The SEC has NO unbeaten teams, and I have a new Number One team for the first time all season!
Top 25 [Last week's rank]
1. OREGON DUCKS (7-0) [2]
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1) [4]
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1) [3]
4. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) [8]
5. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0) [5]
6. Texas Longhorns (6-1) [1]
7. Miami Hurricanes (7-0) [6]
8. Indiana Hoosiers (7-0) [12]
9. Clemson Tigers (6-1) [9]
10. Tennessee Volunteers (6-1) [11]
11. BYU Cougars (7-0) [10]
12. Army Black Knights (7-0) [15]
13. Iowa State Cyclones (7-0) [13]
14. LSU Tigers (6-1) [16]
15. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-2) [7]
16. Texas A&M Aggies (6-1) [17]
17. UNLV Running Rebels (6-1) [18]
18. Navy Midshipmen (7-0) [26]
19. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-2) [NR]
20. Boise State Broncos (6-1) [20]
21. Missouri Tigers (6-1) [21]
22. Ole Miss Rebels (5-2) [22]
23. Kansas State Wildcats (6-1) [30]
24. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3) [25]
25. Wisconsin Badgers (5-2) [29]
Dropped off: Nebraska Cornhuskers [#14], Arizona State Sun Devils [#19], Oklahoma Sooners [#23], USC Trojans [#24]
On the Edge: Pitt Panthers (6-0), SMU Mustangs (6-1), Washington State Cougars (6-1), Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1), Colorado Buffaloes (5-2), Louisville Cardinals (4-3)
Upset Results
There were no upsets early in the week, and Saturday began with only one, from the Big Ten. The late afternoon and evening, though, made up for it all. As well as two more upsets from the Big Ten (which will be covered in their Report), the MAC had one, the SEC had three, the Sun Belt had two, and the Big XII had one. James Madison had their second loss and Baylor had their first conference win. The most attention-getting upsets came from the SEC, where Alabama had their second loss, Kentucky had their fourth, and Texas had their first.
Big Ten Report
No shock at the top of the conference, but lots of strangeness. UCLA had their first conference win, dragging Rutgers down. USC lost again, leaving them with only one conference win. Michigan State handed Iowa their second conference loss. Wisconsin looked strong. Illinois' defense shut down the Wolverines.
So what does that leave? At the bottom is Purdue, who is a dangerous threat now that they have changed quarterbacks. Their first conference win is coming soon. USC and UCLA had 1-4 conference records and are not threats. Northwestern, Maryland, and Rutgers also have only one conference win. At this point, none of those are eligible for the conference title.
The next group all have 2-2 conference records, and would need lots of help from other teams in the conference to have a chance at the conference title: Washington, Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Nebraska. All of them have at least one more tough game coming up, so each is likely to suffer a third conference loss.
That leaves our top six. Indiana, Oregon, and Penn State are unbeaten, while Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Illinois each have one loss. Who seems likely to run the table? Based on upcoming opponents, Oregon and Ohio State have the best chances to win all of their remaining games, which gives an Ohio State - Oregon rematch in the conference championship game. Illinois will likely lose at Oregon, but they have the best chance to close out with four straight wins and finish 10-2. Penn State enters the meatiest part of their schedule, with consecutive games against Wisconsin and Ohio State. Since they travel to Madison, they could lose two games before finishing out with an easier schedule. Indiana has to play Ohio State, but are likely to be favored in all of their other games, giving them a surprising 11-1 record and a potential playoff berth.
Wisconsin may have the toughest schedule remaining. Even if they pull off the upset of Penn State, they then face the stiff Iowa defense, followed by Ohio State. Two losses among those three games seems likely, giving them three conference losses.
Who are our potential playoff teams? Conference champion and conference runner-up. One loss Penn State and Indiana seem likely, too. I don't thin any conference will produce more than four playoff teams, so that would be it.
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