Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams. If there’s one lesson to be learned from the first half of this college football season, it’s that the gap between the top teams and the middle-tier teams looks as small as it’s been in a very long time. It’s […]
Ranking 134 college football teams after Week 7: Why Oregon’s on top at midseason Read More »
Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams. Every college football season contains a Chaos Week that throws these rankings up in the air. This year’s was bigger than any we’ve had in a long time. Four top-10 teams lost on Saturday, three of them to unranked opponents.
And now, 20 Final Thoughts from an upset-crazed Week 6 in college football. 1. It’s always the Saturdays that look lightest on paper that deliver the zaniest results. This one saw five of the nation’s top 11 teams go down, four of them to unranked opponents. It was arguably the most hectic day the sport
Mandel’s Final Thoughts: In zany day of upsets, Vanderbilt-Alabama stands above the rest Read More »
Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams. “You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.” When Nick Saban retired, many wondered whether Alabama would take a step back. It had to, right? The greatest coach in the history of
Ranking 134 college football teams after Week 5: Alabama is inevitable Read More »
And now, 20 thoughts from college football’s Week 5, where, if you blinked, you missed a 75-yard touchdown. 1. I keep waiting for college football to go the way of BlackBerry and Blockbuster as so many have predicted. But this weird thing keeps happening. When these teams full of amazing athletes step onto the field
Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Don’t blink! Bama-Georgia just another NIL-era classic Read More »
Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams. Much of the talk going into Tennessee’s trip to Oklahoma was about Volunteers coach Josh Heupel’s return to his alma mater, Heupel was right when, through teary eyes, he told his players that Saturday’s 25-15 win against the Sooners was
Ranking 134 college football teams after Week 4: Tennessee to the top 3; BYU, Navy soar Read More »
And now, 20 thoughts from Week 4, where Colorado conjured quite a 30th-anniversary tribute of Kordell Stewart’s Hail Mary to beat Michigan, while Michigan itself earned the biggest win of the weekend. 1. Saturday’s USC-Michigan thriller was a three-hour advertisement for New College Football. Two marquee brands that may have previously only met in a Rose
Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Remember Travis Hunter’s dominance. Plus, ‘new’ CFB is here Read More »
The Mountain West has established itself as college basketball’s preeminent mid-major conference in the last few years. San Diego State made the national title game in 2023. The league put six teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. While conference realignment wreaked havoc around it, the Mountain West’s stability put it on a tier by itself,
Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams. It took just two weeks for college football to descend into chaos. We’ve had two top-10 teams lose to unranked opponents. Notre Dame appeared to have a clear path to the College Football Playoff, then lost to Northern Illinois. Oregon
Ranking 134 college football teams after Week 2: A historic rise and new No. 134 Read More »
A handful of Week 1 results set the stage for what should be an epic season of college football. A few other programs leaned on FCS opponents to hit the turbo button on hype and expectations. Week 2 offers the chance for teams to either change or fortify those narratives against stiffer competition, featuring in-state
Week 2’s top 10 college football games: Texas visits Michigan in top-10 blockbuster Read More »
