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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Caroline Darney

The 9 undefeated teams left in college football, from Georgia to Syracuse

We are eight weeks into college football season and starting to get a good idea — or some idea, at least — of which teams are separating themselves from the rest. Only nine unbeaten FBS teams remain, spread across five conferences. The SEC has three squads without a loss at this point — a group that surprisingly doesn’t include perennial powerhouse Alabama — with the ACC and Big Ten each having two teams without a loss.

We’ll have at least one fewer unbeaten team next week as Clemson and Syracuse will square off in Death Valley this weekend.

Let’s take a look at each of our lossless teams.

Odds provided by BetMGM.

No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (7-0)

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) runs against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Sanford Stadium. (Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports)

Can the Georgia Bulldogs win back-to-back national championships? So far, so good for Stetson Bennett IV and Co., but UGA hasn’t faced a ranked opponent since opening the season against Oregon. They’ve got a huge matchup with Tennessee Nov. 5 to determine top dog (pun intended) in the SEC East, but as of right now the Dawgs are in control of their own destiny with +200 odds to win the NCAA title.

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws the ball in the third quarter of the NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch)

The Buckeyes are cruising in 2022. The Ohio State offense has put up at least 45 points in every game since a 21-10 season-opening win over Notre Dame, and C.J. Stroud (-110) continues to be the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Ohio State is the current leader in the clubhouse to win the College Football Playoff with +175 odds at BetMGM.

With its bye week in the rearview mirror, OSU will have to face the Iowa defense and take a trip to No. 16 Penn State in the next two weeks.

No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers (6-0)

AP Photo/Wade Payne

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Saturday’s win over Alabama is one of the biggest wins for Tennessee in recent memory. Now, can they keep that momentum going and actually make a push for a CFP spot? The Vols should improve to 7-0 with a visit from UT Martin on the horizon.

Hope they can replace the uprights in time.

No. 4 Michigan Wolverines (7-0)

A Michigan Wolverines cheerleader celebrates after a touchdown in the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium Oct. 15, 2022. (Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports)

Michigan cruised to a huge win over then-No. 10 Penn State after a bit of a slow start on Saturday, and it continues to seem like the Ohio State-Michigan game is going to have massive implications on postseason play. The Wolverines have three relatively easy games in a row with Michigan State, Rutgers and Nebraska before finishing with No. 18 Illinois and No. 2 Ohio State.

No. 5 Clemson Tigers (7-0)

Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

The Tigers have already dispatched the other Atlantic Division contenders in Wake Forest and NC State. If Clemson can stay perfect with a win against now-No. 14 Syracuse, they’ll cruise to another ACC title. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has been every bit the star everyone expected when he stepped on campus, Will Shipley has been a force at running back and the Tiger defense has smothered opponents.

Could Dabo Swinney get this team back to the CFP?

No. 7 Ole Miss (7-0)

Ole Miss Rebels wide receiver Dayton Wade (19) reacts with quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) and running back Zach Evans (6) after a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the first quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. (Matt Bush, USA TODAY Sports)

Don’t look now, but the Lane Train is rolling. Ole Miss improved to 7-0 this week after a back-and-forth affair with unranked Auburn that involved a fan getting trucked on the field, a weather delay and more. The Rebels have the longest odds (+8000) of the remaining undefeateds outside of Syracuse (+15000) and will face Alabama on November 12.

No. 8 TCU (6-0)

AP Photo/Sam Hodde

Look good, play good. The Horned Frogs donned their incredible alternate blood uniforms for Week 7’s win over No. 8 Oklahoma State. TCU is the lone undefeated team in the Big 12, and they’ll try to stay that way as they host No. 17 Kansas State this weekend.

No. 9 UCLA (6-0)

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA’s incredible season rolled on with a 10-point win over Utah in Week 6. After a bye, the No. 9 Bruins will face No. 10 Oregon in one of the biggest games of the week. Heisman hopeful Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been incredible, and with USC falling by a point to Utah this past weekend, UCLA is the last undefeated Pac-12 team.

No. 14 Syracuse (6-0)

Syracuse Orange defensive lineman Jatius Geer (right) celebrates his sack against the North Carolina State Wolfpack with defensive lineman Kevon Darton (45) and linebacker Mikel Jones (3) in the fourth quarter at JMA Wireless Dome Oct. 15. (Mark Konezny, USA TODAY Sports)

The Syracuse Orange are having an incredible season. The new-look offense led by coordinator Robert Anae — who, along with QB coach Jason Beck, came from Virginia in the offseason — has RB Sean Tucker and QB Garrett Shrader cruising.

A win over No. 5 Clemson would put Syracuse in the driver’s seat in the ACC, which is kind of wild to consider.

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