Well, the season is down to a 4 way game of chicken.
We have 4 top-flight programs who are left on top, fighting to be a shot at the title. The first 2 that blink, play in the Fiesta Bowl, or whichever is the first also-ran bowl this season. These teams are amazing in the contrast they give to each other. We have the efficient team, with monstrous defense that is leading the pack in Bama. We have the efficient team with the opportunistic defense, the do-everything QB, and the elder statesman of a coach in K-State. We have lightning in a bottle that scores so often and fast that they wear out both defenses by the end of the game in Oregon. And, we have the team that is the Baltimore Ravens of the NCAA ranks, with the Notre Dame defense carrying the offense through the schedule.
Each of these has it's own strength and unique identity, but they have 2 things in common.
1. The top 4 BCS ranking that comes with being unbeaten after 10 weeks of football.
2. The immense pressure that comes with being unbeaten after 10 weeks of football.
Noone else is really going to matter for the next month of college football, unless they are playing the role of spoiler to bring clarity to the National Title picture.
I kind of hope they don't, that way we can get started on the process improvement for the new playoff system. Why wait till it actually starts, after all?
On to the rankings!!!
1. Kansas State Wildcats 7.957
I know, I know, how anyone besides the leader of the SEC lead the rankings? Well, that is the beauty of using the numbers produced by the schedule and the score determine the rankings. It does not care what conference you are in, just who you played, and how you fared. KSU is rolling, and their schedule lines up favorably with nearly anyone in the country. If they win out, they should be hard to keep out of the big game.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide 7.933
Bama truly is an all-round team now that AJ McCarron is playing like a blue-chip QB. That said, their defense is not as good as advertised. They actually missed several tackles, which allowed LSU to have one of their better offensive games of the season, especially passing. You can't argue that they overlooked LSU, especially not with the game in Death Valley. So, that begs the question, is Bama susceptible to a more well-rounded team? It's going to have be a loaded team to have a shot, no doubt, but they showed their youth a bit.
3. Oregon Ducks 7.737
For all of those out there who are poking holes in the theory that the Ducks defense is good enough, you are forgetting one thing. No team in the SEC, short of the mediocre Tennessee team, has a passing attack that is anything like what USC trots out there. By the end of the game, both defenses were gassed, but that will not be the case in a slower paced game. Apples and oranges.
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7.272
The Irish barely survived a trap game against a Pitt team that, for my money, is the most improved team from the start of the season. Personally, I haven't bought ND as a top 5 team. They have the defense, and their offense can be that good, but it's just not there every week.
5. Ohio State Buckeyes 6.580
Buckeye faithful have to be drooling over the future of this team. Braxton Miller has as good a chance as anyone in the country to win a Heisman before he is done in Columbus.
6. Texas A & M Aggies 6.568Remember when the Aggies were a middle-of-the-road Big 12 team? You know....last year? Well, now they are the #2 team in the SEC West, which is largely regarded as the best division in football. You can do you own math on that, but this is the best 1 loss team in the country right now.
7. Florida State Seminoles 6.564
Just don't tell that to FSU fans. The Noles are ROLLING towards an ACC title, and have an extra week to get ready for the Hokies. Let's see how good a coach Jimbo is, because there is no excuse to not blow Va. Tech out.
8. Florida Gators 6.417
That game on the 24th is going to be a good one. The Gators have to go to Tallahassee, and that is a game that both team circle every year. You can say what you want about the SEC. 2 games matter more than any other for the Gators, the Dawgs, and the Noles. If he loses them both, Boom is going to be in trouble....not hot seat trouble, but the natives will get restless.
9. Georgia Bulldogs 6.335
Someone should have challenged the manhood of the Georgia defense a month ago. Ever since they got called out by their own teammate, this defense has upped their level in a big way. If they can beat Auburn, they are headed back to Atlanta for the second straight year. The question is, has their defense improved enough for them to have a puncher's chance against the Tide.
10. Clemson Tigers 5.700
Clemson is quietly setting themselves up for a run at a BCS at-large berth. They are going to have to run the table to do it, not just to avoid a second loss either. They NEED a win over a ranked team, and they are running out of chances...in fact, only South Carolina remains.
11. Oklahoma Sooners 5.510
OU has had a tough last month, but it's not over. West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and TCU remain. If they run the table, they can save their reputation. If they don't, it's going to be dicy to hold their position in the Texas recruiting battles.
12. LSU Tigers 5.478
Well, they lost. However, that was the Zach Mettenberger that they have been waiting to see. He stood in and he made the throws. He hit his guys in stride and gave them a chance, and damn near threw for 300 yards against Bama. It was not enough, but it's a start.
13. South Carolina Gamecocks 5.278
The GameCocks got a week off at the perfect time. They have to figure out who they are without Marcus Lattimore. Don't forget how much talent they throw out there every week, USC-East is loaded full of blue-chippers, but Lattimore was the straw that stirred this drink. Connor Shaw is going to have to step up big.
14. Stanford Cardinal 5.167
How is this for a 3 week stretch to end the season? #20, #3, and #16 back-to-back-to-back. Just a brutal schedule to end the season, but if they can run the table, they will win the conference. However, that's just not likely to happen.
15. Louisville Cardinals 4.933
The Cardinals are not getting a lot of love nationally. Part of that is due to them playing in the Big East, and the poor SoS that comes with that. There is not a lot they can do about that, other than play a tougher non-conference schedule. Nothing against playing Kentucky and North Carolina out of conference, noone knew how bad the Wildcats were going to be. I will even allow Southern Mississippi since Larry Fedora was still there when they scheduled that game. But playing Missouri State and FIU were just silly.
That said, Teddy Bridgewater looks like the read deal, and these guys still haven't lost a game.
16. UCLA Bruins 4.820
The Bruins are in the drivers seat to rep the Pac-12 South in their conference title game for the second consecutive season. The difference is, this year's team doesn't suck. They need to beat USC here in a few weeks to do it.
17. Texas Tech Red Raiders 4.772
The Red Raiders are coming a disappointing loss to the Texas Longhorns, but are in a good position to finish the season with 9 wins. They should beat KU and Baylor, and their game at Stillwater should be a coin flip.
18. Texas Longhorns 4.767
Their defense is coming off their best performance of the year with a solid road win at Tech. They are going to need more of that if they want to make any noise at all. They can still have a 10 win season, but 9 is more likely since 1 of the 3 they have left to get there is in Manhattan, KS.
19. USC Trojans 4.700
The Trojans are in the middle of a slide with back-to-back conference losses. The road is not going to get any easier with the Sun Devils, Bruins, and Irish left to go. They need all 3 to salvage what was supposed to be a promising season.
20. Oregon State Beavers 4.669
The Beavers recovered nicely from their first loss of the season with a solid win over the Sun Devils. They still control their own fate,and the Civil War is going to have some intrigue this year.
21. Mississippi State Bulldogs 4.500
My only question is when they are going to win again. Before they played Bama, we were asking how good they were. We should have been asking how bad they were.
22. Michigan Wolverines 4.489
I just can't make myself care about the Big Ten this year. That said, they need to win out and get some help if they want to go to the Rose Bowl.
23. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 4.441
This offense just keeps rolling. They have only been held under 44 points once this season. They have 2 decent conference opponents to end the season in Utah State and San Jose State, but they are both games that they should win.
24. Boise State Broncos 4.429
Well, a second loss puts the end to any BCS spot-stealing hope for the Broncos. How much pride do they have?
25. Nebraska Cornhuskers 4.411
The Huskers control their own destiny, and have 3 winnable games between them and the Rose Bowl. Penn State is up first, and should be the toughest of the 3.
26. Cincinnati Bearcats 4.409
They are still good enough to be on this list, and Pitt's improved performance late in the season is making that early stomping Cincy gave them look better and better.
27. Fresno State Bulldogs 4.395
Thanks to San Diego State, Fresno is not tied at the top of the conference with the Aztecs, with the newly dethroned Boise State Broncos nipping at their collective heals. A conference title would be a big season for these Bulldogs.
28. UCF Knights 4.373
If they can beat Tulsa, they will be conference champs. That reminds me...hey Notre Dame, O'Leary's a pretty good coach huh.
29. Oklahoma State Cowboys 4.320
The Cowboys were game in Manhattan, but the young team just made a few too many mistakes. They are building, are within 2 years of another stud team with Wes Lunt there to pull the trigger. The next 4 games are a great measuring stick for how far they have come this season. 4 more wins, giving them 9 total, is probably too much to ask with the Mountaineers, Red Raiders, and Sooners left in those 4. That said, it is possible.
30. Penn State Nittany Lions 4.275
Penn State alumni and fans should be very proud of how this team has performed this year. It was purely for pride and for the school, and they turned it around in a big way after starting 0-2. They can run the table to set themselves up nicely going into next year, but this next one at Nebraska is going to be exciting.
Conference Count:
ACC: 2
BIG EAST: 2
BIG TEN: 4
BIG-12: 5
C-USA: 1
INDEPENDENT: 1
MWC: 2
PAC-12: 5
SEC: 7
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