College Football Rankings 2012: Teams Vaulting Up Rankings After Rivalry Week
Rivalry Week has brought a shakeup in the college football rankings, and several teams will vault up the BCS Rankings after big Week 13 performances.
While the top teams managed to escape the week with victories, the rest of the nation wasn't so lucky. Many middle-of-the-pack teams lost, potentially losing BCS Bowl berths.
These are the teams that benefited most from Week 13 in terms of rankings.
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No. 12 South Carolina Gamecocks
After falling behind 14-7 in the first quarter, South Carolina went to work against No. 11 Clemson, finishing the game on a 20-3 run in the final three quarters.
Dylan Thompson's 310 passing yards and three touchdowns led the way for the Gamecocks, as the team went on the road to defeat another Top 25 opponent this season.
By beating the No. 11 team in the nation, the Gamecocks are guaranteed to move up in the rankings. The rea question is how far.
No. 10 Florida State also lost this week, moving South Carolina at least two spots up the ladder. However, I would even put the team over No. 9 Texas A&M after shutting down a good Clemson team this week.
No. 23 Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent State smashed Ohio this week, winning 28-6 after scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter. The team's win was impressive, improving to 11-1 on the season, including 8-0 in MAC play.
The reason Kent State will be heading up the rankings is because just about every team within striking distance lost this week.
No. 15 Oregon State No. 16 Texas, No. 17 UCLA, No. 18 Rutgers, No. 19 Michigan, No. 20 Louisville and No. 21 Oklahoma State all lost this week. No. 22 Boise State will also benefit from these teams losing, but I see Kent State leapfrogging the Broncos, who have lost twice this season.
No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners
Landry Jones had a helluva day in his last home game with Oklahoma, throwing for 500 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Sooners to a victory.
By beating No. 21 Oklahoma State, the team improves to 9-2 on the season. The Sooners didn't lead until the very last play in overtime, but they pulled out the victory.
Now the team will take a similar path to that of No. 12 South Carolina, hopping over Clemson, Florida State, Texas A&M and even those same Gamecocks.
This is how my Top 25 looks after Rivalry Week:
| Rank | Team | Week 13 Result |
| 1 | Notre Dame | W 22-13 vs. USC |
| 2 | Alabama | W 49-0 vs. Auburn |
| 3 | Georgia | W 42-10 vs. Georgia Tech |
| 4 | Florida | W 37-26 vs. Florida State |
| 5 | Oregon | W 48-24 vs. Oregon State |
| 6 | Stanford | W 35-17 vs. UCLA |
| 7 | Kansas State | Bye |
| 8 | LSU | W 20-13 vs. Arkansas |
| 9 | Oklahoma | W 51-48 vs. Oklahoma State |
| 10 | South Carolina | W 27-17 vs. Clemson |
| 11 | Texas A&M | W 59-29 vs. Missouri |
| 12 | Nebraska | W 13-7 vs. Iowa |
| 13 | Florida State | L 26-37 vs. Florida |
| 14 | Clemson | L 17-27 vs. South Carolina |
| 15 | Kent State | W 28-6 vs. Ohio |
| 16 | Boise State | Bye week |
| 17 | Oregon State | L 24-48 vs. Oregon |
| 18 | UCLA | L 17-35 vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Michigan | L 21-26 vs. Ohio State |
| 20 | Rutgers | L 6-27 vs. Pittsburgh |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | L 48-51 vs. Oklahoma |
| 22 | Northern Illinois | W 49-7 vs. Eastern Michigan |
| 23 | Utah State | W 45-9 vs. Idaho |
| 24 | Louisville | L 20-23 (3OT) vs. Connecticut |
| 25 | Texas | L 13-20 |
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