Week 13 of the college football season brought plenty of chaos and shakeups to the top of the rankings, but one constant remained: the Ohio State Buckeyes’ grip on the No. 1 spot in the SP+ ratings. Ohio State not only maintained their lead, but expanded it to a comfortable margin, proving their status as the best team in the nation on paper.
The Buckeyes now hold a commanding 4-point advantage over the second-place team in the SP+ rankings, which is notable considering the typical home-field advantage adjustment is only 2.5 points. Ohio State’s 39.3 adjusted points per game on offense ranks fifth nationally, while their stingy defense allowing just 9.7 points per game tops the entire FBS.
Rebels Rise Despite Loss
Perhaps the most surprising result of the Week 13 SP+ rankings was seeing Ole Miss hold steady at No. 2 despite suffering their third loss of the season against Florida. A deeper dive into the numbers shows the Rebels were actually the statistically superior team in the matchup:
- Ole Miss had a significantly higher success rate: 48% to Florida’s 33%
- The Rebels created more red zone chances: 3 to the Gators’ 2
- A postgame win expectancy measure indicates Ole Miss would have won the game 74% of the time by an average margin of 5.1 points given the key predictive stats
While three close losses will likely keep the Rebels out of playoff contention, the advanced metrics indicate they are still one of the best teams in the country. Blowout wins over fellow top-10 squads South Carolina and Georgia continue to bolster Ole Miss’ impressive resume.
Risers and Fallers
Outside of the top teams, Week 13 saw significant movement for several programs in the SP+ rankings:
- Biggest Riser: Akron – The Zips jumped 7 spots from 132nd to 125th after a 3.8-point rating increase
- Falling Fast: UTEP – The Miners plummeted 4 places from 127th to 131st following a 3.8-point drop
- Mid-Major Madness – Group of Five teams like UNLV, Louisiana, South Alabama and Georgia Southern saw ratings spikes of over 3 points
- Badgers Plummet Again – Wisconsin continued their roller-coaster season, falling to 59th after being ranked as high as 20th just a few weeks ago
SEC Supremacy
While there were plenty of individual movers and shakers, the SEC once again collectively flexed its muscle as the top conference in the SP+ rankings:
| Conference | Avg Offensive Rating | Avg Defensive Rating | Overall Avg Rating |
| SEC | 33.0 | 19.2 | 14.8 |
| Big Ten | 26.9 | 20.5 | 6.6 |
| ACC | 30.2 | 25.1 | 5.2 |
| Big 12 | 29.7 | 25.4 | 4.5 |
The SEC’s 14.8 average adjusted points per game is a whopping 8.2 points ahead of the second-place Big Ten. With upsets and near-upsets happening frequently, the SEC has definitively proven its depth this season.
What [the SEC’s performance] should mean regarding the College Football Playoff, however, is in the eye of the beholder.
– Bill Connelly, ESPN
Buckeyes’ Playoff Prospects
As conference championship weekend looms, Ohio State appears to have solidified their position as a playoff frontrunner. The SP+ rankings not only have the Buckeyes as the clear No. 1 team, but also grade their schedule as the toughest among contenders, just slightly ahead of fellow one-loss squad Texas.
With a potential Big Ten title game matchup against upstart Indiana on the horizon, Ohio State will have a chance to add another impressive win to their body of work. A dominant showing could make the Buckeyes an undeniable inclusion, even in this strange and unpredictable year.
The only certainty is that more chaos awaits in the final weeks of this unprecedented college football season. But for now, the SP+ rankings paint a clear picture: Ohio State stands alone at the top, with everyone else battling to join them in the playoff conversation.
