Former national champion at Florida State Danny Kanell covers college football for CBS Sports and "The Cover 3 Podcast." He played nine seasons in the NFL and even some minor league baseball.
Like many of the national college football voices he posts a weekly ranking during the college football season. He bills his ambitiously as "the most reliable ranking out there."
After Week 4 he sets down the Top 12:
1. Miami
2. Oklahoma
3. Oregon
4. Ohio State
5. LSU
6. Ole Miss
7. Georgia
8. Florida State
9. Vanderbilt
10. Texas AM
11. Texas Tech
12. Georgia Tech
As a former ACC star he's probably the only national pundit to put three ACC teams in the projected playoff field, and he ignores No. 2 Penn State. With Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech in the elite dozen, it's easy to suspect he's being provocative.
Miami beat 1-3 Florida 26-7, and they needed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put them away.
Throwback to the last time Oregon & Penn State squared off. pic.twitter.com/bseaECO64p
— The Quackalorian 🦆 (@DuckOnQuack2023) September 21, 2025
In the Oregon at Penn State matchup, neither last year or the Kanell poll have predictive value. Rankings are not power ratings, and part of Kanell's intention appears to be tweaking the Nittany Lions for a weak nonconference schedule.
In that he's not being consistent, as Oregon's has been equally weak. The Ducks played an FCS opponent in Week 1 followed by three teams that are a combined 1-10 and headed for much worse.
Last season they won the Big Ten Championship Game over PSU 45-37. but this Nittany Lion team is better and more experienced than last season while the Ducks come into to Beaver Stadium with two freshmen cornerbacks and a redshirt sophomore quarterback playing in their first big game.
Oddsmakers set No. 2 Penn State as a 3.5-point favorite at home.
Kanell's ranking of the Hurricanes at No. 1 might be pure, delicious rat poison. Currently AP No. 4 with the the new poll due out later this morning, Mario Cristobal and the Canes travel to Tallahassee on October 4.
Having won his national championship the dadgum former ACC Player of the Year is now playing for clicks and the desire to induce rage replies.