NCAA Football Rankings 2014: Week 15 Standings for College's Top 25 Teams
Rivalry week was just as entertaining as always, and the nation's Top 25 teams produced a wide array of results. There were several convincing victories and plenty of down-to-the-wire finishes in Week 14. We even saw one previously unbeaten team fall to its opponent—no, it's not who you think. (But that one was close, too.)
Perhaps the most interesting forthcoming change in the nation's hierarchy will be within the Top Four. Yes, one of the four College Football Playoff front-runners was taken down Saturday, and that will lead to severe adjustments from the selection committee.
With the regular season now concluded, and conference championship games set to commence, there isn't much time left for teams to make their case for either the playoff or a certain bowl game. However, before Week 15 brings another wave of action to the amateur gridiron, here's a look at the full Top 25 results from Week 14, followed by an overview of all the action.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Alabama | Beat No. 15 Auburn, 55-44 |
| 2 | Oregon | Beat Oregon State, 47-19 |
| 3 | Florida State | Beat Florida, 24-19 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | Lost to No. 19 Ole Miss, 31-17 |
| 5 | TCU | Beat Texas, 48-10 |
| 6 | Ohio State | Beat Michigan, 42-28 |
| 7 | Baylor | Beat Texas Tech, 48-46 |
| 8 | UCLA | Lost to Stanford, 31-10 |
| 9 | Georgia | Lost to No. 16 Georgia Tech, 30-24 |
| 10 | Michigan State | Beat Penn State, 34-10 |
| 11 | Arizona | Beat No. 13 Arizona State, 42-35 |
| 12 | Kansas State | Beat Kansas, 51-13 |
| 13 | Arizona State | Lost to No. 11 Arizona, 42-35 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | Beat No. 18 Minnesota, 34-24 |
| 15 | Auburn | Lost to No. 1 Alabama, 55-44 |
| 16 | Georgia Tech | Beat No. 9 Georgia, 30-24 |
| 17 | Missouri | Beat Arkansas, 21-14 |
| 18 | Minnesota | Lost to No. 14 Wisconsin, 34-24 |
| 19 | Ole Miss | Beat No. 4 Mississippi State, 31-17 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | Bye Week |
| 21 | Clemson | Beat South Carolina, 35-17 |
| 22 | Louisville | Beat Kentucky, 44-40 |
| 23 | Boise State | Beat Utah State, 50-19 |
| 24 | Marshall | Lost to Western Kentucky, 67-66 |
| 25 | Utah | Beat Colorado, 38-34 |
Updated college football standings can be viewed at ESPN.com.
Breakdown
Alabama should have no trouble retaining its No. 1 ranking after defeating Auburn 55-44 in the Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide struggled early, but wide receiver Amari Cooper showed why he's worthy of Heisman consideration, catching 13 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns.
That game was one for the ages and set multiple Iron Bowl records, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
Marcus Mariota continued to light it up Saturday for the Ducks, as Oregon handled Oregon State with ease, winning the Civil War 47-19. Mariota passed for 367 yards and four touchdowns, adding 39 rushing yards and two more scores.
The Heisman hopeful reminded us why he's the front-runner for the coveted trophy with those stats and also on one particular play, captured by Brian Davies of The Register-Guard:
Florida State squeezed out another victory over an unranked opponent, defeating Florida 24-19. The Seminoles keep treading water, but this kind of play won't allow the team to last long in the College Football Playoff, especially if Jameis Winston throws another four interceptions.
The Egg Bowl saw Ole Miss take down Dak Prescott and the Mississippi State Bulldogs 31-17, ending their hopes of earning a berth in the playoff. The Rebels accumulated 532 yards of offense while the Bulldogs racked up 445 yards, one of their lowest totals on the season.
TCU could sneak into the College Football Playoff following the loss by Mississippi State. The Horned Frogs decimated Texas 48-10 on Friday, scoring through the air, on the ground and with their defense. This is a talented team that cannot be overlooked.
Ohio State defeated Michigan 42-28 Saturday, but that came at a high cost. Freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett suffered a broken ankle and will miss the remainder of the season, according to Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports:
While the Buckeyes struggled with a quarterback injury, so did Baylor. Bryce Petty began to put up some gaudy numbers against Texas Tech, but he was forced to leave the game with a concussion. A nail-biting 48-46 victory for the Bears was the end result.
UCLA produced one of its worst performances in Week 14 against Stanford, losing 31-10. The Cardinal were able to get their offense going, and the team's defense was too much for Brett Hundley and Co. to handle.
Georgia dropped to Georgia Tech 30-24, as the game known as Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate concluded with a Yellow Jackets interception off Hutson Mason in the first overtime.
No. 10 Michigan State and No. 12 Kansas State each produced blowout victories over Penn State and Kansas, respectively. Expect both teams to move up the standings prior to Week 15.
That wasn't the case for Arizona, though, as the Wildcats escaped Arizona State 42-25, earning a berth in the Pac-12 championship game against the Ducks. Arizona has a chance to take the conference title considering it was able to take down Mariota and Co. in its last two meetings with Oregon.
Wisconsin was given all it could handle by Minnesota, but thanks to the efforts of Heisman-hopeful running back Melvin Gordon, the Badgers were able to come out on top by a score of 34-24. Gordon rushed 29 times for 151 yards and a touchdown in the game, moving into fourth on the all-time rushing list, according to SportsCenter:
Missouri came from behind to take down the surging Arkansas Razorbacks, winning 21-14 and earning a spot against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Clemson, Louisville, Boise State and Utah all defeated their respective opponents, and all should remain in the Top 25 for at least another week.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the same story for the undefeated Marshall Thundering Herd, as they were taken down by Western Kentucky in a 67-66 barnburner. There wasn't a whole lot of defense to be found in this clash, as both quarterbacks passed for over 400 yards, each team had a running back eclipse the 200-yard mark and four receivers tallied over 100 yards. The end result was a combined 1,446 yards of offense.
It was certainly a wild week of college football, and with championship games on the horizon, it will only get better from here.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
