Every set of college football rankings will view the top of the sport differently in the 2023 season. While the College Football Playoff selection committee will consider the results through nine weeks when they release their initial rankings on Tuesday, we here at CBS Sports and 247Sports have been locked to a top tier for a couple weeks now.
Michigan maintained its edge on Georgia for No. 1 in the CBS Sports 133, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team compiled by ballots from CBS Sports and 247Sports experts, even after the Wolverines were off and the Bulldogs put together one of their best wins of the season in a 43-20 trouncing of Florida. Ohio State held its spot at No. 3 as well after a win at Wisconsin, but there is plenty of shake up after that in the top 10.
Florida State jumped ahead of Washington for No. 4 after not only another double-digit win for the Seminoles but also the Huskies less-than-dominant victory over Stanford. Oklahoma dropped three spots to No. 9 after losing to Kansas, allowing for some slight bumps up in the rankings for Oregon, Texas and Alabama.
That win for the Jayhawks over the Sooners provided one of the biggest moves within the top 40 as Lance Leipold’s group soared more than a dozen spots to land at No. 20.
Oregon State and Utah also saw an adjustment following Week 9 losses, though neither team fell outside the top 25, while North Carolina and Duke were not so lucky and dropped to edge of the top 30. For more on the notable week-to-week adjustments in the CBS Sports 133, check out the Mover’s Report below the top 25 table.
College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below and 26-133 on our rankings page.
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 8-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Georgia | 8-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 8-0 | 3 |
| 4 | Florida State | 8-0 | 5 |
| 5 | Washington | 8-0 | 4 |
| 6 | Oregon | 7-1 | 7 |
| 7 | Texas | 7-1 | 8 |
| 8 | Alabama | 7-1 | 9 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 7-1 | 6 |
| 10 | Penn State | 7-1 | 10 |
| 11 | Ole Miss | 7-1 | 12 |
| 12 | Notre Dame | 7-2 | 14 |
| 13 | LSU | 6-2 | 15 |
| 14 | Missouri | 7-1 | 16 |
| 15 | Louisville | 7-1 | 20 |
| 16 | Air Force | 8-0 | 17 |
| 17 | Oregon State | 6-2 | 11 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 6-2 | 22 |
| 19 | UCLA | 6-2 | 21 |
| 20 | Kansas | 6-2 | 33 |
| 21 | Utah | 6-2 | 13 |
| 22 | Tulane | 7-1 | 24 |
| 23 | Kansas State | 6-2 | 28 |
| 24 | James Madison | 8-0 | 23 |
| 25 | Fresno State | 7-1 | 27 |
Biggest movers
- No. 46 Nebraska (+16): Matt Rhule has guided a major midseason turnaround and has the Cornhuskers entering November riding a three-game winning streak and sitting in a four-way tie for first place in the Big Ten West. The schedule is not easy to close out the year with Wisconsin and Iowa in the last two weeks, but at 5-3 Nebraska is just one win away from bowl eligibility. Considering how things looked to start the year, a postseason berth would be a great way to finish strong.
- No. 20 Kansas (+13): Our voters started to lose confidence in Kansas when the Jayhawks dropped two out of three back in October, but a quick correction was necessary in the wake of the upset win against Oklahoma. With new perspective, you see a 6-2 team with a high-end win and the only losses being road games at Texas and Oklahoma State, the latter of which looks much different considering the Cowboys’ recent surge.
- No. 28 Oklahoma State (+12): Firmly entrenched in a five-way tie for first place in the Big 12 standings, Oklahoma State added a lot of pop to this Saturday’s Bedlam matchup against Oklahoma with a fourth straight win over the weekend. Running back Ollie Gordon continues to stand out above most others this month, racking up 271 yards in a 45-13 win against Cincinnati. With three games against Big 12 newcomers the other side of Bedlam, this is a team that will be a factor in the title race down the stretch.
- No. 27 North Carolina (-9): Back-to-back losses to Virginia and Georgia Tech have dropped North Carolina from the top 10 in our rankings to barely hanging on in the top 30. The losses were close, yes, but to opponents that are not considered a major factor with neither being the top 50 of our current rankings.
- No. 44 Clemson (-9): The Tigers have dropped 17 spots in the last two weeks, now sitting at 4-4 overall and barely inside the top 50. Our voters kept Clemson’s stock in the top-30 range as losses to Duke and Florida State are not damning on the profile. But as the losses are piling up, especially the most recent one at NC State, it’s hard to argue for a 4-4 team as one of the 40 best in the country.
- No. 30 Duke (-11): The rough stretch for the ACC continues with the triple play here as Duke has also lost two straight and now sits at 5-3 overall heading into November. The losses are not bad — Notre Dame, Florida State and Louisville — but the nature of the Week 9 defeat to the Cardinals, a 23-0 shutout, added to the fall on voters’ ballots.
Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 133: Teams ranked 26-133