Why These 10 College Football Teams Are Being Called Overrated
TJ Inman
Host · Writer
The college football regular season, except for the fantastic Army versus Navy game, is complete! The final edition of the College Football Playoff rankings has been released, and we have several thoughts on which teams are overrated with the postseason right around the corner!
1. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes might be the best team in the country, but I believe the Georgia Bulldogs have a better resume and should be the second seed, not the Scarlet and Gray. As a result, they lead this list as the highest-ranked “overrated" team. Georgia is 12-1 and the SEC Champion with wins over ranked teams Tennessee, Ole Miss, Texas, Georgia Tech, and Alabama, and they avenged their only loss of the campaign with a dominant performance in Atlanta over the Crimson Tide. Ohio State has been dominant, but they’ve done it against an easier slate than what Georgia has faced, and they don’t have the distinction of being a conference champion. Again, the Buckeyes have as good a chance as anyone to win the National Championship, but they should be the third seed and not the two seed.
CFP Quarterfinals: vs. Miami/Texas A&M Winner
AP Rank: 3
Coaches Rank: 3
2. No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels are 11-1 and narrowly missed out on a trip to the SEC Championship. The Rebels have wins over ranked teams Tulane and Oklahoma, with the road victory in Norman being the highlight on the resume. The offense has been the team’s strength, but things are in significant flux after head coach Lane Kiffin bolted for LSU, taking some of the offensive staff with him. Ole Miss has not been particularly stout on defense, and now the offense has a giant question mark as it tries to deal with a new head coach and the loss of its play-caller. They’ll host the Tulane Green Wave on December 20.
CFP First Round: Tulane at Ole Miss (-17.5)
AP Rank: 6
Coaches Rank: 6
3. No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies
The Texas A&M Aggies were ranked third and buoyed by an unbeaten record, but dive into that resume now that they have a loss, and go through the ranked wins: at Notre Dame (not a playoff team). That’s it, that is the entire list. They do have wins over LSU and Missouri, but they trailed 28-0 at home to South Carolina before rallying for a one-point victory, and at Arkansas, they gave up 42 points in a three-point win. The Aggies now have a ten-point loss to Texas and have dropped to No. 7. Texas A&M’s SEC schedule was as soft as an SEC schedule gets. I think Texas A&M might be a team on upset watch in the first round of the College Football Playoff as they take on the Miami Hurricanes in College Station.
CFP First Round: Miami at Texas A&M (-3.5)
AP Rank: 7
Coaches Rank: 7
4. No. 12 BYU Cougars
The BYU Cougars were being propped up by their 11-1 record, but the lone impressive victory of any sort was against the Utah Utes in Provo. Beyond that, the Cougars have no ranked wins, and the Texas Tech defense thoroughly dismantled them, hammering them 29-7 in the regular season and again in the Big 12 Championship Game. BYU does not have a resume that should have them near the top ten, and wins down the stretch against Cincinnati and UCF (after trailing 14-0) does not change that. The Cougars got good news when Kalani Sitake agreed to stay rather than take the Penn State job, but their playoff hopes ended with another loss to Texas Tech. There’s more good news: Notre Dame chose not to play in a bowl game, so the Cougars get to participate in the glorious Pop-Tarts Bowl!
Pop-Tarts Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. BYU (-3.5)
AP Rank: 12
Coaches Rank: 13
5. No. 15 Utah Utes
The Utah Utes are No. 15 and beloved by the advanced metrics, but I don’t really understand what all the fuss is about. They are 10-2 with losses to the only two high-quality teams they have played: BYU and a lopsided home defeat to Texas Tech. The defense is supposed to be a significant strength, but in the last three games of the season, the Utes gave up 28 points to Baylor, 47 points against Kansas State, and 21 points to Kansas. Utah has a robust rushing game, but everything else has been inconsistent, and there have been no great wins.
Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska vs. Utah (-13.5)
AP Rank: 15
Coaches Rank: 15
6. No. 16 USC Trojans
The USC Trojans as a program are on the rise. Lincoln Riley has come under heat, but the transition they are under is clear, and they just signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, with more than 30 prospects set to join, including several top-150 players. They are placing a larger emphasis on the trenches and should be a scary proposition moving forward. They are not there yet, and they have three defeats on the season, with a win over Michigan and another over Iowa by five points in California.
Alamo Bowl: USC (-6.5) vs. TCU
AP Rank: 16
Coaches Rank: 16
7. No. 18 Michigan Wolverines
What has Michigan done to deserve a spot in the top 20? The Wolverines are 9-3 with no wins over ranked teams. Their best victory is a 24-7 triumph over Washington, but they followed that up with unconvincing performances against Purdue and Northwestern and got thumped by rival Ohio State. That joins lopsided losses to Oklahoma and USC earlier in the campaign. The offense is nowhere near good enough through the air, and the Wolverines desperately need to upgrade at receiver if they are to contend for the top of the Big Ten in 2026.
Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. Texas (-5.5)
AP Rank: 18
Coaches Rank: 17
8. No. 21 Houston Cougars
Willie Fritz has done an excellent job at Houston, turning the program around in his second season in charge. The Cougars jumped into the poll after being unranked, and they are 9-3, but they have played only one ranked team and got shellacked by Texas Tech, 35-11. The best win is a 24-16 victory at Arizona State, and there are ugly losses to West Virginia and TCU, both at home. Beating the Baylor Bears to close out the regular season isn’t particularly impressive, and I don’t see why it should bump them to No. 21.
Texas Bowl: LSU vs. Houston (-3.5)
AP Rank: NR
Coaches Rank: 24
9. No. 22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech has been on the “overrated” list for several weeks. We had them pegged. After beating a bunch of average to below-average teams to begin the season 8-0, the Yellow Jackets have lost three of the past four games. That includes giving up 48 points to North Carolina State, 42 to Pittsburgh in a dispiriting loss, and then losing 16-9 to Georgia in Atlanta. The only victory was a 36-34 win at Boston College, and that’s hardly worth celebrating. The good news? Head coach Brent Key signed an extension to continue leading the program through 2030.
Pop-Tarts Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. BYU (-3.5)
AP Rank: 24
Coaches Rank: 22
10. No. 25 North Texas Mean Green
The North Texas Mean Green have a prolific offense, and they finish the season at 11-2 with head coach Eric Morris now headed to Stillwater to lead the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The American Athletic Conference Championship Game was not particularly competitive, as the Mean Green fell behind by more than three touchdowns before a couple of late scores made the final score look better than it actually was. North Texas played a total of two ranked teams and lost both games by double-digits: South Florida 63-36 (in Denton) and Tulane 34-21.
New Mexico Bowl: North Texas (-3.5) vs. San Diego State
AP Rank: 23
Coaches Rank: NR
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