While the top eight all remained in order in the new CBS Sports 127, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team in college football, there are some shake ups in the top 25 following a busy Week 12. Northwestern was one of the big stories of the weekend and one of the biggest movers within the top 30, rising 10 spots to No. 11 after taking down Wisconsin on Saturday. The Wildcats are 5-0 and in the driver's seat of the Big Ten West thanks to wins against the Badgers, Purdue and Iowa, bringing them into the debate as a top 10 team and potential darkhorse for the College Football Playoff.
While Northwestern did fall one spot short of the top 10 this week in the CBS Sports 127 -- our voters actually moved Indiana up two spots to No. 10 after an impressive rally came up short at Ohio State -- it does have back-to-back road games against Michigan State and Minnesota forthcoming. Then the regular season concludes with the rivalry game against Illinois at home. For the Wildcats to give up their hold on the division, it would require two losses at minimum in those three games with Wisconsin winning out.
Naturally, the Badgers stumbled after the loss to Wildcats, down nine spots to No. 18. They fell behind the likes of Coastal Carolina and USC but ahead of undefeated Marshall and a trio of two-loss teams in the 20s in Oklahoma State, North Carolina and Texas. For more on the biggest adjustments not just in the top 30 but throughout the rankings, check out the Mover's Report below.
College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below and 26-127 on our rankings page.
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 7-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 8-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 4-0 | 3 |
| 4 | Clemson | 7-1 | 4 |
| 5 | Florida | 6-1 | 5 |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 5-1 | 6 |
| 7 | Cincinnati | 8-0 | 7 |
| 8 | BYU | 9-0 | 8 |
| 9 | Oregon | 3-0 | 10 |
| 10 | Indiana | 4-1 | 12 |
| 11 | Northwestern | 5-0 | 21 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 6-2 | 14 |
| 13 | Miami (FL) | 7-1 | 13 |
| 14 | Georgia | 5-2 | 11 |
| 15 | Coastal Carolina | 8-0 | 16 |
| 16 | Iowa State | 6-2 | 17 |
| 17 | USC | 3-0 | 18 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 2-1 | 9 |
| 19 | Marshall | 7-0 | 22 |
| 20 | Oklahoma State | 5-2 | 15 |
| 21 | North Carolina | 6-2 | 20 |
| 22 | Texas | 5-2 | 23 |
| 23 | Louisiana | 7-1 | 25 |
| 24 | Auburn | 5-2 | 24 |
| 25 | Tulsa | 5-1 | 26 |
Biggest movers
- No. 27 Nevada (+30): Undefeated and now with a win against one of the top teams in the Mountain West, the Wolf Pack showed out in the spotlight opportunity against San Diego State. Romeo Doubs looks like one of the best wide receivers in the country, and the Nevada defense was stellar in the second half. No surprise to see a big surge here for Jay Norvell's squad.
- No. 35 NC State (+13): After a couple of weeks with positive results on the offensive side of the ball, NC State needed a strong effort from its defense to keep Malik Willis bottled up and hand Liberty its first loss of the season. The Wolfpack are now 6-3 with Georgia Tech and Syracuse left on the schedule, set up to finish with one of the best records in the ACC at the end of the season if they can take care of business down the stretch.
- No. 26 Washington (+11): It's a small sample size, but the Huskies do seem to have an identity of physicality and elite defense that has carried over in the transition from Chris Petersen to Jimmy Lake. Washington led 37-0 going into the fourth quarter against Arizona and should be considered a threat to Oregon in the Pac-12 North.
- No. 18 Wisconsin (-9): A bad game for Graham Mertz paired with a significant step up in competition for the Badgers offense and the struggles that ensued against Northwestern have potentially cost Wisconsin a shot at the Big Ten championship. Our voters still feel confident in this group as one of the better teams in the country, but an adjustment was deserved after falling to 2-1.
- No. 46 Arkansas (-10): The fact that Arkansas had already exceeded expectations for this year early in the season gave the Razorbacks a bit of a push in our rankings, but as the losses have piled up, most recently losing 27-24 at home to LSU, its stock has dropped. Big picture we've still got high marks for year one of the Sam Pittman era but knocking on the door of the top 30 was a little high for a 3-5 team.
- No. 30 Liberty (-11): All season we have come to expect productive offensive performances from Liberty with electric playmaking from Willis. With a chance to go 3-0 against the ACC and remain undefeated, the Flames turned in their lowest-scoring effort of the year in a 15-14 loss at NC State. There remains a huge showdown with Coastal Carolina on Dec. 5 to see a reversal in this rankings adjustment, but until then, Liberty will likely sit outside the top 20.
Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 127: Teams ranked 26-127
