College Football: 10 Most Overrated Teams Going into Week 14 Ranked
Sportsgrid Staff
Host · Writer
We have reached mid-November, and the end of the regular season is sadly in sight. There is still much to unfold, but we can already make several observations about which teams are overhyped and overrated.
1. BYU Cougars – Record: 10-1 | CFP Ranking: 11
The BYU Cougars were being propped up by their undefeated record, but the lone impressive victory of any sort was against the Utah Utes in Provo. Beyond that, the Cougars had no ranked wins, and the Texas Tech defense thoroughly dismantled them as the Red Raiders hammered them 29-7. Now with one loss, BYU does not have a resume that should have them anywhere near the top ten. Beating a TCU team in free-fall mode does nothing to change that, but they should get another chance to take on Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game as a “prove it" game with the College Football Playoff on the line.
Week 14: UCF at BYU (-18.5)
2. Utah Utes – Record: 9-2 | CFP Ranking: 13
The Utah Utes are just outside of the College Football Playoff bracket. They need a loss by the BYU Cougars, plus they need to win out to make the Big 12 Championship Game, or they need a bit of help from teams around them in the rankings if they are to sneak into the playoff field. In addition, playing and winning impressively seems necessary. Utah took on a very average Kansas State team at home on Saturday and was anything but impressive. The Utes escaped with a win, but they surrendered 574 yards, including 472 on the ground, as the Wildcats averaged a shocking 11.2 yards per carry. No one around them in the rankings lost, and the defense of Utah has to cause concern for the College Football Playoff Committee. They close with Kansas this weekend.
Week 14: Utah (-13.5) at Kansas
3. Vanderbilt Commodores – Record: 9-2 | CFP Ranking: 14
After a bye week, the Vanderbilt Commodores climbed in the rankings to No. 14. They looked fresh and ready for a College Football Playoff push as they dismantled Kentucky behind an excellent performance on Senior Day from Diego Pavia, but examining the 9-2 record is interesting. They have three wins over ranked teams, but those three wins have come against South Carolina (now at the bottom of the SEC), LSU (before they fired Brian Kelly), and Missouri (no longer ranked). They lost to Alabama by 16 points and lost at Texas, a team that just got humbled by Georgia. However, if the Commodores can win at rival Tennessee, they are likely to make the College Football Playoff.
Week 14: Vanderbilt (+2.5) at Tennessee
4. USC Trojans – Record: 8-3 | CFP Ranking: 17
USC fought hard but was outplayed in all three phases of the game, falling to the Oregon Ducks and all but ensuring it will be left out of the College Football Playoff. In year four of the Lincoln Riley era, expectations are much higher than the product delivered thus far. The USC Trojans beat Michigan and Iowa, but they’ve had three chances against good teams on the road (Illinois, Notre Dame, and Oregon) and have flopped in each contest. The standards should be higher in Riley’s fourth season.
Week 14: UCLA at USC (-20.5)
5. Georgia Tech – Record: 9-2 | CFP Ranking: 23
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are 9-2 after a dispiriting loss at home to Pittsburgh. They fell behind 28-0 before waking up and charging back, but Haynes King threw a back-breaking “pick six” that essentially sealed the deal for the Panthers. Before that loss, the Yellow Jackets were far from impressive, and their resume lacks quality wins. The Yellow Jackets lost to North Carolina State, allowing 48 points, and needed a late rally to get past last-place Boston College, prevailing 36-34. The chance at the ACC Championship is likely gone, and they need to beat Georgia in Atlanta to have a shot at sneaking into the College Football Playoff.
Week 14: Georgia (-12.5) at Georgia Tech
6. Texas Longhorns – Record: 8-3 | CFP Ranking: 16
The Texas Longhorns are 8-3 and still ranked in the top 20 after getting obliterated by the Georgia Bulldogs in the second half in Athens. Texas has the neutral-field win over Oklahoma with a banged-up quarterback, a three-point home victory over Vanderbilt, plus losses at Ohio State and Georgia, and an ugly road defeat to the Florida Gators. Giving up 37 points to Arkansas is hardly going to put the doubts to bed, but Arch Manning does look great, and they now get a chance to play Texas A&M and earn an opportunity to be considered by the playoff committee.
Week 14: Texas A&M (-2.5) at Texas
7. Virginia Cavaliers – Record: 8-3 | CFP Ranking: 20
The Virginia Cavaliers are 9-2 with a chance to earn a trip to the ACC Championship Game this weekend if they can beat rival Virginia Tech. However, what is the best win on their resume? Is it 46-38 over Florida State? A 30-27 win at Louisville (a team now in free-fall mode)? The 34-17 win at Duke was their best performance, but it hardly screams “quality win.” The only thing saving UVA is the oddity of the loss to North Carolina State being a non-conference game.
Week 14: Virginia Tech at Virginia (-11.5)
8. Tennessee Volunteers – Record: 9-2 | CFP Ranking: 18
Why is Tennessee ranked? Beyond being in the SEC and having three “quality losses,” the Volunteers have no impressive victories. The wins are over Syracuse, ETSU, UAB (before firing Trent Dilfer), Mississippi State, Arkansas (before firing Sam Pittman), Kentucky, and a Florida team that has clearly quit. None of those teams is going to a bowl game. The Vols get a chance to play spoiler against rival Vanderbilt in Knoxville this weekend.
9. Illinois Fighting Illini – Record: 7-4 | CFP Ranking: NR
Heading into this weekend, Illinois was ranked because it had no bad losses and a two-point home win over the USC Trojans. After this past weekend, Illinois now has an ugly defeat at Wisconsin, in which they gave up 27 points to one of the worst power-conference offenses in the past decade and managed only ten points in the uncompetitive outing. The Illini are now 7-4 and just 4-4 in the Big Ten. They will plummet from the rankings this week.
Week 14: Northwester at Illinois (-6.5)
10. Missouri Tigers – Record: 7-4 | CFP Ranking: NR
The Missouri Tigers climbed back into the rankings after beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs. They have zero wins over ranked opponents this season, and the best victory is probably a six-point win at Auburn before the Tigers fired Hugh Freeze and changed quarterbacks. It’s possible that Missouri has not beaten a single team that will end up in a bowl game this season, and they were just thoroughly outplayed by the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, as the offense failed to get anything going despite the return of quarterback Beau Pribula.
Week 14: Missouri (-2.5) at Arkansas
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