Upsets in the final week caused some interesting shake-ups in the Top 25. It also produced conference champions like Bowling Green, Rice, and Michigan State.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Florida State Seminoles (13-0) [1] : Most definitely the most dominant offense in the country. I would love to see them go up against Alabama
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) [3]
3. Baylor Bears (11-1) [8] : They followed up a slim victory against TCU with a dominant performance over Texas. Congratulations to the Big XII champion!
4. Auburn Tigers (12-1) [9] : The Tigers follow an SEC Championship with a bid in the National Championship Game
5. Stanford Cardinal (11-2) [6] : Strong win over Arizona State puts two of the best defenses in the Rose Bowl
6. Louisville Cardinals (11-1) [5]
7. Michigan State Spartans (12-1) [10] : The other half of the Rose Bowl match-up. These two will make the 100th Rose Bowl a landmark event!
8. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1) [2] : They lost a bid to the National Championship Game with their second consecutive poor defensive showing.
9. Missouri Tigers (11-2) [4] : It was a massive battle, but Missouri came up short
10. Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-2) [7] : So did the Cowboys, who failed to beat their in-state rivals and allowed Baylor their chance at the Big XII title.
11. Oregon Ducks (10-2) [12]
12. South Carolina Gamecocks (10-2) [14]
13. UCF Golden Knights (11-1) [16] : UCF rested some of their guys once Louisville gave them the title on Thursday.
14. LSU Tigers (9-3) [15]
15. Northern Illinois Huskies (12-1) [11] : In perhaps the strangest conference championship, Bowling Green knocked off the previous unbeaten Huskies to secure a MAC title.
16. Clemson Tigers (10-2) [17]
17. Wisconsin Badgers (9-3) [18]
18. UCLA Bruins (9-3) [19]
19. Fresno State Bulldogs (11-1) [20] : They take the Mountain West title, but it wasn't pretty
20. Oklahoma Sooners (10-2) [21] : Knocked off the Cowboys to cost them the Big XII title
21. Bowling Green Falcons (10-3) [23] : Completely destroyed Northern Illinois in the most shocking conference champion result of the weekend.
22. Arizona State Sun Devils (10-3) [13]
23. Texas A&M Aggies (8-4) [22]
24. Ball State Cardinals (10-2) [25]
25. Rice Owls (10-3) [NR] : Rice knocks off Marshall to capture the Conference USA title
Dropped off: Duke Blue Devils [#24]
On the Edge: East Carolina Pirates (9-3), Washington Huskies (8-4), Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3), Marshall Thundering Herd (9-4), Boise State Broncos (8-4), USC Trojans (9-4)
FCS Playoffs
To quote a line from ERIN BROCKOVICH: "You suck at this!" There have been more upsets in these playoffs than any year I can remember. Barely above 50%, I don't know how comfortable I feel about any of my picks.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at #1 North Dakota State Bison: The Bison won big over Furman, but the Chanticleers beat perennial powerhouse Montana, so you can't count them out. The Bison have been dominant all season long, so I see no reason (other than the plethora of upsets in the past two weekends) to pick against them. NORTH DAKOTA STATE by 24
#7 Towson Tigers at #2 Eastern Illinois Panthers: The Panthers had the most impressive victory of the weekend, but Towson's defense stiffened in the second half. This may not be an easy game for the Panthers, but I'm picking the win. EASTERN ILLINOIS by 17
Jacksonville State Gamecocks at #3 Eastern Washington Eagles: The Gamecocks have been perhaps the most surprising team of these playoffs, laying waste to each of their opponents. Eastern Washington had no difficulty beating South Dakota State, but something tells me the Gamecocks might give them some trouble. EASTERN WASHINGTON by 7
New Hampshire Wildcats at #4 Southeastern Louisiana Lions: I have to pick the upset here. The Lions barely edged out Sam Houston State while the Wildcats mauled Maine. NEW HAMPSHIRE by ten
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