9 of the 25 previously unbeaten teams went down this weekend, including 3 teams that were ranked in the top 5 of the AP poll. Many of the ranked teams that lost went down to other ranked opponents, but there were several unranked teams that surprised their higher-ranked foes and threw much of the rankings into disarray. In all 7 teams fell from my top 25, but most of the new blood replacing them is going to look familiar. Here are the latest rankings, with AP rankings in parentheses. Teams that are grouped together have shown similar levels of performance so far.
TW. (LW) Team (Record) Result (AP)
1. (1) Alabama (5-0) BYE (1)
2. (9) South Carolina (6-0) W (3)
3. (4) Texas A&M (4-1) W (22)
4. (11) Oregon (6-0) W (2)
5. (14) Notre Dame (5-0) W (7)
6. (15) Baylor (3-1) BYE (27)
7. (2) Texas (4-1) L (15)
8. (6) Florida (5-0) W (4)
9. (16) West Virginia (5-0) W (5)
10. (8) Kansas State (5-0) W (6)
11. (10) LSU (5-1) L (9)
12. (NR) Michigan (3-2) W (25)
13. (NR) Arizona State (4-1) BYE (31)
14. (12) Georgia (5-1) L (14)
15. (20) Oklahoma (3-1) W (13)
16. (NR) Louisiana-Monroe (3-2) W (NR)
17. (3) Florida State (5-1) L (12)
18. (NR) Ohio State (6-0) W (8)
19. (25) Fresno State (4-2) W (NR)
20. (7) Cincinnati (4-0) W (21)
21. (17) Oklahoma State (2-2) BYE (NR)
22. (NR) USC (4-1) W (11)
23. (NR) Michigan State (4-2) W (30)
24. (23) Mississippi State (5-0) W (19)
25. (NR) Stanford (4-1) W (17)
Dropped from Rankings
(18) North Carolina (4-2) W (NR)
(5) Texas Tech (4-1) L (38)
(13) Clemson (5-1) W (16)
(24) Oregon State (4-0) W (10)
(21) Middle Tennessee (3-2) L (NR)
(22) Virginia Tech (3-3) L (NR)
(19) Purdue (3-2) L (NR)
Ranked Teams by Conference
SEC - 7
Big 12 - 6
Pac 12 - 4
Big 10 - 3
Ind - 1
Sun Belt - 1
ACC - 1
MWC - 1
Big East - 1
South Carolina rose to #2 with their huge win over #5 Georgia on Saturday. It was by far the biggest challenge the Gamecocks have faced so far, and it was good preparation for the next two weeks, when they travel to play LSU and Florida. If they make it through those two games unscathed, you just may be looking at the #1 team in the country. For now, they make up one third of an all-SEC top 3.
Michigan is definitely the best 2-loss team in the country, and after they pasted Purdue on the road they re-entered my top 25 clear up at #12. The two teams who have beaten them are pretty good, both ranked in my top 5 currently (Alabama and Notre Dame), but neither of their earlier wins was even worthy of notice. The Wolverines only have one more ranked team remaining on their schedule unless Michigan State or Nebraska regroup in the next week or two.
Arizona State climbed up to #13 this week without even playing, and it's due to strong showings by their last two opponents. Utah had a better-than-expected game against USC, losing by only 10 points, and California upset UCLA in dramatic fashion on Saturday, making the two most recent wins by the Sun Devils look even better than they did at the time and making ASU the #2 team in the conference.
Florida State looked like they had a clear path until Thanksgiving and a very good chance at a berth in the national championship game, but got caught taking an opponent lightly and have basically killed their title hopes because of the same weak schedule that looked like their ally last week. The Seminoles will probably still win the ACC, especially with Virginia Tech having its worst season in a decade, but it won't be enough after that second-half collapse against NC State.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
Thursday
Western Kentucky at Troy - Trojans by 2
UTEP at Tulsa - Golden Hurricane by 26
Arizona State at Colorado - Sun Devils by 35
Friday
Navy at Central Michigan - Midshipmen by 1
Saturday
(18) Louisville at Pittsburgh - Panthers by 11
(6) Kansas State at Iowa State - Wildcats by 5
Iowa at Michigan State - Spartans by 18
Northwestern at Minnesota - Wildcats by 4
Syracuse at (20) Rutgers - Scarlet Knights by 16
(15) Texas vs. (13) Oklahoma - Longhorns by 6
UAB at Houston - Cougars by 12
Kent State at Army - Golden Flashes by 8
Wisconsin at Purdue - Boilermakers by 6
Auburn at Mississippi - Rebels by 18
Duke at Virginia Tech - Hokies by 11
Temple at Connecticut - Huskies by 8
Toledo at Eastern Michigan - Rockets by 21
SMU at Tulane - Mustangs by 15
Akron at Ohio - Bobcats by 27
North Carolina at Miami - Tar Heels by 9
Utah at UCLA - Bruins by 10
Maryland at Virginia - Terrapins by 11
Western Michigan at Ball State - Cardinals by 7
Nevada at UNLV - Wolf Pack by 12
Fresno State at (24) Boise State - Bulldogs by 3
(17) Stanford at (7) Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 20
Illinois at (25) Michigan - Wolverines by 38
(1) Alabama at Missouri - Crimson Tide by 25
Miami-Ohio at Bowling Green - Falcons by 17
Texas-San Antonio at Rice - Roadrunners by 5
(10) Oregon State at BYU - Cougars by 5
Buffalo at Northern Illinois - Huskies by 14
Oklahoma State at Kansas - Cowboys by 22
(5) West Virginia at Texas Tech - Mountaineers by 8
Utah State at San Jose State - Spartans by 11
Memphis at East Carolina - Pirates by 13
Boston College at (12) Florida State - Seminoles by 33
(4) Florida at Vanderbilt - Gators by 14
Middle Tennessee at Florida International - Blue Raiders by 20
Colorado State at San Diego State - Aztecs by 22
Kentucky at Arkansas - Razorbacks by 7
TCU at Baylor - Bears by 31
(11) USC at Washington - Trojans by 6
Idaho at Texas State - Bobcats by 1
South Alabama at Arkansas State - Red Wolves by 14
Fordham at (21) Cincinnati - Bearcats
Air Force at Wyoming - Cowboys by 9
(8) Ohio State at Indiana - Buckeyes by 12
(3) South Carolina at (9) LSU - Gamecocks by 3
Southern Miss at UCF - Knights by 29
Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Monroe - Warhawks by 31
Tennessee at (19) Mississippi State - Bulldogs by 9
(22) Texas A&M at (23) Louisiana Tech - Aggies by 16
California at Washington State - Golden Bears by 9
Sunday
New Mexico at Hawaii - Lobos by 15
Prediction Results
College Football: 38-17 (.691) 284-100 overall (.740)
Upsets: 5-7 (.417) 19-41 overall (.317)
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