College Football Rankings 2013: Highlighting Biggest Pretenders in Top 25

As the 2013 college football season wears on into Week 10, there are a few teams that have managed to secure top rankings through subterfuge and sleight of hand. 

In other words, there are a few pretenders lurking in the Top 25. 

Like Notre Dame and Michigan earlier this season, these teams are ranked higher than they deserve, but it won't be long until they're exposed as frauds.

Here's a look  at the recently released Associated Press Top 25 poll, followed by a closer examination of these pretenders.

Ranking	Team	Previous	Points	BR Ranking
1	Alabama	1	1,495	1
2	Oregon	2	1,432	2
3	Florida State	3	1,390	3
4	Ohio State	4	1,317	4
5	Baylor	6	1,23	5
6	Stanford	8	1,189	6
7	Miami (FL)	7	1,149	8
8	Auburn	11	1,022	10
9	Clemson	9	1,007	7
10	Missouri	5	873	12
11	LSU	13	818	11
12	Texas A&M	14	811	14
13	Oklahoma	17	791	9
14	South Carolina	20	701	16
15	Texas Tech	10	579	13
16	Fresno State	15	510	17
17	UCLA	12	489	18
18	Oklahoma State	19	483	15
19	Central Florida	21	464	22
20	Louisville	18	417	19
21	Northern Illinois	23	290	20
22	Wisconsin	22	262	21
23	Michigan	24	199	24
24	Michigan State	NR	166	23
25	Arizona State	NR	133	NR

Baylor

Baylor is fun to watch, but this team has no business being mentioned amongst the top teams in the nation.

The Bears feature one of the most high-powered offenses in the country, averaging more points than any team. However, Baylor hasn't yet faced a single top team.

That's about to change, though. 

With Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State lined up to face the Bears the next three weekends, the nation will truly find out whether or not they can hang with the top dogs in the Big 12.

Baylor's explosive offense will be held in check this upcoming weekend against the Sooners' No. 14-ranked scoring defense. Oklahoma will also expose Baylor's defense as overrated, winning the game on the road in Waco.

Miami 

Miami's claim to fame this year was the upset it scored over Florida earlier this season. Since that game, the Hurricanes have beaten the teams they should beat, but the past two wins against North Carolina and Wake Forest were claimed by slim margins. 

This upcoming game against Florida State will put to rest any hype surrounding this team, however.

The Seminoles laid waste to Clemson two weekends ago, winning in blowout fashion on the road in Death Valley. They are a team that will challenge Alabama for the national championship at the end of the season, and Miami will end up being just another speed bump along the way.

Texas A&M

The Aggies would be an average team—at best—if not for Johnny Manziel. Texas A&M's defense is atrocious, allowing 32.6 points (No. 96 in the nation) and 473.8 yards (No. 110 in the nation) per game. 

The only two ranked teams the Aggies have faced came away with victories, as Alabama and Auburn both outscored the Fighting Manziels in shootouts. 

With contests against LSU and Missouri still upcoming, nobody should be surprised if the Aggies end the season with four losses and out of the Top 25 rankings completely. 

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