NCAA 2011 Top 25 - Week 6

It was a relatively calm week, at least in terms of upsets.  Only one game, Buffalo against Ohio in the MAC, could really be called an upset, as the Bulls edged past the Bobcats by a point.  The other "upsets" were found in point differentials, especially a 30-point loss suffered by Florida and the complete destruction of Texas engineered by the Sooners.

My Alma Mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, cracked the Top 25.  They didn't beat Indiana by as much as I thought, but Miami's loss and Arizona State's commanding victory over Utah (which boosted Illinois' strength of schedule) pushed the Illini to #20.  They now face one of their hated rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes.  The Buckeyes are coming off their first two-game consecutive losing streak in over ten years, so there is reason for concern.  See how I pick that game in my other column.

The top of the rankings remained fairly stable, which is unusual for this point in the season.  A further indicator that this week was not an upset contender.

This week's Top 25 [Last week's position]
1.  Stanford Cardinal (5-0) [1]
2.  Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0) [2]
3.  Wisconsin Badgers (5-0) [3]
4.  Oklahoma Sooners (6-0) [5]
5.  Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-0) [4]
6.  LSU Tigers (6-0) [6]
7.  Boise State Broncos (5-0) [9]
8.  Michigan Wolverines (6-0) [8]
9.  Clemson Tigers (6-0) [10]
10. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6-0) [11]
11. Houston Cougars (6-0) [15] - huge victory will draw more national attention to this team
12. Arkansas Razorbacks (5-1) [14]
13. Kansas State Wildcats (5-0) [13]
14. South Carolina Gamecocks (5-1) [18] - one of the largest SEC margins of victory in Gamecocks' 15. history!
15. Oregon Ducks (4-1) [17]
16. Michigan State Spartans (4-1) [16]
17. Texas Longhorns (4-1) [7]
18. Baylor Bears (4-1) [19]
19. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-1) [NR]
20. Illinois Fighting Illini (6-0) [26]
21. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1) [20] - Amazing come from behind victory, but could they have done it if Braxton Miller hadn't been injured?
22. Texas A&M Aggies (3-2) [21]
23. Virginia Tech Hokies (5-1) [22]
24. Florida Gators (4-2) [12]
25. South Florida Bulls (4-1) [23]

Dropped:  Miami Hurricanes [#24], Auburn Tigers [#25]

In contention:  Cincinnati Bearcats (4-1), Arizona State Sun Devils (5-1), Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-1), Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1), Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-2), North Carolina Tar Heels (5-1), Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-1), Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (5-1), Washington Huskies (4-1), SMU Mustangs (4-1)