Super 16 Poll Week 8: Complete Rankings Released for 2014 Season
If you ever wondered exactly what the College Football Playoff would look like with 12 more teams, the Super 16 poll is for you. The format has been extended to four teams for now, but it's fun every week to see exactly what the layout would look like.
Midway through the season, the poll was sure to change yet again after the likes of Auburn, TCU and others fell in Week 7. After all, the Tigers were the No. 1 team in the poll before Mississippi State knocked them down a peg.
Now that the poll is finally released, here's a look at the full results from FootballFoundation.org. Individual votes can also be found here. As for a tabulation of the votes, this nifty little chart should help put the votes into perspective.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Mississippi State | 6-0 | Mississippi State |
| 2 | Florida State | 6-0 | Florida State |
| 3 | Ole Miss | 6-0 | Ole Miss |
| 4 | Baylor | 6-0 | Baylor |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 6-0 | Notre Dame |
| 6 | Auburn | 5-1 | Auburn |
| 7 | Alabama | 5-1 | Michigan State |
| 8 | Michigan State | 5-1 | Alabama |
| 9 | Oregon | 5-1 | Oregon |
| 10 | TCU | 4-1 | Oklahoma |
| 11 | Georgia | 5-1 | Georgia |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 5-1 | TCU |
| 13 | Arizona | 5-1 | Ohio State |
| 14 | Ohio State | 4-1 | Kansas State |
| 15 | Oklahoma State | 5-1 | East Carolina (t-15) |
| 16 | Kansas State | 4-1 | Oklahoma State (t-15) |
| 17 | n/a | n/a | Arizona State |
| 18 | n/a | n/a | Arizona |
| 19 | n/a | n/a | Nebraska |
| 20 | n/a | n/a | Stanford |
| 21 | n/a | n/a | Clemson |
| 22 | n/a | n/a | Texas A&M |
| 23 | n/a | n/a | UCLA |
| 24 | n/a | n/a | USC |
| 25 | n/a | n/a | Marshall |
Analysis
Much like it did in the Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls, Mississippi State saw a huge jump in the rankings. A victory over the top-ranked team in the SEC will do that for a program.
This is uncharted territory for the Bulldogs, who had never reached the top of the AP Poll. In fact, they saw one of the fastest rises in college football history up the AP Poll, per ESPN College Football:
Mississippi State has also seen a meteoric rise in the SEC after not being given much hope prior to the season, as Paul Finebaum of ESPN notes:
Florida State was able to remain unblemished this season with a win over Syracuse (2-4) by a final of 38-20. They might not have a loss this year, but the Seminoles have certainly faced their fair share of problems against inferior programs.
Whether it was the nail-biting season opener against Oklahoma State or being down by 10 points against NC State in the third quarter, nothing has come easy for the 'Noles. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have trounced two straight Top 10 opponents by an average of 16 points.
That was enough for Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman to push Mississippi State over the top:
Florida State will get a chance to make its own statement this weekend against Notre Dame at home. But if the Seminoles fall, it could be the Irish jumping up the rankings after Week 8.
Along with the Bulldogs, several other undefeated teams remain highly ranked in the polls. Of those teams, Ole Miss not only shares the same state with MSU but also a Top Five ranking.
The Rebels have pulled off some equally impressive magic this season, but have been overshadowed by their SEC West counterparts. Coach Hugh Freeze believes the division is good enough to have two teams contending for a title, per Hugh Kellenberger of The Clarion-Ledger:
"I do think the SEC West deserves two in the playoff. ...
If we got beat tonight it would have been because Texas A&M beat us in their place and they are a good football team. But I never worried about that. Our kids are excited, we enjoyed the win but they'll come back down and get ready.
"
The only remaining unbeaten team not listed in the poll is Marshall, which is led by Rakeem Cato. In fact, the Thundering Herd remain behind AAC rival ECU in every poll despite their record.
Every other poll might be trying to predict who the top teams are in the country, but the Super 16 gives college football fans a look at what they truly want. Four teams in the playoff is nice, but there are still several worthy programs that would miss out due to one or even two losses.
As the season continues to progress, some might say that Alabama and Oregon should still have a shot. According to the format from the Super 16 poll, both of those teams would have a great chance of still winning a national championship.
Under the current format, both programs still need a lot of help. Though the 16-team layout hasn't come to fruition, it's always nice to dream of what the playoff could look like.
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