Your Top 25:
Rk
|
Δ
|
Team
|
Pts
|
SD
|
1
|
0
|
Clemson
|
79.0
|
23.6
|
No
Clemsoning for this year’s batch of Tigers. Florida State kept it close, but
Clemson’s defense came up with key stops, and the Tigers’ offense put the game
away in the fourth quarter. Clemson beat FSU 23-13, the first time since 2011,
and clinched the ACC Atlantic.
2
|
+2
|
Ohio State
|
66.0
|
19.2
|
Ohio
State only beat the struggling Golden Gophers by 14 in Columbus, but the
Buckeyes rise two spots anyway after LSU’s loss and a poor performance by
Baylor.
3
|
-1
|
Baylor
|
65.3
|
17.7
|
QB
Jarrett Stidham looked good filling in for Seth Russell, throwing for 419
yards, three TDs, and no interceptions, but Kansas State did not go down easily.
It took a last-minute interception by Baylor to seal the 31-24 victory over the
Wildcats.
4
|
+1
|
Alabama
|
63.2
|
14.1
|
Bama’s
defense had no problem shutting down LSU’s star RB Leonard Fournette. Fournette
was limited to just 31 yards – two Bama RBs (Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake)
had more – and the Tide dominated LSU, winning 30-16.
5
|
+1
|
Houston
|
62.9
|
16.2
|
Houston’s
defense helped put the Cougars up early with a pick-six and a safety, but
Cincinnati clawed their way back, scoring two touchdowns with two-point
conversions. The Cougar defense held when it needed to hold though, forcing a
turnover on downs and holding on to a 33-30 win. Houston is now the only
undefeated team remaining in the American.
6
|
+52
|
North Carolina
|
61.6
|
20.5
|
7
|
+7
|
Navy
|
61.1
|
18.3
|
8
|
0
|
Notre Dame
|
61.1
|
8.9
|
9
|
-6
|
LSU
|
59.4
|
16.4
|
10
|
-1
|
Oklahoma
|
57.7
|
28.0
|
11
|
0
|
Iowa
|
57.1
|
23.7
|
12
|
+3
|
Stanford
|
55.3
|
21.5
|
13
|
+3
|
Michigan
|
54.6
|
21.5
|
14
|
-1
|
Utah
|
54.2
|
18.0
|
15
|
+5
|
Florida State
|
52.4
|
12.0
|
16
|
+1
|
Florida
|
51.6
|
21.6
|
17
|
-10
|
TCU
|
51.5
|
19.5
|
18
|
-6
|
Michigan State
|
50.6
|
16.3
|
19
|
+2
|
Oklahoma State
|
50.4
|
11.6
|
20
|
-10
|
Memphis
|
50.0
|
21.1
|
21
|
+1
|
Boise State
|
49.0
|
25.9
|
22
|
-4
|
Toledo
|
47.6
|
15.8
|
23
|
+1
|
Wisconsin
|
46.8
|
13.6
|
24
|
+5
|
Air Force
|
45.5
|
23.8
|
25
|
-6
|
Appalachian State
|
44.2
|
26.4
|
Teams falling out of the Top 25:
(27) USC managed to
top a beat-up Arizona squad but needed a fourth-quarter rally to do so. The
Trojans ended up winning by eight in a game the Math expected them to win by 25.
(28) Ole Miss lost
in dramatic fashion to Arkansas in overtime. On fourth and 25, down seven, Arkansas
TE Hunter Henry caught the pass, lateraled the ball as he’s tackled back toward
scrimmage, where it’s recovered by Alex Collins who ran for the first down. Arkansas
ended up punching in the touchdown two plays later and decided to end the game
right there with a two-point conversion try. QB Brandon Allen should have been
sacked, but Ole Miss’s Marquis Haynes grabbed Allen’s facemask, giving the Hogs
another try. Allen promptly dove into the end zone for the win.
Team worse than the average FCS team:
(128) Kansas joins
the Club of Ignominy after a 59-20 loss to Texas keeps the Jayhawks’ winless
season alive.
(129) North Texas
keeps the bottom spot after being dominated by Louisiana Tech.
Largest improvement in rank: +52 North
Carolina rises meteorically after exorcising the Blue Devils 66-31 in a
week that saw the Math revise the strength of the whole ACC upward.
Largest drop in rank: -18 Cal and Iowa State gave up a combined 1,461
yards in double-digit losses to Oregon and Oklahoma, respectively.
Most consistent team: Northern Illinois
has beaten up an FCS team and MAC bottom-dwellers, lost to Power Five
opponents, and kept things close against the other MAC contenders, culminating
in this week’s five-point win over the not-quite-so-undefeated-anymore-but-never-mind
Toledo Rockets.
Least consistent team: The same UNLV team has beaten up an FCS Idaho
State team, winning 80-8, and has given bottom-dwelling Fresno State its only
FBS win.
Conference Rankings
Conference
|
Average
|
ACC
|
37.96
|
SEC
|
35.96
|
Big Ten
|
35.14
|
Big XII
|
33.62
|
Pac-12
|
32.53
|
American
|
29.55
|
Mountain West
|
22.31
|
MAC
|
21.21
|
Sun Belt
|
15.71
|
Conference USA
|
14.62
|
Three More Things
This Week’s Chaos Sighting: SEC West:
In addition to Alabama handing LSU its first loss and the wild ending of the
Arkansas-Ole Miss game, Auburn upset Texas A&M at College Station. (Mississippi State, for its part, unsurprisingly beat Mizzou 31-13.) Though
Alabama is now the only SEC West team that controls its own destiny, five teams
(Bama, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Arkansas) are still technically in
the running for the divisional crown. Meanwhile in the East, the only surprise
was Florida having to squeak by Vanderbilt, but that two-point victory clinched
the division for the Gators.
Michigan State-Nebraska: Fortune
finally cut the other way for the hitherto lucky Spartans and luckless
Cornhuskers. After blowing fourth-quarter leads five times earlier this season,
Nebraska staged a comeback of their own, going up by one with 17 seconds left
on a controversial play. The receiver stepped out of bounds before coming back
in to catch the pass, but the officials ruled that he was forced out (wrongly,
I believe). MSU QB Connor Cook took too long to make a decision on the final
play; Cook ended up throwing the ball away, but the ball landed out of bounds
after time expired. Sparty’s loss is precisely what Michigan needs to win the
Big Ten East. If Michigan wins out and Michigan State loses once more, a
definite possibility given that State must take on Ohio State in Columbus and
then host a good Penn State team, the Wolverines will travel to Indianapolis. Even
Penn State could win if the Nittany Lions win out and Ohio State loses out. OSU
and MSU still control their own destinies, but State’s loss makes the race for
the Big Ten East that much more interesting.
Five Unbeatens Fall: LSU lost to
Alabama and ceded control of the SEC West. Toledo lost a Tuesday-night game to
Northern Illinois, opening up the race for the MAC West. Nebraska pulled off
the upset to hand MSU its first loss, similarly opening up the competition for
the Big Ten East. Oklahoma State upset TCU, staying perfect themselves. And Navy
seemed to have no trouble handing Memphis its first loss, keeping the
Midshipmen’s chances of winning the American West alive. Six unbeatens remain:
(1) Clemson, (2) Ohio State, (3) Baylor, (5) Houston, (11) Iowa, and (19)
Oklahoma State.
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