There was a point in the 4th quarter where I was thinking that Oregon was going to move up to the #1 spot, but AJ McCarron lead the Crimson Tide to a come from behind win and keeps the Tide's undefeated record in tack. There's no rest for Alabama as they must host a red hot Texas A&M team looking to prove themselves in their new conference.
2. Oregon Ducks (9-0) LW 2
USC made it interesting towards the end, but Oregon was in control of this game from the start. RB Kenjon Barner was the star with his 321 yard 5 TD night. The defense wasn't great, but they did enough to slow down the high powered USC attack enough to ensure the win. Now Oregon must avoid a trap game against Cal before facing off against Stanford.
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-0) LW 3
It took two OTs, but the Fighting Irish avoided a terrible loss to Pittsburgh and keep the undefeated mark intact. But things had to be a little nerve racking when Notre Dame was down 20-3. Luckily the defense regained their form and Golson got the offense back on track. Now the Domers move on to face off against Boston College in the annual Catholic Bowl.
4. Kansas State Wildcats (9-0) LW 4
Kansas State may have won the game against Oklahoma State, but they may have lost their Heisman front runner and heart and soul of the team. QB Collin Klein left the game in the 3rd quarter and never came back. He didn't look to bad on the sidelines during the game, but with KState not sharing any info about injuries and it will keep us wondering all week long. Because without Klein, the Wildcats might be toast.
5. Georgia Bulldogs (8-1) LW 6
After having a horrible game last week against Florida, QB Aaron Murray bounced back for the tune of 384 yards and 4 TDs to give the Bulldogs their 8th win of the season and put them one step away from getting to the SEC Championship Game. All they have to do is not get upset by a very bad Auburn team.
6. Florida Gators (8-1) LW 7
After getting beat by Georgia even though they picked off Aaron Murray 3 times, the Gators were looking to bounce back and get back to their dominating ways. Instead they played another clunker and should have lost to Missouri. Missouri QB James Franklin threw 4 INTs and they were all bad. If he could have just taken care of the ball the Tigers would have escaped with the win. Florida better figure things out because Florida State is just around the corner.
7. Florida State Seminoles (8-1) LW 8
The Seminoles had the weekend off as they get ready to travel to Virginia Tech on Thursday. Must be nice having a bye week before playing a short week. But VaTech is struggling and the Seminoles should have an easy game. But week day games have the tendency to get crazy and VaTech isn't without talent. FSU better come ready to go, cause the Hokies would love to knock them off.
8. Clemson Tigers (8-1) LW 9
I don't know why Clemson isn't getting very much attention. They've only lost one game and it was a close one to Florida State and yet they get no talk in the media and it's taken them a while to get back into the top 10 in both the AP and Coaches Poll. There tied with FSU for their Division and if the 'Noles lose another game, the Tigers will go to the ACC Championship game. Don't get it.
9. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0) LW 10
Don't think that I'm not listing Ohio State higher because of their NCAA sanctions. They may be undefeated, but they really haven't played a tough schedule and haven't really been winning to convincingly (expect Nebraska). They should have lost to a bad Purdue team and almost got knocked off by Cal. I don't see them beating any of the teams ahead of them in these rankings. The biggest reason they are having such a great year is Braxton Miller. Without him they could easily have 3 or 4 losses.
10. LSU Tigers (7-2) LW 5
If I were to tell you that QB Zach Mettenberger played his best game of the year and the Tigers were winning in the final minutes of the 4th quarter you'd probably assume they'd win. But the Tiger defense just couldn't get that one last stop and allowed Alabama to drive the field and score the winning touchdown. Now the Tigers must bounce back against a Miss State team that just got embarrassed against A&M to avoid dropping their third game of the year.
11. South Carolina Gamecocks (7-2) LW 11
The Gamecocks had a weekend off after narrowly beating Tennessee the week before. This week they face off against a Arkansas team that has struggled all year. This is a must win for South Carolina as they have to hope that Georgia and Florida lose so they can back their way into the SEC Title Game. But that's a lot to ask.
12. Oklahoma Sooners (6-2) LW 12
Even though the game was never really that close score wise, the Sooners had their hands full with the pesky Cyclones looking to knock off the Sooners. But Landry Jones had another big game throwing for 405 yards and 4 TDs to lead the way. Now the Sooners will move on to their game against Baylor hoping they can do enough to get an at large BCS berth.
13. Louisville Cardinals (9-0) LW 13
When Temple returned the opening kickoff and then added another score in the first quarter it looked like Louisville was going to be in for a tough game. However the Cardinals quickly overcame that deficit and shut down the Owls to take a commanding lead. QB Teddy Bridgewater was amazing again for the Cardinals as he threw for 324 yards and 5 TDs. He may not make it as a finalist for the Heisman, but he's giving leading the Cardinals to an undefeated season and should be a favorite in next year's race.
14. Oregon State Beavers (7-1) LW 14
After losing their first game of the season against Washington, the Beavers bounced back and avoided a second straight loss. Oregon State took control in the early parts of the 2nd quarter and didn't look back. The win gives the Beavers their 7th win and puts them in contention of making their first BCS Bowl since 2000. But they'll have to knock off Stanford this next weekend if they want to make it to the Rose Bowl.
15. Stanford Cardinal (7-2) LW 18
It must be fun for Pac 12 schools when they see Colorado as their next opponent. Colorado is terrible and Stanford wasted no time ending this game in a hurry. Stanford used a 28 point 2nd quarter to blow the game up before ending with a 48-0 win. But the big story was that Stanford made a QB move. Kevin Hogan replaced the struggling Josh Nunes. But it won't be till the Oregon State game before we see if he is any better.
16. Texas A&M Aggies (7-2) LW 19
In a battle of SEC West teams the Aggies made little work of Miss State and cruised to a 38-13 win. The game was not even as close to what the final score was. QB Johnny Manziel was dynamic in this game and basically did whatever he wanted. He threw for 311 yards and rushed for 129 yards. A&M now moves on to face Alabama and will be Alabama's last hurdle for an undefeated regular season.
17. Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2) LW 20
Ever since the Huskers lost to Ohio State they have been a different team. That was evident in their win over Michigan State. Down 10 in the later stage of the 4th quarter the Huskers stepped up the defense and got two TDs that helped them pull out the victory. If Nebraska can beat Penn State this Saturday they have a great shot at a 10 win season and should be the Big 10 Champions. But they can't afford any slip ups.
18. Texas Longhorns (7-2) LW 21
Going into their match up against Texas Tech there was a thought that the Longhorns weren't the best team on the field and that the Red Raiders would win. Especially with the struggles Texas has had lately on both sides of the ball. QB David Ash regained his earlier form throwing for 264 yards and 3 TDs. Defensively the Longhorns held Tech to only 22 points which helped ensure the win. If the Longhorns can keep playing good defense they should have a good end to their season.
19. USC Trojans (6-3) LW 16
Well it wasn't the blow out that many people thought could happen, but the Trojans couldn't slow down the Ducks enough to get the win. You would think that 51 points would win you most other games, but the lack of depth on defense really hurt the Trojans. The loss is their 3rd on the season and with games against UCLA, Notre Dame, and possibly Oregon left, the Trojans can't afford any more losses.
20. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-1) LW 22
Their game against Texas San Antonia was a penalty fueled game that saw the Bulldogs pull away in the 4th quarter to get 9th consecutive WAC conference win. LaTech was lead by QB Colby Cameron who had 348 yards passing and 3 TDs. The Bulldogs now turn their attention to another FBS newcomer Texas State, which should be another easy win.
21. UCLA Bruins (7-2) LW NR
The Bruins have kinda be a forgotten team lately after a couple of tough losses, but with their 66-10 win over Arizona it's clear that the Bruins have gotten the ship righted. Also pair in USC losing to Oregon, the Bruins have a chance to make it back to the Pac 12 Title Game, but this time they won't be backing their way into it. But to do so they'll need to beat USC and Stanford.
22. Toledo Rockets (8-1) LW NR
Toledo makes their first appearance in the rankings and have done so with a great season under HC Matt Campbell. Their only loss on the season is to Arizona to start the year, but they have a big win over Cincinnati on their record. The Rockets are the favorites to in the MAC West Division and match up with either Ohio or Kent State in the conference championship game. But to do so, they still have to beat Northern Illinois who has only 1 loss on the season also.
23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-2) LW 15
It was interesting to see Miss State climb so high in the polls despite the fact that they really haven't played anybody that good. Before the Alabama and Texas A&M games their toughest opponent was either Tennessee or Arkansas. Not really juggernauts. But they even climbed to the top 10. But when the played teams like Alabama and A&M they got blown out. Heck I almost dropped them out of the top 25 because of that. But for another week they get to stay.
24. Northwestern Wildcats (7-2) LW NR
I don't think that people truly appreciate the success that Northwestern is having this year. They are 7-2 and the two teams they've lost to they had a chance to win the game. Penn State and Nebraska scored in the final seconds to win those games. That's pretty good for a private school that doesn't get very many top athletes. But if the Wildcats want to earn some more respect they'll need to beat a Michigan team that wants to sneak into the Big 10 Title Game. Should be a tough one.
25. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-1) LW 25
After dropping their last game to Kent State the Knights had an extra week to think about losing their undefeated season to a MAC school. Now Rutgers has to face off against an Army team that is coming off a huge win against Air Force. Rutgers can't find themselves looking past Army to their game against Cincinnati or they could drop a second game in a row.
Dropped From the Rankings: Texas Tech, West Virginia
No comments:
Post a Comment