The Athletic 133: Five 10-0 Power 5 teams, three weeks to sort them

We are finally in the stretch run. The biggest games have arrived and the shake-up at the top is underway.

Michigan finally played a remarkable team, taking care of Penn State in Happy Valley. Georgia crushed a top 10 Ole Miss team. Washington held on against Utah and Oregon handled USC. They all have more big games coming up in the next two weeks before the conference championships.

After all that, there’s a change at the top here. Georgia is back at No. 1 in this week’s Athletic 133.

The two-time defending national champions have returned to form, beating Kentucky, Florida, Missouri and Ole Miss in their last five games. This past week reminded us that Georgia, at its best, looks like the best team in the country again. Oh, and Brock Bowers, one of the best pass catchers in the country, is back. With back-to-back wins over top-15 teams, the Bulldogs move back ahead of Ohio State.

However, a CFP spot is not yet guaranteed. Georgia finishes with Tennessee and Georgia Tech and then has the SEC championship game against an Alabama team that has also thought things through.

We have five 10-0 Power 5 teams for the first time since the College Football Playoff began, and none of them have an easy path to the top four. Strap in.

Here’s this week’s edition of The Athletic 133.

1-10

As I’ve been promising all season, Michigan has slid into the top three after beating Penn State, the Wolverines’ first notable opponent. The win was very similar to Ohio State’s victory over PSU, both in the way the game played out with the lack of offensive fireworks, but also in the way the Wolverines and Buckeyes controlled most of the game . The Buckeyes remain ahead of Michigan thanks to their win at Notre Dame, but these teams look very evenly matched right now. Their meeting in Ann Arbor in two weeks should be another classic.

Of the one-loss teams, Oregon, Texas and Alabama all have a reason to be the best. Alabama has the most quality wins. Texas defeated Alabama. Oregon has battered Utah, defeated USC and suffered its best loss in Washington when the Ducks were two yards away from victory. Oregon ultimately remains at the top of the group for the time being after achieving a second notable victory. The Ducks will have No. 10 Oregon State in two weeks. While all the attention is on the 10-0 teams, all three of these teams have a path to the CFP in a big way. Louisville? It’s hard to say. The 9-1 Cardinals had to rally to beat Virginia and missed any notable wins, but a potential ACC championship game win against Florida State could make things interesting.

11-25

Ole Miss continues to prove itself as a good team that is nowhere near the top teams in the country given the nature of the losses to Georgia and Alabama, and the Rebels fall to No. 11. Oklahoma is a tough team to to judge. The Sooners lost back-to-back games to Kansas and Oklahoma State, but also have one of the best wins in the country (Texas), and their win over SMU (now 8-2) continues to look better. Penn State fell to No. 15 after the loss to Michigan, and the Nittany Lions’ offensive struggles resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich on Sunday.

James Madison remains the top-ranked team out of the Group of 5, moving up to No. 17 after beating UConn 44-6. The Dukes have wins against Troy (8-2), Virginia, South Alabama and Marshall. Tulane is the highest-ranked G5 team eligible for the New Year’s Six, but the Green Wave had to hold out in four straight one-score wins against lesser opponents to remain at No. 21. Tulane has struggled with injuries, but retains the De door is open for Liberty, who are now 10-0 and ranked No. 22 after beating Old Dominion 38-10.

Arizona moves up to No. 19 after beating Colorado with a last-second field goal, and North Carolina moves back into the top 25 after beating Duke in overtime. Oklahoma State and Kansas fall after losses to UCF and Texas Tech, respectively, but remain in the top 25 for now thanks to their wins.

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26-50

Iowa is back in the top 25 after a 22-0 win against Rutgers and moved to 8-2. Troy, Toledo and SMU continue to rise after wins, and Toledo has won nine straight games. Tennessee falls out of the top 25 after a 36-7 loss to Missouri, and next in line is Georgia.

Fresno State drops to No. 35 after a stunning 42-18 loss to San Jose State. UNLV moves up to No. 36 after beating Wyoming, which beat Fresno State, but the Bulldogs have a win over UNLV. Miami lost to Florida State 27-20, but remains at No. 37 thanks to wins against Clemson and Texas A&M. Auburn’s 48-10 win against Arkansas moves the Tigers to No. 41. Air Force falls to No. 45 after a second consecutive loss, this one to Hawaii. UCLA falls to No. 46 after a 17-7 loss to Arizona State. Coastal Carolina has won five straight games and rises to No. 50 after beating Texas State.

51-75

Virginia Tech jumps to No. 52 after a 48-22 win against Boston College. Rutgers remains the leader at number 51 thanks to its head-to-head victory against the Hokies. Illinois’ overtime win against Indiana moves the Illini back to No. 62. New Mexico State is 8-3 with six straight wins, clinching a spot in the CUSA championship game and moving up to No. 60.

No. 63 Colorado has lost six of seven. No. 64 TCU has lost five of six. No. No. 67 Washington State has lost six straight games, and No. 70 Wisconsin has lost four of five, including back-to-back losses to Indiana and Northwestern.

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76-100

Georgia State has fallen to No. 77 after three straight lopsided losses to Georgia Southern, James Madison and Appalachian State. The Mountaineers have won three straight games and moved up to No. 76. Marshall defeated Georgia Southern to end a five-game losing streak and move up to No. 79.

A shorthanded Arizona State beat UCLA to move up to No. 83. Purdue defeated Minnesota 49-30 to move up to No. 89, Cincinnati moved up to No. 90 after beating Houston, and San Jose State then jumped to No. 94 …beating Fresno State. Virginia is 2-8 but continues to play close games until the end, most recently against Louisville, so the Cavaliers remain at No. 98.

101-133

Sam Houston is on a winning streak! The Bearkats earned their first win as an FBS team last week and earned their first FBS win against an FBS team this weekend by defeating Louisiana Tech. As a result, they leave the No. 133 spot and jump to No. 128. Navy’s 31-6 win over UAB sees the Midshipmen move up to No. 108 and the Blazers fall behind them. Vanderbilt is the lowest-ranked Power 5 team at No. 111, losing 47-6 to South Carolina.

(Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)