TAP FOR 6 MONTHS OF PREMIUM FREE 💰
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy College Football CFB Rankings: NCAA Top 10 (11/21/16)

30553438252_24ed487db5_z

If we could skip the second and third spots in our Top 10 and rank teams #1 and then #4 through #12--without you, dear readers, thinking we were sniffing too much glue--then by gum we would do it.

That's how strongly we feel that only one team, Alabama, has proved on a consistent basis that it deserves to play for a national title, while the rest of the so-called top teams in the country have, well, simply not distinguished themselves.

However, the last thing we want to do is revolutionize the rankings system in college sports--if for no other reason than we don't like change. Here are our CFB rankings after Week 12, from our usual fantasy perspective (won-loss records in parentheses).

 

NCAA College Football (CBB) Rankings

1. Alabama, (11-0)

With 2,139 passing yards and 803 rushing yards, freshman QB Jalen Hurts has suddenly emerged as a Heisman candidate--not surprising, in a way, given that he plays the most important position on the nation's best team. He operated at half speed this week against Chattanooga. He'll need to play much better in the Iron Bowl against Auburn to keep the Crimson Tide's unbeaten run going.

2. Clemson, (10-1)

Keep in mind, the Tigers are a distant second... Yes, they bounced back with a win over a halfway decent Wake Forest team, but we don't see them as being in the same league--figuratively--as 'Bama. Meanwhile QB Deshaun Watson's stock is dropping faster than the Dow on Black Monday.

3. Ohio State, (10-1)

The Buckeyes can thank Michigan State's bizarre decision to go for two late on Saturday for keeping them in the three spot. Sparty may be 3-8, but East Lansing has been a relative house of horrors for Ohio State in recent years, and running back LJ Scott (160 yards against the Buckeyes) is the real deal. There'll only be room for one Big Ten team in the playoffs, though, and...

4. Michigan, (10-1)

... as expected, it'll come down to this Saturday's "Showdown at the Shoe." Will QB Wilton Speight play for the Wolverines? It may not matter if De'Veon Smith continues to run the ball well. The senior has drawn the attention of NFL scouts with 750 yards and 10 TDs on the season, despite Jim Harbaugh's running-back-by-committee approach.

5. Oklahoma, (9-2)

It's official, the Sooners are the hottest team in the country. They have two running backs (Joe Mixon and Samaje Perrine) who will be playing on Sundays next fall, and a great wideout in Dede Westbrook. And we love the intangibles QB Baker Mayfield brings. The only question will be whether Bob Stoopes' defense can stop the offenses of the elite teams in the country.

6. Oklahoma State, (9-2)

The second hottest team in the land? The Sooners' in-state rivals, the Cowboys, who would be 10-1 had it not been for that officiating snafu against Central Michigan. Like the Sooners, the 'Pokes are loaded with future NFL stars on the offensive side of the ball, starting with QB Mason Rudolph (3,591 passing yards this season). And, they have a better defense. The winner of Bedlam will likely find itself in the BCS picture.

7. Western Michigan, (11-0)

Western won again so it seems unfair to drop them a spot. However, they do play in a weak conference, the MAC. We've mentioned senior wide receiver Corey Davis before. He had 13 catches for 173 yards against Buffalo and has more than 1,200 receiving yards on the season. He'll be a late-round pick in your NFL fantasy draft next season.

8. Boise State, (10-1)

The Broncos also won, but at home against a weak UNLV team, so they fall a bit, too. Frankly, they need someone to beat Wyoming to even play for the Mountain West title, so their hopes for breaking into the BCS are likely dashed. Too bad. More of the country should see running back Jeremy McNichols, who had 206 yards rushing and four TDs against the Rebels and has 1,575 yards and 22 TDs for the year.

9. Washington, (10-1)

Similarly, we think the ship has sailed for the Huskies, too, given that the Pac-12 gets little love from the BCS Selection Committee. Still, with just one loss, they are in the mix, especially since the Big 12 (Oklahoma and Oklahoma State) is hardly a favorite of the bean counters either. With 1,130 yards on the ground, running back Myles Gaskin is two years away from playing at the next level.

10. Penn State, (9-2)

The Nittany Lions stay at #10 because, ahem, they beat Rutgers this week. Seriously, James Franklin's team is a perfect example of the drop off in talent after Alabama. That being said, RB Saquon Barkley (1,205 yards, 14 TDs) could play anywhere.

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Mike Burrows

Looking Strong in Early Spring Action
Garrett Crochet

Is an Elite Anchor for Your Rotation
Casey Mize

Can Be a Late-Round Value Pick
Nick Seeler

Suffers Lower-Body Injury Versus Maple Leafs
Daylen Lile

Can Be a Great Outfield Sleeper
Andrew Painter

Headed for Opening Day Roster?
Pierre-Olivier Joseph

Injured in Monday's Loss
Giancarlo Stanton

Will Make His Spring Training Debut on Tuesday
Joel Armia

Moved to Injured Reserve
Artturi Lehkonen

Set to Miss Time After Getting Hurt Monday
Shea Theodore

Iffy for Tuesday Due to Illness
Mitchell Marner

Dealing With Illness
Mark Stone

Considered Day-to-Day
Jason Day

Attempts to Bounce Back from The Genesis Invitational
Santi Aldama

Questionable Tuesday
Cedric Coward

Could Return Tuesday
Jacob Bridgeman

Rolling into Arnold Palmer Invitational
Ty Jerome

Could Miss Third Straight Game
Davion Mitchell

Iffy to Face Nets
Norman Powell

Misses Second Consecutive Game
Anthony Black

Likely to Return Tuesday
Klay Thompson

Questionable Tuesday
Russell Henley

Looks to Defend Title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
Max Scherzer

Could Make Grapefruit League Debut This Weekend
Alex DeBrincat

Collects Two More Points
Andrew Benintendi

Should be Back on Thursday
Kirill Marchenko

Earns Three Points on Monday
Nicolai Hojgaard

Continues to Search for First PGA Tour Victory at API
Xander Bogaerts

the Leading Candidate to Hit Leadoff for Padres
Shane Lowry

Trying to Shake Off Last Week's Heartbreak at the API
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Moving to Middle of the Batting Order?
Kyle Stowers

Doing Baseball Activities, to Start Running Progression Soon
Matt Fitzpatrick

Continues Scorching Start to 2026 Season
Keegan Bradley

Searching for Better Results Heading to Bay Hill
Cedric Mullins

Goes Deep for First Time in Rays Uniform
Jac Caglianone

Looking Good at the Plate So Far This Spring
Isaac Paredes

Homers in Spring Debut
Logan Webb

to Start WBC Opener for Team USA on Friday
Tarik Skubal

Scheduled to Throw Around 55 Pitches Against Great Britain
Kyle Freeland

to Make Spring Debut on Wednesday
P.J. Washington

Questionable vs. Hornets
Dairon Blanco

Designated for Assignment by Royals
Egor Demin

to Miss Second Straight Game
Nicolas Claxton

Expected to Play on Tuesday
Coby White

Ruled Out vs. Dallas
Jacob deGrom

to Make Spring Debut on Wednesday
Kyle Hurt

Being Viewed as Reliever
Collin Murray-Boyles

to Miss Second Straight Game
Naji Marshall

Unavailable Versus Charlotte
Donovan Mitchell

Out Tuesday vs. Detroit
Cooper Flagg

Listed as Doubtful for Tuesday Night
Beau Brieske

Exits With Rib-Cage Injury
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Ruled Out for Tuesday's Matchup With Bulls
Isaiah Hartenstein

to Miss Game Against Bulls
Anthony Gill

Out, Julian Reese Set to Start Monday
Kris Dunn

Available On Monday Against Warriors
John Collins

Sidelined vs. Warriors
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Set to Suit Up Monday
Trevor Moore

Unavailable Monday
Drew Doughty

Could Return Thursday
Roope Hintz

Misses Third Consecutive Game
Zach Werenski

Iffy for Monday's Action
Travis Konecny

a Game-Time Decision Monday
John Gibson

Exits Win Early
Connor Murphy

Moving to Edmonton
Khalil Mack

Will Play in 2026
MMA

Lone'er Kavanagh Gets Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno

Gets Outclassed
Marlon Vera

Loses Fourth Fight In A Row
Daniel Jones

Colts Have "50/50" Chance to Get a Deal Done With Daniel Jones
David Martinez

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Daniel Zellhuber

Loses Third Consecutive Fight
King Green

Gets Second-Round TKO Win
Felipe Bunes

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Édgar Cháirez

Edgar Chairez Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Ryan Blaney

Falls to Eighth Despite Running Most of the Race in the Top Five At COTA
Ty Gibbs

Wins A Stage and Finishes Fourth At COTA
Christopher Bell

Earns First Top-Five Finish of the 2026 Season at COTA
Kyler Murray

"Repeatedly" Linked to Jets
Shane Van Gisbergen

Falls Short of Victory At COTA
Tyler Reddick

Wins At COTA and Makes NASCAR History
David Montgomery

Texans Acquire David Montgomery From Lions
Lukas Dostal

Sets New Career High With 24th Win
Cutter Gauthier

Hits Two Goals in Shootout Win
Robert Thomas

Returns to Action With Multi-Point Effort
Matthew Tkachuk

Dishes Out Three Assists Sunday
Matthew Schaefer

Has First Three-Point Outing
Kyler Murray

Likely to be Released
Travis Etienne Jr.

Not Expected to be Franchise-Tagged
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Planning to Release Aaron Jones Sr.?
Tyler Reddick

Could Make History at COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Still the Favorite at COTA
Christopher Bell

Will Be Tough to Beat at COTA
AJ Allmendinger

Could Contend at COTA
Connor Zilisch

Carries Plenty of Upside for DFS at COTA
Chase Elliott

May be A Strong Contender Again at COTA
Chris Buescher

Is Nothing But Consistent at Road Courses
Ross Chastain

May Be An Underrated Competitor for the Win at COTA
William Byron

Is William Byron a Viable DFS Option for COTA?
Carson Hocevar

Needs Clean Race at COTA
Kyle Larson

Could be A Decent DFS Option for COTA Lineups
Ryan Blaney

Could Ryan Blaney be A Sleeper DFS Option for All Formats for COTA?
Chase Briscoe

Should DFS Players Roster Chase Briscoe at COTA?
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Is A Favorable Value Option for COTA DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs

Could Ty Gibbs Be A Rosterable DFS Play for COTA?
Michael McDowell

Is Michael McDowell A Favorable DFS Option for COTA?
A.J. Brown

Patriots "Have Explored Trade Talks" Involving A.J. Brown
Lone'er Kavanagh

Set For UFC Mexico City Main Event
Brandon Moreno

Looks To Bounce Back
David Martinez

Set For UFC Mexico City Co-Main Event
Marlon Vera

In Dire Need Of Victory
King Green

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Daniel Zellhuber

Aims To Snap Two-Fight Skid
Felipe Bunes

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Édgar Cháirez

Edgar Chairez A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
George Pickens

Cowboys Not Interested in Trading George Pickens
Ashton Jeanty

Not in Line for Workhorse Role in 2026?
Anthony Richardson Sr.

Colts Give Anthony Richardson Sr. Permission to Seek a Trade
Kyler Murray

Prefers to be Released
Derek Carr

"Strong Belief" That Derek Carr is "Very Serious" About Unretiring
Andy Dalton

Is Andy Dalton Available for a Trade?
Keith Mitchell

Making The Comfortable Return to PGA National
CFB

Chandler Morris Suing NCAA for Seventh Year of Eligibility
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF