NCAA 2011 Week 8 Top 25

This week marked the time when some teams learned a bowl bid is no longer possible.  None were surprises.  Not all conferences had seven-team losers, but most could have one by the end of this week.  Only the SEC, Big East, and Big XII don't have candidates to be removed from bowl eligibility in a single week.

The week began with a series of upsets, but ended with only one.  The Big East and ACC suffered many of the upsets, as both West Virginia and Rutgers suffered their first conference loss.  That leaves Cincinnati in sole possession of the conference lead.  Georgia Tech fell to Miami, and NC State demolished Virginia in a game where the outcome wasn't exactly an upset, but the margin of victory certainly was.  Cal also won a game like that.  Either Utah or Cal could have won, but nobody expected a Utah collapse and a Cal 24-point victory.

The other two upsets occurred in the Top Five, and both could have been much worse.  Michigan State led Wisconsin by nine points at halftime, but a comeback engineered by the Badgers tied the game.  In fact, overtime seemed likely, but a lucky rebound on a Hail Mary (and a lengthy video replay view to determine if the receiver crossed the goal line) gave the upset victory to the Spartans.  The Sooners were in worse shape, trailing by 24 points at one point in the third quarter.  They fought back within three, but couldn't overcome the massive deficit caused by Texas Tech.  The Raiders beat previously unbeaten Oklahoma and entered the Top 25.

This week's Top 25 [Last week's position]
1.  Stanford Cardinal (7-0) [1] : The Cardinal completely destroyed Washington in a week of upsets and close games to firmly establish their top ranking
2.  Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) [2] : The Tide offense struggled early against Tennessee, but the second half was theirs.
3.  LSU Tigers (8-0) [6] : LSU hammered Auburn to state their case for a National Championship bid.  Their battle against Alabama in two weeks will be a real "season maker".
4.  Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-0) [5] : The Cowboys take the lead in the Big XII with a solid victory
5.  Boise State Broncos (7-0) [7] : The Broncos continue to win, but will likely be excluded from the BCS National Championship
6.  Clemson Tigers (8-0) [8] : Wake Forest is now the only team to compete for the Atlantic division title. Beating Georgia Tech this week and Wake on Nov 12th will give them the division title and set them up for an unbeaten season. 
7.  Houston Cougars (7-0) [9] : Could Houston go unbeaten?  They should certainly be unbeaten when they face SMU at the end of November
8.  Wisconsin Badgers (6-1) [3] : The last unbeaten team in the Big Ten lost, but their powerful offense still keeps them in the Top Ten
9.  Oregon Ducks (6-1) [10]
10. Michigan State Spartans (6-1) [15] : A strong victory against Wisconsin propels them into the Top Ten
11. Michigan Wolverines (6-1) [11]
12. Oklahoma Sooners (7-1) [4] : The Sooners suffer their first loss BEFORE they face unbeatens Kansas State and Oklahoma State.  Now the Sooners can play spoiler and remove the chance of ANY Big XII team playing for the National title.
13. Kansas State Wildcats (7-0) [13] : One of the most impressive victories by the Wildcats this year, but it was against an in-state rival.  Let's see how they do against Oklahoma this week!
14. Arkansas Razorbacks (6-1) [12] : What's the worst thing about playing in the SEC West?  You can have a great year and STILL not win the division
15. South Carolina Gamecocks (6-1) [14]
16. Virginia Tech Hokies (7-1) [18] : With the Yellow Jackets loss, the Hokies now control their own destiny to play in the ACC Championship Game
17. Texas A&M Aggies (5-2) [20] : Great win keeps the Aggies alive in the Big XII
18.  Cincinnati Bearcats (6-1) [19]
19. Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-1) [21]
20. USC Trojans (6-1) [25] : The Trojans continue to impress in a season when they can't play postseason
21. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-2) [NR] : An upset victory over Oklahoma propels them into the Top 25
22. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6-2) [16]
23. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1) [22] : Won but still dropped?  Ten points is not sufficient against a struggling Northwestern team.  The Lions have to be concerned about the Illini coming to town this week
24. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-2) [17]
25. TCU Horned Frogs (5-2) [NR] : The Horned Frogs re-enter the Top 25 with a HUGE one-sided victory

Dropped off: Texas Longhorns [#23], Washington Huskies [#24]

Also in contention:  Iowa Hawkeyes (5-2), Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2), Southern Miss Golden Eagles (6-1), Florida State Seminoles (4-3), Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-2), Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-3), Georgia Bulldogs (5-2), Ohio State Buckeyes (4-3), BYU Cougars (6-2)