College Football Rankings 2015: Hits and Misses from the Week 11 Polls
And then there were six.
The first week in November was especially unkind to undefeated teams across college football, as five unbeatens—LSU, Memphis, Michigan State, TCU and Toledo—lost. In one way, that makes the playoff picture clearer. It also makes you wonder what will happen if more unbeaten teams fall. Mathematically, that's bound to happen at least once, as Oklahoma State and Baylor play in a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, it's time to take stock of where teams are ranked in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25 ahead of the playoff committee's rankings on Tuesday.
Where did pollsters get it right? Where did they swing and miss? We give our two cents in the following slides based not only on the past week's action, but also on what has transpired so far this season.
Hit: Oklahoma State
1 of 7
USA Today Amway Coaches Poll: No. 5 (previously No. 10)
Associated Press Top 25: No. 5 (previously No. 12)
It's safe to say Oklahoma State is no longer the Big 12's dark horse title-chaser. Following the Cowboys' 49-29 blowout over TCU, they're right there with Baylor as a conference front-runner. ESPN, in fact, now has Oklahoma State with the second-highest chance to win the Big 12 behind the Bears. For the millionth time, it's worth pointing out Oklahoma State gets Baylor and Oklahoma at home in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Other than Alabama's win over LSU, there wasn't a more impressive victory in Week 10 than Oklahoma State's. For much of the season, the Cowboys have won close games against lesser teams. Now, they've come on strong on the biggest stage. Was this a one-time thing or an indication that Oklahoma State is playing its best football now?
Either way, the undefeated Pokes deserve a top-five ranking.
Miss: North Carolina
2 of 7
USA Today Amway Coaches Poll: No. 17 (previously No. 21)
Associated Press Top 25: No. 17 (previously No. 21)
Throughout the year, there's at least one team at any given time that, despite whatever the strength of schedule may be, is criminally underrated in the polls. It's beginning to feel a lot like North Carolina is that team. Quietly, no team is hotter in college football.
The season-opening loss to South Carolina could go down as one of the more perplexing defeats of the 2015 season because the Tar Heels are rolling. In Week 10, North Carolina took advantage of a hungover Duke team, beating down the Blue Devils, 61-33.
The Tar Heels offense is clicking like you'd think it would under head coach Larry Fedora, but the real difference is the defense under coordinator Gene Chizik. North Carolina is giving up 18.6 points per game, which ranks 22nd nationally.
The remaining road is tricky with games against Miami, Virginia Tech and North Carolina State, but a Clemson-UNC ACC Championship Game could be all kinds of fun.
Hit: Florida State
3 of 7
USA Today Amway Coaches Poll: No. 18 (previously No. 15)
Associated Press Top 25: No. 19 (previously No. 17)
When you have the No. 1 team in the playoff rankings on the ropes in its own house, you deserve some recognition. So Florida State's slight drop in the polls seems legit.
This is a rebuilding year for the Seminoles; there's no doubt about that. Quarterback play, whether it's Sean Maguire or Everett Golson, has been shaky, in part because the offensive line has been shaky. Basically, the one true reliable piece for the Seminoles on offense is running back Dalvin Cook.
All the same, Florida State's defense did work against Clemson, holding the Tigers to 23 points, their second-lowest total of the season, and 7-of-18 on third-down conversions. That's a solid effort. Combining that loss, for which there is no shame, and a crazy ending against Georgia Tech, Florida State isn't that far from being undefeated.
The other side of that argument is perhaps that FSU is fortunate to be 7-2 and not something worse. Either way, Florida State didn't do much Saturday to suggest it should drop far.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Miss: LSU
4 of 7
USA Today Amway Coaches Poll: No. 9 (previously No. 4)
Associated Press Top 25: No. 9 (previously No. 4)
Was LSU overrated? Or is Alabama just that good? It's probably a combination of both, but the Tigers did not match up well against the Tide in a 30-16 loss. Alabama's run defense was the story of the game (besides running back Derrick Henry, that is), dominating LSU in the trenches and holding Leonard Fournette to 31 yards on 19 carries.
"There's a lot of football left to play. It's a team. It's not Leonard's fault. It's all of us," head coach Les Miles said, per
Still, LSU's offense runs through Fournette. Quarterback Brandon Harris has improved, but neither he nor the offense is designed to carry the team through the passing game. On top of it all, LSU had no luck containing Henry and Alabama's offensive line. Henry ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns, creating a lopsided stat sheet.
LSU got pushed around in the trenches. That's a bad sign in general, and now there are legitimate questions as to how complete the Tigers are. So why only drop them five spots?
Hit: Navy
5 of 7
USA Today Amway Coaches Poll: No. 23 (previously NR)
Associated Press Top 25: No. 22 (previously NR)
How about a little love for the Midshipmen?
There was so much talk lately about Memphis and whether it could run the table and get into the playoff. However, Navy stopped that chatter cold before it had a chance to really take off with a convincing 45-20 win.
Now, rightfully, Navy is ranked. The double-digit loss to Notre Dame could possibly keep Navy out of the playoff picture for good, but Navy has a good chance to make an interesting late-season push with a Nov. 27 game at Houston.
As Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com tweeted Saturday, the playoff selection committee could postpone its final rankings to accommodate the Army-Navy game, should the Midshipmen win the AAC.
Miss: Clemson
6 of 7
USA Today Amway Coaches Poll: No. 2 (previously No. 5)
Associated Press Top 25: No. 1 (previously No. 3)
It's worth asking: Why isn't Clemson the consensus No. 1 team in college football? It might be splitting hairs at this point; the difference between No. 1 and No. 4 isn't that important in the grand scheme of things. Still, there hasn't been a more complete team in college football from Week 1 to Week 10 than the Tigers.
And in a year when there are no dominant teams, that's the best for which anyone can realistically ask.
The ACC's perception as the weakest Power Five conference, fair or not, probably plays some role in Clemson lagging behind Ohio State in the Amway poll. That or laziness. But the playoff committee views the Tigers as the No. 1 team, and now the AP poll voters do as well. After beating Notre Dame and Florida State, the former of which is still in the playoff conversation, what else does Clemson need to do?
Dabo Swinney's team has won with offense and defense. If Clemson does face North Carolina in the ACC Championship, the potential is there for three huge wins (assuming it takes care of business elsewhere).
Hit: Alabama
7 of 7
USA Today Amway Coaches Poll: No. 4 (previously No. 7)
Associated Press Top 25: No. 3 (previously No. 7)
Any questions about whether Alabama should be a top-four (i.e. playoff-bound) team have been erased following a 30-16 win over LSU.
This was as impressive a win as you'll see this season. The Tide run defense was every bit as good as advertised and then some, dominating the Tigers in the trenches and stuffing Heisman contender Leonard Fournette. Conversely, Alabama flexed its run-game muscles with a 210-yard performance from running back Derrick Henry.
Make no mistake: Alabama played poorly against Ole Miss earlier in the year and wasn't punished at all for it in last week's playoff poll. But it has made up for that loss by handling LSU. Now there's no question.
The Tide control their SEC West, SEC and playoff destiny, too. Keep winning and there won't be a debate over whether this team deserves to make the playoff.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
