Power Rankings

Notre Dame (11-0, 0-0, +19) - Well, well, well, look who's left standing?  While Kansas State and Oregon stumbled, the Irish took care of business, whooping 5-6 Wake Forest 38-0 at home.  Notre Dame has one obstacle left in their way, USC.  Despite being 7-4, the Trojans are a very dangerous team, and would love nothing more than taking out their frustrations by ruining Notre Dame's perfect season.  But here's a thought: Could Notre Dame still get to the BCS even if they lose?  They would have wins over Stanford, Oklahoma, and Michigan, all of whom are still eligible to win their conferences.  The Ducks might not even win the Pac-12, and the Wildcats won't get a chance to win a conference championship game.  And I believe that the voters will do everything they can to avoid an all-SEC championship game, after last year's snoozer.    

Alabama (10-1, 6-1, +16) - I'm just going to do the whole SEC as one, as they won 49-0 over West Carolina (not a state), 23-0 over Jacksonville State (not a state), and 45-14 over Georgia Southern (maybe a cocktail?  that would be a good bourbon drink.) The SEC champion is virtually guaranteed to play for the national championship, against Notre Dame if they beat 'SC.  But what if the Irish lose?  Would voters promote an 11-1 Florida team that will have just beaten the Seminoles?  Would they take an 11-1 Oregon that didn't play for its own conference championship? 11-1 Notre Dame?  Will they say screw it and have Alabama play Ohio State on a luxury liner in international waters, where NCAA sanctions don't apply?  The possibilities are endless.  

Stanford (9-2, 7-1, +14) - Say what you will, I do really like Stanford, especially their coach, David Shaw.  When Jim Harbaugh was Stanford's coach, he was all bluster, and that worked well for him.  Shaw however, is quiet and unassuming, spending all week talking up the Ducks, and then having his team prepared.  The Cardinal ran their game plan and stuck to it, containing Oregon's running backs and settling for winning the field position game while waiting for their opportunities to score.  Stanford is now in the weird position of needing to beat UCLA twice in order to win the Pac-12 and get to the Rose Bowl. 

Oregon (10-1, 7-1, +13) - D'oh!  The Ducks lost at home for the second season in a row, and I think this one will smart for a long time.  It will restart the questions about Oregon's ability to beat teams with an elite "SEC" style of defense.  It will raise questions about Chip Kelly's decisions to twice go for it on fourth down, leaving points on the board in a game that the Ducks ended up losing 14-17 in overtime.  And why can't the Ducks get a field goal kicker!? Oregon is now on the outside looking in for not only the BCS, but also the Rose: They need to beat Oregon State and have Stanford lose to UCLA. 

Oklahoma (8-2, 6-1, +9) - Oklahoma beat West Virginia 50-49 on a last second touchdown pass.  Combined with Kansas State's loss, the Sooners' win keeps them alive in the Big 12.  In order to win it, and its Fiesta Bowl bid, Oklahoma needs wins against Oklahoma State and TCU, and have Texas beat Kansas State.  So, for one week, Sooner fans will become Texas fans.  And, because I'm trying really hard to see the silver lining, there is a possibility for an Oregon-Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl this year. 

Kent State (10-1, 7-0, +8) - The Kent State Golden Flashes defeated Bowling Green 31-24, and the MAC Championship is now set between them and Northern Illinois.  Kent State's signature win this season was 35-23 at Rutgers (arguably the best team in the Big East), and their lone loss was 14-47 at Kentucky (arguably the worst team in the SEC).

Oregon State (8-2, 6-2, +7) - The Beavers steamrolled Cal 62-14 and, even though Oregon's loss might take some of the shine off, the Civil War game next week is still going to be huge.  The Beavers can't get to the Pac-12 championship, but they could beat the Ducks and make it impossible for them to do so, and maybe a 10-2 Oregon State team would be just enough to get a BCS at-large berth.  (Probably not, though.)

UCLA (9-2, 6-2, +6) - I have so much I want to say after UCLA'a 38-28 win over USC in the Battle of Los Angeles.  It was UCLA's first win over USC since 2006, and one that clinched a berth in the Pac-12 championship, for reals this time.  Johnathan Franklin rushed for 160 yards and 2 TDs, and - if the Big 12 is the conference of the quarterback - the Pac-12 is the conference of the running back. USC became the first pre-season No. 1 team since 1984 to lose 4 games. It was the first time it rained on UCLA-USC since 1961, also won by UCLA.  Special teams!  Matt Barkley threw two interceptions, the Trojans missed two field goals and had two blocked punts, and UCLA averaged 42 yards per punt compared to USC's 30.  Also, how come good basketball teams like UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina, are blue, but good football teams like USC, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Florida State are all red? 

Washington (7-4, 5-3, +1) - Welcome back Washington, the best 4-loss team in the country! Their 38-3 win over Colorado was their fourth in a row, and they are 2-2 against my top 25, 1-2 against my top 8.  They finish up next week in the Apple Cup against Washington State, and could count the season as a success with a win and a good bowl berth, maybe the Sun Bowl against the ACC or the Holiday Bowl against the Big 12.