Danny Kanell reveals updated Top 12 college football teams after Week 9

Former Florida State quarterback Danny Kanell revealed his updated Top 12 teams in the country following Week 9 of the college football season. Well, he actually has 13 teams this week! There was a tie for fifth place, but Kanell opted to add an extra team going into Week 10. Regardless, these 12 (13) teams have stood out to this point of the year and it could very well give us a good amount of the CFP teams this year! $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage So without further ado, let’s dive into Kanell’s updated Top 12 rankings. We’ll start with the No. 13* team per his rankings since Kanell put a tie in the middle of his teams this week, thus purposely or accidentally adding another team. 13. Texas Tech* Texas Tech returned to Kanell’s good graces this week with a 34-26 win over Arizona at home, bouncing back from a loss to Cincinnati. The Red Raiders started QB Thomas Castellanos this time. Many thought he wouldn’t even get to play another year of college football, but the ex-Boston College and Florida State QB made his moment count. He was 11-of-24 for 144 yards and two touchdowns while also having 19 carries for 117 yards and one touchdown. 12. LSU LSU was on a bye week this week but will host Alabama this coming Saturday. That’ll be one of the marquee games of Week 10 and Kanell is riding high with the Tigers right now. In fact, he has Lane Kiffin’s crew in his top 12 rankings and Alabama is nowhere to be found. Should the Tigers win this game, many more might jump on board with this team as a CFP contender. 11. Ole Miss Ole Miss bounced back from their loss to Texas and come in at No. 10 in Kanell’s rankings this week. The Rebels dominated Auburn 45-15 at home to improve to 6-2 on the season and are still in CFP contention. Trinidad Chambliss threw for 263 yards, two touchdowns, one pick and ran for 65 yards and one touchdown. Next up is a date with Georgia in what will be pivotal for both team’s seasons down the stretch. 10. Texas Texas rolled through Mississippi State 31-3 on Saturday and are within the top 10 per Kanell this week. The Longhorns had a great game out of Arch Manning as the Longhorns improved to 6-2 on the season. Manning was 16-of-20 passing for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Now, it only gets more difficult for Texas as they travel to Missouri, then LSU before returning home to play Arkansas and then hit the road to play Texas A&M. 9. Notre Dame Notre Dame is next up in Kanell’s rankings. They defeated Navy over the weekend 35-13 after the game was a little too close for comfort at halftime. Still, the Irish prevailed ahead of a massive matchup with Miami. CJ Carr went 19-of-29 passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns in this victory. On the ground, Nolan James Jr. ran nine times for 107 yards and two scores while Jonaz Walton had 12 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown. 8. BYU BYU stayed in Kanell’s rankings this week with a 27-20 win over Arizona State, edging their Big 12 foe on Saturday. It wasn’t pretty, especially after holding a 17-3 lead at halftime, but the Cougars improved to 7-1. Bear Bachmeier was 19-of-30 passing for 236 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Sione I Moa ran eight times for 20 yards and two touchdowns, so the offense was inconsistent to say the least. BYU will head to Utah to take on the Utes this week. 7. Wake Forest Wake Forest is an absolute wagon and nearing Kanell’s top five this week. The Demon Deacons are now 7-1 on the season following a dominant 51-7 win over Virginia in ACC play. Gio Lopez went 13-of-21 passing for 229 yards and one touchdown. Ty Clark III ran eight times for 48 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Wake Forest will take on Merrimack next week before going to SMU to begin November. T5. Kentucky Here’s where Kanell added an extra team! Kentucky is tied for fifth with Indiana in his rankings this week. The Wildcats had the week off but are set up for an inane November. Whether that’s good or bad remains to be seen for Will Stein and company. At 7-1, Kentucky has a chance to play for the SEC title and make the CFP. It all starts with Tennessee on the road this weekend. T5. Indiana Indiana is tied with Kentucky in Kanell’s rankings after escaping away from Minnesota this weekend. The Hoosiers won their second straight Big Ten game in overtime despite poor offensive play for the majority. Josh Hoover was pulled for Grant Wilson, who went 9-of-17 for 156 yards and the go-ahead touchdown to star WR Charlie Becker. Indiana is still 8-1 on the season and has a chance to repeat as Big Ten champions, as well as get back to the CFP. 4. UCLA UCLA is 8-0 and the surprise of the year, although some called them this year’s version of Indiana. Can Bob Chesney keep it rolling in the month of November? That’s the biggest question, but this team is deep and Kanell has them in the top four. Despite losing QB Nico Iamaleava, Ty Dieffenbach has been a worthy fill-in. This past weekend, the Bruins shutout Nevada 27-0 and will now head to Minnesota, host Illinois, travel to Michigan and host USC to end the year. Keep that last game circled! 3. Georgia Georgia floored Florida in Atlanta 27-8 and led 24-0 at the halftime break. The Bulldogs come in at No. 3 in Kanell’s rankings and there is seemingly room to climb as we turn the calendar to November. Georgia’s defense held Florida to 252 total yards and forced four turnovers, including three interceptions from two different Gator QBs. In must-see TV, the Bulldogs will travel to Ole Miss this coming weekend. 2. Utah Utah is the No. 2 team in the country! Per Kanell anyway! The Utes dominated Cincinnati 49-25 on Saturday, avoiding any type of letdown in Nippert Stadium and Morgan Scalley’s crew improved to 8-0 on the season. Devon Dampier threw for 260 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Wayshawn Parker and Daniel Bray combined for 15 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. 1. Miami To cap off Kanell’s rankings, Miami is in the top position following a tight win over North Carolina. In fact, the Hurricanes had to defend three onside kicks! There were penalties causing re-kicks of course. The offense was humming once again, but the Hurricanes’ defense had some lead throughout the night in a 38-35 win in Chapel Hill. Still, Miami is 8-0 and could end up being the No. 1 seed in the CFP when it’s all said and done. Next up is Notre Dame in South Bend!