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)
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)
1) Stanford (5-0, 3-0, +13) - The Cardinal's stopping of Keith Price and Washington on 4th and 10 with under 2 minutes to play was not the only controversial ending Saturday night. Stanford held on to beat the Huskies 31-28, and take the inside track in the Pac-12 North. However, many questions remain, especially about Stanford's offense. QB Kevin Hogan looked mediocre for the first time all season, going 12 for 20 for 105 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Also, Stanford's offense was outgained by Washington's 284-489. They're going to have to fix these problems fast, too; after a trip to Utah next week, Stanford faces UCLA, Oregon State, and Oregon in succession.
2) Washington (4-1, 1-1, +10) - It's no consolation to come up just short in a big game like this one, but the Huskies have plenty of reason to be confident going forward. I believe that they have two legitimate Heisman candidates: QB Keith Price (33/48, 350 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT) and RB Bishop Sankey (125 yds on 27 carries, 2 TDs). Oregon comes to Seattle next week, in what should be an awesome game. Washington hasn't beaten the Ducks since 2003. Next week they get their chance.
3) Alabama (5-0, 2-0, +10) - Alabama beat Georgia State 45-3. Next week they play at Kentucky. Good for them.
4) Georgia (4-1, 3-0, +10) - Georgia's 34-31 overtime win over Tennessee was the game that had me howling. The Bulldogs trailed 31-24 with less than 2 minutes left, but Tennessee couldn't stop them from tying the game on a 3rd and goal from the 2. Then in overtime, Tennessee's Alton Howard fumbled the ball as he was crossing the end zone, resulting in a touchback and a turnover to Georgia. So, I just want to point out that Georgia needed a couple of plays varying from unlikely to miraculous in order to pull out the win against a team that Oregon beat 59-14. Next week, Georgia is at home against undefeated Missouri.
5) Michigan (5-0, 1-0, +9) - I think the Wolverines have been happy to be out of the spotlight for a while. They beat Minnesota 42-13, and are at Penn State next week in a game that looked a lot more intimidating before the Nittany Lions lost at Indiana 44-24.
6) Clemson (5-0, 3-0, +9) - Clemson QB Tajh Boyd ought to be at or near the top of most Heisman lists. In Clemson's 49-14 win over Syracuse, Boyd went 20/27, 455 yds, 5 TDs, and 2 INTs. Ten different Tigers had receptions, led by Sammy Watkins, who had 4 catches for 126 yards and 1 TD. Clemson is at home against Boston College next week before they host Florida State in the ACC game of the year.
7) Miami (FL) (5-0, 1-0, +9) - The Hurricanes still have plans for the ACC Championship, but they will need next week's bye to fix some problems. Two weeks ago, they looked lethargic against a terrible South Florida team, turning the ball over 4 times and giving up 4.8 yards per play, and this week they fell behind Georgia Tech 17-7 before rallying for a 45-30 win. In this game, they also turned the ball over 4 times, and gave up 5.0 yards per play.
8) Ohio State (6-0, 2-0, +9) - The Buckeyes escaped Evanston with a 40-30 win, and have now passed the toughest part of their schedule. Michigan is the only other ranked team that Ohio State will face in the regular season. That means that they will have a very good chance of going undefeated. However, it also means that they would probably be ranked behind an undefeated Pac-12 champ at the end of the season. They are at home against Iowa next week.
9) Florida State (5-0, 3-0, +8) - The Seminoles made the biggest statement of the weekend, crushing previously undefeated Maryland 63-0. Jameis Winston had a stat line of 23/32, 393 yds, 5 TDs and 0 INTs. On the other side of the ball, the defense held Maryland to 234 total yards, including 33 rushing yards on 1.3 yards per rush. They get a bye week before traveling to Clemson on Oct. 19.
10) UCLA (4-0, 1-0, +7) - QB Brett Hundley had an off game against Utah, but the Bruins defense didn't, catching 6 interceptions to help UCLA to a 34-27 road win. Utah, USC, and Colorado are all 0-2 in conference, and UCLA is the only team in the South without a loss. The Bruins play Cal next week before back-to-back trips to Stanford and Oregon. Fortunately, UCLA gets Arizona State - probably the second best team in the South - at home on Nov. 23.
11) Texas Tech (5-0, 2-0, +5) - The Red Raiders continue to roll along, beating Kansas 54-16. Next week they are at Iowa State.
12) Louisville (5-0, 1-0, +5) - The Cardinals won at Temple 30-7, and Teddy Bridgewater had a stat line of 25/35, 348 yds, 2 TDs, 0 INTs. They play Rutgers next weekend. Louisville is 4-0 in non-conference games; the rest of the American Conference is 14-20.
13) Oregon (5-0, 2-0, +5) - Here are the final scores for Oregon's last four games: 59-10, 59-14, 55-16, 57-16. That is consistency. Granted, they have not been playing against elite teams (ahem, Tennessee .... ) but if the box score next week against Washington is anything like that, we will know that this is a special team.
14) Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0, +5) - The Sooners held on at home to beat TCU 20-17, and play Texas next week in what is looking like it's going to be a Red River Bloodbath. Oklahoma has the #1 defense in the Big 12, allowing 281 yards and 13 points per game. Texas' defense is last in the conference, giving up 465 yards and 28 points per game. This will be the first time Texas enters the game unranked since 1998, and the Longhorns haven't won this game since 2009. I don't think Saturday will be their day, either.
15) Fresno State (5-0, 2-0, +5) - Go Bulldogs! Fresno State whooped the Idaho Vandals 61-14, and look like the best team in the Mountain West right now. Of course, that's easy to say when your conference includes No. 122 Hawaii (0-5), No. 120 Air Force (1-5), and No. 93 New Mexico (2-3! A good year!). The second best team in the conference right now is No. 43 Wyoming, who just lost to Texas State by 3 touchdowns. The Bulldogs have zero room for error if they want to get to a BCS Bowl. They play UNLV next week.
16) Missouri (5-0, 1-0, +5) - Along with Alabama, Missouri is the only other undefeated SEC team remaining. Yes, that's against teams like Murray State, Arkansas State, and Indiana (ugh, talk about a cupcake, eh Penn State?). But they did win at Vanderbilt 51-28, and they're averaging 543 yards and 46 points per game. They're at Georgia next week, who is 95th in the nation in points allowed, at 32. Don't sleep on this one.
17) Northern Illinois (5-0, 1-0, +5) - In my Top 25 this week, there are 4 Tigers, 2 Huskies, and 2 Bulldogs. I've also got 2 Wildcats and a Cougar, a Bear and a Bruin, a Wolverine, a Duck, a Beaver, a Cardinal (the bird), and Cardinal (the principle.) That would be a cool zoo. NIU plays Akron next week.
18) LSU (4-1, 1-1, +4) - LSU struggled early, but then pulled away to beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs (Tigers! Bulldogs! Unimaginative Southern team names! Princeton! Yale!) 59-26. In a suddenly offense crazed conference, LSU is 4th in yards per game at 488 and 3rd in points at 45.5. They are at Florida next week, who is #1 in defense in the SEC allowing only 217 yards per game (2nd in the nation) and 12.2 points per game. It may not exactly be unstoppable force versus immovable object, but it should be interesting.
19) Houston (4-0, 2-0, +4) - Houston is trying to make the most of their AQ moment. They're 4-0, although that includes wins against FCS Southern, No. 108 Temple, No. 104 UTSA, and No. 50 Rice. They play No. 95 Memphis next week.
20) Baylor (4-0, 1-0, +4) - Baylor continues to put up "Oregon-like" numbers on offense, beating West Virginia 73-42 and hanging 864 yards of offense on 9.1 yards per play on the Mountaineers. The Bears are #1 in he nation in total offense (779 ypg) and points (70.5 ppg). And what kind of freaking all-star team could you put together from Oregon transfers like Lache Seastrunk and Johnny Manziel? (One that is slightly worse than De'Anthony Thomas and Marcus Mariota. #GoDucks.) Baylor is at Kansas State next week.
21) Virginia Tech (5-1, 2-0, +4) - It was kind of hard to tell after they lost 35-10 to Alabama, but Virginia Tech has a really good defense. Remember, in that game, they only gave up 1 offensive touchdown, and held the Tide to 96 rushing yards on 2.5 yards per carry. They beat North Carolina this week 27-17, and gave up 99 rushing yards on 2.6 yards per carry. Last week, they beat Georgia Tech 17-10, giving up 129 rushing yards on 3.1 yards per carry. Next week they play Pittsburgh. Consistency is a good thing.
22) Auburn (4-1, 2-1, +3) - The headlines say that Auburn "upset" Mississippi 30-22, but it really wasn't an upset. The Tigers already had wins over No. 48 Washington State (4-2, 2-1 Pac-12) and No. 56 Mississippi State, and they played well in the second half against LSU. Mississippi, on the other hand, was overrated because they beat a pooptacular Texas team in Week 3. Auburn is home against Western Carolina next week.
23) Northwestern (4-1, 0-1, +2) - Poor Northwestern. They went into the 4th quarter at home up on Ohio State 23-20, only lose 40-30. Also, poor bettors, as Ohio State got a pick six on the last play of the game and THEY DID IT! THEY BEAT THE SPREAD! On the other hand, there are a lot of reasons for the Wildcats to be optimistic. They have every reason to believe that they are the No. 2 team in the Big Ten, and they know they could beat Ohio State. They are in a very winnable, albeit tough division; every game they play is both winnable and losable. They get Michigan at home. And they could get another shot at the Buckeyes in the Big Ten championship. They're at Wisconsin next week.
24) Arizona (3-1, 0-1, +2) - Whereas Arizona State has had big game (beat Wisconsin!) after big game (lose to Stanford!) after big game (beat USC!) after big game (lose to Notre Dame!), Arizona has quietly gone 3-1, beating teams like Northern Arizona and UTSA, but losing to Washington. We'll see if they're worth anything when they play at USC next week.
25) Oregon State (4-1, 2-0, +2) - One team that is worth something is the Beavers. They got ambushed by Eastern Washington in their season opener, but since then have won 4 in a row, most recently beating Colorado 44-17 behind a 27/52, 414 yds, 6 TD, 1 INT performance from QB Sean Mannion. The Beavers are at Washington State next week in the Pac-12's "Fascinating Undercard of the Week" Game.
1) Stanford (5-0, 3-0, +13)
2) Washington (4-1, 1-1, +10)
3) Alabama (5-0, 2-0, +10)
4) Georgia (4-1, 3-0, +10)
5) Michigan (5-0, 1-0, +9)
6) Clemson (5-0, 3-0, +9)
7) Miami (FL) (5-0, 1-0, +9)
8) Ohio State (6-0, 2-0, +9)
9) Florida State (5-0, 3-0, +8)
10) UCLA (4-0, 1-0, +7)
11) Texas Tech (5-0, 2-0, +5)
12) Louisville (5-0, 1-0, +5)
13) Oregon (5-0, 2-0, +5)
14) Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0, +5)
15) Fresno State (5-0, 2-0, +5)
16) Missouri (5-0, 1-0, +5)
17) Northern Illinois (5-0, 1-0, +5)
18) LSU (4-1, 1-1, +4)
19) Houston (4-0, 2-0, +4)
20) Baylor (4-0, 1-0, +4)
21) Virginia Tech (5-1, 2-0, +4)
22) Auburn (4-1, 2-1, +3)
23) Northwestern (4-1, 0-1, +2)
24) Arizona (3-1, 0-1, +2)
25) Oregon State (4-1, 2-0, +2)
South Carolina (4-1, 2-1, +2)
Bowling Green (5-1, 3-0, +1)
UCF (4-1, 1-0, 0)
Rutgers (4-1, 1-0, 0)
Maryland (4-1, 0-1, -1)
Ball State (5-1, 2-0, -1)
Michigan State (4-1, 1-0, -1)
Nebraska (4-1, 1-0, -1)
Texas A&M (4-1, 1-1, -2)
Oklahoma State (4-1, 1-1, -2)
Notre Dame (4-2, 0-0, -2)
Ohio (4-1, 1-0, -2)
East Carolina (4-1, 2-0, -2)
Florida (4-1, 3-0, -2)
Illinois (3-2, 0-1, -3)
Iowa (4-2, 1-1, -3)
Minnesota (4-2, 0-2, -3)
Wyoming (3-1, 1-0, -3)
Pittsburgh (3-1, 2-1, -3)
Navy (3-1, 0-0, -3)
North Carolina State (3-2, 0-2, -4)
Utah (3-2, 0-2, -4)
Washington State (4-2, 2-1, -4)
Indiana (3-2, 1-0, -4)
Rice (3-2, 2-0, -4)
Mississippi (3-2, 1-2, -5)
Arizona State (3-2, 1-2, -5)
Georgia Tech (3-2, 2-2, -5)
Wisconsin (3-2, 1-1, -5)
Buffalo (3-2, 1-0, -5)
Mississippi State (2-2, 0-1, -5)
Texas State (3-2, 0-1, -6)
Tennessee (3-3, 0-2, -6)
Brigham Young (3-2, 0-0, -6)
Colorado (2-2, 0-2, -7)
Kansas (2-2, 0-1, -7)
Penn State (3-2, 0-1, -8)
West Virginia (3-3, 1-2, -8)
Boise State (3-2, 1-1, -8)
UNLV (3-2, 1-0, -8)
Texas (3-2, 2-0, -8)
Tulane (4-2, 2-0, -8)
Western Kentucky (4-2, 1-1, -8)
Old Dominion (4-2, 0-0, -8)
Cincinnati (3-2, 0-1, -9)
TCU (2-3, 0-2, -9 )
USC (3-2, 0-2, -9)
Duke (3-2, 0-2, -9)
Boston College (3-2, 1-1, -9)
Marshall (3-2, 1-0, -9)
Louisiana-Lafayette (3-2, 1-0, -9)
Syracuse (2-3, 0-1, -10)
Wake Forest (3-3, 1-2, -10)
Toledo (3-3, 2-1, -11)
Virginia (1-3, 0-1, -12)
Colorado State (2-3, 0-0, -12)
San Diego State (2-3, 1-0, -12)
Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-3, -13)
North Texas (2-3, 0-1, -14)
Nevada (3-3, 2-1, -14)
Arkansas (3-3, 0-2, -15)
Middle Tennessee (3-3, 1-1, -15)
Utah State (3-3, 2-0, -15)
Arkansas State (2-3, 1-0, -15)
Troy (3-3. 1-1, -15)
San Jose State (2-3, 1-1, -15)
South Alabama (2-3, 1-1, -16)
Kansas State (2-3, 0-2, -16)
New Mexico (2-3, 0-1, -16)
Memphis (1-3, 0-1, -17)
Army (2-4, 0-0, -17)
Iowa State (1-3, 0-1, -17)
Akron (1-4, 0-2, -18)
California (1-4, 0-2, -18)
North Carolina (1-4, 0-2, -18)
Kent State (1-4, 0-2, -18)
South Florida (1-4, 1-0, -18)
Louisiana-Monroe (2-4, 0-1, -19)
UTSA (2-4, 1-1, -19)
Connecticut (0-4, 0-0, -19)
Tulsa (1-4, 0-1, -20)
UAB (1-4, 0-1, -20)
Temple (0-5, 0-2, -22)
Purdue (1-4, 0-1, -22)
Louisiana Tech (2-4, 1-1, -22)
Central Michigan (2-4. 1-1, -22)
Florida Atlantic (2-4, 1-3, -22)
Florida International (1-4, 1-0, -22)
SMU (1-4, 0-1, -23)
UTEP (1-4, 0-2, -23)
Kentucky (1-4, 0-2, -23)
Eastern Michigan (1-4, 0-2, -23)
Georgia State (0-5, 0-0, -25)
Idaho (1-5, 0-0, -27)
Western Michigan (0-5, 0-1, -28)
Air Force (1-5, 0-4, -29)
Southern Miss (0-5, 0-1, -29)
Hawaii (0-5, 0-3, -29)
Miami (OH) (0-5, 0-1, -30)
New Mexico State (0-6, 0-0, -30)
Massachusetts (0-5, 0-1, -30)
