Once again, very little movement into and within the Top 25. Things seem to be settling.
Top 25 [Last week's rank]
1. OREGON DUCKS (11-0) [1]
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-1) [3]
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1) [2]
4. Texas Longhorns (10-1) [5]
5. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-1) [4]
6. Georgia Bulldogs (9-2) [7]
7. Tennessee Volunteers (9-2) [9]
8. Indiana Hoosiers (10-1) [6]
9. Miami Hurricanes (10-1) [14]
10. Boise State Broncos (10-1) [12]
11. SMU Mustangs (10-1) [15]
12. Ole Miss Rebels (8-3) [8]
13. Clemson Tigers (9-2) [13]
14. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-3) [10]
15. Army Black Knights (9-1) [11]
16. UNLV Running Rebels (9-2) [19]
17. South Carolina Gamecocks (8-3) [17]
18. Iowa State Cyclones (9-2) [21]
19. Arizona State Sun Devils (9-2) [23]
20. BYU Cougars (9-2) [16]
21. Tulane Green Wave (9-2) [22]
22. Texas A&M Aggies (8-3) [20]
23. Colorado Buffaloes (8-3) [18]
24. Memphis Tigers (9-2) [24]
25. Iowa Hawkeyes (7-4) [28]
Dropped off: Washington State Cougars [#25]
On the Edge: Louisville Cardinals (7-4), Kansas State Wildcats (8-3), Missouri Tigers (8-3), Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3)
Upset Results
The SEC was struck the hardest by the upset demon. Ole Miss fell to Florida, Oklahoma toppled Alabama, and Auburn spanked the Aggies in triple overtime. For Ole Miss and Alabama, they fell out of contention for the conference championship, as well as likely falling out of the playoffs.
The SEC wasn't the only victimized conference, though. Conference USA doormat New Mexico State shocked Middle Tennessee. Surging Big Ten team Wisconsin was completely skunked by Nebraska, and Kansas upset their third ranked opponent in a row, thoroughly embarrassing Colorado.
Big Ten Report
I'll cover the scenarios for the conference title game in the next section. Four teams are in contention, and those four will be the top four teams at the end of the season, as they are two games apart from fifth place Illinois. If Illinois wins, they are the fifth place team. Iowa follows, who can move up a slot if they win and Illinois loses.
The conference currently has eleven teams that are bowl eligible, with four teams likely to reach the playoffs. USC may reach the playoffs by the end of Week 13 (this column is being written while the game is still being played). Two other teams have 5-6 records and could reach that level next week. If UCLA beats USC, they would achieve a 5-6 record and become the third team that could reach bowl eligibility with a win next week. Only three teams (four if UCLA loses) will not attain bowl eligibility.
Conference Championship scenarios and playoff contenders
AMERICAN ATHLETIC -- Army will face Tulane
ACC -- SMU is in. Miami will be their opponent if they win. If they lose, Clemson will face SMU
BIG XII -- Four teams have a shot: Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, and Iowas State. Arizona State and BYU have the best shot, as they face easier opponents this week. Scenarios get strange and disparate, depending upon how many of the four teams win. If ALL of them lose, then the number of potential teams increase, as teams with three conference losses are eligible. It is easy to see why only the conference winner will reach the playoffs.
BIG TEN -- Oregon will play in the title game. If Ohio State beats Michigan, they play. Penn State would need to win AND have Michigan beat Ohio State. Indiana would require a win AND losses by both Ohio State and Penn State. If all three teams win, all of the top four teams will play in the playoffs. Penn State is likely in the playoffs regardless. Indiana might get in with a second loss, but they really need a win to be sure.
CONFERENCE USA -- Jacksonville State is in. Liberty is in if they beat Sam Houston. Western Kentucky would need Liberty to lose AND to upset Jacksonville State. They seem least likely. Sam Houston gets in if they win and Jacksonville State wins.
MAC -- The winner of the Miami Ohio - Bowling Green game will be one team in the title game. Ohio will be the second if they win. If they lose, we get a quick rematch.
MOUNTAIN WEST -- Boise State is in both the championship game and the playoffs (unless they lose the conference title game and Army wins theirs). UNLV will be in with a win. If they lose and Colorado State wins, the Rams are in.
SEC -- The title game just got easier after this week's upsets. Georgia is in, and the winner of the Texas - A&M matchup is the other team. As far as the playoffs, both Texas and Georgia are likely in. If Tennessee wins this week, they will be the third team, unless A&M upsets both Texas and Georgia to win the conference title.
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