Struggles against weaker rivals contributed to some interesting shifts within the rankings.
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (12-0) [1]
2. Georgia Bulldogs (12-0) [3]
3. Washington Huskies (12-0) [4]
4. Oregon Ducks (11-1) [6]
5. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) [2]
6. Florida State Seminoles (12-0) [5]
7. Texas Longhorns (11-1) [7]
8. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) [9]
9. Oklahoma Sooners (10-2) [11]
10. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) [8]
11. Missouri Tigers (10-2) [12]
12. SMU Mustangs (10-2) [14]
13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3) [13]
14. LSU Tigers (9-3) [15]
15. Louisville Cardinals (10-2) [10]
16. Ole Miss Rebels (10-2) [17]
17. Arizona Wildcats (9-3) [18]
18. Liberty Flames (12-0) [19]
19. James Madison Dukes (11-1) [23]
20. Oregon State Beavers (8-4) [16]
21. Kansas State Wildcats (8-4) [20]
22. Toledo Rockets (11-1) [24]
23. Tulane Green Wave (11-1) [25]
24. Tennessee Volunteers (8-4) [NR]
25. Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2) [28]
Dropped off: Texas A&M Aggies [#21], UNLV Running Rebels [#22]
On the Edge: Memphis Tigers (9-3)
Upset Alerts
Upsets are always likely when you face longtime rivals during Rivalry Week, but even so we had some surprising results. Iowa State beat Kansas State in an offensive carousel Kentucky salvaged their disappointing season by thumping then-Top Ten Louisville. San Jose State threatened UNLV's ticket to the Mountain West Championship.
Conference Championships
These games will be listed in order of broadcast, starting with Friday night.
CONFERENCE USA: New Mexico State Aggies (10-2) at #18 Liberty Flames (12-0) : The Aggies would love to spoil the Flames perfect season, but I don't see that happening. LIBERTY by 18
PAC-12: #4 Oregon Ducks (11-1) v #3 Washington Huskies (12-0) : The Ducks have been anxiously awaiting this rematch, and it might be the best conference title game of all. I guess that's appropriate, since this will also be the LAST Pac-12 Championship. Washington is playing for a firm berth in the College Football Playoffs. Oregon wants revenge for the earlier loss, and the chance to hold the last Pac-12 title. It's likely that the Pac-12 winner will be in the CFP, regardless of which team, so each team is playing for that. I like the strength of Washington's team, but the Cougars exposed some vulnerabilities last week, and I'm sure Oregon will watch that film carefully. This one could go either way. WASHINGTON by three
BIC XII: Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3) at #7 Texas Longhorns (11-1) : Oklahoma State has had a couple of impressive victories over ranked teams, but in general their play has been lackluster this season. They might get it up emotionally for this game, but they don't have to skill to go the distance with Texas. TEXAS by 13
MAC: Miami Ohio Rehsawks (10-2) v #22 Toledo Rockets (11-1) : This should be a close game. Toledo has the full package, but the can make costly mistakes. The Redhawks control the ball, and the pace of the game, very well. I like Toledo, but watch out for the upset. TOLEDO by six
MOUNTAIN WEST: Boise State Broncos (7-5) at UNLV Running Rebels (9-3) : We had to wait a bit before the conference announced this matchup. UNLV finished their season strong (except for last week), while Boise State has been up and down. The Broncos have been here before, and that experience will help, but I think UNLV is a stronger team. They also don't want last week's result to start a trend. UNLV by ten
SEC: #10 Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) at #2 Georgia Bulldogs (12-0) : Alabama should have lost the Iron Bowl last week. That would have made this game very interesting, for as much as the Committee loves the SEC, I doubt a two-loss SEC champ would have made the playoffs. Now, Alabama has incentive to upset the Bulldogs. Now, will they do it? They'd need another couple of miracles like they had at the end of the Iron Bowl, and I'm not sure they have that many left. GEORGIA by eight
AMERICAN ATHLETIC: #12 SMU Mustangs (10-2) at #23 Tulane Green Wave (11-1) : I can't remember the last time that this conference championship had two ranked teams playing. It's definitely interesting. SMU is ranked higher because of their better stats, but the key number is Tulane's record of 11-1. They don't win pretty, but they find ways to win. They are the NCAA's version of the Philadelphia Eagles, and I think that will continue. TULANE by six
SUN BELT: Appalachian State Mountaineers (8-4) at Troy Trojans (10-2) : Troy has posted some big numbers, but against small opponents. These two didn't face each other in the regular season, but Troy held the Dukes to only 16 points. Although a loss, it was their best performance of the season. I think their defense will come into play here, but it will be close, and watch for an upset. TROY by four
BIG TEN: #1 Michigan Wolverines (12-0) v #25 Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2) : Coach Harbaugh will be back, but it won't make that much of a difference. Iowa had a great offense, but the Michigan offense has a great way to practice for that -- lining up against their own tough defense. Iowa's offense cannot prevail against that defense. This will likely be the most one-sided conference game. MICHIGAN by lots
ACCL #15 Louisville Cardinals (10-2) v #6 Florida State Seminoles (12-0) : Neither team had a great week preceding this game. Louisville lost to Kentucky, and Florida State nearly lost to a 5-6 Florida team. The Seminoles are in trouble. They are missing their starting QB and fastest defender, and a targeting penalty has taken away one of their best tacklers until the second half. Louisville will likely lead at the half. Can Florida State come from behind? I'm not sure, and the performance I saw from Wannamaker last week (they won because Florida started making stupid mistakes, not because their backup QB grew up) makes me doubt it. LOUISVILLE by four in the upset victory
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