Not a tremendous amount of movement in the Top 25 this week
Top 25 ]Last week's rank]
1. OREGON DUCKS (8-0) [1]
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1) [2]
3. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-0) [5]
4. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) [4]
5. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1) [3]
6. Texas Longhorns (7-1) [6]
7. Miami Hurricanes (8-0) [7]
8. Indiana Hoosiers (8-0) [8]
9. Clemson Tigers (6-1) [9]
10. Tennessee Volunteers (6-1) [10]
11. BYU Cougars (8-0) [11]
12. Army Black Knights (7-0) [12]
13. Iowa State Cyclones (7-0) [13]
14. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2) [15]
15. Texas A&M Aggies (7-1) [16]
16. Ole Miss Rebels (6-2) [22]
17, LSU Tigers (6-2) [14]
18. Boise State Broncos (7-1) [20]
19. Pitt Panthers (7-0) [26]
20. UNLV Running Rebels (6-2) [17]
21. Kansas State Wildcats (7-1) [23]
22. SMU Mustangs (7-1) [27]
23. Navy Midshipmen (6-1) [18]
24, South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3) [24]
25. Wisconsin Badgers (5-3) [25]
Dropped off: Cincinnati Bearcats [#19], Missouri Tigers [#22]
On the Edge: Colorado Buffaloes (6-2), Memphis Tigers (7-1), Washington State Cougars (7-1), Virginia Tech Hokies (5-3), Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3), Louisville Cardinals (5-3)
Upset Results
There weren't many this week, although they started early. Wednesday night saw the Kennesaw State Owls win their first FBS game. Then we wait until the early evening for Cal to engineer the second upset of the week. Auburn achieved the third and final upset of the weekend.
Big Ten Report
No major surprises here, other than the Buckeyes struggling to win. That struggle makes me change my mind about the result of the Penn State game. I think the Nittany Lions will beat the Buckeyes. Given the remaining schedules, I think Oregon and Penn State will run the table, sending both teams into the Big Ten Championship Game unbeaten. Indiana remains unbeaten, but they have one forthcoming game that they will likely lose. That puts them in third place with one loss. Illinois should run the table, as should the Buckeyes after the Penn State loss. Both teams will have two conference losses and tie for fourth place.
Playoff Predictions
We're getting close to the end of the season, so I'll spend time on each week's column to examine how I think the 12-team slate will stack up. First of all, in contrast to the SEC bigots at ESPN, the SEC will not have five playoff teams. Let's get down to the available slots. Each of the major conference champions (ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big XII) will gain a spot. The best Gang of Five team will gain a slot. Unless they completely collapse, Notre Dame will be in, too. That leaves six at-large spots. How they will be divided depends greatly upon the contenders among the major conferences.
I've already reported on the Big Ten above. Both Oregon and Penn State will reach the playoffs. With only one loss, Indiana is likely. A two-loss Ohio State team could make it, especially if the Penn State game is close, but we'll hold off stating that until we examine the other conferences. Illinois will miss it.
The Big XII will likely also bring two unbeaten teams into the conference championship, as the schedules of both BYU and Iowa State doesn't have any major bumps upcoming. Thus, both teams should make the playoffs.
In the ACC, both Clemson and Miami are likely to run the table, bringing both teams to the conference championship, as Pitt is likely to lose one. The winner will be in. How many ACC teams reach the playoffs depend upon who wins. We'll look at that as soon as I examine the SEC.
The SEC right now does not have any unbeaten teams. A&M is likely to lose to Texas, giving them a conference loss and two total losses. Georgia and Texas are likely to run the table, so they will face each other again in the conference championship. Both of those teams will be in the playoffs. A two-loss A&M team will not, and a two-loss Alabama seems unlikely right now, as they have not looked good., They would have to improve before the end of the season.
So each of the four conferences contribute their runner-up to the playoffs. That uses four of the six available slots. Indiana is likely to snatch one. That leaves one spot. Who gets it? It could go to the ACC, and here's how. If Clemson beats Miami, Miami will advance with one loss, and Pitt will likely advance as well. The one way for the SEC to get a third slot would be in Miami beats Clemson. A two-loss Clemson team will probably miss the playoffs, giving it to an impressive two-loss SEC team.
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