The rankings are shaping up to be a mess after a week filled with chaos that can only be known as Rivalry Week!

In the BCS, Penn State jumped to the 11th spot, Pitt dropped to No. 15, USC drove past Stanford, and Oklahoma State stayed in front of Houston.

In the AP Poll, Virginia Tech jumped the Yellow Jackets, USC kept Stanford in its rear view mirror, and Penn State joined the top 10.

In the Coaches' Poll, Texas kept the No. 2 spot, Ohio State stayed in front of Oregon, the Nittany Lions moved to ninth, jumping Iowa, and the Hokies moved ahead of the Yellow Jackets.

And all three polls kicked Mississippi and North Carolina out of the top 25. 

Here’s a look at the new rankings, without the overwhelming bias:

No. 1 Alabama (Prev. No. 1) had to face its archrival on the road in arguably the biggest rivalry in all of college football last week. The Tide overcame a 14-point deficit in the first quarter, rallying in a 26-21 nail-biter. This week Alabama will face the No. 2 Gators in the most anticipated game of the season.

No. 2 Florida (Prev. No. 2) held on to the second spot this week by the skin of its teeth over the Texas Lizards. The Gators' biggest concern on Saturday was when Florida State blocked an extra point—after a 30-0 lead. But obvious concerns lie ahead this week in the SEC Championship.

No. 3 TCU (Prev. No. 3) kept its undefeated streak alive, killing the Lobos from New Mexico, 51-10. TCU is the best team in Texas and the third best team in the nation as it stands. Texas Christian will just have to watch things unfold in front of them this week.

No. 4 Texas (Prev. No. 4) avoided a night filled with mayhem on Thursday night (Thanksgiving), escaping in a Texas shootout against A&M, 49-39. Texas kept the second spot this week in the Coaches' Poll, but they only have one win over a top 25 team this season. 

No. 5 Cincinnati (Prev. No. 5) fought off the Fighting Illini, 49-36. But I predicted a 13-point victory for the Bearcats, so their minor struggles weren’t a bit of a surprise. 

No. 6 Boise State (Prev. No. 6) silenced the critics on Friday night when it had a 27-3 lead against Nevada in the first quarter, but Nevada made it very interesting late. Boise was just one of many teams that had a narrow victory, beating the Wolf Pack 44-33. 

No. 7 Oregon (Prev. No. 8) had the week off to prepare for the Civil War against Oregon State. The winner will be the Pac-10 champ and will play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon is ranked behind Ohio State in the Coaches' Poll—yet Ohio State’s losses came from Purdue and USC, teams that lost to Oregon. 

No. 8 Ohio State (Prev. No. 9) moved up a spot this week after the Jackets came up short against Georgia. Should Quack Attack knock off the Dam Workers, the Rose Bowl will be a competition between polar opposites.   

No. 9 Iowa (Prev. No. 11) really took advantage of its time off, moving up two spots after Pittsburgh lost to West Virginia and Oklahoma State fell to pieces at Norman in shutout fashion. The Hawkeyes will more than likely play in a BCS bowl game, but they’ll need the Bearcats to hold off Pittsburgh. 

No. 10 Georgia Tech (Prev. No. 7) dropped to the 12th spot this week in the AP and Coaches' Polls after coming up short against Georgia. But somehow Virginia Tech landed just ahead of the Yellow Jackets in both polls, even though Georgia Tech won head-to-head. If they’re that close, leave the better team ahead.

No. 11 Pittsburgh (Prev. No. 10) didn’t have far to drop after losing by a last-second field goal to the Mountaineers, 19-16. The Pitt Panthers will have one last shot at a BCS bowl if they can knock off the unblemished Bearcats.

No. 12 Oregon State (Prev. No. 12) heads to Eugene this week in the Civil War. As mentioned before, the winner will play the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. The loser will face Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl. 

No. 13 Penn State (Prev. No. 16) had it easy in Week 14, with its season over. The Nittany Lions moved up merely by default, with No. 13, 14, and 15 all going down in Rivalry Week. But this team is not a top 10 team by any means. Unfortunately, the AP and Coaches' Polls didn’t get the memo. 

Penn State has played tough throughout the season but doesn’t have a single victory over a ranked opponent. 

No. 14 Houston (Prev. No. 24) skyrocketed in this week’s rankings after steamrolling Rice, 73-14. The Cougars defeated Mississippi State, who just defeated Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, who also knocked off LSU two weeks ago. The Cougars also pounced on Oklahoma State and took down the Red Raiders of Texas Tech in a shootout. 

No. 15 North Carolina (Prev. No. 15) stayed glued to its spot this week after losing in heartbreaking fashion to N.C. State, 28-27. But it was Rivalry Week, and many teams struggled. 

No. 16 Virginia Tech (Prev. No. 20) moved up in the polls this week by default—not by stellar play throughout the season, but by slip-ups by other teams in very competitive games during Rivalry Week. 

No. 17 Mississippi (Prev. No. 17) wasn’t going to move up in the rankings after losing, like we’ve seen from the BCS Poll for the Bayou Bengals. 

Houston defeated Mississippi State head-to-head, so they deserved to move ahead. 

The Rebels were kicked out of the top 25 in the AP, BCS, and Coaches' Polls this week. Where’s the respect?

LSU beat Mississippi State on the last play of the game. The Rebels beat LSU two weeks ago, with no strings attached. 

Mississippi also blew out Arkansas, who LSU survived in overtime.

It’s not about dropping and moving teams arbitrarily; you have to have some common sense.

No. 18 LSU (Prev. No. 18) survived the trap game against Arkansas in overtime, 33-30. It was a thriller, to say the least. LSU is a good team but doesn't deserve to be ahead of the Rebels. 

No. 19 Clemson (Prev. No. 13) fell apart against the Gamecocks, 34-17, in another huge rivalry. That could possibly mean the 10th-best team in the SEC is better than the second best team in the ACC. But Clemson still has a shot at BCS bowl game with a win over GA Tech in a rematch in the ACC Championship. 

No. 20 Brigham Young (Prev. No. 25) won a thriller in overtime against its archrival Utah in the only top 25 matchup in Week 13. BYU hasn’t been overly impressive this season, but they did beat Oklahoma, who beat Oklahoma State in shutout fashion. 

No. 21 Oklahoma State (Prev. No. 14): The pollsters finally got the memo this week after the Cowboys were put out to dry by the Sooners. 

Oklahoma State has three blowout wins this season against Baylor, Iowa State, and Grambling State. The Cowboys rallied against Georgia and Colorado and survived Texas A&M. 

The Cowboys have two comfortable wins against Missouri and Rice. Oklahoma State was overrated and built up so much that they were destined for a fall.

No. 22 California (Prev. No. 19) fell three spots this week, but it was only due to a week filled with chaos. The Golden Bears are 8-3 and look to end the season with a win on the road against a tough Washington team.

No. 23 Miami (FL) (Prev. No. 22) ended the season on a high note, beating South Florida on the road, 31-10. The ‘Canes got their swagger back and should have a very competitive bowl game. 

No. 23 Stanford (Prev. No. 20) won a shootout against the Fighting Irish, 45-38. Even though Stanford caused our mouths to drop on many occasions this season, they’re still a four-loss team. Stanford will most likely play Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl.

No. 25 USC (Prev. No. 23) improved to 8-3 this week after putting the Bruins out to dry, 28-7. But the game was very close until UCLA decided to call a timeout with under a minute left in the game. 

As a result, Pete Carroll called for a deep pass, and Matt Barkley threw a touchdown. That gave Carroll and the Trojans the last laugh.

USC will try to end the season at .750 with a victory over the Arizona Wildcats.

 

Knocking on the Door

Texas Tech (8-4), Nebraska (9-3), Georgia (7-5), Utah (9-3), Northwestern (8-4)

 

Sleeper Teams That Slept in Too Late

Arkansas (7-5), Connecticut (6-5), Missouri (8-4), Nevada (8-4), Oklahoma (7-5)