After a topsy turvy week, no changes occur in the top 9 from last week. Notre Dame emerges in the top 10 after a dominant performance over USC, and the Irish possess one of this week’s top matchups as they face NC State.
Oklahoma State-West Virginia, Penn State-Ohio State, UGA-Florida, TCU-Iowa State, Michigan State-Northwestern, Houston-South Florida, Mississippi State-Texas A&M, Georgia Tech-Clemson, Texas Tech-Oklahoma, Washington State-Arizona, and USC-Arizona State are all significant games as well. Penn State at Ohio State could be the best game of the college football regular season.
Receiving Consideration: Michigan (6-1), South Carolina (5-2), Fresno State (5-2), Iowa State (5-2), Marshall (6-1), Boise State (5-2), Colorado State (6-2), Toledo (6-1), Mississippi State (5-2), and Arizona (5-2)
25. West Virginia 5-2 [Last Week: NR, Defeated Baylor 38-36]—Winning a squeaker against a team as bad as Baylor is embarrassing. The Mountaineers hope back to back home games against Oklahoma State and Iowa State will put them back on track.
24. USC 6-2 [Last Week: #12, Lost to Notre Dame 49-14]—A route at the hands of Notre Dame kills the lofty hopes going into this season, but, the Trojans are still leading a remarkably weak division.
23. Auburn 6-2 [Last Week: NR, Defeated Arkansas 52-20]— Once again, Auburn smoked an SEC bottom-dweller. This win might signal the end of Bret Bielema’s tenure.
22. Memphis 6-1 [Last Week: NR, Defeated Houston 42-38]— It was close, but going into Houston and emerging with a win is a big deal in the American. This conference features good teams (USF, UCF, and Memphis) along with some solid teams (Houston, SMU, and Navy) in an “up” year for the conference.
21. Stanford 5-2 [Last Week: #23, BYE]—Coming off a BYE, Oregon State will be a breeze. The Washington teams represent much more of challenge the following two weeks.
20. LSU 6-2 [Last Week: #24, Defeated Ole Miss 40-24]—Give this team credit. After bouncing back after a loss to Troy, they are in control of their own destiny in the SEC. The Bayou Bengals, led by a healthy Derrius Guice have a week to prepare for Alabama.
19. Texas A&M 5-2 [Last Week: #22, BYE]— The Aggies get Mississippi State and Auburn, both coming off big wins, at home in back to back weeks. Kevin Sumlin’s future could be decided over those contests.
18. UCF 6-0 [Last Week: #20, Navy 31-21]—Three Florida teams are in the top 18. That’s not unusual. What’s unusual is that lack of Florida and Florida State in that mix. UCF’s win over Navy was a big one.
17. NC State 6-1 [Last Week: #19, BYE]—Prior to the beginning of the season, how many people pegged NC State-Notre Dame as a contest with major playoff implications. I know I did not!
16. South Florida 7-0 [Last Week: Tulane 34-28]—In a tight contest, the Bulls continued their march. Houston, this week, may be the toughest challenge left.
15. Michigan State 6-1 [Last Week #16: Defeated Indiana 17-9] —Quietly, the Spartans are putting together a strong season. Now, they visit a scrappy Northwestern team before getting Penn State and Ohio State back to back.
14. Oklahoma State 6-1 [Last Week #15, Defeated Texas 13-10] —Well, that was ugly, but it was still a win. The Cowboys now travel to Morgantown as they remain in the hunt.
13. Virginia Tech 6-1 [Last Week: #13, Defeated 59-7]—Virginia Tech dismantled North Carolina but they don’t move up. That’s to the credit of the teams in front of them, but it’s also due to the fact that UNC is in contention for worst Power 5 team.
12. Washington 6-1 [Last Week: #10, BYE]—The Huskies now get back to back home games against UCLA and Oregon. I normally don’t bump a team down for a BYE week, but Notre Dame and Washington State earned the bump.
11. Washington State 7-1 [Last Week: #11, Defeated Colorado 28-0]—A nice bounce back win for the Cougars gives the team momentum before heading into 3 of their last 4 games coming on the road.
10. Notre Dame 6-1 [Last Week: #14, Defeated USC 49-14]—Behind Josh Adams, the Irish ran through USC, make Brian Kelly’s once-hot-seat now ice cold. Notre Dame has a challenging schedule ahead that includes a matchup against NC State next week and visits to Miami and Stanford. Winning out likely puts this team in the playoff.
9. Miami 6-0 [Last Week: #9, Defeated Syracuse 27-19]—Numbers 8 and 9 were almost flipped this week, but I just could not put the Hurricanes ahead of Clemson just yet. Malik Rosier is really coming into his own, though.
8. Clemson 6-1 [Last Week: #8, BYE]—With a week off to lick its wounds, Clemson returns to action against the Yellow Jackets.
7. TCU 7-0 [Last Week: #7, Defeated Kansas 43-0]—A defensively historic beatdown of lowly Kansas was a walk in the park. Now, the Horned Frogs enter a challenging portion of their schedule: at Iowa State, Texas, at Oklahoma, and at Texas Tech. Any of those teams could derail playoff hopes.
6. Wisconsin 7-0 [Last Week: #6, Defeated Maryland 38-13]—Without a doubt, the Big10 has taken the title of strongest conference (at least at the top) from the SEC this season. The Badgers are right in the mix.
5. Ohio State 6-1 [Last Week: #5, BYE]—The scheduling masters shined on Ohio State- granting the Buckeyes a BYE week before getting Penn State at home.
4. Oklahoma 6-1 [Last Week: #4, Defeated Kansas State 42-35]—Oklahoma was fortunate to survive against the scrappy Wildcats, but now they face a dangerous Texas Tech team before a pivotal trip to Stillwater. Should they survive, TCU will still be ready.
3. Penn State 7-0 [Last Week: #3, BYE]— James Franklin’s crew dominated Michigan, setting up what is perhaps the most significant game of the college football season to date- a visit to Columbus with Big 10 preeminence on the line.
2. Georgia 7-0 [Last Week: #2, BYE]— The Dawgs get a bite at the Gators next week as they hit the homestretch of their SEC schedule. With a playoff bid in sight, can Kirby Smart’s team close the deal?
1. Alabama 8-0 [Last Week: #1, Defeated Tennessee 45-7]—It’s probably safe to say that the Tide sealed Butch Jones’ fate with an utter route of their rival. Alabama gets the week off to prepare for LSU.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.