Joel Klatt, Fox Sports’ college football analyst, releases his own top 10 every week – often it mirrors the AP or USA Today / AFCA polls, at least at the top.
This week, the one (VERY) noticeable difference is that, while Klatt calls last week’s Washington-Oregon game possibly the game of the year, he didn’t move them up in his poll.
Like, at all.
Washington is still ranked No. 7, and that might have something to do with the fact that Klatt’s network has the top-10 matchup between Penn State and Ohio State at 11 a.m. Central time Saturday, and that Klatt calls the game.
Klatt has an answer for that ranking, though, in the poll story itself (2023 college football top 10 rankings: Joel Klatt’s top 10 teams after Week 7).
“I’m very frustrated with myself that Washington wasn’t ranked higher,” Klatt wrote. “That was a tough one. The problem was that everyone ahead of it either had an off week (and I’m not going to penalize Oklahoma after its win last week) or handled its business with flying colors.”
There was no change at the top, but why should there be? Georgia is still Klatt’s top team, as they are in both the “legitimate” polls. And although they don’t appear to be as good on the surface as they have been the last two seasons – both of them national championship seasons – they just might still be the best team we’ve got.
“Georgia played like Georgia on Saturday, and that’s why the Bulldogs are still No. 1,” Klatt wrote. “This is a team that will be tested with All-American tight end Brock Bowers going down with an ankle injury. He is set to undergo surgery and will likely be sidelined for at least a month, just as Georgia’s schedule begins to pick up. Bowers leads all tight ends in the country in both catches (41) and receiving yards (567).”
JOEL KLATT’S TOP 10 (released Wednesday, October 18):
| 1. Georgia (7-0) – open date; Next: vs. Florida at Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 28 | |
| 2. Michigan (6-0) – at Michigan State, Saturday, 6:30 p.m., NBC | |
| 3. Florida State (6-0) – vs. No. 16 Duke, Saturday, 6:30 p.m., ABC | |
| 4. Oklahoma (6-0) – vs. Central Florida, Saturday, 11 a.m., ABC | |
| 5. Penn State (6-0) – at No. 3 Ohio State, Saturday, 11 a.m., FOX | |
| 6. Ohio State (7-0) – vs. No. 5 Penn State, Saturday, 11 a.m., FOX | |
| 7. Washington (6-0) – vs. Arizona State, Saturday, 9:30 p.m., FS1 | |
| 8. Oregon (5-0) – vs. Washington State, Saturday, 2:30 p.m., ABC | |
| 9. North Carolina (6-0) – vs. Virginia, Saturday, 5:30 p.m., CW Network | |
| 10. Texas (5-1) – at Houston, Saturday, 3 p.m., FOX |
