It was a scary weekend for several undefeated teams, as the number unblemished teams was cut nearly in half in one afternoon, with Rutgers, Oregon State, Mississippi State, Florida, and Ohio all losing, which leaves only 5 undefeated teams that are still eligible to win the BCS title, since Ohio State is under NCAA sanctions for this season. Alabama has started to pull away from the rest of the crowd, but there are still several teams vying for the other spot in the title game, and since none of the undefeated teams are scheduled to meet this season, we could end up with quite an argument when the regular season ends. Here are my current top 25 teams, with BCS rankings in parentheses. Teams are grouped by similar levels of performance.
TW. (LW) Team (Record) Result (BCS)
1. (1) Alabama (8-0) W (1)
2. (4) Oregon (8-0) W (4)
3. (3) Kansas State (8-0) W (2)
4. (6) Texas A&M (6-2) W (16)
5. (13) Notre Dame (8-0) W (3)
6. (5) Florida (7-1) L (7)
7. (2) Oklahoma (5-2) L (12)
8. (7) LSU (7-1) W (5)
9. (9) Florida State (8-1) W (9)
10. (23) Georgia (7-1) W (6)
11. (15) USC (6-2) L (17)
12. (NR) BYU (5-4) W (NR)
13. (8) Texas Tech (6-2) L (18)
14. (10) South Carolina (7-2) W (8)
15. (11) Stanford (6-2) W (14)
16. (12) Oklahoma State (5-2) W (24)
17. (20) Oregon State (6-1) L (11)
18. (22) Clemson (7-1) W (13)
19. (18) Fresno State (6-3) W (NR)
20. (NR) Utah State (7-2) W (NR)
21. (17) Arizona (5-3) W (22)
22. (16) Mississippi State (7-1) L (15)
23. (NR) Boise State (7-1) W (19)
24. (NR) Arizona State (5-3) L (NR)
25. (NR) Michigan (5-3) L (NR)
Dropped Out
(25) Iowa State (5-3) W (NR)
(14) Texas (6-2) W (23)
(24) Mississippi (5-3) W (NR)
(21) Louisiana-Monroe (6-2) W (NR)
(19) TCU (5-3) L (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
SEC - 7
Pac 12 - 6
Big 12 - 4
Ind - 2
ACC - 2
MWC - 2
WAC - 1
Big 10 - 1
Notre Dame moved into my top 5 this week after their 4th victory over a ranked opponent, and this one was the most impressive yet, beating Oklahoma, who had been ranked #2 in my rankings, 30-13. The entire margin of victory came in the final 9 minutes, after the Sooners had scored a touchdown to tie the game. That touchdown was impressive, though, because it was the first rushing touchdown scored against the Irish all season.
Georgia took over the SEC East lead this weekend by defeating Florida in Jacksonville, giving them a clear path to the SEC title game, which would be very helpful to their cause, since they have only two ranked teams on their schedule, and one of those (South Carolina) blew them out a couple of weeks ago. For now, they have found their way back into my top 10, but their weak strength of schedule means that they need to win big over the final few games to move up much higher.
BYU has the worst record of any team in my rankings, but among their 4 losses were the closest game Notre Dame has played this season, a 1-point loss at Boise State which they should have won, and a tough loss to Oregon State. They also own a pretty impressive victory over Utah State, which has been running over its WAC competition so far, and they just picked up a huge road victory over Georgia Tech.
Boise State has entered my top 25 for the first time all season after winning their 7th straight game, 6 of those while holding their opponent to 14 points or less. Two of those wins came against teams ranked in my top 25, BYU and Fresno State, and their lone loss was a close game at Michigan State, which is still a good team although they currently sit a few spots outside the rankings. They don't have any more chances to impress the voters or the computers, though, with 2 of the worst teams in the country still upcoming.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
Thursday
Eastern Michigan at Ohio - Bobcats by 12
Virginia Tech at Miami - Hurricanes by 3
Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky - Hilltoppers by 9
Friday
Washington at California - Golden Bears by 4
Saturday
Missouri at (7) Florida - Gators by 26
(16) Texas A&M at (15) Mississippi State - Aggies by 11
(12) Oklahoma at Iowa State - Sooners by 8
Vanderbilt at Kentucky - Wildcats by 1
Temple at (10) Louisville - Cardinals by 22
Michigan at Minnesota - Wolverines by 10
Houston at East Carolina - Cougars by 2
Air Force at Army - Falcons by 12
Miami-Ohio at Buffalo - Bulls by 12
Syracuse at Cincinnati - Bearcats by 13
Troy at Tennessee - Volunteers by 23
Tulsa at Arkansas - Razorbacks by 8
New Mexico State at Auburn - Tigers by 26
Georgia Tech at Maryland - Yellowjackets by 1
Virginia at North Carolina State - Wolfpack by 25
Western Michigan at Central Michigan - Chippewas by 2
(14) Stanford at Colorado - Cardinal by 29
Memphis at Marshall - Thundering Herd by 11
Akron at Kent State - Golden Flashes by 33
Washington State at Utah - Utes by 12
TCU at (21) West Virginia - Horned Frogs by 3
Texas State at Utah State - Aggies by 33
Mississippi at (6) Georgia - Bulldogs by 15
Florida International at South Alabama - Jaguars by 8
Iowa at Indiana - Hoosiers by 7
Pittsburgh at (3) Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 28
(20) Nebraska at Michigan State - Spartans by 5
Boston College at Wake Forest - Demon Deacons by 4
Illinois at Ohio State - Buckeyes by 33
Kansas at Baylor - Bears by 14
Florida Atlantic at Navy - Midshipmen by 15
Massachusetts at Northern Illinois - Huskies by 48
Penn State at Purdue - Nittany Lions by 4
(23) Texas at (18) Texas Tech - Red Raiders by 11
Rice at Tulane - Owls by 8
Texas-San Antonio at (25) Louisiana Tech - Bulldogs by 28
Louisiana-Lafayette at Louisiana-Monroe - Warhawks by 23
New Mexico at UNLV - Rebels by 5
Colorado State at Wyoming - Cowboys by 7
San Jose State at Idaho - Spartans by 28
Arkansas State at North Texas - Red Wolves by 1
(4) Oregon at (17) USC - Ducks by 10
Connecticut at South Florida - Bulls by 16
(13) Clemson at Duke - Tigers by 14
Hawaii at Fresno State - Bulldogs by 46
SMU at UCF - Knights by 14
UAB at Southern Miss - Blazers by 1
(1) Alabama at (5) LSU - Crimson Tide by 10
(24) Oklahoma State at (2) Kansas State - Wildcats by 22
(22) Arizona at UCLA - Bruins by 3
Arizona State at (11) Oregon State - Beavers by 8
San Diego State at (19) Boise State - Broncos by 15
Prediction Results
College Football: 40-18 (.690) 408-145 overall (.738)
Upsets: 8-7 (.533) 39-61 overall (.390)
NBA Predictions
Tuesday
Washington at Cleveland - Wizards by 4
Boston at Miami - Heat by 8
Dallas at LA Lakers - Lakers by 2
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