There was plenty of action on Saturday, and at one point there were three overtime games going on at the same time, but there were just as many blowouts between ranked teams. West Virginia was blown out for the second consecutive week, pretty much ending their chances at a BCS title, and South Carolina, also a recent top-3 team, lost big to Florida, giving them loss #2 as well. Here are my current rankings, with teams grouped by level of performance and BCS rankings in parentheses.
TW. (LW) Team (Record) Result (BCS)
1. (2) Alabama (7-0) W (1)
2. (1) Oklahoma (5-1) W (8)
3. (3) Kansas State (7-0) W (3)
4. (4) Oregon (7-0) W (4)
5. (11) Florida (7-0) W (2)
6. (5) Texas A&M (5-2) L (20)
7. (13) LSU (7-1) W (6)
8. (6) Texas Tech (6-1) W (14)
9. (9) Florida State (7-1) W (12)
10. (8) South Carolina (6-2) L (13)
11. (20) Stanford (5-2) W (17)
12. (NR) Oklahoma State (4-2) W (NR)
13. (10) Notre Dame (7-0) W (5)
14. (18) Texas (5-2) W (23)
15. (15) USC (6-1) W (9)
16. (NR) Mississippi State (7-0) W (11)
17. (NR) Arizona (4-3) W (NR)
18. (25) Fresno State (5-3) W (NR)
19. (21) TCU (5-2) L (NR)
20. (16) Oregon State (6-0) W (7)
21. (NR) Louisiana-Monroe (5-2) W (NR)
22. (NR) Clemson (6-1) W (18)
23. (19) Georgia (6-1) W (10)
24. (NR) Mississippi (4-3) W (NR)
25. (14) Iowa State (4-3) L (NR)
Dropped from Rankings
(12) Arizona State (5-2) L (NR)
(7) Michigan (5-2) W (22)
(17) Utah State (6-2) W (NR)
(22) Louisiana Tech (6-1) W (NR)
(24) Wisconsin (6-2) W (25)
(23) Cincinnati (5-1) L (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
SEC - 8
Big 12 - 7
Pac 12 - 5
ACC - 2
Ind - 1
MWC - 1
Sun Belt - 1
Florida has been #2 in the BCS rankings each week so far, but it took them a little longer to get near that range in my rankings, but close wins over Texas A&M and LSU combined with a blowout of South Carolina gives the Gators 3 wins over teams in my top 10, and they still must face Florida State later this season, which could be followed by a game against Alabama for the SEC title. Beating half of the top 10 would definitely qualify them for the title game, and even with one loss they could still be considered.
You may not know it, but Mississippi State is not only an undefeated SEC team, but they also got their biggest and best win of the season against Middle Tennessee on Saturday, beating up on the Blue Raiders 45-3. It may not look like much, and perhaps that's why they aren't even in the top 10 of the BCS standings despite their conference and record, but the next three weeks will tell us all we need to know about the Bulldogs, as they play Alabama, Texas A&M, and LSU in consecutive weeks.
The ascension of Arizona into the top 25 was not just a desperate ploy to keep a team from my home state in the rankings, the Wildcats are actually pretty good. If you ignore the shutout in Eugene, where everyone gets pasted, they have been pretty strong this year, losing close games against Stanford and Oregon State and winning big against Oklahoma State. They have USC coming to town this weekend, and the Trojans might finally be the team that becomes Arizona's second upset victim of the season.
TCU has spent the last three weeks getting to know how tough the Big 12 is, and it will only get tougher from here. They lost to Iowa State to open October, then won big at Baylor the following week, before losing a triple overtime game against Texas Tech on Saturday. They still must run the gauntlet of Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Kansas State, Texas, and Oklahoma to finish the season, and even though I feel that they are a good team, I'm not sure that they will even become bowl eligible with that to look forward to.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
Tuesday
Arkansas State at Louisiana-Lafayette - Ragin Cajuns by 14
Thursday
(18) Clemson at Wake Forest - Tigers by 16
Friday
Cincinnati at (16) Louisville - Bearcats by 1
Nevada at Air Force - Wolf Pack by 3
Saturday
Iowa at Northwestern - Wildcats by 13
Kentucky at Missouri - Tigers by 11
Temple at Pittsburgh - Panthers by 16
Ball State at Army - Cardinals by 6
Indiana at Illinois - Hoosiers by 9
(23) Texas at Kansas - Longhorns by 14
Tennessee at (13) South Carolina - Gamecocks by 19
Northern Illinois at Western Michigan - Huskies by 13
Mississippi at Arkansas - Razorbacks by 1
North Carolina State at North Carolina - Tar Heels by 13
Maryland at Boston College - Terrapins by 1
Southern Miss at Rice - Owls by 20
Utah State at Texas-San Antonio - Aggies by 20
BYU at Georgia Tech - Cougars by 6
Colorado at (4) Oregon - Ducks by 58
Memphis at SMU - Mustangs by 25
UCLA at Arizona State - Sun Devils by 10
(9) USC at Arizona - Wildcats by 4
Duke at (12) Florida State - Seminoles by 27
(2) Florida vs. (10) Georgia - Gators by 16
Purdue at Minnesota - Boilermakers by 5
Navy at East Carolina - Pirates by 7
Kent State at (15) Rutgers - Scarlet Knights by 21
Fresno State at New Mexico - Bulldogs by 16
Eastern Michigan at Bowling Green - Falcons by 15
(24) Ohio at Miami-Ohio - Bobcats by 9
TCU at Oklahoma State - Cowboys by 9
Michigan State at (25) Wisconsin - Badgers by 12
Toledo at Buffalo - Rockets by 16
Akron at Central Michigan - Chippewas by 11
(14) Texas Tech at (3) Kansas State - Wildcats by 18
North Texas at Middle Tennessee - Blue Raiders by 3
UAB at Tulane - Green Wave by 2
(21) Boise State at Wyoming - Broncos by 8
Texas State at San Jose State - Spartans by 29
UTEP at Houston - Cougars by 10
Troy at Florida Atlantic - Owls by 4
Ohio State at Penn State - Nittany Lions by 4
Western Kentucky at Florida International - Hilltoppers by 14
Washington State at (17) Stanford - Cardinal by 30
(20) Texas A&M at Auburn - Aggies by 19
Hawaii at Colorado State - Rams by 21
Syracuse at South Florida - Bulls by 4
Baylor at Iowa State - Cyclones by 5
Massachusetts at Vanderbilt - Commodores by 43
South Alabama at Louisiana-Monroe - Warhawks by 34
UNLV at San Diego State - Aztecs by 23
(23) Michigan at Nebraska - Wolverines by 1
Louisiana Tech at New Mexico State - Bulldogs by 30
(5) Notre Dame at (8) Oklahoma - Sooners by 25
UCF at Marshall - Thundering Herd by 3
(11) Mississippi State at (1) Alabama - Crimson Tide by 28
California at Utah - Utes by 5
(7) Oregon State at Washington - Beavers by 9
Prediction Results
College Football: 44-12 (.786) 368-127 overall (.743)
Upsets: 8-5 (.615) 31-54 overall (.365)
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