College Football Rankings 2014: Most Underrated Teams in Week 7 Coaches Poll
Week 6 was one for the ages in college football as a number of upsets created a major shakeup in the latest Amway Coaches Poll.
Starting with Oregon's loss on Thursday, the weekend featured 11 losses by ranked teams, including five squads among the top eight. Meanwhile, the teams that pulled off these upsets, like Ole Miss and Mississippi State, shot up near the top of the polls for the upcoming week.
While this is going to cause a change in expectations for the College Football Playoff, there are still a bunch of overlooked teams through this point in the season. These squads have proven themselves on the field but are still not getting the credit they deserve in the latest polls.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Florida State | 5-0 |
| 2 | Auburn | 5-0 |
| 3 | Baylor | 5-0 |
| 4 | Ole Miss | 5-0 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 5-0 |
| 6 | Mississippi State | 5-0 |
| 7 | Alabama | 4-1 |
| 8 | Michigan State | 4-1 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 4-1 |
| 10 | Georgia | 4-1 |
| 11 | Oregon | 4-1 |
| 12 | TCU | 4-0 |
| 13 | Arizona | 5-0 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 5-1 |
| 15 | Ohio State | 4-1 |
| 16 | Kansas State | 4-1 |
| 17 | UCLA | 4-1 |
| 18 | Oklahoma State | 4-1 |
| 19 | East Carolina | 4-1 |
| 20 | Arizona State | 4-1 |
| 21 | Nebraska | 5-1 |
| 22 | Stanford | 3-2 |
| 23 | Georgia Tech | 5-0 |
| 24 | Missouri | 4-1 |
| 25 | Clemson | 3-2 |
No. 6 Mississippi State
After last weekend's fireworks, there are only nine remaining undefeated teams in college football. Three of those teams come from the SEC West, which makes it no surprise the division still has five teams ranked in the top 15.
However, the question remains why Mississippi State comes into Week 7 ranked sixth. Obviously, someone has to be the odd man out with so many quality teams at the top, but it should not be the Bulldogs after what they have shown this season.
Mississippi State has won all five of its games this year by an average of 23.2 points per game. Over the last two weeks, the squad has won at LSU and home against Texas A&M, both of which came in convincing fashion. The team was up at least three touchdowns in each contest before late touchdowns made the games close.
Dan Wolken of USA Today believes the latest ranking was way too low for the SEC squad:
Besides Notre Dame, you can question the merit of putting Baylor at No. 3 despite not facing a single ranked opponent this season.
Obviously, Mississippi State is not used to complaining about being too low and is usually happy to be ranked at all. Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press notes this is the highest the school has ever been in the polls:
Still, this team has proven to be one of the best in the nation and deserves to be ranked as such. With a home game against No. 2 Auburn coming up, the squad will have a chance to move up even more next week.
No. 11 Oregon
Oregon was certainly disappointed to drop a game to a conference opponent at home, but head coach Mark Helfrich remained upbeat the day after the loss:
"The biggest thing is the spirit of the team and the guys they have the willingness to do something about it and they did. Everyone was in good spirits this morning, as good as could be expected in the situation. Again have to give Arizona a ton of credit but there was a lot of stuff in this game that makes it that much more of a bitter pill to swallow in terms of self-inflicted wounds and some of the mistakes we made.
"
Between two lost fumbles and a 4-of-14 mark on third downs, there was certainly a lot to be upset about. However, this is still one of the best teams in the nation with arguably college football's top player in Marcus Mariota.
After seeing many other top teams lose on Saturday, the Ducks had to feel better about remaining in the playoff hunt. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case after dropping from No. 4 to No. 11 in the rankings.
Oregon is currently behind four other one-loss teams in the Coaches Poll, two of which do not have a win over a ranked team all season. Another one, Michigan State, lost directly to the Ducks 46-27. Putting the Spartans three spots ahead of a team with the same record that they lost to does not make much sense.
While the Ducks might have had a disappointing loss, it came against a quality opponent in Arizona (which is still undefeated). Considering they also have the best win among the one-loss teams, they should be ranked higher than they are.
The Pac-12 is going to be a fight all season long, but Oregon remains a national title contender and should get that chance by winning out.
No. 16 Kansas State
While seemingly every team in the nation dealt with its own craziness on Saturday, Kansas State avoided trouble, as noted by CBS Sports:
Jake Waters posted another incredible performance against Texas Tech, throwing four touchdown passes on 290 yards while also adding 105 and a score on the ground. The quarterback has turned himself into a Heisman candidate with his dual-threat ability while turning Kansas State into one of the best offenses in the country.
Although this team does have one loss, that came against now-No. 2 Auburn by just a six-point margin. A few late turnovers ruined the Wildcats' chances for pulling off an upset.
The good news is this team will get more chances to show what it can do. After a bye in Week 7, Kansas State will go on the road to take on Oklahoma. Big 12 matchups against Oklahoma State, TCU and Baylor also loom later in the schedule.
With loads of talent everywhere on the field, this squad has a chance to be a top contender for the conference title.
Kansas State is only being punished for making a tough non-conference schedule and taking on one of the best teams in the league. In reality, the Wildcats should be higher on the list and a legitimate contender for the College Football Playoff.
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.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
