What the heck happened in the Big XII this week? I'll discuss in the conference report, but they decided that late October was too late to shake up the standings with upsets. Other upsets through off my Top 25, which was still not accurately reflective of some teams' performances due to hurricane-cancelled games and a bout with an FCS opponent, so there was only one FBS game in consideration. After this week, things should calm down, at least until these conference unbeatens start playing each other.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) [1]
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) [2]
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) [4]
4. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0) [6]
5. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0) [3]
6. Clemson Tigers (4-0) [17]
7. Stanford Cardinal (4-0) [7]
8. LSU Tigers (4-0) [8]
9. UCF Golden Knights (3-0) [9]
10. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0) [14]
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0) [19]
12. Colorado Buffaloes (3-0) [12]
13. Oregon Ducks (3-1) [13]
14. Michigan Wolverines (3-1) [NR]
15. Wisconsin Badgers (3-1) [22]
16. Syracuse Orange (4-0) [25]
17. Kentucky Wildcats (4-0) [NR]
18. Duke Blue Devils (4-0) [18]
19. Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1) [16]
20. Florida Gators (3-1) [NR]
21. Auburn Tigers (3-1) [21]
22. Washington State Cougars (3-1) [10]
23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-1) [23]
24. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1) [11]
25. Texas Longhorns (3-1) [NR]
Dropped off: Virginia Tech Hokies [#5], TCU Horned Frogs [#15], Cincinnati Bearcats [#20], Minnesota Golden Gophers [#24]
On the Cusp: North Texas Mean Green (4-0), Fresno State Bulldogs (2-1), North Carolina State Wolf Pack (3-0), Maryland Terrapins (3-1), Texas A&M Aggies (2-2), Buffalo Bulls (4-0)
Big Ten Report
Things went pretty much as expected. Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan rolled. Rutgers lost big to Buffalo. Michigan State stepped up against Indiana. In what is becoming a recurring theme, Illinois self-destructs in the fourth quarter (this time they trailed Penn State only 28-24, but had three turnovers and allowed the Lions 5 touchdowns).
There were some surprises. Iowa was looking to demolish Wisconsin, then Wisconsin shut them down in the second half and came back to win. Maryland recovered from their embarrassing loss to upend the Golden Gophers. The big surprise, though, was Purdue. Expected to lose, and lose pretty big, to Boston College, instead the Boilermakers turned the tables and demolished THEM!
Pac-12 Report
Several teams had the week off. Washington continues to win unimpressively. Stanford and Oregon was a tight game, as I expected. I did not expect the Ducks to do so well against the Cardinal offense -- Oregon looks to be a tough team this year. USC redeemed themselves, and proved they may not be out of the race after all. They certainly sent Washington State's chances for a playoff bid down the drain.
SEC Report
The conference went pretty much as expected, except for one game. Kentucky demolished Mississippi State. The Bulldogs hold onto their Top 25 ranking due to lesser overall statistics from teams below them, but Kentucky has no lined themselves up to be Georgia's chief competition in the East, with Florida close behind.
ACC Report
Clemson finally had a decent performance, the same week Virginia Tech is clobbered. The Coastal Division looks like a shootout between Duke and Miami, while Syracuse or NC State are the Tigers only real competition in the Atlantic.
Big XII Report
Oklahoma looked weak in a challenge against Army, while Texas and Texas Tech showed signs of renewed life. West Virginia has been the most consistent team in this conference, but can they go the distance?
Group of 5 Report
Hawaii won, but struggled against FCS Duquesne. North Texas and Buffalo are strong competitors, and Utah State is a force. Notre Dame finally looked like a team the Irish should be.
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