NCAA Football Rankings 2014: Predicting the Top 25 After Week 13
Compared to some previous weeks this season, Week 13 was relatively timid in terms of the ranked teams falling.
Florida State survived a tough test against Boston College, and Ole Miss was shut out by Arkansas. Beyond those two games, nobody in the top 15 was tested. Five ranked teams lost in Week 13, but four of the five were ranked No. 20 or lower in the AP Poll.
While there won't be too much shakeup in the top half, let's predict what the AP Poll will look like on Sunday.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1. Florida State | 11-0 | 1 | def. Boston College 20-17 |
| 2. Alabama | 10-1 | 2 | def. Western Carolina 48-14 |
| 3. Oregon | 10-1 | 3 | def. Colorado 44-10 |
| 4. Mississippi State | 10-1 | 4 | def. Vanderbilt 51-0 |
| 5. Baylor | 9-1 | 6 | def. Oklahoma State 49-28 |
| 6. TCU | 9-1 | 5 | BYE |
| 7. Ohio State | 10-1 | 7 | def. Indiana 42-27 |
| 8. Georgia | 9-2 | 9 | def. Charleston Southern 55-9 |
| 9. UCLA | 9-2 | 11 | def. USC 38-20 |
| 10. Michigan State | 9-2 | 10 | def. Rutgers 45-3 |
| 11. Kansas State | 8-2 | 12 | def. West Virginia 26-20 |
| 12. Arizona State | 9-2 | 13 | def. Washington State 51-32 |
| 13. Arizona | 9-2 | 15 | def. Utah 42-10 |
| 14. Wisconsin | 9-2 | 14 | def. Iowa 26-24 |
| 15. Auburn | 8-3 | 16 | def. Samford 31-7 |
| 16. Georgia Tech | 9-2 | 17 | BYE |
| 17. Ole Miss | 8-3 | 8 | lost to Arkansas 30-0 |
| 18. Missouri | 8-2 | 19 | def. Tennessee 29-21 |
| 19. Marshall | 11-0 | 18 | def. UAB 23-18 |
| 20. Oklahoma | 8-3 | 23 | def. Kansas 44-7 |
| 21. Colorado State | 10-1 | 22 | def. New Mexico 58-20 |
| 22. Minnesota | 8-3 | NR | def. Nebraska 28-24 |
| 23. Louisville | 8-3 | NR | def. Notre Dame 31-28 |
| 24. LSU | 7-4 | NR | BYE |
| 25. Boise State | 9-2 | NR | def. Wyoming 63-14 |
Note: Rankings reflect a prediction of the Week 12 AP poll—not how the author would rank the teams himself.
Biggest Risers
Minnesota
One week after giving Ohio State a run for its money, the Minnesota Golden Gophers delivered a crushing blow to a fledgling Nebraska Cornhuskers team, winning 28-24 despite falling behind 21-7.
Quarterback Mitch Leidner, who filled the void for an injured David Cobb, rallied the Gophers to the tune of 111 yards through the air and two touchdowns. More importantly, the win now gives the Gophers a chance to knock off Wisconsin next week for a chance to earn a bid to the Big Ten title game against Ohio State.
Louisville
Whenever you upend the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, regardless of whether or not they're reeling, you'll get noticed. The Cardinals defeated the Irish 31-28 on Saturday and have very quietly become an eight-win team with a chance at a prime-time bowl game. The Cardinals have Kentucky on their docket to finish the regular season next week, so a win over an SEC team could very much boost their resume.
Biggest Fallers
Ole Miss
It truly seems like ages ago when Ole Miss upset Alabama. Now the Rebels are 8-3 after getting shut out 30-0 to Arkansas on Saturday and quickly falling out of relevancy. A loss in the Egg Bowl next week could very well see the Rebels, after such a hot start to the year, miss out on a late December bowl game.
As a whole, Ole Miss has lost three of its last four, with the only victory coming against lowly Presbyterian. Now, an upset in the Egg Bowl over Mississippi State would create some cool playoff chaos.
Nebraska
After giving up a 17-3 lead to Wisconsin last week, the Nebraska Cornhuskers fell to Minnesota 28-24 in Week 13. Now at 8-3 and out of the hunt for the Big Ten title game, Nebraska will hope to salvage a win next week against Iowa to have an outside chance at a decent bowl game. But for now, Bo Pelini's seat is starting to warm up and the Huskers should fall out of the rankings altogether.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
