1. LSU Tigers (9-0) LW 1
It wasn't quite "Game of the Century" nor was it pretty, but LSU was able to go into Tuscaloosa and come out with the victory. Now all the Tigers have to do is keep their focus and they'll end up in the National Title Game. Next week should be a cake walk when they host Western Kentucky. But the Arkansas game in the last week of the season should be a good one.2. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-0) LW 3
It wasn't the blowout we expected, but it doesn't matter much because they won the game. Brandon Weeden continues to play at a high level, throwing for a school record 502 yards. We know that the offense is going to put up numbers, but if they want to beat Oklahoma and make it to the National Title game, they are going to have to play much better defense than they did this Saturday. They can't take next week off because they'll be traveling to Texas Tech who knocked off Oklahoma a couple of weeks ago.3. Stanford Cardinal (9-0) LW 4
Stanford did what they needed to do against Oregon State. Win easily. Now we have the game we've been waiting for all season long. Their game against Oregon doesn't have the same feel since Oregon has 1 loss already. But this game should decide who wins the Pac 12. If Stanford is able to win this game, they can hold out hope for a possible National Title Game appearance, but a loss would mean no Pac 12 Title.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-1) LW 2
All Alabama needed was 1 TD and they would have probably won the game and be the #1 ranked team in the nation right now. Heck all they needed was their kicker to make 1 of his 3 missed FGs and they might have won it. Now they are sitting on the outside looking in and have to hope that LSU loses the SEC Title Game and Oklahoma State and Stanford to also lose games so they can sneak into the National Ttile.
5. Boise State Broncos (8-0) LW 5
After a week off, the Boise State Broncos made little work with UNLV and are now set up to face new conference rival TCU. This was once thought to be a chance for Boise State to win a huge game at the end of the season that would help vault them into possibly a National Championship Game. But even though they aren't the team we thought they'd be, it still is a recognizable name. Look for Boise State to be BCS bound, just not the big one.
6. Oklahoma Sooners (8-1) LW 6
Just think, if they didn't lose to Texas Tech it would be the Sooners sitting at #2 and not their in-state rival. However all Oklahoma can do now is keep winning and hope that teams ahead of them lose and they can slide back into contention. But they'll have to do that without their best offensive weapon Ryan Broyles, who tore his ACL in their win against Texas A&M. Luckily their deep at WR and have a couple of games to figure it out before they face off against Oklahoma State.
7. Oregon Ducks (8-1) LW 7
Oregon is just not the same team that we've seen the past couple of years. Injuries have taken a toll or maybe teams are starting to understand their offense better. But either way, they aren't putting those high numbers up like they did last year. But that can all be forgotten if Oregon can knock off Stanford this Saturday. A win will get everybody buzzing about the Ducks again and they could shoot up the boards as one of the best 1 loss teams.8. Arkansas Razorbacks (8-1) LW 9
Don't know if you knew it, but besides the LSU/Alabama game there was another match up of two top 10 ranked teams. Arkansas hosted South Carolina. But lost in all the so called "Game of the Century" talk, Arkansas on the back of QB Taylor Wilson rolled to a 16 point victory. Arkansas continues to roll until they match up against #1 LSU the last weekend of the regular season. Even LSU's top ranked defense will have trouble with this passing attack.9. Clemson Tigers (8-1) LW 11
After their disappointing loss to Georgia Tech, the Tigers had to sit through a bye week and think about it even more. However the week off also gave them the opprotunity to fix their slow starting offense that has caused them to have to play from behind multiple weeks. Luckily Clemson faces off against a Wake Forrest team that shouldn't pose too tough of a game.10. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-1) LW 12
Virginia Tech might just be the most ignored 1 loss team in college football right now. Nobody is talking about them, but they just keep winning. This past week they had a bye and it couldn't have come at a better time. Because they have to face off against Georgia Tech and their triple option offense on a Thursday night. That extra time should allow DC Bud Foster ample time to game plan against Paul Johnson's offense and allow the Hokies to move to 9-1.Coming off of two straight losses, a game against Purdue was exactly what the doctor ordered. Monte Ball ran like a beast gaining 223 yards and 3 TDs and just couldn't be stopped. Look for next week to be much the same as the Badgers face off against an improving Minnesota team, but who is still not at the same level as Wisconsin.
A week after dropping a game to Nebraska, the Spartans were in a dog fight with the most unlikely of opponents. Minnesota. The Spartans had to get a defensive stop on their own half of the field to avoid getting upset by a team that many considered to be the worst BCS team in college football. However a win is a win and that is what the Spartans got. They also were able to get a leg back up in the Legends Divison with Nebraska's loss to Northwestern. Now all the Spartans have to do is win out and they will be in Indianapolis for the Big 10 Title Game.
Case Keenum didn't break anymore NCAA records, but the Cougars continued their dominance of Conference USA with a 56-13 blowout of UAB. Keenum continues to have this offense rolling and is on pace to have the Cougars undefeated and playing for a CUSA Title. This next week they face off against a Tulane team that has an interim HC and shouldn't provide much of a challenge. But their game against SMU should be a good indicator of how good they really are.
14. Auburn Tigers (6-3) LW 18
The Tigers enjoyed a nice week off before their big game against Georgia this weekend. Auburn have exceeded my expectations this year and have won games that I thought they'd wouldn't have won. Now Auburn doesn't have a shot at the SEC Title Game, but they have a chance to really finish the season with games against Georgia and Alabama left. This week they face off against a hot Georgia team.
15. Georgia Bulldogs (7-2) LW 19
Georgia took a week off from the rugged SEC and gave a beat down to New Mexico State, winning 63-16. What a turnaround we have seen with Georgia. They went from 0-2 and Mark Richt's job on the line, to 7 straight wins and a possible berth in the SEC Title Game. This weekend the Bulldogs face off against an Auburn team that is very dangerous.
16. South Carolina Gamecocks (7-2) LW 10
It was only a matter of time before the loss of Marcus Lattimore caught up with South Carolina. Without their star RB the Gamecocks were one dimensional on offense and just couldn't keep up with Arkansas' high powered offense. South Carolina gets a break this weekend when they face off against a struggling Florida team. But they are going to have to figure out their new plan of attack if they still want to stay alive in the race for the SEC East Title.
17. Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2) LW 8
Fresh off their big win against Michigan State, the Huskers dropped the ball and lost to a Northwestern team that they should have beaten easily. I don't believe Nebraska is a bad team but they can't afford to take teams lightly. This weekend they face off against a Penn State team that has to be distracted with all that is going on. But Nebraska should be focused as they look to get back on track and stay in the Legends Race.
18. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1) LW 21
Besides the victims and their families, the people that I feel the worst for is the current Penn State players who did nothing wrong and have to deal with the fallout of this. They were in the mist of a good season and have a tough three teams to end the season. It was going to be tough to win out, but I don't see it happening this week. This whole situation is just flat out awful.19. Michigan Wolverines (7-2) LW 15
Sitting with only 1 loss in the conference, the Wolverines needed to win out and hope that Michigan State would lose and they could represent the Legends Division in the Big 10 Title Game. However that doesn't seem to likely after they lost to an Iowa team that just lost to Minnesota. Now Michigan is going to need a lot of help if they want to make it. But their defense is really going to need to step up against an Illinois offense that can be very explosive.
20. USC Trojans (7-2) LW 23
USC bounced back after their 3 OT loss to Stanford with a beat down of Pac 12 newbie Colorado 42-17. USC continues to get better as the season goes forward and its too bad that they can't play in the conference championship game because they might have a shot at winning it. This week they face off against a Washington team that hasn't had a big win this season but is much improved.21. Cincinnati Bearcats (7-1) LW 24
Who would have thought that it would be Cincinnati leading the Big East race and undefeated in the conference. The same team that only won 4 games last year. But Cincinnati's winning streak is a little flawed. They still haven't played the elite (lol...sorry) Big East schools and might not make it through unscathed. But for now they are the leaders of the pack.22. Kansas State Wildcats (7-2) LW 20
I didn't drop KState too far because I never really ranked them that high to begin with. Even after racing off to a 7-0 record. But those wins were all against the bottom of the Big 12. Against Oklahoma they got drilled, and against Oklahoma State they showed that they might not be at the same level as Okie State, but they are still a quality team. However they still have games against Texas A&M and Texas left. Both teams aren't having great seasons but are very dangerous and are looking to turn their seasons around.23. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-2) LW 25
After scoring a huge upset over previously undefeated Clemson the Yellow Jackets enjoyed a week off before they face off against Coastal Division foe Virginia Tech. If Georgia Tech is able to beat VaTech they would be in the drivers seat to make it to the ACC Title Game. That would be a great deal after they dropped two straight games to Virginia and Miami.24. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (8-1) LW NR
Southern Miss makes their first appearance in the rankings in the middle of a 7 game winning streak. This weekend the Golden Eagles face off against a Central Florida team that was once thought to make a run at an undefeated season. So Southern Miss can't take them lightly, but it looks like they'll go into the CUSA Title Game against Houston with a 11-1 record.25. Texas Longhorns (6-2) LW NR
We are really going to see what type of team Texas is with their remaining four games. They have to still play Kansas State, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Missouri. All teams that they should be able to beat, but they could lose to each team too. But the Longhorns are bowl eligible which is an improvement over last year.Dropped From Rankings: Arizona State, West Virginia
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