Power Rankings - Sept. 14

1) Penn State (3-0, 1-0, +8) - Pretty coincidental that the same week it starts to look like the Big Ten is terrible and that Penn State could possibly win the conference the NCAA drops the Nittany Lions’ bowl ban, isn’t it?  

2) Texas A&M (3-0, 1-0, +7)

3) Oregon (3-0, 0-0, +7) - I’ve watched enough Oregon games to know not to panic when they end the first quarter down 7-0 at home to a Mountain West also ran.  The Ducks would go on to beat Wyoming 48-14, and in a week where every “good” team looked bad, that should be enough for them to maintain their no. 2 ranking, and probably steal a few more votes from idle Florida State, even though there should still be serious concerns about their defensive line.

On the other hand, Super-Mariota:

4) Florida State (2-0, 0-0, +4) - Florida State probably picked a good week to stay at home and watch TV, as the ACC was upset central, with Virginia Tech losing at home to the East Carolina Pirates (ARR!!) and Louisville losing on the road to the Virginia Cavaliers.  (Moral of the story: Men with swords > birds.  [Ducks excepted])  

I’m beginning to suspect that FSU’s strength of schedule could hurt their chances to make the Playoff.  There is only one team on their schedule that is both ranked and undefeated - #15 Notre Dame.  After that, their toughest opponents (by my rankings) are No. 23 North Carolina State, No. 32 Syracuse, No. 33 Florida, No. 40 Oklahoma State, No. 42 Boston College, No. 57 Virginia, No. 68 Louisville, No. 76 Miami (FL), No. 86 Clemson, No. 116 Wake Forest, FCS Citadel.  A lot can change - Clemson should rise eventually, although they play FSU next week - and Oklahoma State and Florida might do well in their respective conferences.  But I would bet right now that 12-1 Florida State does not make the playoffs.  

5) Brigham Young (3-0, 0-0, +4) - The media (read: ESPN) already seems all aflutter about the possibility of BYU being the first “bracket-busters”, and my reaction is: Wait ‘til it actually happens, fellas.  The only conceivable way the Cougars get in is if they run the table and, while they should be favored in every game they play, their schedule includes: versus Virginia (just beat Louisville, hung with UCLA), versus Utah State (not as good as last year, just beat Wake Forest) at Boise State (probably still best Mountain West team), versus Nevada (ask Boise State about them), at Cal (2-0 baby!).  As someone who had his hopes for a Boise State-Alabama championship dashed in 2010, believe me: 12-0 is easier said than done.  

6) Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0, +3)

7) Alabama (3-0, 0-0, +3)

8) Missouri (3-0, 0-0, +3) - Probably the biggest winner of the South Carolina-Georgia game - other than South Carolina, that it, is Missouri, who now sits pretty in the SEC East at 0-0.  The Tigers finish non-conference play next week against Indiana, and then play a stretch of at South Carolina, versus Georgia, at Florida.  If they can go 2-1 through that, their odds of repeating as SEC East champions should be pretty good.  And what would it mean for the SEC if, in 2014, its championship game is Texas A&M versus Missouri?

9) UCLA (3-0, 0-0, +3) - At one point on Saturday night, I had the odd experience of simultaneously watching UCLA and USC fail third and long conversions.  The Bruins managed to escape Texas 20-17 (the same Texas team that lost to BYU last week 41-7), but USC wasn’t as fortunate, losing at Boston College 31-37.  The Trojans’ loss could be really bad for the Pac-12, coming the week after they won at 2-time conference champion Stanford, creating the unfortunate equation of BC > USC > Stanford.  Even worse, USC could still easily win the Pac-12 South and get to the conference championship game.  That would be bad.  

10) Washington (3-0, 0-0, +3)

11) LSU (3-0, 0-0, +3)

12) Northern Illinois (3-0, 0-0, +3)

13) Arizona State (3-0, 1-0, +3)

14) Duke (3-0, 0-0, +3)

15) Notre Dame (3-0, 0-0, +3)

16) Arizona (3-0, 0-0, +3)

17) Nebraska (3-0, 0-0, +3) - Last week, while chronicling the woes of the Big Ten, I listed 6 key games for the conference this week.  Let’s see how the Legends and Leaders fared, shall we?

West Virginia 40, Maryland 37

Indiana 42, Bowling Green 45

Minnesota 7, TCU 30

Illinois 19, Washington 44

Purdue 14, Notre Dame 30

Nebraska 55, Fresno State 19

That’s a 1-5 record for the B1G, saved only by Cornhuskers’ thrashing of Fresno State.  After 3 weeks, there are now only 2 undefeated Big Ten teams.  

18) Mississippi (3-0, 0-0, +3)

19) Marshall (3-0, 0-0, +3)

20) Mississippi State (3-0, 0-0, +3)

21) Georgia Tech (3-0, 0-0, +3)

22) Pittsburgh (3-0, 1-0, +3)

23) North Carolina State (3-0, 0-0, +3)

24) Baylor (3-0, 0-0, +3)

25) TCU (2-0, 0-0, +3)

Power Rankings - Oct. 20

1) Florida State (6-0, 4-0, +14) - Wow.  If you had told me that Florida State was going to beat Clemson, I would have listened.  I thought the two teams were evenly matched, but that turned out to be untrue.  The Seminoles beat the Tigers 51-14, dominating the AP No. 3 team from start to finish, and now, I believe, have positioned themselves for a run at the title.  QB Jameis Winston went 22/34, 444 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT, and the defense forced 4 Clemson turnovers that led to 14 Florida State points.  Also, Lee Corso dressed in red-face and got body slammed by Bill Murray.  Football!

Dave Zirin ‏@EdgeofSports19h

When you win wars, you get to be on the $20 dollar bill. When you lose, Lee Corso dresses up like you and dances. http://deadspin.com/imo-i-dont-see-a-problem-with-this-but-we-all-no-the-li-1448349414 …

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The Seminoles now have a path to the National Championship.  They get Miami at home on Nov. 02, and are at Florida on Nov. 30.  They should be heavy favorites in both those games.  They would get a 13th game against probably Virginia Tech or Miami in the ACC Championship.  It would be hard to deny a 13-0 Florida State a spot in the title game.  They are home against North Carolina State next week. 

Strength of Schedule: -10.167

2) Alabama (7-0, 4-0, +12) - On a day when the entire SEC got turned up - LSU, Georgia, and South Carolina all lost to unranked opponents - Alabama stayed true to form, beating Arkansas 52-0.  Although it hasn't been against the toughest schedule, the Tide has now allowed only 16 points over the last 20 quarters. Against Arkansas, they allowed 256 yards on 4.0 yards per play, and forced 3 turnovers.  They host Tennessee next weekend, and it will be interesting to see what they can accomplish against a team that just beat South Carolina and almost beat Georgia.  It may be that Alabama is a lot better than the rest of the SEC.  

Strength of Schedule: -15.286

3) Oregon (7-0, 4-0, +12) - The Ducks creamed Washington State 62-38, a game where they led at one point 62-24, then pulled their starters and had their JV squad give up two fourth quarter touchdowns.  They wore garish neon-pink helmets to honor breast cancer awareness month, and I think I agree with Jessica Luther when she writes:

Nike could just donate $1 million, Oregon football could donate another and then release a joint statement. But that wouldn’t lend them nearly as much publicity as these uniforms. Instead, Nike is putting money into uniforms and Oregon is getting a lot of coverage of a game that almost no one will watch. Using “women’s cancers” as a means of spotlighting your brand – I’ll never not find that weird.

Washington State continues to improve, but holy crap: On Saturday, their QB Connor Halliday threw eighty-nine passes for 557 yards, 4 TDs and 4 INTs.  They ran the ball 12 times, for a grand total of 2 yards.  The Ducks now get to the meat of their schedule, playing UCLA next week, then getting a bye week before a Thursday night game at Stanford.  

Strength of Schedule: -16.571  The Ducks have played an easier schedule than Alabama and a much easier schedule than Florida State up to this point, and should be behind both of them in the first BCS rankings tonight.  However, that will change, with all of Oregon's remaining opponents being in the Top 40.  The Ducks just have to win the day.  

4) Missouri (7-0, 3-0, +12) - The Tigers just keep on winning, pulling away from Florida in the 4th quarter to come out on top, 36-17.  With all the carnage in the SEC East, every team other than Missouri now has at least two conference losses.  That means that Missouri needs to win three out of five of the following to win the division: vs. South Carolina, vs. Tennessee, at Kentucky, at Mississippi, vs. Texas A&M. (And one of those wins must be against South Carolina.)

Meanwhile, Florida continues to suck.  Against Missouri, they had 151 total yards, including 59 rushing yards on 1.9 yards per rush.  The Missouri defense, you know, is 49th in the nation, giving up an average of 379 yards per game.  

Strength of Schedule: -13.857

5) Stanford (6-1, 4-1, +12) - Stanford's 24-10 win over UCLA re-established their Nov. 7 showdown with Oregon as the Pac-12 game of the year.  The Cardinal's defense shut down UCLA, allowing only 74 rushing yards on 2.7 yards per run.  However, questions still remain. Stanford led at halftime 3-0, and the game was tied 3-3 until 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.  They're not an explosive team offensively, which is fine, I know I'm looking at this through green and yellow (and pink?) tinted glasses, but then it makes it hard for them to play from behind, as they had to do against Utah.  It could be an interesting game next week, when they visit Corvallis and the Beavers.

Strength of Schedule: -6.  Wow. That is an insanely difficult schedule. It includes 5-2 Arizona State, 5-1 UCLA, 4-3 Washington, and 4-3 Utah.  And they still get Oregon State, Oregon, USC, and Notre Dame.  In fact, it is possible that Stanford could end up playing 9 or 10 bowl eligible teams this season.  

6) Miami (FL) (6-0, 2-0, +10) - Miami had to struggle to beat North Carolina 27-23, and, with their "signature" win against Florida looking less and less impressive, I am beginning to cool on the Hurricanes.  Having said that, 10-2 or 11-1 is still a possibility for them.  Back-to-back games against Florida State and Virginia Tech may be their undoing, though.  They host Wake Forest next week.

Strength of Schedule: -19.5

7) Ohio State (7-0, 3-0, +10) - Strength of Schedule: -14.  That's a lot higher than I expected.  The Buckeyes won in unconvincing manner against Iowa, 34-24, and may be punished by voters who use the eyeball test to cast their votes.  They keep winning, but the Northwestern team they beat by 10 just lost to Minnesota by 3, and the Cal team they beat by 28 just lost to Oregon State by 32 (and to Oregon by 39.) They should get a boost next week if they beat Penn State, and then another at the end with their game at Michigan and then a probable Big Ten Championship game against Michigan State or Nebraska.  

8) Clemson (6-1, 4-1, +8) - Poor Clemson.  All the hype - ACC Game of the Year! Hesiman Showdown! Top 5 Showdown! College Gameday plus ABC Primetime Game with Kirk and Brent!  Only to get blown out at home by your division rival 51-14.  Clemson got shut down by FSU's superior defense, and couldn't contain QB Jameis Winston.  So what's next for the Tigers?  They have another tough game next week at Maryland.  And a trip to the ACC championship seems unlikely, as they will need FSU to lose twice.  But they still have their season finale against South Carolina.  And the resume to get a BCS at-large invite; maybe even the Orange Bowl, if the Seminoles are in the Championship.

Strength of Schedule: -10.428.  

9) Texas Tech (7-0, 4-0, +7) - Texas Tech won at West Virginia 37-27.  They are at Oklahoma next week.

Strength of Schedule: -20.428.  Yup.  Computers gonna hate on the Big 12 this year.

10) Northern Illinois (7-0, 3-0, +7) - The big winners of Louisville's Friday night loss to UCF are Northern Illinois and Fresno State, who can now earn an automatic BCS berth by finishing in the Top 16 and ahead of the American Conference champion.  Right now, the human voters seem to prefer Fresno State over the Huskies, but that may change.  NIU beat Central Michigan 38-17, and plays Eastern Michigan next week.  

Strength of Schedule: -27.714.  Yup.  That includes wins against No. 115 Idaho, No. 116 Purdue, No. 112 Kent State, and No. 106 Akron.  MACtion!

11) UCLA (5-1, 2-1, +6) - UCLA QB Brett Hudley was "held" to a performance of 24/39, 192 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs by the stout Stanford defense, and the Bruins scored 0 first half points en route to a 24-10 loss.  UCLA must now run the same Stanford-Oregon gauntlet that may have ruined Washington's season.  They are also in a fight with Arizona State for 1st place in the Pac-12 South.  Strength of Schedule: -10.428

12) Fresno State (6-0, 3-0, +6) - Fresno State beat UNLV 38-14, and play at San Diego State next week.  Their Strength of Schedule is considerably stronger than Northern Illinois', with valuable wins against Rutgers and Boise State.  However, it is also dragged down by wins over Idaho, Hawaii, and FCS Cal Poly. Strength of Schedule: -21

13) Baylor (6-0, 3-0, +6) - On the one hand, Baylor beat Iowa State - a team that lost to Texas by 1 point and to Texas Tech by 7 - by a score 71-7.  On the other hand, their FBS opponents so far have a combined record of 14-20, and only one, Buffalo, is above .500.  They play Kansas (2-4) next week. Strength of Schedule: -18.667

14) Virginia Tech (6-1, 3-0, +5) - Strength of Schedule: -11.571

15) Auburn (6-1, 3-1, +5) - The Tigers beat Johnny Richpants and Texas A&M 45-41, and are now in second place in the SEC West, in control of their destiny. (A destiny which includes games against Georgia and Alabama.)  Some folks are calling this game a "stunner," but it really wasn't.  Remember, Texas A&M has an historically bad defense that gave up 615 yards to Auburn (avg. 494), 509 yards to Rice (avg: 402), 568 yards to Alabama (avg: 460), and 483 yards to Arkansas (avg: 356).  So, basically, if you play the Aggies, you're going to gain 100 yards more than your season average.  

Auburn is at home against Florida Atlantic next week.

Strength of Schedule: -12.571

16) Michigan (6-1, 2-1, +4) - Strength of Schedule: -14.571

17) Oregon State (6-1, 4-0, +4) - I love the Beavers, and if they hadn't lost their season opener 46-49 to Eastern Washington, I would probably have them in my Top 7 today.  They beat California 49-17 behind a 35/45, 481 yard, 4 TD, 0 INT performance from Sean Mannion, and a 13 catch, 232 yard day from Brandin Cooks.  However, the Beavers have ridden high by beating up on the lower half of the Pac-12 (at Utah, vs Colorado, at Washington State, at California.)  They finish the season with: vs Stanford, vs USC, at Arizona State, vs Washington, at Oregon.  Their offensive offensive numbers should come down to Earth a bit.  

Strength of Schedule: -19.857

18) UCF (5-1, 2-0, +4)
19) Louisville (6-1, 2-1, +1)
20) Ball State (7-1, 4-0, +1)

21) Michigan State (6-1, 3-0, +1)

22) Arizona State (5-2, 3-1, +1) - Strength of Schedule: -8.142

23) Washington (4-3, 1-3, +1) - Strength of Schedule: -4.857

24) Georgia (4-3, 3-2, 0) -  That's what you get, Georgia.  Going 4-3 against probably the toughest schedule in the country - one that includes 4 Top 25 teams - still earns you a spot in the Top 25.  The Bulldogs have been bounced from the AP, but I bet that they're in the BCS Top 25 tonight.  But for how long?  In my opinion, this is their bottom point.  They'll finish 4-1, get to 8 wins, and have a nice New Year's Day game against Northwestern or Michigan State.  

Strength of Schedule: -1.142

25) LSU (6-2, 3-2, 0) Strength of Schedule: -10.125

Power Rankings - Oct 13

1) Alabama (6-0, 3-0, +11) - It's week 7, and for the first time, I've got Alabama at 1 and Oregon at 2!  This is thanks to a rash of upsets - Michigan, Stanford, Georgia, and Oklahoma all got taken down - but will not last long, with Clemson-FSU and Stanford-UCLA coming up.  Nonetheless, Tide-Ducks is looking pretty damn imminent at this point. (Famous last words!) Kentucky was able to hang with Alabama for a quarter before getting blown out 48-7.  Alabama now gets three consecutive home SEC games: Arkansas, Tennessee, and LSU.

2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +11) - In a hard fought Border War, the Ducks prevailed over the Huskies, 45-24.  Without De'Anthony Thomas, QB Marcus Mariota went into Super Mode: 24/31, 366 yds, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, plus 88 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD.  Remember this game if he ends up as a Heisman Finalist.  The Ducks are home against Washington State next week.  

3) Missouri (6-0, 2-0, +11) - Tigers! Tigers! Tigers!  Missouri showed up in winning at Georgia 41-26.  Despite being outgained 454-375, the Tigers caused 2 fumbles and 2 fourth quarter interceptions to pull off the upset and move to 2-0 in the SEC.  They now also get three straight home games: Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee.  Poor Tennessee.  

4) Clemson (6-0, 4-0, +10) - Tigers! Tigers! Tigers! Clemson avoided pullin' a Clemson, rallying in the 4th quarter to beat Boston College, 24-14, and set up the big showdown next weekend against Florida State.  A lot will be on the line in that game: Conference championships, national rankings, Heisman hopes.  It should be good.  

5) Miami (FL) (5-0, 1-0, +9) - Miami had a bye and plays North Carolina next week.

For the 3rd week in a row, Alabama has received 55 first place votes in the AP, and Oregon the other 5.  But I don't get why.  Four of those voters switched after Oregon beat Tennessee - the other after the Ducks had a bye week.  However, nobody seems to have changed their mind after Oregon beat the No. 16 team on the road by 3 touchdowns.  Why not?  I'm not saying that they must switch their votes.  I would just like a little insight into what they take into account when voting.

6) Ohio State (6-0, 2-0, +9) - Ohio State had a bye and plays Iowa next week.

So, for example, AP No. 10 LSU beat No. 17 Florida 17-6.  The next week, LSU is 6 and Florida is 22.  No. 2 Oregon beat No. 16 Washington 45-24, and the next week Oregon is No. 2 (still) and Washington is 20.  I get that the Ducks have a ceiling - but they don't get any reward for winning big against a good team? 

7) Florida State (5-0, 3-0, +8) - Florida State had a bye and plays Clemson next week.

The winner of Florida State vs. Clemson will be my #1 next week. This game will feature Clemson QB Tajh Boyd (7th nationally in pass efficiency, 16th in passing yards per game at 297.2) versus Florida State QB Jameis Winston (#2 in pass efficiency, 19th in pass yards at 288.2).  The winner will have two wins over nationally ranked teams, although I would probably value Clemson's win over Georgia higher than Florida State's over Maryland.  But that's not up to me. You see, there's a system at work now.  

8) UCLA (5-0, 2-0, +8) - Similarly, UCLA will be my number 2 if they can beat Stanford next week.  The Bruins handled Cal 37-10.  A win over Stanford would give UCLA three quality wins (Nebraska and Utah).  The Bruins will be having a whole lot of confidence coming into this game: Ranked in the top 10, 7th in the nation in yards per game and points scored.  They have to visit The Farm though, and Stanford's tough defense.  Right now, I'm thinking Stanford 21, UCLA 17.  But I reserve the right to change my mind.  

9) Stanford (5-1, 3-1, +7) - So, did Stanford get "exposed" in their 27-21 loss at Utah?  Not really.  We knew Utah was dangerous.  The teams had almost identical stats, and more or less traded turnovers.  Stanford had a 4th down on Utah's 6 with 51 seconds left to play, and Kevin Hogan just threw a bad pass.  However, remember that game against Army in week 2?  Stanford fell behind early before grinding out a 34-20 win.  And the Cardinal just watched Oregon decisively defeat a Washington team that they needed a little luck to beat at home.  Although they score 36 points per game, they are 72nd in the nation and 11th in the Pac-12 in yards per game, at 405.2.  That might be an issue going forward, especially as their schedule gets very, very interesting: vs. UCLA, at Oregon State, vs. Oregon, at USC.  

10) Washington (4-2, 1-2, +7) - Is it just me, or do the Fox Sports announcers openly root against Oregon?  On Saturday, they must have said six or seven times that the Oregon defense was weak, and that Washington's plan was to out muscle them and wear them down.  So, what happened? The Ducks outgained the Huskies 631 to 376, caused two turnovers while committing 0, and, after the Huskies scored a 3rd quarter touchdown to cut the lead to 31-24, the Ducks allowed exactly 20 4th quarter yards on 13 plays.  Although Washington must be disappointed in going 0-2 against the Ducks and Stanford, they still have a lot to play for.  They're at Arizona State next week.  

11) Georgia (4-2, 3-1, +6) - I hate Georgia.  I'm so glad that they lost.  Yes, I know that they were basically playing without any of their offensive players, but still, this game felt good. The Bulldogs had already stolen wins from LSU and Tennessee, but you can only go to that well so many times. After falling behind in the 1st half, it looked like Aaron Murray was going to lead yet another comeback when they cut to the lead to 28-26.  But then Missouri got tough, forced turnovers, and came away with the win.  Georgia is at Vanderbilt next weekend.  

Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina now all 1 conference loss, with Mizzou undefeated.  Florida still has to play all three; South Carolina is at Mizzou and home against Florida.  Missouri hosts Florida and South Carolina, as well as Texas A&M.  So Georgia still has a path to the SEC Championship, albeit a narrow one.  

12) Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0, +6) - The Big 12 is a mess! I love it! Texas' huge upset of Oklahoma knocked the Sooners out of the top spot in the conference (as well as the chase for the national championship), leaving Texas, Texas Tech, and Baylor as the three teams without a conference loss.  Of course, none of those teams play each other until the end of the season: Tech plays Baylor in Arlington on Nov. 16, is at Texas on Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving), and Texas is at Baylor on Dec. 7.  I'm betting that the Big 12 champ will have at least 2 losses this year.  Also, trivia: The last Big 12 champ from the state of Texas that was not Texas was Texas A&M, in 1998.  

Other weird trivia: Texas Tech's last official conference championship was 1994 in the Southwest Conference.  Texas A&M went 6-0-1 in conference that year, but was banned from the postseason for boosters paying students (gee, somethings never change.)  So Texas Tech - who went 4-3 in conference and 6-6 over all - got to claim a co-championship along with Texas, Baylor, TCU, and Rice.  They played in the Cotton Bowl that year and lost to USC, 55-14. 

13) Louisville (6-0, 2-0, +6)

14) Northern Illinois (6-0, 2-0, +6)

15) LSU (6-1, 3-1, +6) - Tigers! Tigers! Tigers! LSU beat Florida 17-6, and have an interesting road game next week against Mississippi.  LSU is still my dark horse to win the SEC.  The SEC East is beating each other up.  The Tigers still have challenges ahead against Alabama and Texas A&M.  They can win.

Meanwhile, the Gators suck.  They have the 96th most prolific offense in the country.  They have wins against Toledo (3-3), Tennessee (3-3), Kentucky (1-5), and Arkansas (3-4).  Missouri's going to beat them next week.  Over-under 6.5 wins for Florida on the season.  

16) Fresno State (5-0, 2-0, +5)

17) Houston (5-0, 2-0, +5) - Houston beat Memphis 25-15.  Next week it will be Cougars versus Cougars as they play at BYU.  

The American Conference runner up goes to the Russell Athletic Bowl. 

18) Baylor (5-0, 2-0, +5) - Baylor was on upset alert for a while against Kansas State, trailing 25-21 in the fourth quarter before coming back for the win, 35-25.  Their offense looked mortal for the first time this season, gaining "only" 451 yards on 7.9 yards per play.  As it turns out, starting the season with 3 home games against Wofford, Buffalo, and Louisiana Monroe might inflate your stats a little! The Bears play Iowa State next week.  

19) Virginia Tech (6-1, 3-0, +5) - Good old, boring, Virginia Tech.  They beat Pittsburgh 19-9, allowing 210 yards on yards per play. They gave up 23 rushing yards on 0.9 yards per play.  They play Duke next week.  

20) Auburn (5-1, 2-1, +4) - Tigers! Tigers! Tigers! Auburn beat FCS West Carolina 62-3.  Auburn could be the ultimate spoiler in the SEC.  They're last two games are both at home where they are 5-0, against Georgia and Alabama.  They are at Texas A&M next week.  

21) Michigan (5-1, 1-1, +3) - I know I should never root for Penn State and their rapist protection program, but I was glad when Michigan went down on the road in a very exciting triple overtime game, 43-40.  Any game that features a combined 5 missed field goals is bound to be exciting, and I'm glad that the Wolverines - who, remember beat Akron 28-24 and Connecticut 24-21, finally ran out of luck.  They're at home against Indiana next week.  

22) Oregon State (5-1, 3-0, +3) - Now, y'all know that I am a huge Marcus Mariota fan and, while I think he's one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the country, he might be the number 2 quarterback in the state.  On Saturday, the Beavers thrashed Washington State 52-24 (you know, the Washington State same team that held USC to 7 points), and QB Sean Mannion was 34/51, 493 yds, 4 TDs and 1 INT.  Mannion is #1 in the country in passing yards per game, and total offense per game, and WR Brandin Cooks is #1 in the country in receiving yards per game and receptions per game.  (Also, CB Steven Nelson is #1 in the country in interceptions per game.)  The Beavers have yet to play any top ranked opponents, but they have beaten Utah and WSU.  And they're one missed field goal against Eastern Washington from being undefeated. They're at Cal next week, then have a very interesting home game against Stanford the week after that.  

23) South Carolina (5-1, 3-1, +3)

24) Utah (4-2, 1-2, +2) - Utah won their first win against a top-5 time since beating Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.  And we knew this was coming, after barely losing at home to both Oregon State and UCLA.  They'll need some help if they want to compete in the Pac-12 South - they've already lost to UCLA - but they now have two very winnable games on the road: at Arizona and at USC.  

25) UCF (4-1, 1-0, 0)

My Top 25

1) Alabama (6-0, 3-0, +11)
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +11)
3) Missouri (6-0, 2-0, +11)
4) Clemson (6-0, 4-0, +10)
5) Miami (FL) (5-0, 1-0, +9)

6) Ohio State (6-0, 2-0, +9)
7) Florida State (5-0, 3-0, +8)
8) UCLA (5-0, 2-0, +8)
9) Stanford (5-1, 3-1, +7)
10) Washington (4-2, 1-2, +7)

11) Georgia (4-2, 3-1, +6)
12) Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0, +6) 
13) Louisville (6-0, 2-0, +6)
14) Northern Illinois (6-0, 2-0, +6)
15) LSU (6-1, 3-1, +6)

16) Fresno State (5-0, 2-0, +5)
17) Houston (5-0, 2-0, +5)
18) Baylor (5-0, 2-0, +5)
19) Virginia Tech (6-1, 3-0, +5)
20) Auburn (5-1, 2-1, +4) 

21) Michigan (5-1, 1-1, +3)
22) Oregon State (5-1, 3-0, +3) 
23) South Carolina (5-1, 3-1, +3)
24) Utah (4-2, 1-2, +2)
25) UCF (4-1, 1-0, 0)


Maryland (5-1, 1-1, 0)
Ball State (6-1, 3-0, 0)
Michigan State (5-1, 2-0, 0)
Nebraska (5-1, 2-0, 0)
Oklahoma (5-1, 2-1, -1)
Texas A&M (5-1, 2-1, -1)
Oklahoma State (4-1, 1-1, -2)
Notre Dame (4-2, 0-0, -2)
Penn State (4-2, 1-1, -2)
Rutgers (4-2, 1-1, -3)
Illinois (3-2, 0-1, -3)
Iowa (4-2, 1-1, -3)
Minnesota (4-2, 0-2, -3)
Rice (4-2, 3-0, -3)
Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1, -3)
Northwestern (4-2, 0-2, -4)
Arizona (3-2, 0-2, -4)
Arizona State (4-2, 2-1, -4)
Buffalo (4-2, 2-0, -4)
Texas (4-2, 3-0, -4)
Bowling Green (5-2, 3-0, -5)
Brigham Young (4-2, 0-0, -5)
Florida  (4-2, 3-1, -6)
Tennessee (3-3, 0-2, -6)
Boise State (4-2, 2-1, -7)
UNLV (4-2, 2-0, -7)
Tulane (5-2, 3-0, -7)
USC (4-2, 1-2, -7)
Ohio (4-2, 1-1, -8)
East Carolina (4-2, 2-1, -8)
Wyoming (4-2, 2-0, -8)
Pittsburgh (3-2, 2-2, -8)
West Virginia (3-3, 1-2, -8)
Western Kentucky (4-2, 1-1, -8)
Old Dominion (4-2, 0-0, -8)
Cincinnati (4-2, 1-1, -8)
TCU (3-3, 1-2, -8 )
Duke (4-2, 0-2, -8)
Marshall (4-2, 2-0, -8)
Navy (3-2, 0-0, -9)
Washington State (4-3, 2-2, -9)
Louisiana-Lafayette (3-2, 1-0, -9)
Syracuse (3-3, 1-1, -9)
North Carolina State (3-3, 0-3, -10)
Indiana (3-3, 1-1, -10)
Mississippi State (3-3, 0-2, -10)
Wake Forest (3-3, 1-2, -10)
Mississippi (3-3, 1-3, -11)
Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-2, -11)
Boston College (3-3, 1-2, -11)
Toledo (3-3, 2-1, -11)
San Diego State (3-3, 2-0, -11)
Texas State (3-3, 0-2, -12)
Colorado (2-3, 0-3, -13)
Kansas (2-3, 0-2, -13)
Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-3, -13)
North Texas (3-3, 1-1, -13)
Nevada (3-3, 2-1, -14)
Arkansas State (3-3, 1-0, -14)
Troy (4-3. 2-1, -14)
San Jose State (3-3, 2-1, -14)
Middle Tennessee (3-3, 1-1, -15)
South Alabama (2-3, 1-1, -16)
Army (3-4, 0-0, -16)
South Florida (2-4, 2-0, -17)
Virginia (1-4, 0-2, -18)
Colorado State (2-4, 0-1, -18)
North Carolina (1-4, 0-2, -18)
Louisiana-Monroe (3-4, 1-1, -18)
Tulsa  (2-4, 1-1, -19)
UAB (2-4, 1-1, -19)
Kansas State (2-4, 0-3, -20)
Iowa State (1-4, 0-2, -20)
California (1-5, 0-3, -20)
Utah State (3-4, 2-1, -21)
Arkansas (3-4, 0-3, -21)
Memphis (1-4, 0-2, -21)
Central Michigan (3-4. 2-1, -21)
New Mexico (2-4, 0-2, -22)
Louisiana Tech (2-4, 1-1, -22)
Kent State (2-5, 1-3, -23)
SMU (1-4, 0-1, -23)
Kentucky (1-5, 0-3,  -24)
UTSA (2-5, 1-2, -25)
Connecticut (0-5, 0-1, -25)
Akron (1-6, 0-3, -28)
Temple (0-6, 0-3, -28)
Purdue (1-5, 0-2, -28)
Florida Atlantic (2-5, 1-4, -28)
Florida International (1-5, 1-1, -28)
UTEP (1-5, 0-3, -29)
Eastern Michigan (1-5, 0-2, -29)
Southern Miss (0-5, 0-1, -29)
Massachusetts (1-5, 1-1, -29)
New Mexico State (0-6, 0-0, -30)
Georgia State (0-6, 0-1, -31)
Idaho (1-6, 0-0, -33)
Air Force (1-6, 0-5, -35)
Hawaii (0-6, 0-4, -35)
Miami (OH) (0-6, 0-2, -36)
Western Michigan (0-7, 0-3, -40)