Joel Klatt

Head college football analyst

The first Saturday of November gave us another exciting weekend of college football.

Of course, the weekend was headlined by a top-five matchup in Happy Valley, where Ohio State defeated Penn State. It was a blowout win for the Buckeyes and their national championship hopes, while the Nittany Lions’ misery against top opponents continued.

Both teams are in my top 10 after week 10.

Who else is there? Let’s take a full look at my latest rankings.

1. Oregon (Last week: 1)
File: 9-0
Result week 10: Defeated Michigan, 38-17

Oregon is the most complete team in the country. It’s the team that has answered the most questions arising from the way it struggled early this year. I think Oregon beats you in several ways. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is getting better and better, and he will be a Heisman Trophy finalist with the way he is playing.

The catches that Oregon’s wide receivers make and the speed that the group has is tremendous. The offensive line continues to improve as more players return from injury. So it was no surprise that Oregon won Saturday as it did in Michigan. The only question I have with this Ducks team is the injury to wide receiver Tez Johnson. Still, they have great talent at this position.

Oregon remains undefeated and can Michigan turn the tide?

2. State of Ohio (Last week: 3)
File: 7-1
Result week 10: Defeated Penn State, 20-13

Saturday must have been incredibly encouraging for Ohio State fans. Many of the questions surrounding the team and head coach Ryan Day were difficult to answer. The way Ohio State played in the games against Oregon and Nebraska, along with Day’s record in big games the past few seasons, left some room for doubt on Saturday. I had my doubts that this team was a championship caliber team and that this was Penn State’s best chance to take down Ohio State since the win over the Buckeyes in 2016. Ohio State’s offensive line was also disrupted in Saturday’s game, with Donovan Jackson and Carson Hinzman making their first starts at left tackle and left guard, respectively.

Now I’m optimistic about the Buckeyes because of the way they played, especially against the Nittany Lions‘ defensive front in that atmosphere. OSU is definitely national championship caliber based on what it did on the offensive line. It was a messy situation to start the game, and Beaver Stadium got a good response on the offensive front. It was cohesive and ready to go. The Buckeyes rushed for 176 yards on 40 carries, running the ball down PSU’s throat to ice the game in the final five minutes. That’s a champion mentality. We knew Ohio State was talented on the outside, so there were no questions about that. Ohio State’s offensive line wasn’t perfect, but it was able to execute when it mattered most.

Plus, Ohio State didn’t need its quarterback to play great to win. That’s a revelation, because in recent years the opposite has been the case. Will Howard might have had his worst game of the season, throwing a pick-six on the Buckeyes’ first drive and losing a fumble on the goal line later in the first half. Howard was probably too emotional going into the match. He made that comment earlier this week when he said he was looking forward to playing against Penn State after being rejected as a recruit by the school. I actually think that was a big reason why he played poorly, because he looked like Superman.

That was the kind of performance we expected from Ohio State’s defense. I expected this defense to be dominant this year, but there were some questions about the unit after the loss to Oregon. On Saturday it became a dominant defense. Safety Caleb Downs is arguably the best defender in college football, with his impact and style reminding me of Troy Palamalu.

Ohio State beats Penn State 20-13 in Happy Valley

3. Georgia (Last week: 2)
File: 7-1
Result week 10: Defeated Florida, 34-20

What’s going on with Georgia? Carson Beck needs to stop turning the ball over. I had him as the best QB in the country at the beginning of this year. He’s not even close to that right now. He has thrown 11 interceptions in the last five games. It shows how difficult it is to play the position when you don’t have players like Brock Bowers or Ladd McConkey to throw to.

This makes Georgia very up and down. We saw the Bulldogs beat Texas, but they did it without great quarterback play. Their defense is still great, and it may be the best in college football, but Georgia’s offense is a bit of a problem right now. However, if Beck can stop committing turnovers, Georgia will be fine.

Georgia QB Carson Beck threw three interceptions against Florida, giving him four multi-interception games this season. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

4. Texas (Last week: 5)
File: 7-1
Result week 10: Inactive

I still love Texas. The Longhorns’ last few games may not have been their best performances, but they got a chance to regroup and rebound with a bye in Week 10. I’m curious to see what they can do in the regular season homestretch.

5. Miami (Fla.) (Last week: 10)
File: 9-0
Result week 10: Defeated Duke, 53-31

Things are getting interesting in the ACC. Miami continues to win with its offense and I still enjoy watching Cam Ward. He’s sensational, and I’m not sure how well people realized he was in Washington State. Miami has allowed at least 31 points in four of its past five games, but it hasn’t mattered because Ward and that offense are so good. Running back Damien Martinez and wide receiver Xavier Restrepo were also great for the Hurricanes.

But with the way Miami is winning, the question of how it could play against one of the better teams in the sport still lingers. It has played a lot of close games this season and I wonder if it is comparable to the 2014 Florida State team that went undefeated before getting smoked by Oregon in the College Football Playoff.

Miami QB Cam Ward threw for five touchdowns against Duke, giving him a total of 32 touchdowns on the season. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

6. Indiana (Last week: 7)
File: 9-0
Result week 10: Defeated Michigan State, 47-10

The Hoosiers are without a doubt the most underrated team in America. They ultimately moved up five spots in this week’s AP Poll, moving to No. 8. They should be higher than that in the first CFP rankings because they have an argument to be the fifth-best team in the country to be.

I know people will say, “Indiana didn’t play anybody.” I hate that argument. As a player you have no control over the schedule you play. No one has done what Indiana has done against their respective schedules. Indiana has won every game by at least 14 points. No one else can say that.

Indiana suffered early adversity against Michigan State, falling 10-0. It responded with 47 consecutive points. Indiana leads the FBS in point differential, outscoring opponents by 32.9 points per game. Indiana has the No. 2 scoring offense in the country, and if it had a different logo on its helmet, it would at least be ranked No. 2 or No. 3.

Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke threw four touchdowns in his return from a thumb injury on Saturday. (Photo by Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

7. Tennessee (Last week: 8)
File: 7-1
Result week 10: Defeated Kentucky, 28-18

I like Tennessee’s defense. That unit gives Nico Iamaleava time to grow as a quarterback. If it grows and matures to a certain level before the end of the season, beware. They will be very dangerous.

8. Penn State (Last week: 4)
File: 7-1
Result week 10: Lost to Ohio State, 20-13

First, Penn State’s play selection at the goal line on the final drive made me say, “What are we doing?” We’ve been singing the praises of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki all season, between his creativity and the way he gets his stars on the ball. Penn State got five snaps inside the 5-yard line in that game. Running back Nicholas Singleton and tight end Tyler Warren didn’t get tagged or targeted by either of them. That can’t happen. The best formation from inside the 5-yard line all season was passing the ball to Warren. Penn State will regret this matter.

However, the big game problem remains for Penn State. In recent years, it has been defeated one of two ways: by outplaying Ohio State on the outside and at the skill positions, or by not keeping up with Michigan’s bullyball style. Saturday’s game was really more a matter of Ohio State taking a page out of Michigan’s playbook to beat Penn State and beat the Nittany Lions with a great run game.

Penn State doesn’t lose to unranked teams, so the season will likely finish 11-1. It will probably be a home game in the CFP. The question now is: will Penn State solve the problems? We’ve already seen some other great teams resolve their respective issues after some stumbles this season. Penn State is beaten the same way: he fails to get the ball to his stars and is physically beaten or outmatched by his opponent.

Before the season started, my definition of a successful season for Penn State was whether it could take a step forward. We have seen this program finish eighth in the country several times. We haven’t seen them beat a team yet to get them to the top level. So as bad as Saturday’s loss may have been for PSU fans, there is still time to make it a successful year.

No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions Highlights

9. Alabama (Last week: 9)
File: 6-2
Result week 10: Inactive

I just can’t leave the Crimson Tide. They are too explosive in attack. I know there are some questions about their defense. However, if QB Jalen Milroe is right, they can beat anyone in the country.

10. BYU (Last week: not ranked)
File: 8-0
Result week 10: Inactive

BYU is finally in my top 10. The Cougars had a bye this week, but they feel a bit like a team of destiny. They remind us of that TCU team that went to the national championship game in 2022. Maybe something magical is brewing there.

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ chief college football analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.‘Follow him @joelklat And subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.

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