College Football Rankings 2014: Week 9 Standings and Top 25 Team Records
The lead-up to the College Football Playoff has been an emotional roller coaster every single week, but that ride may go on a temporary hiatus in Week 9. After all, there are only two games between ranked teams in The Associated Press Poll on tap, and three of the Top 10 teams are on a bye.
Of course, that could mean we are in store for a week of landscape-shifting upsets as well.
Only time will tell what Week 9 has in store for the fans, but it is worth looking at the where teams stand in the respective polls. With that in mind, here is a look at the updated rankings (the Bleacher Report poll can be found here) and respective team records before we dig into a preview for one of the marquee games on the schedule.
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| 1 | Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-0) | Mississippi State Bulldogs | Mississippi State Bulldogs |
| 2 | Florida State Seminoles (7-0) | Florida State Seminoles | Florida State Seminoles |
| 3 | Ole Miss Rebels (7-0) | Ole Miss Rebels | Ole Miss Rebels |
| 4 | Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1) | Alabama Crimson Tide | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 5 | Auburn Tigers (5-1) | Michigan State Spartans | Auburn Tigers |
| 6 | Oregon Ducks (6-1) | Auburn Tigers | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| 7 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1) | Oregon Ducks | Michigan State Spartans |
| 8 | Michigan State Spartans (6-1) | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Oregon Ducks |
| 9 | Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) | Georgia Bulldogs | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 10 | TCU Horned Frogs (5-1) | TCU Horned Frogs | TCU Horned Frogs |
| 11 | Kansas State Wildcats (5-1) | Kansas State Wildcats | Kansas State Wildcats |
| 12 | Baylor Bears (6-1) | Ohio State Buckeyes | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 13 | Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1) | Baylor Bears | Baylor Bears |
| 14 | Arizona State Sun Devils (5-1) | Arizona State Sun Devils | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| 15 | Arizona Wildcats (5-1) | Arizona Wildcats | Arizona Wildcats |
| 16 | Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-1) | Nebraska Cornhuskers | East Carolina Pirates |
| 17 | Oklahoma Sooners (5-2) | East Carolina Pirates | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| 18 | East Carolina Pirates (5-1) | Oklahoma Sooners | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 19 | Utah Utes (5-1) | Utah Utes | USC Trojans |
| 20 | USC Trojans (5-2) | Clemson Tigers | Utah Utes |
| 21 | Clemson Tigers (5-2) | USC Trojans | Marshall Thundering Herd |
| 22 | West Virginia Mountaineers (5-2) | Marshall Thundering Herd | Clemson Tigers |
| 23 | Marshall Thundering Herd (7-0) | LSU Tigers | West Virginia Mountaineers |
| 24 | LSU Tigers (6-2) | Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-1) | UCLA Bruins |
| 25 | UCLA Bruins (5-2) | West Virginia Mountaineers | Duke Blue Devils (6-1) |
Potential Upset Special: Ole Miss at LSU
It is a testament to how far Ole Miss has come that a hypothetical loss in Death Valley at night would be considered an upset for the Rebels.
LSU may be ranked at this point based solely on its pedigree over the past 10 years. Yes, it beat Wisconsin, but the Badgers lost to Northwestern and likely would have beaten the Tigers had they continued to give the ball to Melvin Gordon. Elsewhere, LSU lost to Mississippi State at home and then got its doors blown off in a trip to Auburn.
Perhaps the most concerning game, though, was the one against Florida when the Tigers needed the last couple of minutes to pull out a 30-27 win against a team that is an absolute disaster on offense.
The eyeball test alone suggests LSU is far from what fans are accustomed to this season. However, it still boasts the nation’s No. 8 scoring defense (17 points a game) even with the blowout loss to Auburn, and this one will be under the lights at Death Valley. The crowd will be ready to go, which will be a test for an Ole Miss squad that isn’t quite used to being the hunted quite yet.
College GameDay will also be there, as it announced on Twitter:
Glenn Guilbeau of WWLTV.com noted why that could be an issue for Ole Miss:
"LSU is 5-4 at home with GameDay, which began in ESPN's studios in Bristol, Connecticut, in 1987 before moving to on-campus sites in 1993. The Tigers have been the visiting team when GameDay is in town another six times and won four of those, including over Alabama in Tuscaloosa 2005 and in 2011. In neutral site appearances for national championship games and season openers, LSU is 5-1. Overall, the Tigers are 14-7 with GameDay in town.
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LSU will also be looking for some spoiler revenge of its own since Ole Miss knocked off the No. 6 Tigers last season in Oxford. Bo Wallace threw for 346 yards in that one and helped set up what proved to be a game-winning field goal by Andrew Ritter.
At least the Tigers finally looked like a complete team in Saturday’s win over Kentucky, and coach Les Miles thinks it portends positive things moving forward, via Guilbeau of WWLTV.com: "I think what is happening is this football team is coming together. We are improving. We are in a position to play better, and I think this football team is looking forward to that. I think the timing is right."
If LSU is going to win, it will have to make the Rebels one-dimensional so the pass rush can pin its ears back and get pressure on Wallace. Ole Miss is 11th in the SEC with 151.3 rushing yards a game, so that may not be out of the question.
However, if we are going to sing the praises of LSU’s defense, we have to also recognize Ole Miss’ as well. The Rebels are first nationally in scoring defense, sixth in rushing defense, eighth in total yards allowed and even lead the SEC with 15 interceptions and 20 forced turnovers.
The only game that Ole Miss was even challenged in was its dramatic victory over Alabama that gave it an inside track at a College Football Playoff spot, largely because of that defense.
LSU’s passing attack has struggled against the solid defenses it has faced this year (84 passing yards against Auburn and 140 against Mississippi State), and the Rebels may just be the best unit it will see this season.
This one will stay close, and the Tigers may even jump out to an early lead behind a raucous crowd, but Ole Miss’ defense will prove to be too much for what appears to be a mediocre LSU team this year.
There will be no upset in Death Valley on Saturday.
Prediction: Ole Miss 31, LSU 20
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