NCAA 2011 Week 9 Top 25

It wasn't a full-blown upset Saturday, but it seemed like it.  Two unbeaten teams fell, and only two of the six favored Big Ten teams won, and one of those (Penn State) needed a late fourth quarter rally to do it.  The Nittany Lions were the lucky ones.  The Michigan State Spartans couldn't muster a fourth quarter rally, the Wisconsin Badgers' rally was too late, and Iowa faced the comeback rally of Minnesota.

Aside from the Big Ten, the Big XII contributed many upsets.  Missouri beat ranked Texas A&M, Iowa State knocked Texas Tech, who the previous week had beaten unbeaten Oklahoma, from the ranks of the Top 25, and Game of the Week Oklahoma versus previously unbeaten Kansas State was a Sooner showcase.  K State was one of the two unbeaten teams who fell -- the other was Clemson, who was defeated by Georgia Tech.

This week's Top 25 [Last week's position]
1.  Stanford Cardinal (8-0) [1] : The Cardinal also faced a scare from USC, but won in triple overtime
2.  Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) [2] : Toughest defense in the country
3.  LSU Tigers (8-0) [3]
4.  Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-0) [4] : The only remaining unbeaten Big XII team, but they face some tough opponents in the weeks ahead
5.  Boise State Broncos (7-0) [5]
6.  Oklahoma Sooners (8-1) [12] : Their huge victory over Kansas State propelled them back into the Top Ten
7.  Houston Cougars (8-0) [7] : Aside from Boise, perhaps the team with the best chance to finish unbeaten
8.  Oregon Ducks (7-1) [9]
9.  Michigan Wolverines (7-1) [11] : Michigan is the only Big Ten team right now winning impressively
10.  South Carolina Gamecocks (7-1) [15]
11. Clemson Tigers (8-1) [6] : Although no longer unbeaten, they still stand the best chance to represent the Atlantic Division in the ACC Championship Game
12. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-1) [16] : They lead Georgia Tech by only half a game in the Coastal Division, but they hold the tiebreaker.
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-1) [19] : They seem to have gotten used to the Big Ten defenses, as they found ways to score against the toughest one
14. Arkansas Razorbacks (7-1) [14]
15. Wisconsin Badgers (6-2) [8] : Two consecutive losses have put their Big Ten Championship hopes in jeopardy
16. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-1) [18] : The best of the Big East
17. TCU Horned Frogs (6-2) [25]
18. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-2) [22] : Their defeat of Clemson keeps them on track to grab the Coastal Division title from Virginia Tech
19. Michigan State Spartans (6-2) [10]
20. USC Trojans (6-2) [20] : They forced Stanford to triple overtime before giving up the ball
21. West Virginia Mountaineers (6-2) [24]
22. Kansas State Wildcats (7-1) [13] : Oklahoma exposed how weak this previously unbeaten team truly was.  They have two tough conference games remaining - their future as a Top 25 team is in jeopardy
23. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1) [23]
24. Arizona State Sun Devils (6-2) [NR]
25. Texas A&M Aggies (5-3) [17]

Dropped out:  Texas Tech Red Raiders [#21]

In Contention:  Texas Longhorns (5-2), Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (7-1), Florida State Seminoles (5-3), Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-3), Ohio State Buckeyes (5-3), Georgia Bulldogs (6-2), Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3), North Carolina Tar Heels (6-3)