NCAA Football Rankings 2014: Full List of Week 6 College Standings and Polls
During the race to the inaugural College Football Playoff, no team is safe.
The mighty Florida State Seminoles had quarterback Jameis Winston for all four frames last week, only to almost lose and subsequently take a dive out of the No. 1 slot in the Amway Top 25.
To the delight of many (not really), the Alabama Crimson Tide are back on top.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Such is the way the 2014 season has gone to this point. Wild upsets have peppered the landscape to date, with more and more sure to occur in the depths of conference play.
Here is a look at the polls, with a closer look at some of the bigger movers of Week 6 and what it means on the path to the playoff.
2014 College Football Week 6 Rankings
| 1 | Florida State (4-0) | Alabama (4-0) | Oregon (4-0) |
| 2 | Oregon (4-0) | Florida State (4-0) | Alabama (4-0) |
| 3 | Alabama (4-0) | Oklahoma (4-0) | Oklahoma (4-0) |
| 4 | Oklahoma (4-0) | Oregon (4-0) | Florida State (4-0) |
| 5 | Auburn (4-0) | Auburn (4-0) | Auburn (4-0) |
| 6 | Texas A&M (5-0) | Baylor (4-0) | Baylor (4-0) |
| 7 | Baylor (4-0) | Texas A&M (5-0) | Texas A&M (5-0) |
| 8 | UCLA (4-0) | Notre Dame (4-0) | Michigan State (3-1) |
| 9 | Notre Dame (4-0) | UCLA (4-0) | Notre Dame (4-0) |
| 10 | Michigan State (3-1) | Michigan State (3-1) | UCLA (4-0) |
| 11 | Ole Miss (4-0) | Ole Miss (4-0) | Mississippi State (4-0) |
| 12 | Mississippi State (4-0) | Georgia (3-1) | Ole Miss (4-0) |
| 13 | Georgia (3-1) | Stanford (3-1) | Georgia (3-1) |
| 14 | Stanford (3-1) | Mississippi State (4-0) | Stanford (3-1) |
| 15 | LSU (4-1) | LSU (4-1) | USC (3-1) |
| 16 | USC (3-1) | Wisconsin (3-1) | LSU (4-1) |
| 17 | Wisconsin (3-1) | Nebraska (5-0) | BYU (4-0) |
| 18 | BYU (4-0) | Ohio State (3-1) | Wisconsin (3-1) |
| 19 | Nebraska (5-0) | BYU (4-0) | Nebraska (5-0) |
| 20 | Ohio State (3-1) | USC (3-1) | East Carolina (3-1) |
| 21 | Oklahoma State (3-1) | East Carolina (3-1) | Ohio State (3-1) |
| 22 | East Carolina (3-1) | Kansas State (3-1) | Oklahoma State (3-1) |
| 23 | Kansas State (3-1) | Oklahoma State (3-1) | Kansas State (3-1) |
| 24 | Missouri (4-1) | Arizona State (3-1) | Clemson (2-2) |
| 25 | TCU (3-0) | TCU (3-0) | Arizona State (3-1) |
Analyzing Notable Risers and Fallers
South Carolina
The dream of the playoff seems all but over for the South Carolina Gamecocks. An opening-week loss to Texas A&M was something the team could fight through, but a second loss pretty much slams the door shut.
On paper, South Carolina did most everything right against Missouri. It held Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk to just 132 yards on a 12-of-34 line. Conversely, Dylan Thompson threw for 219 yards and a score while getting another strong effort from back Mike Davis, who gained 104 yards and a score on 22 totes.
The defense even held the normally explosive Tigers to a 2-of-16 success rate on third downs.
To no avail, especially in the fourth quarter, when the defense seemed gassed at best and allowed Mauk to convert a long run and a pair of deep passes with the game on the line.
Really, this sort of collapse and eventual loss to a beatable opponent was to be expected. Steve Spurrier has done great things for the program, but his teams have lost a minimum of two SEC games each season over the course of 10 years.
South Carolina has shown signs of life during its tumultuous season, including an impressive upset of then-ranked No. 6 Georgia. But even a rebound performance the rest of the season may prove to be a case of too little, too late.
Arizona State
It was easy to fall into the trap of thought that the Arizona State Sun Devils, even without starting quarterback Taylor Kelly, would put up a strong fight against UCLA at home Saturday.
So much for that.
Replacement Mike Bercovici attempted a ridiculous 68 passes, which spawned 488 yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions. Conversely, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley finally had his breakout performance of the season with 355 yards and four touchdowns on all of 23 pass attempts.
The defensive collapse was matched in its level of ineptitude by a special teams unit that allowed a pair of kick returns to go back for scores. Offensively, Bercovici was a sitting duck most of the night thanks to gems such as this:
Arizona State coach Todd Graham spoke plainly about the performance.
"That was embarrassing. It was a frustrating night," Graham said, per the AP, via ESPN.com. "The standard that we set here was not met tonight."
The massive nosedive in most polls is understandable, but the worst may be yet to come. Next up is a trip to No. 16 USC, then a visit from No. 14 Washington.
Then again, perhaps it will prove to be a redemption tour that catapults the Sun Devils back up the polls. Obviously, though, a few things are going to need to be repaired before that becomes a realistic scenario.
TCU
The most underrated team in the nation is now on the board.
It may not last long, though, as TCU must welcome No. 4 Oklahoma to town. Then again, the Horned Frogs seem to be a trendy pick this week now that the public is aware of their skill, as best illustrated by Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer:
TCU has a bit of an iffy resume to date thanks to wins over Samford, Minnesota and SMU. Then again, the team ranks No. 2 in the nation defensively, allowing all of seven points per game.
Seven. That is impressive regardless of the opposition.
A note from Kirk Herbstreit goes a long way in breaking down why TCU has always been one of the top teams in the nation:
The Horned Frogs are no joke offensively, either, thanks to junior dual-threat quarterback Trevone Boykin. Through three games, he leads the team in rushing with 183 yards and three touchdowns to complement his 858 yards and eight touchdowns to one interception through the air.
Of course, the rank will be put in serious jeopardy Saturday against the Sooners, but add to the fact that the Horned Frogs field an elite defense and Oklahoma just struggled en route to a win against West Virginia, and another leap upward is certainly not out of the question in next week's polls.
Stats via ESPN.com. Amway Poll via USA Today. AP Poll via The Associated Press.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
