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| Rank | Team | Last week | Week 13 result | Toughest opponent left (per F/+) | If the season ended today ... |
| 1 | Alabama (10-1) | 1 | Won 48-14 vs. Western Carolina | Auburn | Sugar Bowl vs. Mississippi State |
| 2 | Oregon (10-1) | 2 | Won 44-10 vs. Colorado | Oregon State | Rose Bowl vs. Florida State |
| 3 | Florida State (11-0) | 3 | Won 20-17 vs. Boston College | Florida | Rose Bowl vs. Oregon |
| 4 | Mississippi State (10-1) | 4 | Won 51-0 vs. Vanderbilt | Ole Miss | Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama |
| 5 | TCU (9-1) | 5 | Idle | Texas | New Year's bowl |
| 6 | Ohio State (10-1) | 6 | Won 42-27 vs. Indiana | Michigan | New Year's bowl |
| 7 | Baylor (9-1) | 7 | Won 49-28 vs. Oklahoma State | Kansas State | New Year's bowl |
| 8 | UCLA (8-3) | 9 | Won 38-20 vs. No. 19 USC | Stanford | New Year's bowl |
| 9 | Georgia (9-2) | 10 | Won 55-9 vs. Charleston Southern | Georgia Tech | Orange Bowl vs. Georgia Tech |
| 10 | Michigan State (9-2) | 11 | Won 45-3 vs. Rutgers | Penn State | New Year's bowl |
| 11 | Arizona (9-2) | 15 | Won 42-10 at No. 17 Utah | Arizona State | |
| 12 | Kansas State (9-2) | 12 | Won 26-20 at West Virginia | Baylor | |
| 13 | Arizona State (9-2) | 13 | Won 52-31 vs. Washington State | Arizona | |
| 14 | Wisconsin (8-2) | 16 | Won 59-24 vs. No. 16 Nebraska | Minnesota | |
| 15 | Auburn (8-3) | 14 | Won 31-7 vs. Samford | Alabama | |
| 16 | Georgia Tech (9-2) | 18 | Idle | Georgia | Orange Bowl vs. Georgia |
| 17 | Missouri (9-2) | 20 | Won 29-21 at Tennessee | Arkansas | |
| 18 | Minnesota (8-3) | 25 | Won 28-24 at No. 23 Nebraska | Wisconsin | |
| 19 | Ole Miss (8-3) | 8 | Lost 30-0 at Arkansas | Mississippi State | |
| 20 | Oklahoma (8-3) | 21 | Won 44-7 vs. Kansas | Oklahoma State | |
| 21 | Clemson (8-3) | 22 | Won 28-0 vs. Georgia State | South Carolina | |
| 22 | Louisville (8-3) | 24 | Won 31-28 at Notre Dame | Kentucky | |
| 23 | Boise State (9-2) | NR | Won 63-14 at Wyoming | Utah State | New Year's bowl |
| 24 | Marshall (11-0) | NR | Won 23-18 at UAB | Western Kentucky | |
| 25 | Utah (7-3) | 17 | Lost 42-10 vs. No. 15 Arizona | Colorado |
There you have it, boys and girls. The Marshall Thundering Herd are finally ranked. You will notice, however, that they are not the highest ranked Group of Five team, as they are just a shade behind Boise State.
That being said, this is a start. Now that they are ranked, as long as they do not lose to Western Kentucky or Rice/La Tech, they will continue to be ranked and maybe even climb a little bit due to other teams losing. However, given this current setup, it would appear a strong possibility that they wind up ranked behind whichever of Boise State or Colorado State wins the Mountain West title (assuming one of them does).
This isn't perfect, but it's a start...