College Football Rankings 2015: Twitter Reacts to Week 10 AP, Amway Polls
The Ohio State Buckeyes swept the latest version of the Amway Coaches, Associated Press (AP) and Bleacher Report polls as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation. A 49-7 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on October 24 understandably strengthened the Buckeyes' hold on the top spot.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Not Everyone on Buckeyes' Bandwagon
There are obviously enough voters who believe that Ohio State is the nation's best team, but not everyone believes it will make it to the College Football Playoff.
Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports and former Missouri Tigers receiver and radio contributor T.J. Moe don't have Ohio State in their final four.
"My 4 playoff teams as of today: 1. Baylor 2. Clemson 3. LSU 4. Michigan State TCU, Ohio State both in contention. Pac 12 shut out.
— T.J. Moe (@TJMoe28) November 1, 2015"
This could be due to the instability at quarterback. Days after J.T. Barrett accounted for five touchdowns in the win over Rutgers, he was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Per Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com, Barrett will be suspended for the team's upcoming home game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Truth be told, the Buckeyes probably don't need Barrett to beat the Gophers. The question is: What will the fallout be from Barrett's arrest and suspension? Will he lose his starting spot, and if so, can the Buckeyes win the tougher games on the rest of their schedule—namely the all-important November 21 battle with the Michigan State Spartans—with Cardale Jones at quarterback?
While the Buckeyes won with Jones en route to the national championship late last season and through the early part of this year, they looked like a much better team with Barrett at the helm. Head coach Urban Meyer has some work to do to regulate the situation after being dealt an unexpected curveball.
Baylor No. 2 for Now
The doubters are out in full force for the nation's No. 2 team. Quarterback Seth Russell is out for the season after neck surgery, and that means true freshman Jarrett Stidham will have to step up.
Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles sent out positive wishes for Russell just prior to the procedure.
"Much hope for a successful procedure for Seth Russell - Baylor love and faith with him this morning #Trust
— Coach Art Briles (@CoachArtBriles) October 30, 2015"
Stidham has a tall task ahead of him. Even if he were an experienced backup, it would be tough to be thrown into the fire the way Stidham will be. After the game against the Kansas State Wildcats on November 5, the Bears will have to somehow battle their way through a rigorous string of games against ranked conference opponents.
Following the Wildcats matchup is a home game against the No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners and two road contests against the No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys and No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs.
Stidham will likely be the hero and goat down the stretch. Those games will make or break Baylor's chances to reach the CFP.
Duke Drops on Miracle Play
You may or may not have seen the Miami Hurricanes stun the Duke Blue Devils with an eight-lateral touchdown on Saturday. The 30-27 loss cost Duke, as they dropped out of the polls with the defeat to the unranked Hurricanes.
Dan Wolken of USA Today didn't seem to think much of the Blue Devils' plummet:
You have to have some sympathy for Duke and its fanbase. Miami wasn't exactly a horrible team, as it came into the game with a 4-3 record. The game ended in such an unpredictable way and with some missed calls from several members of the officiating crew.
With suspensions being levied against the on-field officiating crew as well as the replay official and communicator, per Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com, Duke could make the case that it was forced to beat Miami and the refs.
Still, nothing will pull the loss off Duke's record or ascend it in the polls—at least not until the November 7 battle against in-state rival and No. 21-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels.
Heavy SEC Presence
The SEC Network proudly tweeted the six teams in its conference that are in the latest AP poll.
Legitimately, the Florida Gators, Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers all have a shot to make the CFP. Bama and Florida both have one loss, but the two teams could make a strong case they deserve to be in the final four if they run the table and win the SEC title game. Take a look at the strength-of-record rankings, per Alabama Media Group's Cole Cubelic:
Because LSU and Bama clash in a game that will likely decide the SEC West on Saturday, it'll be hard—or impossible—for both teams to make the playoffs. If the winner beats Florida in the conference title game, the Gators are likely out.
There's a slight chance the Gators and the SEC West champion could make the playoffs—especially if it's the Tigers who prevail on Saturday.
LSU narrowly defeated Florida 35-28 on October 17 in Baton Rouge. A win by Florida in the conference title game might just even the score. With both teams having only one loss—assuming they both win their other games—both could make the case they have the right to play for the national title.
Week 10 will be a big one in college football, as we should know a lot more about the big picture after LSU vs. Alabama, Florida State vs. Clemson and TCU at Oklahoma State.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
