Why not Alabama? That's the question I figured to be getting, though it looks like the national polls agree with Texas at the top. The bottom line is that if Texas stays undefeated the next three weeks they had better be ranked #1, as they face Missouri, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech after beating previous #1 Oklahoma on neutral ground. The Tide will have to hope for a Longhorn mistake. If Texas finishes the year unscathed, they deserve #1 unanimously. Alabama was idle this week.
#3 Penn State jumped up from #7 due to the rash of losses above them and impressively beating Wisconsin. They leapt over #4 Texas Tech, who needed overtime to beat Nebraska in Lubbock. The Red Raiders started the year #5 in my rankings and have moved up only one spot despite going undefeated and every team above them losing. Soon they'll face some top 25 competition, at which point they'll prove their mettle or fall to a more appropriate ranking.
SportsRatings Top 25 - Week 7 (10-12-2008) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
lw |
# |
Team |
Rec |
Big wins/losses |
6 |
1. |
Texas | 6-0 |
w=Oklahoma45-35 |
2 |
2. |
Alabama | 6-0 |
w@Georgia41-30 |
7 |
3. |
Penn State | 7-0 |
|
4 |
4. |
Texas Tech | 6-0 |
|
20 |
5. |
Oklahoma State | 6-0 |
w@Missouri28-23 |
1 |
6. |
Oklahoma | 5-1 |
L=Texas45-35;wCincy52-26 |
8 |
7. |
Brigham Young | 6-0 |
|
9 |
8. |
Southern Cal | 4-1 |
L@OreSt27-21;wOhioSt35-3 |
10 |
9. |
Georgia | 5-1 |
L Alabama41-30 |
13 |
10. |
Utah | 7-0 |
|
11 |
11. |
Boise State | 5-0 |
|
3 |
12. |
Missouri | 5-1 |
L OklahomaSt28-23 |
19 |
13. |
Florida | 5-1 |
L OleMiss31-30; wLSU51-21 |
14 |
14. |
Ohio State | 6-1 |
L@USC35-3 |
15 |
15. |
Pittsburgh | 4-1 |
L BowlGr27-17;w@USF26-21 |
16 |
16. |
South Florida | 5-1 |
L Pitt26-21;wKansas37-34 |
17 |
17. |
Kansas | 5-1 |
L@USF37-34 |
18 |
18. |
Cincinnati | 5-1 |
L@Oklahoma52-26 |
23 |
19. |
Ball State | 7-0 |
|
5 |
20. |
LSU | 4-1 |
L@Florida51-21 |
22 |
21. |
Tulsa | 6-0 |
|
24 |
22. |
Virginia Tech | 5-1 |
L=ECar27-22;w@UNC20-17 |
25 |
23. |
North Carolina | 5-1 |
L VTech20-17 |
24. |
California | 4-1 |
L@Mary35-27;wMichSt38-31 | |
25. |
Michigan State | 6-1 |
L@Cal38-31;w@Nwest37-20 | |
| dropped out: | ||||
21 |
- |
Northwestern | 5-1 |
L MichSt37-20 |
12 |
- |
Vanderbilt | 5-1 |
L@MissSt17-14 |
Oklahoma State was the other big winner in the Big Twelve sweepstakes, leaping to #5 after upsetting Missouri 28-23. Just behind them is Oklahoma; the Sooners are the only team with an excuseable loss that has defeated another top 25 team. BYU, USC, and Georgia slid up a notch each; at #10 Utah leapt Boise State, whose win over Oregon doesn't carry the weight it did at the time. Utah still has TCU and #7 BYU on the schedule, and as I mentioned last week should probably be ahead of USC using strict accounting.
Missouri is #12 on the way down, meeting #13 Florida on the way up. Missouri has a chance to rebound with a win over #1 Texas next week. I don't think Florida's win over LSU shows their quality more than LSU's deficiencies, which is why the latter fell all the way to #20. Remember, LSU's claim to fame this year is barely edging Auburn.
The teams from 14 to 18 all stayed put. Ohio State hasn't played a good game all year on offense, and until they do I'm not budging them. Pittsburgh and South Florida were idle. Kansas defeated Colorado but is stuck behind USF, and Cincinnati beat Rutgers but then, who hasn't?
At 7-0, Ball State jumps to #19, moving ahead of #21 Tulsa, who moves up only a spot after struggling with SMU. Idle Virginia Tech is #22, ahead of North Carolina, who staved off Notre Dame's attempt to join the top 25. The much-improved Irish have a pretty easy schedule in the 2nd half of the year and still have a decent chance to be in the rankings before their game with USC.
Michigan State, who previously beat Notre Dame much more easily than the Tar Heels, defeated ex-#21 Northwestern to earn a spot. This also ushered idle California into the top 25, as they beat the Spartans in week 1.
Vanderbilt drops out after taking a hit against Mississippi State. No other team in the top 25 has lost to a team with a losing record, and the Commodores' wins over South Carolina and especially Auburn don't seem impressive any more. With only one loss and several ranked teams on the schedule—starting with Georgia next week—they'll have ample opportunity to fight their way back in.
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