Some interesting results this week. Baylor fell from the ranks of the unbeaten. Oregon said they didn't want to play in Rose Bowl, so they lost and won't be going. There was plenty of movement within the Top 25, as Texas A&M and UCLA also lost. Let's see what we have now...
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0) [1]
2. Florida State Seminoles (11-0) [2] : This offensive behemoth shows no signs of letting up
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0) [4] : A strong victory over Indiana secured them third place, which they should keep unless Michigan upsets them.
4. Louisville Cardinals (10-1) [5]
5. Missouri Tigers (10-1) [6] : Impressive win over Ole Miss, but I wasn't surprised. National analysts crowed about Ole Miss, they had a fairly easy stretch of games leading to this one.
6. Stanford Cardinal (9-2) [8] : They won the Pac-12 North thanks to a pouting Oregon team
7. Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-1) [14] : Their complete dominance of Baylor hoisted them into this lofty part of the rankings
8. Baylor Bears (9-1) [3] : Big gap between #7 and here
9. Clemson Tigers (10-1) [9]
10. Wisconsin Badgers (9-2) [11] : Wisconsin beat Minnesota with a strong defensive performance, but failed to win their division.
11. Michigan State Spartans (10-1) [13] : Speaking of strong defensive performances, how about the best defense in the Big Ten?
12. Auburn Tigers (10-1) [12]
13. Oregon Ducks (9-2) [7] : If they lose once more, they won't have to worry about playing in a New Years Day bowl. They have to be careful, though - they need the money of the big-time bowls to pay for their fleet of uniforms!
14. LSU Tigers (8-3) [16] : Great defeat of Johnny Manziel and the Aggies
15. Arizona State Sun Devils (10-2) [17] : UCLA roared back after trailing by more than three touchdowns, but they couldn't quite make it
16. Northern Illinois Huskies (11-0) [18] : The Huskies won their division and remained unbeaten
17. UCF Golden Knights (9-1) [20] : Another strong performance keeps them ahead of Louisville for the conference title
18. Texas A&M Aggies (8-3) [10] : One of the worst games of Johnny Manziel's career has put their New Years Day bowl hopes in jeopardy.
19. South Carolina Gamecocks (9-2) [19]
20. Fresno State Bulldogs (10-0) [21] : Unbeaten and going to the inaugural Mountain West Championship Game, the Bulldogs are having a stellar season.
21. UCLA Bruins (8-3) [15] : Any hopes for the Pac-12 title are dashed
22. East Carolina Pirates (9-2) [23] : Dominant victory keeps them on pace for the Conference USA title game
23. Oklahoma Sooners (9-2) [22] : Eked out a close win to keep pace in a suddenly crowded Big XII title picture
24. USC Trojans (9-3) [24] : Strong win, even though the division title was already out of reach
25. Duke Blue Devils (9-2) [NR] : For the first time since I've been doing this ranking, Duke finds themselves listed. Historic season for them!
Dropped off: Houston Cougars [#25]
On the Edge: Bowling Green Falcons (8-3), Ball State Cardinals (9-2), Cincinnati Bearcats (9-2), Marshall Thundering Herd (8-3), Washington Huskies (7-4), Buffalo Bulls (8-3), Arizona Wildcats (7-4), Utah State Aggies (7-4)
Several division titles were awarded, and other pictures are now very clear:
American Athletic: It's UCF's to lose. If the Knights win out, they win the conference. One more win knocks out Louisville from contention, but leaves the door open to Cincinnati. Since they didn't play each other, UCF would have to finish with a higher BCS ranking to win a tiebreaker with one-loss Cincy.
ACC Atlantic: Florida State
ACC Coastal: Duke wins if they beat North Carolina. If the Tar Heels win, it gets messy.
Big XII: If Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma, the Cowboys win. A Sooners upset opens the door to the winner of the Baylor-Texas bout, provided both teams win this weekend.
Big Ten Leaders: OHIO STATE
Big Ten Legends: MICHIGAN STATE
Conference USA East: The winner of this week's East Carolina - Marshall match-up wins the division
Conference USA West: Rice wins if they beat Tulane. A Green Wave win creates a potential 3-way tie (unless North Texas loses, in which case the winner of Rice-Tulane wins the division)
MAC East: The winner of Friday's bout between Bowling Green and Buffalo will decide the champion
MAC West: NORTHERN ILLINOIS has won this title
Mountain West Mountain: Thanks to San Diego State, Utah State captures the crown if they beat Wyoming. Since Boise previously beat the Aggies, the Broncos can still win if they win this week and Utah State loses.
Mountain West West: FRESNO STATE has won
Pac-12 North: STANFORD wins the right to play for a shot at the Rose Bowl
Pac-12 South: ARIZONA STATE captured the title by holding back a UCLA comeback
SEC East: Missouri wins if they beat Texas A&M. An Aggies win gives the title to South Carolina
SEC West: This division will be decided by the Iron Bowl between Auburn and Alabama
Sun Belt: The Ragin Cajuns of LOUISIANA-lAFAYETTE won the conference
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