Amway College Football Poll 2014: Complete Week 10 Rankings Released
One loss. It once was a death sentence in college football, a reminder that your school of choice was unlikely to reach the national championship or, at the very least, was going to need some good fortune to get there.
No more. These days, a loss just means you join a select group of talented, deserving teams all hoping to prove they are worthy of college football's four-team playoff. Sure, going undefeated in a major conference is still a guarantee, but no longer does a solitary loss bring so much doom.
Or at least that's what Ole Miss fans are telling themselves this morning. And they aren't the first fans to seek that consolation this year, either. As the Amway Coaches Poll will reveal, more than a few teams have suffered a loss but remain in the running for the top four, or at least should once the selection committee reveals their rankings.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Let's see how the coaches see things first.
| 1 | Mississippi State | 7-0 | Mississippi State |
| 2 | Florida State | 7-0 | Florida State |
| 3 | Alabama | 7-1 | Alabama |
| 4 | Auburn | 6-1 | Notre Dame |
| 5 | Michigan State | 7-1 | Auburn |
| 6 | Oregon | 7-1 | Oregon |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | Michigan State |
| 8 | Georgia | 6-1 | Ole Miss |
| 9 | Ole Miss | 7-1 | Georgia |
| 10 | TCU | 6-1 | TCU |
| 11 | Kansas State | 6-1 | Kansas State |
| 12 | Baylor | 6-1 | Baylor |
| 13 | Ohio State | 6-1 | Ohio State |
| 14 | Arizona State | 6-1 | Arizona State |
| 15 | Arizona | 6-1 | Arizona |
| 16 | Nebraska | 7-1 | Nebraska |
| 17 | LSU | 7-2 | LSU |
| 18 | Utah | 6-1 | Utah |
| 19 | East Carolina | 6-1 | Oklahoma |
| 20 | Oklahoma | 5-2 | East Carolina |
| 21 | Clemson | 6-2 | West Virginia |
| 22 | West Virginia | 6-2 | Clemson |
| 23 | Marshall | 8-0 | Marshall |
| 24 | Duke | 6-1 | Duke |
| 25 | UCLA | 6-2 | USC |
Analysis
And then there were two.
With apologies to Marshall, Mississippi State and Florida State were left as the only two undefeated teams in the playoff hunt after Saturday's action concluded. While Florida State was off in preparation for a tough matchup against Louisville on Thursday, Mississippi State had to overcome a tough battle against a pesky Kentucky team.
The Bulldogs survived the shootout, winning 45-31 and never trailing in the contest. But after conceding that many points to Kentucky, well, there are bound to be some questions about the team's defense.
There can be fewer questions about quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Josh Robinson, as the pair combined for 502 yards from scrimmage. As Gil Brandt of NFL.com tweeted, Prescott continues to impress and deserves consideration as the country's top player this year:
While Mississippi State survived—as did teams like Auburn and Ohio State, as both narrowly kept their playoff hopes alive—former No. 3 Ole Miss couldn't get past LSU in a 10-7 defensive showdown. Ole Miss certainly had their chances, especially late, but an ill-timed thrown by Bo Wallace with time winding down and ultimate interception cost the Rebels a shot at the game-tying field goal.
"I thought we were plenty clear we were either going to take the flat throw or throw it out of bounds, and then try the field goal," head coach Hugh Freeze said of the play after the game, per ESPN. "He must have felt like he had a shot at the touchdown play there. ... I wish I could do that over, for sure."
In the end, LSU won the way they normally win—by playing excellent defense, holding Ole Miss to 313 total yards, and by pounding the rock (264 rushing yards).
All is not lost for Ole Miss, of course. While Mississippi State and Florida State are the frontrunners for the playoff, about 16 teams will have the opportunity down the stretch to prove they are worthy of being considered a top-four team. Ole Miss is certainly one of them, and with games against Auburn and Mississippi State remaining, the Rebels are far from removed from the national championship discussion.
Still, teams like Auburn, Alabama, Oregon and Michigan State have to feel like their chances of reaching the playoff improved just a little bit with Ole Miss' loss on Saturday. Last year, we would only be talking about Mississippi State and Florida State. Now, college football's postseason format has left a bevy of teams still in the running.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
