Where is Ohio State, compared to other contenders in Joel Klatt's rankings after week 11?
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Ohio State won again this week by a large margin. Nothing new there. What is impressive is that the Buckeyes did it without wide receiver Carnell Tate and offensive tackle Phillip Daniels. This team just keeps playing as close to flawless football as you will find.
Around the rest of college football, there weren’t too many upsets, but there were plenty of close calls. Both Indiana and Oregon had to come from behind to win in the final seconds. The Hoosiers and Ducks were both on the road, but it was enough to raise some eyebrows.
With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, things are getting pared down as we head toward the College Football Playoff. Texas A&M, Alabama, and Ole Miss are all right there as well. And don’t look now, but Texas has played its way right back into the thick of things.
How does Joel Klatt see things after Week 11? Time to take a look at the Fox Analyst’s rankings and where we agree and disagree.
No. 10 – Texas Longhorns
Last Week’s Ranking – Unranked
What We Think
While it seems like Arch Manning has figured something out in the past two games, throwing for over 300 yards in each game, the road ahead is still really tough. The Longhorns head to Athens to take on Georgia this weekend and finish with Texas A&M. If Texas wins out, a playoff birth will be well deserved. But it’s a big if.
No. 9 – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Last Week’s Ranking – No. 8
What We Think
Notre Dame just keeps rolling, and first-year quarterback CJ Carr is getting better by the week. Not to mention Jeremiyah Love might be the best running back in the nation. Last week’s opponent wasn’t all that impressive in Navy, even though the Midshipmen had just one blemish on their record. Pitt is the last major hurdle the Irish have, and we’re not sure how much of a hurdle that actually is.
No. 8 – Ole Miss Rebels
Last Week’s Ranking – No. 7
What We Think
Klatt dropped Ole Miss because of its opponent this week … The Citadel. We agree. The SEC has been doing this type of scheduling for years. Playing cupcakes this late in the season needs to stop, or rankings should be adjusted accordingly.
No. 7 – Texas Tech Red Raiders
Last Week’s Ranking – No. 10
What We Think
Texas Tech handled undefeated BYU with relative ease. A two-headed running attack has covered for an inconsistent passing game. If things stay as they are, the Red Raiders will need to accomplish the always difficult task of beating the Cougars for a second time on a neutral field.
No. 6 – Alabama Crimson Tide
Last Week’s Ranking – No. 4
What We Think
Has anyone been more inconsistent than Alabama? Sure, the Tide is winning, but have they looked dominant doing so? They don’t run the ball well, and we agree with Klatt, the passing game is good when it’s on, but when it’s off? Very pedestrian. Bama gets No. 12 Oklahoma this week at home. We’ll see how the offense performs against a pretty good Sooner defense.
No. 5 – Oregon Ducks
Last Week’s Ranking – No. 5
What We Think
Oregon showed resilience in tough weather conditions in a tough road environment to come out with a win at Iowa. The Ducks get Minnesota on a short week at home and then two ranked opponents to round out the regular season. This won’t be a cakewalk by any means.
No. 4 – Georgia Bulldogs
Last Week’s Ranking – No. 6
What We Think
Kirby Smart has been about as consistent as they come since taking the helm at Georgia. The Bulldogs have been consistently underwhelming this year. A matchup with Texas looms, and we’ll get a better picture of how good Georgia really is.
No. 3 – Texas A&M Aggies
Last Week’s Ranking – No. 3
What We Think
Mike Elko and Marcell Reed have Texas A&M riding high. The Aggies are passing every test in an impressive manner, as was evidenced in the most recent win over Missouri. Klatt said it was a flip of the coin to put A&M here, but we’d put them at No. 2 after Indiana’s close call in Happy Valley.
No. 2 – Indiana Hoosiers
Last Week’s Ranking – No. 2
What We Think
Give Indiana credit, fighting back to defeat Penn State in Happy Valley, regardless of how bad the Nittany Lions are right now, is a defining moment. There are two ways to look at the Hoosier’s close call on Saturday. One, this team has weaknesses, and now those weaknesses have been exposed. Or two, this team is pretty good and just figured out how to face adversity. Indiana’s two best wins have come in arguably the most hostile of environments.
No. 1 – Ohio State Buckeyes
Last Week’s Ranking – No. 1
What We Think
Some will say Ohio State is one-dimensional, that the passing game is elite, but the running game hasn’t been up to Buckeye standards. We disagree. Bo Jackson is averaging over six yards per carry. Isiah West is at almost six yards per carry. Those numbers are fine, and the so-called experts are nitpicking, trying to find a weakness when in reality there is none at this point in the season. Ohio State is the best team in the country, and the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 is quite large.
Joel Klatt’s Full Rankings
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Joel Klatt rankings: Where is Ohio State football after Week 11?
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