The top two teams in the BCS rankings were upset within minutes of each other Saturday night, throwing everything into disarray, and shaking up my rankings as well. The only bowl-eligible undefeated team remaining is Notre Dame, which wraps up its season Saturday night at USC. It has become very likely that the SEC champion will be in the championship game once again, and there are still several teams with a shot at the second spot if Notre Dame should slip up. Here are my current rankings, with teams grouped by similar level of performance and BCS rankings in parentheses.
TW. (LW) Team (Record) Result (BCS)
1. (2) Alabama (10-1) W (2)
2. (3) Texas A&M (9-2) W (9)
3. (1) Oregon (10-1) L (5)
4. (4) Kansas State (10-1) L (6)
5. (8) Florida State (10-1) W (10)
6. (5) Oklahoma (8-2) W (13)
7. (6) Georgia (10-1) W (3)
8. (14) Oklahoma State (7-3) W (21)
9. (12) Notre Dame (11-0) W (1)
10. (7) LSU (9-2) W (7)
11. (17) Oregon State (8-2) W (15)
12. (16) Stanford (9-2) W (8)
13. (13) Texas (8-2) W (16)
14. (10) Florida (10-1) W (4)
15. (9) Clemson (10-1) W (11)
16. (11) USC (7-4) L (NR)
17. (NR) Baylor (5-5) W (NR)
18. (18) South Carolina (9-2) W (12)
19. (15) UCLA (9-2) W (17)
20. (20) Utah State (9-2) W (NR)
21. (22) Fresno State (8-3) W (NR)
22. (21) Wisconsin (7-4) L (NR)
23. (25) Arizona State (6-5) W (NR)
24. (24) Michigan (8-3) W (19)
25. (23) Nebraska (9-2) W (14)
Dropped Out
(19) BYU (6-5) L (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
SEC - 6
Pac 12 - 6
Big 12 - 5
Big 10 - 3
ACC - 2
Ind - 1
WAC - 1
MWC - 1
Oklahoma State joined their instate rivals in the top 10 this week after picking up another big win against a good conference foe. They have gone 4-1 in their last 5, with the lone loss coming at Kansas State, who is currently ranked #4, and all 4 wins coming over probable bowl teams by at least 21 points. This year's Cowboy team isn't quite as good as last year's squad that was cheated out of a chance at playing for the title, but they are still one of the best teams in a very strong conference.
Notre Dame finally put together its first dominant performance since its 41-3 win against Miami clear back in the first week of October, which is why the Irish are just getting back into my top 10 despite being undefeated. They aren't the only undefeated team in the country, because Ohio State also has yet to lose, but the Buckeyes aren't even good enough to make my top 25 yet, with only two wins over teams in my top 25, and those two are ranked #22 and #25.
Clemson dropped from the top 10 this week after having to hold off the NC State Wolfpack over the weekend, and it doesn't help that they haven't beaten a top 25 team yet this season. They get another chance this weekend to get that big win when they face rival South Carolina, who is sitting right next to them in the BCS and a couple spots lower in my rankings.
Baylor was the only team to enter my top 25 this week, but they sure did it in style. They started out their conference schedule 1-5, with the only win coming against hapless Kansas, but they were close to beating Texas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, and they finally broke through against the #1 Kansas State Wildcats, giving them a boost back into the rankings for the first time since that shootout with the Mountaineers clear back at the beginning of October.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
Tuesday
Akron at Toledo - Rockets by 30
Thursday
TCU at (16) Texas - Longhorns by 14
Friday
Syracuse at Temple - Orange by 9
Ohio at (23) Kent State - Golden Flashes by 18
Buffalo vs. Bowling Green - Falcons by 8
Ball State at Miami-Ohio - Cardinals by 15
(14) Nebraska at Iowa - Cornhuskers by 11
Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan - Huskies by 21
Marshall at East Carolina - Pirates by 11
(7) LSU at Arkansas - Tigers by 16
Utah at Colorado - Utes by 21
Central Michigan at Massachusetts - Chippewas by 11
West Virginia at Iowa State - Cyclones by 11
(25) Washington at Washington State - Huskies by 10
South Florida at Cincinnati - Bearcats by 20
Arizona State at (24) Arizona - Wildcats by 2
Saturday
Georgia Tech at (3) Georgia - Bulldogs by 20
Illinois at Northwestern - Wildcats by 30
Connecticut at (20) Louisville - Cardinals by 14
(19) Michigan at Ohio State - Buckeyes by 5
(18) Rutgers at Pittsburgh - Panthers by 4
Virginia at Virginia Tech - Hokies by 20
UAB at UCF - Knights by 33
Indiana at Purdue - Boilermakers by 10
Tulsa at SMU - Golden Hurricane by 6
Kentucky at Tennessee - Volunteers by 19
Miami at Duke - Hurricanes by 4
North Texas at Western Kentucky - Hilltoppers by 12
Texas State at Texas-San Antonio - Roadrunners by 4
Baylor vs. Texas Tech - Bears by 10
Boston College at North Carolina State - Wolfpack by 15
(5) Oregon at (15) Oregon State - Ducks by 6
Idaho at Utah State - Aggies by 46
(4) Florida at (10) Florida State - Seminoles by 9
Michigan State at Minnesota - Spartans by 4
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest - Commodores by 16
BYU at New Mexico State - Cougars by 36
(21) Oklahoma State at (13) Oklahoma - Sooners by 6
Wisconsin at Penn State - Badgers by 1
Tulane at Houston - Cougars by 14
Air Force at Fresno State - Bulldogs by 27
Auburn at (2) Alabama - Crimson Tide by 42
Troy at Middle Tennessee - Blue Raiders by 13
San Diego State at Wyoming - Aztecs by 9
Southern Miss at Memphis - Tigers by 17
South Alabama at Louisiana-Lafayette - Ragin Cajuns by 21
Louisiana-Monroe at FIU - Warhawks by 8
(8) Stanford at (17) UCLA - Bruins by 1
New Mexico at Colorado State - Rams by 9
Mississippi State at Mississippi - Rebels by 3
(12) South Carolina at (11) Clemson - Tigers by 7
Missouri at (9) Texas A&M - Aggies by 32
Rice at UTEP - Miners by 1
(1) Notre Dame at USC - Trojans by 3
Louisiana Tech at San Jose State - Spartans by 10
UNLV at Hawaii - Rebels by 8
NBA
Indiana at Washington - Pacers by 5
Milwaukee at Charlotte - Bucks by 3
Orlando at Atlanta - Hawks by 13
Denver at Memphis - Grizzlies by 18
Golden State at Dallas - Mavericks by 3
LA Clippers at San Antonio - Spurs by 1
Houston at Utah - Jazz by 4
College Basketball
(1) Indiana vs. Georgia - Hoosiers by 45
Mississippi State vs. (9) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 8
Long Beach State at (10) Arizona - Wildcats by 17
(11) UCLA vs. Georgetown - Hoyas by 2
(12) Kansas vs. Washington State - Cougars by 7
New Mexico vs. (21) Connecticut - Lobos by 1
Tennessee State vs. South Alabama - Jaguars by 36
Texas A&M vs. Saint Louis - Aggies by 16
Prediction Results
College Football: 47-14 (.770) 540-187 overall (.743)
Upsets: 5-8 (.385) 61-76 overall (.445)
NBA: 7-1 (.875) 97-48 overall (.669)
Upsets: 2-0 (1.000) 19-14 overall (.576)
College Basketball: 15-4 (.789) 98-20 overall (.831)
Upsets: 1-1 (.500) 5-8 (.385)
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