D Poll: Week 14
Everything remains the same, but is anything really the same anymore? Cryptic, I know.
Happy Thanksgiving week, everybody!
I hope that you all are planning on having wonderful days with your family, friends, acquaintances, and perhaps even enemies this fine week. It’s truly a wonderful time of the year, filled with laughter, joy and, most importantly, football.
As we gear up for the final week of college football’s regular season — I can’t believe it’s already here — it’s time to release the last D Poll before the postseason starts. That means that this iteration of the ranking is pretty important, because this will be the final D Poll that’s based solely on vibes and feelings. Starting next week, it’ll be solely based on resumé, and which teams I believe are most deserving.
That’s a problem for later, though, so let’s get into the D Poll for Week 14. Just like with last night’s College Football Playoff rankings, there aren’t a ton of changes in the top 15. Oregon jumping up a couple of spots after its big win over USC is probably the most notable change of the contending teams.
The Group of 6 has several representatives in the ranking, with North Texas leading the poll at No. 14.
Hold on.
Let’s talk about that for a second.
It was announced yesterday that Oklahoma State had hired North Texas head coach Eric Morris. Yes, that’s right. Three days before the Mean Green’s final game of the season, and just one week before the team potentially played in a conference championship game that would be for a spot in the College Football Playoff, the head coach of the team bolted for another gig. There isn’t time right now for me to rant about the preposterous nature of the college football calendar, but just know that I think it’s ridiculous that schools and coaches feel the need — and rightfully so — to pursue alternative options during the season because of how the calendar is set up.
Anyway, Morris is a spectacular hire for the Cowboys, but this is definitely a net negative for North Texas’ position in the D Poll. Full transparency: I was planning on vaulting UNT up into the top 10 prior to the news breaking yesterday. Now that the team is without a head coach (yes, he’s allegedly coaching the rest of the season, but does that even really matter?), the vibes in Denton are way worse than they were just 48 hours ago. Folks are scared that this will derail what has been a very special campaign. So, I’ve knocked them down a peg — at least from where I originally planned to put them.
For the rest of the D Poll, Arizona jumps all the way to No. 19 after curb-stomping Baylor, which sets up a ranked-on-ranked Territorial Cup matchup between the Wildcats and Arizona State this Black Friday.
Miami is above Notre Dame, which is just the correct thing to do. Listen, I love Notre Dame’s fun new logos that they put out at the beginning of the season more than anybody — I’m just such a sucker for a leprechaun carrying a football — but Miami literally beat the Fighting Irish in Week 1 of the season, and I just can’t ignore that.
UConn is still here despite Jim Mora bolting for the Colorado State job yesterday evening. I don’t really care. The Huskies are good at football, and that’s all that matters.
Enough about UConn, though. I’m sure they’re getting ready for some big basketball game or something (it is Feast Week, after all). Here’s the D Poll for Week 14.
1. Ohio State (NM)
Week 12 result: 42-9 win vs. Rutgers
2. Indiana (NM)
Week 12 result: BYE
3. Georgia (NM)
Week 12 result: 35-3 win vs. Charlotte
4. Texas A&M (NM)
Week 12 result: 48-0 win vs. Samford
5. Texas Tech (NM)
Week 12 result: BYE
6. Oregon (+2)
Week 12 result: 42-27 win vs. USC
7. Ole Miss (NM)
Week 12 result: BYE
8. Oklahoma (-2)
Week 12 result: 17-6 win vs. Missouri
9. BYU (NM)
Week 12 result: 26-14 win at Cincinnati
10. Miami (NM)
Week 12 result: 34-17 win at Virginia Tech
11. Notre Dame (NM)
Week 12 result: 70-7 win vs. Syracuse
12. Alabama (NM)
Week 12 result: 56-0 win vs. Eastern Illinois
13. Utah (NM)
Week 12 result: 51-47 win vs. Kansas State
14. North Texas (NM)
Week 12 result: 56-24 win at Rice
15. Vanderbilt (+2)
Week 12 result: 45-17 win vs. Kentucky
16. Tulane (+2)
Week 12 result: 37-13 win at Temple
17. Michigan (+2)
Week 12 result: 45-20 win at Maryland
18. James Madison (+3)
Week 12 result: 24-20 win vs. Washington State
19. Arizona (NR)
Week 12 result: 41-17 win vs. Baylor
20. Arizona State (NR)
Week 12 result: 42-17 win at Colorado
21. Texas (+3)
Week 12 result: 52-37 win vs. Arkansas
22. Pittsburgh (NR)
Week 12 result: 42-28 win at Georgia Tech
23. UConn (+2)
Week 12 result: 48-45 win at Florida Atlantic
24. Virginia (-4)
Week 12 result: BYE
25. USC (-9)
Week 12 result: 42-27 loss at Oregon