2024 SID Sports Week 13 Rankings

Breaking down the Top 25 and players of the week after Week 12

Sorry for being late on this two weeks in a row, but a holiday and some family things kept me from my computer ahead of the usual Monday release. Expect this to stay on Mondays going forward.

It seems like each and every week I’m looking at the games for my Games of the Slot article (read those on Fridays!) and feeling a little underwhelmed by the overall games. Sure, there’s quite a few good ones each week, but most aren’t drawn up to be close games.

But each and every week, I’m proven wrong by some wild, chaotic nonsense that knocks off a good team and throws everything into chaos. And boy do we have chaos now. So let’s sort through that mess and rank the Top 25!

SID Sports Week 13 Top 25

1. Oregon 11-0 LW: 1
   For the first time since their game against Ohio State, Oregon looked vulnerable last week. That’s not what you want to see as the season comes to a close for the unanimous number one team. Oregon’s offense just didn’t click for whatever reason and, despite only 96 passing yards from Wisconsin that led to Phil Longo getting fired, Wisconsin hung around. You can’t have that if you’re the Ducks, especially with a heated rivalry against a Washington team Dan Lanning has never beaten looming.

2. Ohio State 9-1 LW: 2
   Ohio State, on the other hand, took care of business in a 31-7 win over Northwestern. In all honesty, if Oregon didn’t have the head-to-head win, I may put the Buckeyes above them following last week’s games. Also, this Buckeye team is really good all around. I’m excited for this week’s presumptive Game of the Week at the Horseshoe.

3. Indiana 10-0 LW: 4
   Speaking of that Game of the Week, Indiana is fresh off a bye and fresh off a Curt Cignetti extension (more on that later this week). Sure, the Hoosiers haven’t played anyone for real this year, but they’ve annihilated everyone in their path. Ohio State is a different breed, but Cignetti and quarterback Kurtis Rourke have time to gameplan. That’ll make the Hoosiers much more dangerous.

4. Texas 9-1 LW: 5
   I’ll be the first to admit, I wasn’t impressed by Texas’ win over Arkansas. The Razorbacks seemed to win in the trenches, which is my main concern for this Longhorn team. Well, that coupled with an ineffective running game. I don’t know if Quinn Ewers is fully healthy, but they’ll need to figure out how to win in the trenches and run the ball to make a deep playoff run or even escape the tight SEC race.

5. SMU 9-1 LW: 8
   SEC chaos springs the Ponies into the Top Five, but it’s debatable on whether or not they deserve it after a scare against Boston College. The offense isn’t the problem in Dallas, so don’t point the finger at either Kevin Jennings or Brashard Smith. Instead, look to a defense that surrendered 417 yards of offense to the Eagles. Still, SMU was in control for most of the game. It’s cause for concern for sure, but not quite panic yet.

6. Alabama 8-2 LW: 10
   I’m not getting into what happened against Mercer. Instead, the Tide jump to the top of the two-loss SEC mess based on the win over Georgia. A loss to Tennessee makes conference tiebreakers interesting, but I think the body of work aside from those two puts the Tide on top.

7. Ole Miss 8-2 LW: 7
   Speaking of that two-loss SEC mess, we’re sorting it out here and now. Ole Miss and Alabama haven’t played, but a win over Georgia gets the Rebels above the Dawgs. Alabama beat LSU while Ole Miss lost to the Tigers, hence the Tide getting the nod over the Rebs.

8. Georgia 8-2 LW: 15
   And there’s the Dawgs. Their convincing win over Tennessee is the best of the two-loss bunch, but losses head-to-head against Alabama and Ole Miss keep them below them here. Carson Beck looked great, the offensive line held up against Tennessee’s pass rush. Things are shaping up for another dangerous Georgia team come playoff time.

9. Notre Dame 9-1 LW: 9
   We’ll momentarily depart the SEC to travel to Notre Dame, who handily beat a plucky upstart Virginia team. Riley Leonard played one of his better games in a golden dome and the Irish defense forced five turnovers. Notre Dame has one of the nation’s top defensive units, and if Leonard and the Irish offense can keep pace, Notre Dame could be a hard out in December.

10. Penn State 9-1 LW: 11

    Penn State did what they were supposed to and beat the snot out of Purdue. Drew Allar had more touchdowns than incompletions. Tyler Warren was virtually unstoppable. The defense shut down anything the Boilermakers tried. That’s what I want to see from a title contending Penn State.

11. Boise State 9-1 LW: 12
    The Broncos move up a spot after overcoming some adversity with a 14-0 San Jose State lead in the second quarter to race back to a 42-21 win. That’s what good teams do. Ashton Jeanty had an Ashton Jeanty game with 159 yards and three scores and Maddux Madsen continues to orchestrate one of the nation’s most underrated passing attacks. This isn’t all Jeanty, and if you think it is, Madsen is going to catch you snoozing.

12. Tennessee 8-2 LW: 6
    Tennessee drops after a loss to Georgia, but the Volunteers have looked a step below the above two-loss SEC teams all season. There’s been the first-half struggles on offense. Arkansas’s inexplicable down and dirty win. An inconsistent passing attack. Tennessee is still a really good team, but I just have more questions about their ability to win week in and week out than other programs. That win over Alabama sure looks good though.

13. Miami 9-1 LW: 13
    The Canes stay at 13 after an idle week. We already know how this team is going to operate: let Cam Ward sling it and hope for the best. That’s not to discount Damien Martinez or a stout defense, but Ward and this elite receiving corps is the ticket to glory for this Miami team. Let’s hope they figure out how to show up on defense in these shootouts so the offense can get breathing room.

14. BYU 9-1 LW: 3
    I’m going to put this on the BYU offense because their defense did what they needed to, rendering Jalon Daniels ineffective and limiting Devin Neal to only 52 yards. But the offense just couldn’t finish drives. Two field goals coming from 33 and 35 yards aren’t a death kneel, but only one field goal in the second half is inexcusable. Jake Retzlaff had possibly his worst passing game of the season at one of the worst possible times. He needs to rebound to keep the Cougars on pace for a playoff bid.

15. Texas A&M 8-2 LW: 14
    A win over New Mexico State moves the Aggies up. But why are they last in the two-loss SEC race? Well,. their best wins come over Missouri and LSU. They’ll get a chance to prove they belong in a season-closing Lone Star Showdown against Texas, but until then, the Aggies are going to be just on the outside of the playoff field.

16. Colorado 8-2 LW: 18
    If the Cougars don’t keep pace, a red hot Colorado might swoop in. They beat the brakes off of Utah last week in a surprisingly dominant 49-24 win. Shedeur Sanders didn’t necessarily start the game strong, but he finished it red hot with 340 yards and three total touchdowns. I was really impressed that this Colorado team kept the pedal to the metal the whole way with 21 fourth-quarter points when the game was all but out of reach.

17. Army 9-0 LW: 16
    Believe it or not, Army controls both their own destiny and the Big 12’s. If Army is able to beat Notre Dame, they’ll jump past the likely Big 12 champion. Then, a ranked conference championship win over Tulane will seal it. The hardest part of this scenario is a win over Notre Dame, who dog walked Navy a few weeks ago. The Black Knights were idle this week, so maybe that’s enough to draw up something wild to shock everyone at Yankee Stadium.

18. Clemson 8-2 LW: 20
    It was a wild, dramatic finish to lift the Tigers past Pittsburgh and stay alive in the playoff hunt, but the game was really and truly decided by a great playcall by much-maligned offensive coordinator Garrett Riley to run a QB draw for a Cade Klubnik 50-yard touchdown scamper. I’d be interested to see who this would’ve played out if Eli Holstein was under center for Pitt, but Clemson gutted out a quality team win. Credit to them.

19. Arizona State 8-2 LW: Next Five Out

    Look out because here comes the Sun Devils. Kenny Dillingham is a miracle worker because he has this team rocking and rolling when nobody expected it. Even better? They’re winning multiple ways. Early on, it was all Cam Skattebo, but the electric tailback has cooled in recent weeks. Enter Sam Leavitt, who is playing out of his mind, tossing three scores in a commanding win over Kansas State.

20. Tulane 9-2 LW: 23
    The Green Wave claimed another victim - this time in a 35-0 decimation of Navy. Tulane isn’t getting a lot of playoff buzz, but I think they’re the best team in the Group of Five this side of Boise State. Jon Sumrall’s defense is shutting down everything that lines up against them and Darian Mensah is piloting a lethal offense. They’re not just winning, they’re boat racing the opposition each week. Between them and Army, the American title game will be fun.

21. South Carolina 7-3 LW: 24
    I do not want to play South Carolina right now. They gutted out a big win over Missouri to stay on the fringes of the playoff race. LaNorris Sellers continues to play outstanding, the pass rush is among the nation’s best and the special teams are Beamer Ball standards. This is a well-rounded team that could beat anyone at any time. I don’t think they get an SEC title shot, but the rest of the nation hopes that’s not the case.

22. Iowa State 8-2 LW: 25
    The Cyclones stopped the bleeding with a 34-17 win over Cincinnati that was huge for their defense. Brendon Sorsby was held to only 66 passing yards, but he somehow grew a pair of wheels and torched Iowa State for 141 yards and a score on 14 carries. That needs to get fixed stat if Iowa State really wants to compete for the conference title, but it’s a much better performance than we saw the past two weeks. Iowa State may be rounding back into form.

23. Illinois 7-3 LW: Unranked
    Welcome back to the ranking party, Illinois! It’s been since Week 10 that we saw Illinois here, but the Illini have played good football since then. Last week was a solid 38-16 win over Michigan State. Luke Altmyer is still playing well, but he’s getting a boost from tailback Josh McCray, who had three scores this weekend. Pair that with a Bret Bielema defense and you get a solid second-tier Big Ten team that could make the jump if all goes well next season.

24. UNLV 8-2 LW: Unranked
    Speaking of welcome back parties, UNLV has rejoined us! The Running Rebels’ go-go offense is still torturing Mountain West foes, but it’s a shame it seems they won’t get the rematch against Boise State they deserve in the conference title game. Still, wins over Houston and Kansas are nothing to sneeze at.

25. Kansas State 7-3 LW: 21
    Call me out on Avery Johnson, which is disappointing based on how much talent he has. He’s still young - only a sophomore - but it’s clear he’s not ready to lead this team to the playoff yet. He’s put together a solid season, but faltered in the biggest games, like throwing three picks in the loss to Arizona State. Kansas State can always rely on their running game and defense, but the defense also isn’t as strong as recent years. It’s just a down year in Manhattan, and that’s okay.

Next Five Out: Louisville, LSU, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Syracuse

I have no idea how Louisville figured out how to lose that game, because Stanford surely didn’t win it (no offense to kicker Emmet Kenney who drilled the 52-yard field goal to win as time expired). They were an outside shot with that strong offense, but it just wasn’t meant to be based on those horrible penalties to end the game. LSU looks dead. Lifeless. Floundering. Brian Kelly seems to have lost the locker room. Things are getting bleak in Baton Rouge. By comparison, that makes Nashville a party. The Commodores were off this week and have the chance to play spoiler more with a season-closing rivalry game against Tennessee. Plus, Diego Pavia is still here. Georgia Tech also got a bye to get healthy after their big win over Miami. That win, as I said last week, was all on coaching and scheme. It was beautiful, really. Finally Syracuse climbs their way back with a win over California. They have a chance to play spoiler as well, closing the season in the Carrier Dome against Miami. I’m excited to see the shootout that surely blossoms into.

Players of the Week

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

1. Devon Dampier, QB, New Mexico
   New Mexico hadn’t beat a ranked opponent since upsetting Utah in 2003. That changed in their upset over Washington State largely in part to Dampier’s play. The sophomore do-it-all quarterback didn’t have the best passing game, going 11-for-25 with 174 yards and a score. But he more than made up for it on the ground with 193 yards and three touchdowns. He’s ranking in the Top Five in the nation in total offense and is electric to watch.

2. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
   Arizona State’s passing game really shined in their win over Kansas State and Tyson was the best receiver they had. Working against a quality Wildcat secondary, Tyson hauled in a season-high 12 catches for 176 yards and two scores as Sam Leavitt’s favorite target. Expect the sophomore wideout to continue to be a big factor in the Sun Devils’ offense going forward.

3. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
   I mean, you read his name. You know what happened. Jeanty tore up San Jose State with 32 carries for 159 yards and three touchdowns. That’s his seventh multi-rushing touchdown game of the season and sixth with three or more. Dude’s a stud.

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Three-Point Stance by Tyler Schuster: Three-Point Stance is your favorite independent college football newsletter. Come for in-depth analysis and bold commentary, stay for the jokes and memes. 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.

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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: I’ll be a little selfish on this one and plug a great college football podcast that I was lucky enough to appear on this week to talk UEC and SID Sports! Brian, John, Gary and I had some great conversations about the state of the sport, playoff races and picked some games this weekend. Be sure to tune into this week’s Tailgators' Setup podcast and subscribe for more great content from them!

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