The upsets still aren't rolling freely in college football, with nearly every ranked team winning this week, but there was still plenty of movement in the rankings, thanks to several teams playing far above or below expectations. The teams ranked #2 and #3 in the national rankings are the prime examples, as Oregon destroyed Arizona on Saturday night while LSU struggled to hold on against Auburn. Here are the newly updated rankings, along with my predictions for every game for the coming weekend.
TW. (LW) Team (Record) Result (AP)
1. (16) Oregon (4-0) W (2)
2. (8) Alabama (4-0) W (1)
3. (3) Cincinnati (2-0) BYE (36)
4. (5) Georgia (4-0) W (5)
5. (2) Florida State (4-0) W (4)
6. (4) Kansas State (4-0) W (7)
7. (7) Texas (3-0) BYE (12)
8. (1) LSU (4-0) W (3)
9. (10) Florida (4-0) W (11)
10. (25) South Carolina (4-0) W (6)
11. (NR) Clemson (3-1) L (17)
12. (17) Texas A&M (2-1) W (35)
13. (13) Texas Tech (3-0) BYE (36)
14. (NR) Oklahoma (2-1) L (16)
15. (NR) Stanford (3-0) BYE (8)
16. (NR) Virginia Tech (3-1) W (30)
17. (11) Oklahoma State (2-1) BYE (34)
18. (18) Purdue (2-1) BYE (41)
19. (24) Arizona State (3-1) W (39)
20. (NR) Mississippi State (4-0) W (21)
21. (NR) Notre Dame (4-0) W (10)
22. (NR) Oregon State (2-0) W (18)
23. (20) Middle Tennessee (2-1) BYE (NR)
24. (NR) San Jose State (3-1) W (NR)
25. (NR) Nebraska (3-1) W (22)
Dropped From Rankings
(6) Arizona (3-1) L (31)
(9) Toledo (3-1) W (NR)
(12) West Virginia (3-0) W (9)
(23) UCLA (3-1) L (27)
(21) Tulsa (3-1) W (NR)
(14) Iowa State (3-0) BYE (32)
(19) San Diego State (2-2) L (NR)
(15) Washington (2-1) BYE (NR)
(22) Fresno State (2-2) L (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
SEC - 7
Big 12 - 5
Pac 12 - 4
ACC - 3
Big 10 - 2
Big East - 1
Ind - 1
Sun Belt - 1
WAC - 1
Oregon was supposed to face a big challenge with Arizona coming to town, and the game was somewhat close in the first half, with the Ducks holding a 13-0 lead at halftime, but they came out smoking in the second half, and by the time they had finished dismantling the Wildcats on both sides of the ball, the scoreboard read 49-0 and the Ducks took over the top spot in my rankings. They should get another chance to put on a show when they go to Seattle to play Washington State this weekend.
Clemson may have lost for the first time this season, but in keeping the game with Florida State close, and even leading for the majority of the game, they proved that they do belong as one of the best teams in the country. They scored 37 points against a team that had given up only 3 all season, and they did it on the road, which makes it much more impressive. They have to wait until the final week of the season to meet another ranked team unless Virginia Tech plays really well in the next 2 weeks, so that could hurt their chances of climbing much higher.
Oregon State was the final team to finish its second game, and the result of the second was just as amazing as the first. The Beavers pulled off their second straight upset of an undefeated ranked opponent when they beat UCLA on the road to climb to 2-0 and join the rankings for the first time in a few years. They would have had a chance at a 3rd straight upset if Arizona hadn't completely collapsed against Oregon this weekend, but it would still be an impressive victory.
San Jose State pulled off an upset at San Diego State this weekend, which allowed them to replace the Aztecs in my top 25. While none of their 3 wins is especially outstanding, their season-opening 3-point loss at Stanford is now making them look like a pretty strong team, even if they are playing in the extremely weak WAC. They will have a couple of challenges left this season, but they have a very real chance at running the table and finishing the season at 11-1.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
Thursday
(8) Stanford at Washington - Cardinal by 13
Friday
Hawaii at BYU - Cougars by 42
Saturday
Buffalo at Connecticut - Huskies by 4
Middle Tennessee at Georgia Tech - Yellowjackets by 2
Indiana at Northwestern - Wildcats by 6
(25) Baylor at (9) West Virginia - Mountaineers by 6
Stony Brook at Army - Seawolves by 11
Penn State at Illinois - Fighting Illini by 4
Missouri at UCF - Knights by 2
Minnesota at Iowa - Golden Gophers by 1
Ball State at Kent State - Cardinals by 4
North Carolina State at Miami - Hurricanes by 14
Arkansas at Texas A&M - Aggies by 38
Duke at Wake Forest - Blue Devils by 6
Nevada at Texas State - Wolf Pack by 27
Colorado State at Air Force - Falcons by 9
Miami-Ohio at Akron - Zips by 15
Tulsa at UAB - Golden Hurricane by 11
Marshall at Purdue - Boilermakers by 38
Troy at South Alabama - Trojans by 10
Tennessee at (5) Georgia - Bulldogs by 34
(17) Clemson at Boston College - Tigers by 20
Ohio at Massachusetts - Bobcats by 35
(14) Ohio State at (20) Michigan State - Spartans by 3
Idaho at North Carolina - Tar Heels by 14
Rhode Island at Bowling Green - Falcons
Houston vs. Rice - Cougars by 6
Louisiana Tech at Virginia - Bulldogs by 19
Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati - Bearcats by 31
San Jose State at Navy - Spartans by 37
Central Michigan at Northern Illinois - Huskies by 8
Louisiana-Monroe at Tulane - Warhawks by 21
Arizona State at California - Sun Devils by 12
North Texas at Florida Atlantic - Owls by 4
(24) Boise State at New Mexico - Lobos by 7
UCLA at Colorado - Bruins by 18
(4) Florida State at South Florida - Seminoles by 24
Texas Tech at Iowa State - Red Raiders by 19
(6) South Carolina at Kentucky - Gamecocks by 18
Towson at (3) LSU - Tigers
UTEP at East Carolina - Miners by 2
Florida International at Louisiana-Lafayette - Ragin Cajuns by 20
Western Kentucky at Arkansas State - Hilltoppers by 1
(15) TCU at SMU - Horned Frogs by 18
Toledo at Western Michigan - Rockets by 19
(12) Texas at Oklahoma State - Longhorns by 14
Wisconsin at (22) Nebraska - Cornhuskers by 10
Texas-San Antonio at New Mexico State - Roadrunners by 9
UNLV at Utah State - Aggies by 29
(19) Louisville at Southern Miss - Cardinals by 16
Mississippi at (1) Alabama - Crimson Tide by 32
(18) Oregon State at Arizona - Wildcats by 4
San Diego State at Fresno State - Bulldogs by 27
(2) Oregon vs. Washington State - Ducks by 49
Prediction Results
College Football: 43-17 (.717) 204-71 overall (.742)
Upsets: 3-6 (.333) 10-29 overall (.256)
No comments:
Post a Comment