-3 LW: 18
    UNLV’s fall ends here. The Runnin’ Rebels didn’t have their best showing of the season, but that shouldn’t take away from their great overall season. But there’s cracks showing in the offense’s armor. Hajj-Malik Williams looked overmatched by Boise State’s defense all game. And it wasn’t just because of the location reminders showing him Boise on a map in an all-time troll job. It’s hard to say what changed that kept UNLV from staying with the Broncos like in their first meeting, but something changed.

24. Marshall 10-3 LW: Next Five Out
    The Thundering Herd are your Sun Belt Champions! Marshall absolutely beat the brakes off of Louisiana in a 31-3 blowout to win their first Sun Belt Crown. The Marshall offense couldn’t be beat, the defense couldn’t be touched. It was all-around domination.

25. LSU 9-3 LW: 24

Next Five Out: Memphis, Texas A&M, Tulane, Missouri, Duke

The only new entrants here are Tulane and Duke. Tulane was on the flip side of the bad loss to Army, but that was largely helped by special teams blunders. The Green Wave offense played solid, but the defense was still overmatched. They’re going to be a tough squad to beat in a bowl. Duke joins the party after a solid 9-3 season in Manny Diaz’s first year. Quarterback Maalik Murphy should return and the Blue Devils may be sleeper picks for the ACC crown next season.

Players of the Week

Finally, let’s get into some of the best individual performances of this week.

1. Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon
   Against perhaps the best defense he’s seen all season, Gabriel played his best. He completed 22 of 32 p[assing attempts for 283 yards and four touchdowns, connecting early and often with his favorite target, Tez Johnson. Gabriel also took only one sack against a solid Penn State pass rush, so he better show appreciation to his offensive line.

2. Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State
   Arizona State runs behing their star tailback and Skattebo made his mark in a big way. The senior didn’t break a sweat against Iowa State’s defense, taking his 16 carries for 170 yards - a 10.6 yard per carry average - and two touchdowns. As if that’s not enough, he also caught a touchdown from Sam Leavitt.

3. Bryson Daily, QB, Army
   Two completions for 17 yards doesn’t often get you here, but Daily did just that, completing both of his passing attempts against Tulane. The senior really shined on the ground with 126 yards on 25 carries for four touchdowns.

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What I’m Reading:

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An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.

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