Bleacher Report's College Football Top25: Week 10

Week 10 looks a lot like Week 9 did, except Mark Mangino’s wearing a different outfit.

For the second consecutive Saturday, the Game of the Week will be contested in Eugene, Oregon. 

But just like an impromptu Georgia dance party stole the show last weekend, the SEC’s headliner could once again overshadow a potential Pac-10 Championship Game at Autzen Stadium, as Nick Saban faces an LSU team featuring 17 starters that he recruited.

The nation’s top-ranked team will play another ranked opponent, as Wisconsin invades The ‘Shoe. And Boston College continues its fight to stay perfect in the ACC against a former conference powerhouse.

#1  Ohio State  (9-0)
Previous:  1
Strength of Schedule: 56
Last Week:  Beat Penn State 37-17
This Week:  #23 Wisconsin (+15)

Michigan and Ohio State don’t play until Nov. 17, but the Buckeyes have a chance to wrench a little history from the Big Blue this weekend.

A win over Wisconsin would be OSU’s 20th-consecutive Big Ten victory, breaking the record set by the Wolverines from 1990-92.

This week, it’s a match-up with Wisconsin that’s 365 days overdue. 

Last year, the Badgers were held out of the BCS without having a chance to play the Buckeyes, while Ohio State went to the national championship game without having beaten one of the premier teams in its own conference.

This year, the Badgers get their chance—albeit in Columbus—and appear to have righted the ship just in time to play spoiler.

#2  Boston College  (8-0)
Previous:  2
Strength of Schedule: 42
Last Week:  Beat Virginia Tech 14-10
This Week:  Florida State (+6.5)

It wasn’t quite Flutie to Phelan, but Ryan to Callender could produce more than a trip to the Cotton Bowl.

Now Boston College has to do what the Boston Red Sox just did—win four straight games.  And the four remaining teams aren’t nearly as hot as the Rockies were. 

Florida State, Maryland, Clemson and Miami already have two or more conference losses. The Seminoles visit Chestnut Hill as the last team to win at Alumni Stadium.  The Eagles have won 16 consecutive home games since a 28-17 loss to FSU in 2005.

#3  LSU  (7-1)
Previous:  3
Strength of Schedule: 17
Last Week:  BYE
This Week:  at #14 Alabama (+7)

Arizona State vs. Oregon may be the Game of the Week, but LSU vs. Nick Saban is undoubtedly the story of the week.

Four years after leading the Tigers to a national championship, Saban will attempt to keep him former team from getting back to the Superdome with an upset in Tuscaloosa.

Even without the prevailing drama, this one should be a gem.

Both teams carry overwhelming momentum and fresh legs into Saturday afternoon’s contest. Prior to the bye week, Alabama dismantled Tennessee in its best outing of the season, while LSU scored a dramatic game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against Auburn.

In addition to LSU’s national championship hopes, the SEC West lead is also on the line. The Tigers and Crimson Tide are both 4-1 with only three conference contests remaining.

#4  Oregon (7-1)
Previous:  4
Strength of Schedule: 12
Last Week:  Beat USC 24-17
This Week:  #5 Arizona State

Cal—the only team with a head-to-head advantage over the Ducks—has gone in the tank. USC’s veteran starting quarterback John David Booty was unavailable last week. Now, Arizona State’s Rudy Carpenter is questionable with a sprained thumb on his throwing hand (more on that in a moment).

Additionally, the Ducks get all of this season’s toughest opponents—Cal, USC, Arizona State, and instate rival Oregon State—in Eugene.

Hell, even Michigan has rallied to give Oregon a significant non-conference win.

Not to take anything away from the Nikes’ talent, but they appear to be getting the breaks that are characteristic of a BCS title run.

And speaking of runs, the Oregon ground attack ranks fourth nationally at 280 yards per game. Arizona State is a top-10 rushing defense, but hasn’t had to contend with anyone as potent as Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart.
 
Of the Sun Devils eight opponents so far this season, none rank in the Top 40 in rushing offense. Look for Oregon to run away with this one.

#5  Arizona State  (8-0)
Previous:  6
Strength of Schedule: 74
Last Week:  Beat Cal 31-20
This Week:  at #4 Oregon

The Sun Devils can’t win in Autzen Stadium without Rudy Carpenter, and right now the junior can’t throw a football.

Carpenter sprained his throwing thumb while handing off to Keegan Herring in a win over Cal on Saturday. As of Tuesday’s practice, handing off to Herring was all he could do. 

People around the program are saying the nation’s 10th-rated quarterback fully expects to play at Oregon, but we saw last week what can happen if he doesn’t. 

Sophomore Danny Sullivan may prove to be a great player, but he’s neither as talented nor experienced a backup as USC’s Mark Sanchez, who completed two passes to Oregon’s Matthew Harper in the second half.

#6  Oklahoma   (7-1)
Previous:  5
Strength of Schedule: 55
Last Week:  BYE
This Week:  Texas A&M (+20)

The Sooners have been a vastly different team at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium this season, with an average margin of victory of 42 points. 

Including a road win at Tulsa, Oklahoma is 5-0 instate, and will only have to venture outside its own borders once more in the regular season.

Mix in a bye week to prepare for Texas A&M, and the Sooner Schooner looks poised to make a stretch run in 2007. 

However, discouraged by Oregon leaping the Crimson and Cream in the BCS standings, local media outlets have already given up on OU’s national championship hopes. A Sunday article in the Tulsa World read, “Thanks to the Buckeyes’, Eagles’ and Sun Devils’ performances last weekend, Stoops and Bradford can now delete [New Orleans] from their travel planners.”

But that sort of doom-saying may be a bit premature.

Forget the fact that the Pac-10 season is just getting warmed up—the loser of Arizona State vs. Oregon will fall behind Oklahoma, so for all intents and purposes the Sooners are fifth in the BCS standings. 

Boston College and LSU still have tough conference challenges remaining, not to mention a league championship game.  And Ohio State has to go to the Big House. 

Cheer up Sooner fans—you’ve got an incredibly manageable schedule, and a win over one-loss Missouri or unbeaten Kansas in the Big 12 Championship Game should put New Orleans right back on the itinerary. 

#7  West Virginia  (7-1)
Previous:  8
Strength of Schedule: 74
Last Week:  Beat Rutgers 31-3
This Week:  BYE

Only in college football, right? 

The Mountaineers see their championship chances dashed in South Florida. The Bulls’ title hopes get pissed away in Piscataway. Then West Virginia clips Rutgers in Jersey.

This off-week was supposed to give Rich Rodriguez time to game plan for Brian Brohm and Louisville. Who would have thought his time might be better spent on Tyler Lorenzen and Connecticut?

#8  Kansas  (8-0)
Previous:  10
Strength of Schedule: 63
Last Week:  Beat Texas A&M 19-11
This Week:  Nebraska (+17.5)

We could talk about the fact that Kansas came out of one of the most hostile environments in college football with a win.

We could point out that the last time the Jayhawks were 9-0 was 1908.

We could even harp on the fact that Kansas is a whopping 1-37 against Nebraska.

But wouldn’t you rather talk about that velvet track suit Mark Mangino was wearing last weekend? (See above picture.)

Wikipedia defines velvet as “a type of tufted fabric in which the cut threads are very evenly distributed, with a short dense pile, giving it its distinct feel.”

(Insert your own “short dense pile” joke here.)

#9  Missouri  (7-1)
Previous:  13
Strength of Schedule: 62
Last Week:  Beat Iowa State 42-28
This Week:  at Colorado (+4)

Boulder is a huge roadblock for Missouri this week.  

The last two times Mizzou has reached the 7-1 plateau, it has lost its next game. The Tigers have gone 1-2 in each of the last three Novembers and Missouri hasn’t won in Colorado in a decade.

The Buffs’ 5-4 record makes this a high-risk, low-reward game. However it’s one the Tigers have to win in order for the season finale at KU to be meaningful. 

#10  Georgia  (6-2)
Previous:  21
Strength of Schedule: 21
Last Week:  Beat Florida 42-30
This Week:  Troy (+16.5)

Pop quiz: Who’s the best team in Alabama? 

Tough call, right?

The Crimson Tide looked great against Tennessee. They’re riding high with LSU coming to Bryant-Denny.

Auburn had the Bayou Bengals on the ropes, and beat Florida.

But what about the Trojans of Troy?

Okay, the moniker lacks creativity, but it’s not nearly as tacky as the Trojans home field—Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium. 

More importantly, the football program might be the classiest in the state.

Not what Georgia wanted to hear the week after a rivalry game against Florida and a week prior to facing the traditional powerhouse from Alabama, Auburn.

The Bulldogs have never lost a non-conference game in the regular season under head coach Mark Richt, but this one has huge upset potential.

Aren’t you glad I didn’t ask how many Sun Belt Conference teams you can name?

#11  Michigan  (7-2)
Previous:  19
Strength of Schedule: 39
Last Week:  Beat Minnesota 34-10
This Week:  at Michigan State (+4)

#12  Connecticut (7-1)
Previous:  25
Strength of Schedule: 56
Last Week:  Beat South Florida 22-15
This Week:  Rutgers (+2.5)

#13  Virginia Tech  (6-2)
Previous: 9
Strength of Schedule: 29
Last Week:  Lost to Boston College 14-10
This Week:  at Georgia Tech (-2.5)

#14  Alabama  (6-2)
Previous:  23
Strength of Schedule: 21
Last Week:  BYE
This Week:  LSU (-7)

#15  USC  (6-2)
Previous:  11
Strength of Schedule: 114
Last Week:  Lost to Oregon 24-17
This Week:  Oregon State (+14.5)

#16  Hawaii  (8-0)
Previous:  16
Strength of Schedule: 119
Last Week:  Beat New Mexico State 50-13
This Week:  BYE

#17  Texas  (7-2)
Previous:  18
Strength of Schedule: 77
Last Week:  Beat Nebraska 28-25
This Week:  at Oklahoma State (+3)

#18  Auburn  (5-3)
Previous:  22
Strength of Schedule: 28
Last Week:  Beat Mississippi 17-3
This Week:  Tennessee Tech (Off)

#19  Florida   (5-3)
Previous:  7
Strength of Schedule: 7
Last Week:  Lost to Georgia 42-30
This Week:  Vanderbilt (+16)

#20  South Florida  (6-2)
Previous:  12
Strength of Schedule: 4
Last Week:  Lost to Connecticut 22-15
This Week:  Cincinnati (+4.5)

#21  Boise State  (7-1)
Previous:  NR
Strength of Schedule: 82
Last Week:  Beat Fresno State 34-21
This Week:  San Jose State (+25.5)
 
#22  Wake Forest  (6-2)
Previous:  NR
Strength of Schedule: 67
Last Week:  Beat North Carolina 37-10
This Week:  at #24 Virginia (Pick)

#23  Wisconsin  (7-2)
Previous:  15
Strength of Schedule: 78
Last Week:  Beat Indiana 33-3
This Week:  at #1 Ohio State (-15)

#24  Virginia  (7-2)
Previous:  17
Strength of Schedule: 83
Last Week:  Lost to NC State 29-24
This Week: Wake Forest (Pick)

#25  California   (5-3)
Previous:  20
Strength of Schedule: 30
Last Week:  Lost to Arizona State 31-20
This Week: Washington State (+14)


Others receiving votes:  Tennessee, South Carolina, Clemson, Kentucky, Kansas State, Colorado, Rutgers, Purdue, Arkansas, UCLA, BYU, Troy.

Be sure to check out the full slate of pollster comments and Heisman rankings from Week Nine.

The Bleacher Report Top25 is college football’s most inclusive and transparent ranking system.  Our voting pool includes campus writers, bloggers, and members of our own community.  If you’d like more information on joining this college football fraternity, send an email to trey@bleacherreport.com.