College Football Rankings Week 10: Breaking Down the Top 25
The new college football rankings for Week 10 are officially out, and a lot has changed.
While only two teams have been dropped from the rankings, many teams have shuffled around as the season heads quickly for the end.
That having been said, some of the shuffling is justifiable, but some of it isn't. Some teams got shafted, some got too much praise.
Without further delay, here's a breakdown of the new Top 25, where they are, where they should be and why you should care.
1. Oregon
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Record: 8-0
Week 9 Ranking: 1
Last Game: @USC, 53-32 W
Why they deserve the No. 1 spot: The better question is why not. The Ducks are doing everything right, and they are slamming every team they match up against. They have National Championship written all over them.
Why they don't deserve the No. 1 spot: I only have two knocks against the Ducks, and they are small:
- They are a three-man show on offense: Darron Thomas, LaMichael James and Jeff Maehl make up almost all of the Ducks' offensive production. While this doesn't particularly matter in the grand scheme of things, it does make you wonder whether or not a team could stop the Ducks if they could simply contain these three.
- The Ducks hardly ever seem to start hot: They have been down against several teams going into the half, and that doesn't bode well for them, no matter how well they play in the second half. At some point there will be a team that will dig deep and capitalize on good positioning coming out of halftime.
Player to Watch: LaMichael James. The Heisman watch is on for LaMichael James, who is averaging over 160 yards rushing per game. James is an integral part of the Ducks offense, leading the way with his uniquely fast but physical style of running, and could end up hoisting the Heisman should he continue his production.
2. Boise State
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Record: 7-0
Week 9 Ranking: 2
Last Game: vs Louisiana Tech, 49-20 W
Why they deserve the No. 2 spot: Boise State has been a dominant football team this year, showing very few weaknesses. They have the chance, should they keep up their performance, to make a serious case for the BCS National Championship game.
Why they deserve to be higher: Boise State seems to get the shaft for being in the WAC and playing against some slack competition. That having been said, their showings against said teams have been very impressive, and they have also played well against the ranked opponents that they have faced (Virginia Tech and Oregon State).
Why they deserve to be lower: There isn't much not to like about Boise State. However, they have yet to prove themselves against a Top Five team, which doesn't quite give us an accurate picture of the Broncos as they stack up against the best of the best.
Player to Watch: Kellen Moore: Moore leads the No. 11 passing offense in the FBS. He is completing 69.8 percent of his passes. He has 18 touchdowns to two interceptions. He's just plain fun to watch, and should continue to shine through the rest of the season.
3. Auburn
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Record: 9-0
Week 9 Ranking: 3
Last Game: @ Mississippi, 51-31 W
Why they deserve the No. 3 spot: Auburn is hot right now and is flying high. With Cameron Newton powering their option attack, the Tigers look almost unstoppable on offense. They aren't quite as explosive as Oregon, and they lack the passing game of Boise State, but the Tigers have it together.
Why they deserve to be higher: Cameron Newton. While Newton's numbers would suggest that he is nothing more than a running back that can throw the ball, don't be fooled: Newton no only has all the physical tools to be a great runner, but he has a strong and accurate arm.
Why they deserve to be lower: They don't quite have it all together as a team. Their passing game is ranked No. 83 in the country, and their defense is giving up an average of 24.3 points per game. This just doesn't seem like the kind of production one should expect from a Top Thre team that hasn't exactly faced the top of the barrel this year.
Player to Watch: Cameron Newton. Now that the whole world seems to have noticed this kid, he is on the fast track to the Heisman. He is a fantastic runner who has a great arm that he can use when he needs to. He is easily one of the greatest players to watch in college football right now.
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4. TCU
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Record: 9-0
Week 9 Ranking: 4
Last Game: @UNLV, 48-6 W
Why they deserve the No. 4 spot: Great offense, great defense, why wouldn't they deserve their spot?
Why they deserve to be higher: This is why. TCU is arguably playing the best football in the FBS right now, but because of their lack of national attention, they have fallen to the hype behind Oregon, Boise State and Cameron Newton (I mean Auburn...). TCU deserves to be in the Top Three.
Why they deserve to be lower: If there is one knock against the Horned Frogs, it has to be against their passing game. Andy Dalton is playing great football, with 1,887 yards and 16 touchdowns to only five interceptions this year, yet TCU is still ranked in the middle of the pack in passing offense. They have to be able to complement their fantastic running game, and they just don't seem to quite be able to do that.
Player to Watch: Ed Wesley. Wesley is averaging 6.8 yards per carry this year, and his worst game came against Southern Methodist, when he posted only 35 yards. However, that was on eight carries, meaning that his lowest yards per carry average on the year is only 4.4. He's fast, he's strong and he's leading the No. 9 rushing attack in the FBS.
5. Alabama
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Record: 7-1
Week 9 Ranking: 6
Last Game: @ Tennessee, 41-10 W
Why they deserve the No. 5 spot: There's a lot to like about the Crimson Tide. While their offense may not be in the same league as, say, Oregon, they are averaging 34.4 points per game against a slew of very good opponents. Their one loss is what is keeping them down here.
Why they deserve to be higher: It might be because of my fascination with good defense, but when you let up an average of 12.5 points per game against teams like Florida and Arkansas, you deserve some credit. As the saying goes, defense wins championships.
Why they deserve to be lower: Alabama is one of several teams in the Top 25 that has earned it's position because of the team name. If it had been No. 1 Nevada losing to South Carolina 35-21, they would have been permanently thrown out of the Top 10. Alabama is playing great football, but it is clear that it takes less for them to rehab their image than for other teams.
Player to Watch: Trent Richardson. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know that Mark Ingram won the Heisman last year and we all know the kind of talent he has. In my opinion, though, Trent Richardson is not only better, but more exciting to watch. He has speed, strength and moves. He is a lot of fun to watch, and it should be interesting to see how he stacks up against the best in the next few weeks.
6. Utah
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Record: 8-0
Week 9 Ranking: 8
Last Game: @ Air Force, 28-23 W
Why they deserve the No. 6 spot: They average 45.3 points for and 14.1 points against per game. They haven't had the same schedule as some of the higher ranked teams, but they have played admirably against teams like Pitt and Air Force.
Why they deserve to be higher: Numbers, numbers, numbers. When you average that many points and your defense plays that well, you deserve recognition. They should at least be in the No. 5 spot, considering that they are undefeated and Alabama is not.
Why they deserve to be ranked lower: The only thing that could be held against Utah is the strength of their competition. They have only played one ranked team so far this year. They do, however, play TCU next weekend, which should be very telling of where Utah is really at.
Player to Watch: Lamar Chapman. Chapman is an interesting player. As a cornerback, he has 5.5 sacks and no interceptions. How often does that happen? He may not be too active against TCU, but watch him when he is on the field in the Utes last three games, he could make an interesting play or two.
7. Wisconsin
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Record: 7-1
Week 9 Ranking: 9
Last Game: @ Iowa, 31-30 W
Why they deserve the No. 7 spot: When the Badgers beat up on then No. 1 ranked Ohio State, it seemed an almost certainty that they would end up as a Top 10 team. They have played a couple of games down to the wire that shouldn't have come to that, but they are a very good team. They may not move much after this week, though, as they played unranked Big Ten teams for the rest of the year.
Why they deserve to be higher: I think that they are more or less in the right place, but an argument could be made that they deserve to be a spot or two higher for the beating that they handed Ohio State. The fact that they followed that up with an upset of Iowa makes it that much better.
Why they deserve to be lower: Their loss against Michigan State was killer, and now that Michigan State has shown vulnerability, dropping that game looks even worse for the Badgers.
Player to Watch: John Clay. I love this guy. He plays a very physical game, and has deceptive speed to complement it. He is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, and has posted 13 touchdowns in eight games. That's just impressive.
8. Ohio State
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Record: 8-1
Week 9 Ranking: 10
Last Game: @ Minnesota, 52-10 W
Why they deserve the No. 8 spot: They've played great offensively and defensively, but they looked totally outmatched against Wisconsin two weeks ago.
Why they deserve to be higher: The only real argument here is that their one loss came to Wisconsin, but since Wisconsin is only one higher than Ohio State, there really is no good argument.
Why they deserve to be lower: Ohio State seems to be in the same state as Alabama: They lost a game by a good margin, but because they are Ohio State, they get the benefit of the doubt. They are playing very well as a team, and I wouldn't lower them, but I think they are benefiting from the fact that they are Ohio State.
Player to Watch: Terrelle Pryor. He has been dropped from the top five on ESPN.com's Heisman watch, but he is still having a good season, and he is still a lot of fun to watch. The next two weeks should be a good test for Pryor.
9. Nebraska
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Record: 7-1
Week 9 Ranking: 14
Last Game: vs Missouri, 31-17 W
Why they deserve the No. 9 spot: Their loss against Texas is looking worse and worse as the weeks go by, but they crushed Mizzou this past weekend, which reasserts Nebraska as a national power.
Why they deserve to be higher: I cannot stress their win against Mizzou enough. Missouri was absolutely rolling until they came to Nebraska on Saturday, and the Tigers looked clearly outmatched.
Why they deserve to be lower: Their loss against Texas is looking worse and worse as Texas continues to lose against less than spectacular opponents.
Player to Watch: Every year there are a couple of freshmen who really come out and impress everyone, and Taylor Martinez is that guy this year. He runs very well, but he also throws the ball well, connecting on 60 percent of his passes for nine touchdowns and only three interceptions. Nebraska doesn't have a particularly competitive schedule for the rest of the season, and Martinez should be healthy enough to play, so keep your eyes trained on this kid.
10. Stanford
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Record: 7-1
Week 9 Ranking: 13
Last Game: @ Washington, 41-0 W
Why they deserve the No. 10 spot: Why wouldn't they? Stanford has dropped one game this whole season, and that was to No. 1 Oregon in Autzen. The Cardinal are looking very, very good.
Why they deserve to be higher: Stanford has only one loss, and it is to the No. 1 ranked team. They boast the best quarterback in college football, and they are a much improved team even from last year.
Why they deserve to be lower: The Cardinal played very close to USC, which is once again unranked this week. A win is a win, but a 37-35 win against an unranked opponent is never terribly impressive.
Player to Watch: Andrew Luck. Luck has clearly asserted himself as the best quarterback in college football. He makes excellent reads, has great pocket presence and knows when to take off and run. Not only is he dominating through the air, but he has two touchdown runs, one for 52 yards and one for 51 yards. Luck is certainly one of the most exciting players in college football today.
The Rest
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11. Oklahoma: The Sooners' loss to Mizzou has really brought them down, but don't expect them to stay out of the Top 10. They have the ability and the opportunity to re-elevate themselves.
12. LSU: They played Auburn close, but a loss is a loss, and the fact that they have never really run away with a game this year doesn't really help them.
13. Arizona: Arizona is not having the easiest of times without starting quarterback Nick Foles, but they still only have one loss. Life doesn't get much easier for the Wildcats, though, as they face the Stanford Cardinal next week.
14. Missouri: Oh how the mighty have fallen. Losses typically drop teams like this, so this was to be expected. It seems a little excessive, but I'm sure they'll be able to move up another spot or two before the end of the season.
15. Iowa: Blowing out Michigan State was nice, but they still have two losses. They could possibly jump another spot or two, but this may be their resting place for the rest of the season.
16. Michigan State: This one puzzles me. Michigan State has been quite dominant this year, and then they drop on game and 11 spots. The Spartans deserve a little more respect than this.
17. Arkansas: They played Alabama very close, but then they got blown out by Auburn. Their last two wins have been convincing, but not convincing enough.
18. South Carolina: Who would've thought that they would end up back down here after defeating then No. 1 ranked Alabama? Losing to Kentucky was crippling, and their last two games have not quite done enough to rehab their image.
19. Oklahoma State: When your defense gives up an average of 28.5 points per game, you should be lucky to be in the Top 20. Oklahoma State faces a tough challenge against Baylor this week. That should show everyone who this team really is.
20. Virginia Tech: Tech has been rolling since dropping their first two games. The only thing keeping them down right now is that haunting loss to James Madison.
21. Mississippi State: Their only two losses came in the beginning of the season against Auburn and LSU. They deserve a little more credit than No. 21.
22. Baylor: The Baylor Bears have come out of nowhere to grab the No. 22 spot. Their losses this year have come against TCU and Texas Tech, so they certainly deserve this respect.
23. North Carolina State: Their win against Florida State is more or less then only reason why they are ranked. They are a decent team, but they haven't quite made enough of an impact to go any higher than this.
24. Florida State: Losing to North Carolina State was a killer, but it's not to late for them to regain some ground, as they face four tough opponents to end the season.
25. Nevada: I never would've expected Nevada to hang around in the rankings this long, but I stand corrected. Colin Kaepernick is really igniting this team.
The Dropped Teams
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Miami (FL) Dropped from No. 22
Something is clearly amiss in the ACC once again. Miami dropped its third game of the season, but it wasn't to a ranked opponent this time. Losing to Virginia could very well kill the Canes, considering that they don't have much competition left on their schedule to prove themselves worthy of a rank.
USC Dropped from No. 24
It seems a little harsh to be dropped from the rankings for losing to Oregon, but USC still doesn't seem worthy of a rank. Their offense seems to be working just fine, but the defense doesn't seem to be able to stop anything.
The Teams That Should Be Ranked But Aren't
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Northwestern
Dan Persa is the most accurate passer in the FBS right now, and Northwestern has really only been crippled by an unfortunately bad kicking game. They only have two losses (close games against Purdue and Michigan State), which should have already earned them a rank.
Syracuse
Their two losses are less than impressive, but they have beaten some good teams, including West Virginia.
Hawaii
Their loss against USC was understandable, but their loss to Colorado isn't quite as much. They have been rolling since then, even knocking off Nevada. They will have a hard time getting ranked after next week, considering that they play Boise State, but they should've gotten one this week.
Questions? Comment? Concerns?
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