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The 2024 college football season is flying by, and it won't be long before we see the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff play out. Week 8 saw playoff-worthy matchups and included Tennessee handing Alabama its second loss and Georgia dominating No. 1 Texas on the road. In other action, Miami survived another nailbiter, Michigan took another L at the hands of Illinois, and the service academies (Army and Navy) continued to dominate.
Week 9 promises to be another eventful slate. No. 12 Notre Dame squares off with No. 24 Navy, No. 25 Vanderbilt hosts No. 5 Texas in the Music City, Oregon battles against a ranked Big Ten foe (Illinois), and LSU and Texas A&M square off in a potential playoff eliminator. Is it Saturday yet?
It's time for the next article of a year-long series: Overrated and Underrated College Football Teams, after the weekly Associated Press Poll release. All rankings listed are based on the AP Poll.
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Overrated College Football Teams For Week 9
Alabama Crimson Tide: No. 15
Week 8 Result: L at Tennessee (17-24)
The Crimson Tide would likely be betting favorites against many of the teams ranked ahead of them, but that's not how the AP Poll rankings work or are calculated.
The Kalen DeBoer era is not off to a hot start compared to the expectations of the fanbase. Having two losses before Halloween was unthinkable when Nick Saban was pacing the sideline in Tuscaloosa, but now the Tide have lost to both SEC schools in Tennessee on the road.
jalen milroe intercepted pic.twitter.com/ctDsLlB2XY
— ◇ (@HOODH3RO) October 19, 2024
The home win over Georgia matters, but it does not erase the ugly loss to Vanderbilt and the close loss to Tennessee. Alabama also narrowly survived against South Carolina at home in Week 7.
Out of 16 SEC schools, Alabama ranks 13th in total yards allowed per game (351.9) and points allowed per game (21.3). This is far from what we've come to expect out of Alabama, and even with its defense playing a solid game in a hostile environment in Knoxville, the Tide could not escape defeat.
At this point in the season, No. 16 Kansas State and No. 17 Boise State should be ahead of Alabama. Both of those programs each have one loss, and both were at the hands of currently undefeated teams. No. 19 Pittsburgh and No. 20 Illinois have a case here, too.
Ole Miss Rebels: No. 18
Week 8 Result: Bye
Like Alabama, Ole Miss is an SEC squad with two losses. The loss to LSU in Death Valley is excusable, but the home loss to Kentucky is looking worse as the season moves forward. The Wildcats have now lost to Vanderbilt and been blown out by South Carolina and Florida.
The Rebels have a strong offense and defense, but finding a way to lose games has been a theme in the Lane Kiffin era.
There's not too much to analyze this week since Ole Miss was on a bye, but the program squares off against Oklahoma and Arkansas before hosting a rising Georgia team in Week 11. That game will tell us all we need to know about Ole Miss, and they have no more room for error if a College Football Playoff berth is the goal.
If you wanted to argue that just about every team behind Ole Miss in this week's AP Poll should be ranked ahead of the Rebels, I wouldn't blame you. The program's best win this year is against South Carolina.
Underrated College Football Teams For Week 9
Indiana Hoosiers: No. 13
Week 8 Result: W vs Nebraska (56-7)
Through Week 8, Indiana has the No. 5 total offense (512.7 YPG) and No. 7 total defense (262.6 YPG) in the country. The only other team with a top-seven offense and defense is Ohio State, which sits at No. 4 in the AP Poll. Ohio State has played Oregon, but it lost. Otherwise, the two programs have played similar schedules.
To be skeptical of Indiana makes sense, given its talent composition, but a 49-point win over a solid Nebraska team is impressive and should have put the Hoosiers higher on the AP voter's radar. Why is this undefeated Big Ten squad behind one-loss teams like Notre Dame, Tennessee, and LSU when fellow Big Ten members Penn State and Ohio State occupy top-4 rankings?
HOOSIERS ARE ON FIRE 🔥
Justice Ellison takes it 31 yards for ANOTHER @IndianaFootball TD 😤 pic.twitter.com/I99j7u3Fuj
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 19, 2024
Indiana ranks third in margin of victory per game (28.5), so this one is mind-boggling.
Army Black Knights: No. 23
Week 8 Result: W vs. East Carolina (45-28)
Army is shockingly No. 4 in point differential per game (+26.8) behind its explosive offense that features at least somewhat of a passing attack. The Black Knights lead the nation in rushing yards per game (359.1) but have also thrown for eight touchdowns to zero interceptions.
Quarterback Bryson Daily should probably be in the Heisman conversation. He's leading an undefeated team and has racked up 1,538 total yards and scored a whopping 26 touchdowns in seven games. Running backs Kanye Udoh and Noah Short have combined for 1,029 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
While Army's roster is obviously not as talented as many of its opponents due to restrictions on who the program can recruit, its style of offense is incredibly unique and difficult to prepare for. Its defense ranks 11th nationally in yards allowed per game (281.9). All of a sudden, the Black Knights are a legitimate contender to earn a CFP bid, and it will have tests against Navy and Notre Dame to pad its resume.
Navy Midshipmen: No. 24
Week 8 Result: W vs. Charlotte (51-17)
Navy is fifth in average margin of victory (24.6) and carries an undefeated record into Week 9. Like Army, the Midshipmen have begun incorporating passing into their offense. Quarterback Blake Horvath is also the star of the show at this service academy and has thrown 10 passing touchdowns and scored 10 times on the ground.
Heisman Horvath 👑
888 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns
621 rush yards, 10 rushing touchdownsHello, @HeismanTrophy 👋#AmericanWay x @NavyFB pic.twitter.com/Y3F95YMtMu
— The American (@American_Conf) October 20, 2024
Navy hasn't been great on defense, but it has been good enough to win, with its offense putting up 435.8 yards and 44.8 points per game (fourth). The Midshipmen's performance on the field so far warrants a bump up in the rankings, but its game against Notre Dame this Saturday will prove whether or not the College Football Playoffs is an attainable goal for head coach Brian Newberry.
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