College Football Rankings 2014: Updated Outlook on Top Week 4 Polls
What had the look of a boring week with little college football rankings implications on paper provided the wildest week of movement yet.
Go figure.
Last week, just one game featured a matchup between ranked teams. Of course, it wound up being the biggest upset of the week in a slate that featured several en route to a new-look set of rankings that may or may not stand the test of time.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Here is a look at the Amyway Coaches Poll and The Associated Press Top 25 after the dust settled on the unexpectedly entertaining week:
| 1 | Florida State (37) | Florida State (50) |
| 2 | Oregon (17) | Alabama (1) |
| 3 | Alabama (1) | Oregon (6) |
| 4 | Oklahoma (2) | Oklahoma (4) |
| 5 | Auburn | Auburn |
| 6 | Texas A&M (3) | Baylor |
| 7 | Baylor | Texas A&M |
| 8 | LSU | LSU |
| 9 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| 10 | Ole Miss | UCLA |
| 11 | MIchigan State | Michigan State |
| 12 | UCLA | Ole Miss |
| 13 | Georgia | Arizona State |
| 14 | South Carolina | Georgia |
| 15 | Arizona State | Stanford |
| 16 | Stanford | South Carolina |
| 17 | USC | Wisconsin |
| 18 | Missouri | Ohio State |
| 19 | Wisconsin | Missouri |
| 20 | Kansas State | Kansas State |
| 21 | BYU | USC |
| 22 | Clemson | Nebraska |
| 23 | Ohio State | BYU |
| 24 | Nebraska | Clemson |
| 25 | Oklahoma State | North Carolina |
It was Boston College taking down USC that wound up as the biggest upset of the weekend, technically at least. ESPN Stats & Info provides the justification for the label:
Regardless of the magnitude, the upset was a tad easy to see coming. Fresh off an upset of their own at The Farm over Stanford by just three points, Steve Sarkisian's team had to travel across the nation and somehow avoid an upset at the hands of a criminally underrated team.
The Eagles quietly flew under the radar into the matchup as one of the nation's most dangerous teams thanks to dual-threat quarterback Tyler Murphy. After two outstanding games before the Trojans came to town, the senior used the spotlight to throw for 54 yards and lead the team in rushing with 191 yards and a score on just 13 carries.
Known for his offense, Sarkisian notes that his defense has some work to do in the coming weeks, as captured by Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News:
Arguably the biggest upset in layman's terms was South Carolina taking care of business at home when Georgia, now formerly of the Top 10, came to town.
After a rocky start to the season in a blowout loss to Texas A&M, the Gamecocks got a titanic effort from quarterback Dylan Thompson (271 yards, three touchdowns) to get the 38-35 upset.
Yet the polls are the subject of much controversy on this very matter, as the Bulldogs remain ahead of the Gamecocks despite the loss. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports describes this with emphasis:
Both teams get a shot at a ranked Missouri squad in the coming weeks, so both are teams to watch, as the current ranks could change in dramatic fashion.
Two teams fans should immediately note as absent after digesting the biggest upsets are Louisville and Virginia Tech.
Louisville was on the fringe at No. 21 last week and a rather large favorite on the road against Virginia, but Mike London's team once again proved defensively stout and got the two-point upset.
Virginia Tech, of upsetting Ohio State fame to ruin the polls, suffered a letdown and lost by a touchdown to an offensive-minded East Carolina team.
As far as a broad outlook goes, the grand meaning behind polls continues to be a topic of much debate now that the four-team playoff is set to change the landscape of the sport. As Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports points out, the impact a single loss can have on a team's playoff chances is difficult to discern, but we are surely going to find out:
The best part? Things will only get more complicated as the season continues.
Look at next week. Big dogs such as Florida State are back in action, with a matchup against Clemson in the cards. Auburn and Kansas State collide in a battle of ranked foes, and Oklahoma will have somewhat of an interesting test on its hands at West Virginia.
In other words, perhaps this week's unexpected shakeup on an unheralded slate was just a way to whet the appetite of fans when it comes to the rankings—things are just getting started.
To what end, nobody knows.
Stats via ESPN. Amyway poll via USA Today. AP poll via The Associated Press.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
