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The BCS finally had an unbiased view on the top seven this week, but they fell to pieces with the rest.
The AP and Coaches' Poll rushed their rankings out as fast as they could, but they were drenched in bias and seemed to be in a rough draft form.
No. 1 Florida (Prev. No. 1) defeated Vanderbilt last week with conviction, 27-3. The Gators have played well all season, but I’m not quite sure they’ll be able to keep a steady pace. If Florida ends up with a loss prior to December, it will happen this week at South Carolina.
No. 2 Alabama (Prev. No. 3) stole back the No. 2 spot this week after beating the Bayou Bengals of LSU, 24-15. I attended the thriller on Saturday that was the Game of the Week, and it definitely lived up to the hype. Alabama has the No. 2 defense in the nation, and they will continue their winning ways this week.
No. 3 Texas (Prev. No. 2) is getting back to the “style points” era, and they’ve been dominating every week. But a potential upset lies ahead of them if they’re not careful this week at Baylor. Any way you look at it, Alabama, Florida, and Texas are the top three teams in the nation.
No. 4 TCU (Prev. No. 4) is proving every week why they belong near the top. TCU has the top defense in college football, and if you’re not familiar with the saying, “Defense wins championships,” you will be at the end of the season.
No. 5 Cincinnati (Prev. No. 7) just keeps winning. They’ve proven they can win over quality opponents in blowout fashion and in the close games that come down to the last possession. The Bearcats have a powerhouse offense and a defense that knows how to get the job done.
No. 6 Boise State (Prev. No. 5) is the last of the unbeatens. Ultimately, Cincinnati and TCU have played better on the long stretch this season, but Boise’s title hopes are still alive.
No. 7 Georgia Tech (Prev. No. 5) is the best one-loss team in college football. They fight to the end in every game. The Yellow Jackets had some trouble against Wake, but a little bit of thinking outside the box got them the win in overtime, 30-27.
No. 8 Iowa (Prev. No. 7) only lost one spot this week after being handed their first loss of the season to Northwestern, 17-10. Iowa has been on their heels nearly every week, and it finally caught up with them. One of my objectives is to have the rankings consistent and not have sudden leaps in the rankings from one week to the next.
No. 9 Ohio State (Prev. No. 13) would be that one exception of a leap. But it wasn’t that big of a leap. They showed the Nittany Lions the way out in a 24-7 “upset.” The Buckeyes are now 7-2 and well on their way to a BCS game if they’re able to beat out No. 8 Iowa on Saturday in the Game of the Week.
No. 10 Pittsburgh (Prev. No. 14) made their way into the top 10 this week by default. LSU and Oregon lost in Week Nine, so Pitt was there to pick up the pieces. Pitt is a “sleeper team,” but they’re getting more attention every week.
No. 11 LSU (Prev. No. 9) only fell two spots this week after losing to the Crimson Tide in a thriller, 24-15. The Bayou Bengals have blowout wins over Louisiana-Lafayette, Auburn, and Tulane. But the Tigers were on their heels at Washington, Mississippi State, and Georgia, as well as Vanderbilt at home.
For some reason, the Tigers didn’t budge in the AP Poll this week and actually moved up in the BCS Poll.
No. 12 Oregon (Prev. No. 6) somehow landed six spots behind USC in the Coaches' Poll this week. Oregon fell substantially because they lost to a good team in a trap game on the road? By the way, Stanford is undefeated at home.
Oregon destroyed USC 47-20 just eight days ago, and now USC is the better team?
No. 13 USC (Prev. No. 12) came out victorious on Saturday in a barnburner over Arizona State, 14-9. The Coaches' Poll felt this was top 10 worthy. But since Oregon lost a close one at Stanford, USC is now the better team. Interesting.
No. 14 Clemson (Prev. No. 16) finally received an ounce of respect from the AP Poll but didn’t receive a drop from the Coaches' Poll or BCS Poll this week.
The Tigers are a three-loss team, with one loss against Maryland, which was inevitably a fluke. The ACC Wheel of Destiny comes to mind. The other two were highly competitive games that came down to the end against No. 4 TCU (14-10) and No. 7 Georgia Tech (30-27).
No. 15 Miami (FL) (Prev. No. 17)—Clemson’s signature win so far this season came against Miami (FL). The ‘Canes are 7-2 and got their swagger back on Saturday, destroying Virginia 52-17.
No. 16 Wisconsin (Prev. No. 15)—Clemson and Miami (FL) had some very impressive victories in Week Nine, which is why they jumped the Badgers. Wisconsin edged out yet another win over Indiana last week, 31-28.
No. 17 Houston (Prev. No. 18) has won a couple of shootouts the past two weeks over Southern Miss and Tulsa. Even with wins over Okey State, Miss State, and Texas Tech, I wouldn’t bet on the Cougars finishing with only one blemish this season.
No. 18 Oklahoma State (Prev. No. 20) put together another Big 12 win on Saturday over Iowa State, 34-8. The Cowboys hope to improve on their 4-1 record in conference play, hosting a very tricky Texas Tech team this week.
No. 19 Arizona (Prev. No. 19) didn’t make any sudden movements in the rankings this week after a blowout win over a dismantled Washington State team. The Wildcats are the only team with a 6-2 record in college football.
No. 20 Oregon State (Prev. N/R) is shaping up to be a real contender. The “Dam Workers” lost to Cincinnati and Arizona in the early portion of the season, but they’ve made an impressive case for themselves since then, knocking off the Sun Devils and beating Stanford in a shootout.
No. 21 Stanford (Prev. N/R) stood on the porch long enough, finally making it into the top 25. The Cardinal took down the Ducks in Week Nine in upset fashion, 51-42. Stanford is 6-3, and they've lost all of their games on the road this season. Stanford travels to USC this week to take on the Trojans. It looks like they're here for a short visit.
No. 22 Penn State (Prev. No. 11) was pushed to the back of the line after losing to the Buckeyes, 24-7. The Nittany Lions have been hiding the whole time. Their most impressive win is against Illinois, Michigan, and/or Northwestern.
No. 22 Utah (Prev. No. 21) is tied with the Nittany Lions for the No. 22 spot. The Utes got their first 20-plus-point victory on Saturday, but it was against a winless New Mexico team. Utah meets their toughest test of the season this week at No. 4 TCU.
No. 24 Brigham Young (Prev. N/R) has played well all season, and the win over Wyoming last week 52-0 was just an example. But there is another side to BYU this season. Brigham Young suffered two home losses, to TCU 38-7 and Florida State 54-28. The Cougars should host Utah in the final week of the season with a 9-2 record.
No. 25 Virginia Tech (Prev. No. 25) accomplished something new—consistency. The Hokies have changed their objective to just winning instead of “style points.” After losing two straight games, VA Tech looks to end the season with a four-game winning streak.
Knocking on the Door
Texas Tech, South Florida, Rutgers, Navy, SEC (ARK, AUB, UGA, MISS, TENN)
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