USC averaged 190.8 rushing yards across its first 10 games this fall. On Saturday, an Oregon defense that struggled to stop the run in the early parts of this fall stifled the No. 15 Trojans’ ground game, limiting USC to 52 rushing yards as the No. 7 Ducks improved to 10-1.

“I think it’s huge when you can take away a team’s strength,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said after the 42-27 win. “I think they’ve been able to run the ball really well this season, and for us to be able to stop it was big.”

The in-season turnaround of the Ducks’ run defense, which has held each of its past four opponents to less than 125 yards rushing, is powering the program toward a second straight College Football Playoff appearance. Across the country, vastly improved units like Oregon’s and individual players surging in the back half of the 2025 season shined in Week 13.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning made Longhorns history with his six-touchdown performance against Arkansas, delivering the latest in a late-fall run of mature performances from the first-year starter. Turnover-starved in September and early October, Oklahoma continued its late-season takeaway spree in a 17-6 victory over Missouri. Elsewhere, Tennessee‘s running back tandem of DeSean Bishop and Star Thomas combined for 187 yards as the program’s slow run game exploded in a win at Florida, while the Vols’ Week 14 opponent Vanderbilt put together another smothering effort against the run in a 28-point victory over Kentucky.

As we enter the final week of the regular season, this week’s Power Rankings focus on the biggest improvement each of the nation’s top programs has made since Week 1. — Eli Lederman

Previous ranking: 1

The Buckeyes have gotten their running game going just in time for Michigan and the postseason. Before November, Ohio State ranked 51st nationally averaging 4.58 yards per rush and 71st with 151.7 rushing yards per game. Since Nov. 1, Ohio State ranks 15th with 5.55 yards per rush and 24th with 202.5 rushing yards per game. In Saturday’s 42-9 win over Rutgers, freshman Bo Jackson led the way with 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns as the Buckeyes racked up 254 yards on the ground. With star receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate continuing to battle nagging injuries, Ohio State’s budding running game figures to be key next weekend at Michigan. — Jake Trotter

Previous ranking: 2

Once upon a time, Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana offense weren’t as efficient in their ability to score, especially in the red zone. Mendoza’s Hoosiers debut against Old Dominion featured only 27 points and four scores on seven red zone trips. Indiana finished with 502 yards, but it was highly inefficient with scoring. Things have improved considerably as Mendoza, a top Heisman Trophy contender, directs a Hoosiers offense that has scored touchdowns on 74% of its red zone trips (42-of-57) and averages 43.3 points per game. Mendoza entered Saturday with a nation-leading 20 passing touchdowns in the red zone, five rushing touchdowns, no interceptions and only one sack taken. IU leads the nation in total red zone passing touchdowns with 23. — Adam Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 3

A game without any drama was a welcome respite for the Aggies, who followed a 28-point comeback, the biggest in school history, against South Carolina two weeks ago, with a 48-0 win over Samford that allowed Mike Elko to rest many of his starters. The No. 3 Aggies, who began the season eighth in the SEC preseason media poll, have learned how to win this season, leaning on Elko’s emphasis on finishing games. Marcel Reed leads the SEC in touchdown passes with 25, and receivers KC Concepcion and Mario Craver added speed to an offense that could already wear teams down with its offensive line. The defense continues to harass quarterbacks behind star edge rusher Cashius Howell. Now, Texas A&M turns its attention to Austin, where it will face No. 17 Texas with a chance to complete a 12-0 regular season for the first time since 1992. Last year, the Longhorns went on the road and clinched an SEC championship spot by winning the renewed rivalry game at Kyle Field on their way to the playoff. This year, the Aggies would love nothing more than to return the favor in their stadium. — Dave Wilson

Previous ranking: 4

Early in the season, when Georgia was dealing with injuries on the offensive line and was forced to start two true freshmen up front, there were concerns about its ability to throw the ball down the field. Sophomore Gunner Stockton has more than answered the challenge, completing 71.4% of his attempts for 2,465 yards with 19 touchdowns (plus another eight rushing) and four interceptions. Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has done a good job getting the ball in Zachariah Branch‘s hands and utilizing tight ends. Georgia ranks 26th in the FBS in scoring (33.7 points) and has one of the more balanced attacks in the SEC. — Mark Schlabach

Previous ranking: 7

Special teams might have won the day in Eugene as Oregon’s unit dominated USC’s on its way to a 42-27 win. But the bedrock for its victory was its run defense, which held the Trojans’ rushing attack to only 52 yards — before this game, USC had averaged over 190 rushing yards per game. This has been a key part of Oregon’s second half. Even in wins over Oklahoma State, Northwestern and Penn State in the early part of the season, the Ducks were allowing an average of 150 rushing yards. Since the loss against Indiana, Oregon’s rush defense has only allowed over 110 rushing yards once, and over the past two games, it has allowed 114 yards total. There’s a reason coach Dan Lanning praised his team’s effort in that part of the game Saturday night. Come playoff time, it will be a crucial part of its chances. — Paolo Uggetti

Previous ranking: 6

The Rebels are probably one victory away from appearing in their first College Football Playoff game, and one of the primary reasons is they’ve done a good job eliminating self-inflicted wounds. In Ole Miss’ first three SEC games, at Kentucky and home against Arkansas and LSU, it was penalized 28 times for 258 yards. The Rebels also had two turnovers against both the Wildcats and Tigers. Ole Miss won those games, but it was playing with fire too often. Ole Miss has been much better in its past four SEC games, averaging about 4.8 penalties per game with a total of only three turnovers. If the Rebels keep it clean again in Friday’s Egg Bowl at rival Mississippi State, they might be hosting a CFP first-round game in Oxford, Mississippi, in mid-December. — Schlabach

Previous ranking: 5

The Red Raiders are one win away from their first Big 12 championship game appearance and had a week off to recover and prepare for their road finale at West Virginia. While the health of QB Behren Morton has garnered a lot of attention throughout the year, the emergence of sophomores Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams at running back has been a critical development over this team’s 10-1 start. Texas Tech had to replace all-time leading rusher Tahj Brooks entering 2025 and lost touted USC transfer Quinten Joyner to a season-ending injury in preseason camp. Dickey and Williams have combined for a whopping 2,364 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns, and they have absolutely exceeded expectations under first-year OC Mack Leftwich. — Max Olson

Previous ranking: 8

Few programs have defended better than the Sooners this fall. But it took Brent Venables’ unit until the back half of the regular season to start creating turnovers at a rate befitting one of the nation’s top 10 scoring defenses. After logging just two takeaways through its first six games of 2025, Oklahoma has tallied 10 in its past five, including a pair in the program’s’ 17-6 win over Missouri. Turnovers drove the Sooners’ pair of ranked road victories at Tennessee and Alabama earlier this month — 22 points off six turnovers in wins decided by a combined eight points — and they’ve finally become part of the winning formula that has Oklahoma on the cusp of the playoff entering the final week of the regular season. — Lederman

Previous ranking: 9

The Crimson Tide did not get off to a great start with their run defense, giving up more than 225 yards in two of their first three Power 4 games, against Florida State and Georgia. But it appears that group has turned a corner in the past month. Alabama held both LSU and Oklahoma under 100 yards rushing. In its past four Power 4 games, Alabama has not allowed more than 150 yards on the ground. Given that improvement, Alabama has put itself in position to make it to the SEC championship game and secure yet another CFP berth. A win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl would get them to Atlanta. — Andrea Adelson

Previous ranking: 10

Remember back when the Irish were 0-2? The sky was falling, the playoff was a near impossibility and, most shocking of all, the secondary was a mess. That feels like another lifetime. Since the losses to Miami and Texas A&M, opposing QBs are averaging just 4.9 yards-per-dropback, with a mere eight passing touchdowns and a whopping 19 interceptions. That Leonard Moore and Christian Gray reverted back to their All-America caliber form is perhaps not all that surprising. It was the first two games that felt like the outlier. But it’s not just that the Notre Dame secondary has proven to be every bit as good as we might’ve guessed before the season, but it has actually been better. Chalk that up to the emergence of Tae Johnson, who has blossomed into a star in his own right, racking up 48 tackles and four picks, taking Notre Dame’s DB room from early-season worry to one of the country’s most dominant units. — David Hale

Previous ranking: 11

For BYU, the path to the playoff has become quite simple: Win and you’re in. With the way the bubble is shaping up, a loss to either UCF in the regular-season finale or against Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game almost surely means the Cougars are out, barring some unexpected results elsewhere in the country. It’s a harsh reality for a team that is 10-1 in a Power 4 conference, but the rankings are what they are. The Cougars took care of business at Cincinnati on Saturday, but the Bearcats are on a three-game skid. It was an expected win that doesn’t boost the resume in a meaningful way. — Kyle Bonagura

Previous ranking: 13

The Hurricanes have developed more depth in their passing game in recent weeks, which is a big reason why there has been improvement in this area since the SMU loss. In the past three games, Carson Beck has thrown for 858 yards with eight touchdowns to zero interceptions and is completing more than 75% of his passes. In addition to freshman Malachi Toney emerging as his favorite receiver, Miami has seen key contributions from Keelan Marion with three of his best games of the season and tight end Elija Lofton, who caught his first two touchdowns of the season in the past two weeks. Freshmen Daylyn Upshaw and Joshua Moore have also seen their most extensive action of the season. To have any shot at an at-large berth to the CFP, Miami will have to continue with the strides it has made in its passing game at Pitt next week. — Adelson

Previous ranking: 12

With 4:35 left against Kansas State, the Utes trailed 47-37 and were effectively eliminated from the College Football Playoff. The Utes had already allowed more rushing yards than any game in school history — K-State finished with 472 rushing yards — and ESPN Analytics gave the Wildcats a 97.3% chance of winning the game. Somehow the Utes defended their home Rice-Eccles Stadium and won 51-47 win to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. What happened on Saturday is something that did not occur against Texas Tech and BYU earlier this year: Utah stayed composed late. The Utes benefitted from some key officiating decisions, but their poise late in the game shows an important improvement from earlier this year. — Bonagura

Previous ranking: 16

Vanderbilt is still in the mix for a CFP at-large bid and its first 10-win season in school history, thanks in part to its improvement on defense against the run. Last season, the Commodores ranked 13th in the SEC in run defense (140.8 yards). This year, they’re fifth and surrendering 105.1 yards per contest. In Saturday’s 45-17 victory against Kentucky, the Wildcats ran for 48 yards on 19 attempts (not including sacks). It was the fifth time this season that the Commodores held an opponent under 100 yards rushing. Only two teams, Missouri (170 yards) and Auburn (210), ran for more than 150. Vanderbilt will need a similar effort in Saturday’s regular-season finale at Tennessee. — Schlabach

Previous ranking: 18

The maturation of true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and emergence of true freshman receiver Andrew Marsh has elevated the Wolverines’ overall passing attack. Since Oct. 4, when Marsh grabbed a prominent role in the receiving rotation, Michigan has ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 8.14 yards per passing attempt; before that, the Wolverines ranked 14th. Marsh now leads the Wolverines with 42 receptions for 641 yards, including five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s 45-20 win at Maryland. With star running back Justice Haynes (foot) out the rest of the regular season and leading rusher Jordan Marshall battling a shoulder injury, the Wolverines will need Underwood and Marsh to make plays in the passing game for Michigan to have a chance of knocking off top-ranked Ohio State for a fifth straight victory in the series. — Trotter

Previous ranking: 17

The Longhorns got a historic performance from Arch Manning on Saturday, as he became the first Longhorn player ever to run for a TD, throw for one and catch another in Texas’ 52-37 win over Arkansas. The porous Razorback defense was just the salve the Longhorns needed after a 35-10 loss at Georgia that set their CFP hopes on life support. But the Longhorns’ offensive line has improved, and Manning’s poise has impressed Steve Sarkisian, who said he now has more options as a result, including using Manning’s rushing ability. The Longhorns will need the defense to play at a level it hasn’t since earlier in the season to slow Texas A&M’s potent offense, but playing at home, with one final shot to beat a top-5 team in a reheated rivalry matchup will be all the motivation they need. — Wilson

Previous ranking: 19

While all the focus on Virginia has been on quarterback Chandler Morris and the improvements that have been made on offense, the Virginia defense has carried this team at times throughout the course of the season. Let’s go back to the loss to NC State in Week 2. Virginia blew a 10-point halftime lead by giving up three touchdowns in the third quarter. Since a double OT win against Florida State, Virginia has not allowed more than 27 points. In wins over Louisville, Washington State, North Carolina and Cal, the defense came up with critical turnovers and stops in crucial moments. Virginia has forced more turnovers and has more sacks than last year, and perhaps most important of all: It has a top-30 defense. Last year? That group ranked No. 101. — Adelson

Previous ranking: 20

DeSean Bishop and Star Thomas rushed 33 times for 187 yards and three touchdowns in Tennessee’s 31-11 win over Florida. It was only the Vols’ third win in 50 years in Gainesville, and while the big story was a defense that pitched a first-half shutout (and has now allowed just 20 points in two games after a dreadful first nine games), the Bishop-Thomas combination had its best game all season against a decent defense. In two tight losses that eliminated the Vols from playoff contention, they averaged just 4.8 yards per carry against Georgia and 2.8 against Oklahoma. A burly run game will give them a solid chance of depriving Vanderbilt of a playoff bid next weekend. — Bill Connelly

Previous ranking: 14

Even though USC has made strides on the defensive side of the ball as the season has progressed, the Trojans have simply been unable to really control the pace of the game on that side of the ball. Oregon made it look easy on Saturday, totaling 436 yards and averaging over six yards per play. The Trojans have sustained some key injuries — safeties Bishop Fitzgerald and Kamari Ramsey did not play in the 42-27 loss — and while their offense has proved to be one of the most electric in the country, when facing tougher opponents like Oregon, Notre Dame and Illinois, the defense has been unable to pitch in and help Lincoln Riley’s team pitch a complete game. — Uggetti

Previous ranking: 22

Quarterback Drew Mestemaker has been good all season, but since North Texas’ midseason loss to USF, he has shifted into a completely different gear. And on Saturday evening against Rice, with massive help from receiver Wyatt Young (eight catches, 295 yards, two touchdowns), Mestemaker enjoyed the best game of his life: He completed 19 of 23 passes for 469 yards and three touchdowns as the Mean Green spotted Rice a 14-0 lead, then outscored the Owls 56-10 the rest of the way. In his past five games, he has thrown for 1,886 yards (377.2 per game) and 13 touchdowns, and his team is two wins from a potential CFP bid. Mestemaker’s great performance in last year’s First Responder Bowl was certainly a hint at his potential, but coach Eric Morris probably didn’t realize this was in store in 2025. — Connelly

Previous ranking: NR

Jake Retzlaff and Tulane took care of business on Saturday in a 37-13 road win at Temple that puts the Green Wave one win away (against 1-10 Charlotte) from securing the program’s fourth consecutive American Conference title game appearance. Coach Jon Sumrall has frequently lamented his team’s inconsistency during its 9-2 start, with lots of ups and downs away from home. This was a particularly good time for a no-doubt road victory, featuring a double-digit lead throughout the second half and just 204 yards allowed on defense, for a squad that could be two wins away from playing in the CFP. — Olson

Previous ranking: NR

The Mustangs’ season figured to be an afterthought back in September after two early losses to Baylor and TCU. The two Big 12 squads lit up SMU’s secondary to the tune of 819 yards and nine touchdowns. But a funny thing happened after that. SMU’s seemingly inept secondary found a spark — or stopped playing Big 12 teams at least. Since Oct. 1, SMU is allowing a 42.8 Total QBR, the second-best mark in the ACC behind Wake Forest (the only team to beat the Mustangs since then), and is tied for the ACC lead with 11 interceptions. The improvement is multifaceted. While the secondary has clearly improved, holding opponents to just 6.52 yards-per-pass, the pass rush has been perhaps the biggest indicator of a new approach, with a 36% pressure rate despite one of the league’s lowest blitz rates. SMU’s defense was bound to be a work in progress this year, but coordinator Scott Symons seems to have found a formula that works, and it has helped rekindle ACC championship dreams for the Mustangs. — Hale

Previous ranking: NR

The early season was plagued by costly turnovers and late collapses. Eli Holstein, Pitt’s starter for the first four games of the year, wasn’t exactly bad, but five interceptions — including two ugly throws in a loss to Louisville — were defining. Freshman Mason Heintschel took over in Week 6, and while he has not been without his growing pains, he has helped open up the Pitt offense without the same costly errors. On Saturday, Heintschel completed 74% of his throws with two touchdowns and no picks in a potentially season-defining win over Georgia Tech. Those late struggles — blown double-digit leads vs. West Virginia and Louisville — have evaporated, too. The Georgia Tech game was a prime example of a more resilient Pitt. With the Yellow Jackets threatening to erase a 28-0 lead, Braylan Lovelace picked off Haynes King in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a score that all but sealed the win. — Hale

Previous ranking: 21

The Dukes have won nine in a row and remain right in the thick of the College Football Playoff race after a 24-20 comeback win over Washington State on Saturday. James Madison hadn’t trailed in a fourth quarter since its Week 2 loss to Louisville, but got a 58-yard rushing touchdown from Wayne Knight and a critical fourth-down stop with less than three minutes remaining. The defense got burned by big plays in that lone loss to Louisville, but it continues to do an excellent job of preventing explosive plays since, allowing just 28 plays of 20-plus yards this season, tied for fourth fewest in the FBS. — Olson

Previous ranking: 15

The biggest bugaboo of Georgia Tech’s early season was turnovers. The Yellow Jackets handed the ball over to Colorado on each of their first three possessions to open the 2025 season, then a week later, ran into the same early struggles. Five turnovers in the first two games was both a massive problem and completely out of character for the Jackets. But, as often happens with turnovers, the bad luck evaporated, and the pendulum swung in the other direction. Georgia Tech coughed up the ball just twice in its next five games — all wins — and the problem seemed to be solved. And yet, the takeaway gods are fickle, and it was two crucial interceptions, including a 100-yard pick-six, that cost the Jackets in Week 13 against Pitt. Their playoff hopes now on life support, Georgia Tech lived and died with turnover luck this year, and now it’ll need to play its best game of the season — and mistake-free ball — if it hopes to down rival Georgia and rekindle any playoff talk. — Hale