Welcome to the SportsRatings College Football Top 25 for the week ending November 27, 2010. This is a subjective ranking, not a computer power rating. It does attempt to use several rules, some of which include honoring head-to-head results whenever possible, and giving more consideration to teams with wins over other top 25 teams.
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Oregon and Auburn both won, and while Oregon has been the more impressive team on the whole, Auburn's résumé can't be ignored. They now have five wins over top 25 teams to Oregon's two, and that's counting Arizona whom the Ducks knock out of the top 25 this week. Undefeated TCU moves up to #3.
After that it gets tough. How far does Boise State drop? Their résumé is still very good, and they are clearly still one of the best teams, but they should be ranked behind 11-1 Nevada (even if it was a home win in overtime for the Wolf Pack). The Big Ten teams are problematic because logic dictates they be ranked in the reverse order of how good they actually are. Meanwhile, 1-loss Stanford's résumé is suddenly barren while 2-loss Arkansas and LSU have multiple top 25 wins.
I moved Stanford up to #4 despite the fact that they now have no top 25 wins; they are playing the best football of anyone other than Oregon, their sole victor. Big Ten teams Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State slide into the #5, #6, and #7 slots; though from a "power" perspective the Spartans and arguably the Badgers are overrated, I figure these rankings will sort themselves out come bowl season. Nevada is one spot ahead of Boise State at #9; neither of these teams will face a worthy bowl opponent so their chances of earning a top 5 spot are slim, but then again they can take advantage of other teams' losses to move up.
Finally, 2-loss Arkansas moves up to #8 after beating LSU, who falls to #11. But pretty much every position from #4 to #11 is arguable based on some combination of résumé or performance.
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SportsRatings Top 25 - week 13 2010 (thru 11/27/2010)
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Team
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Rec
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Losses/important wins
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| 2 | 1 | Auburn | 12-0 | [email protected] 28-27, LSU 24-17, SCar 35-27, Ark 65-43, @MissSt 17-14 |
| 1 | 2 | Oregon | 11-0 | wStanford 52-31, Arizona 48-29 |
| 4 | 3 | TCU | 12-0 | [email protected] 47-7 |
| 5 | 4 | Stanford | 11-1 | [email protected] 52-31; wArizona 42-17 |
| 8 | 5 | Michigan St | 11-1 | [email protected] 37-6; wWisconsin 34-24 |
| 9 | 6 | Wisconsin | 11-1 | [email protected] 34-24; wOhioSt 31-18 |
| 10 | 7 | Ohio State | 11-1 | [email protected] 31-18; wOhio 43-7 |
| 12 | 8 | Arkansas | 10-2 | [email protected] 65-43, Bama 24-20; wLSU 31-23, @SCaro 41-20, =TexAM 21-14, @MissSt38-31ot |
| 15 | 9 | Nevada | 11-1 | [email protected] 27-21; wBoiseSt 34-31ot |
| 3 | 10 | Boise State | 10-1 | [email protected] 34-31ot; [email protected] 33-30, wHawaii 42-7 |
| 6 | 11 | LSU | 10-2 | [email protected] 24-17, @Ark 31-23; wAlabama 24-21, MissSt 29-7, WVA 20-14 |
| 13 | 12 | Nebraska | 10-2 | L Texas 20-13, @TexAM 9-6; wMizz 31-17, @OKst 51-41 |
| 14 | 13 | Missouri | 10-2 | [email protected] 24-17, @Neb 31-17; wOK 36-27, TexAM 30-9 |
| 17 | 14 | Oklahoma | 10-2 | [email protected] 36-27, @TexAM 33-19; [email protected] 47-41, FSU 47-17 |
| 7 | 15 | Oklahoma St | 10-2 | L Nebraska 51-41, OK 47-41; wTexAM 38-35 |
| 16 | 16 | Texas A&M | 9-3 | L Mizzou 30-9, =Ark 21-14, @OKst 38-35; wOK 33-19, Neb 9-6 |
| 18 | 17 | South Carolina | 9-3 | [email protected] 31-28, @Aub 35-27, Ark 41-20; wBama 35-21 |
| 11 | 18 | Alabama | 9-3 | [email protected] 35-21, @LSU 24-21, Aub 28-27; [email protected] 24-20, MissSt 30-10 |
| 19 | 19 | Utah | 10-2 | [email protected] 28-3, TCU 47-7 |
| 20 | 20 | Virginia Tech | 10-2 | L JMadison 21-16, Boise 33-30 |
| 22 | 21 | Northern Illinois | 10-2 | [email protected] 27-10, @ILL 28-22 |
| 23 | 22 | Mississippi St | 8-4 | [email protected] 29-7, Aub 17-14, @Bama 30-10, Ark 38-31ot |
| 25 | 23 | Hawaii | 9-3 | [email protected] 31-13, USC 49-36, @Boise 42-7; wNev 27-21 |
| -- | 24 | West Virginia | 8-3 | L Syr 19-14, @UConn 16-13ot, @LSU 20-14 |
| -- | 25 | Florida St. | 9-3 | L UNC 37-35, @NCState 28-24, @OK 47-17 |
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| 21 | -- | Arizona | 7-4 | L OreSt 29-27, USC 24-21, @Stan 42-17, @Ore 48-29 |
| 24 | -- | Ohio | 8-4 | [email protected] 28-6, @Marsh 24-23 , Tol 20-13, @OSU 43-7 |
The Big Twelve teams with 2 losses have more flaws than the SEC 2-loss teams. Nebraska lost to Texas and Missouri lost to Texas Tech. But the victory chain goes Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and that's how they are ranked here, from #12 to #15. The chain forms a "loop" with Texas A&M beating Nebraska, but that was by a field goal at home and the Aggies have three losses so they sit at #16.
South Carolina moves up a spot to #17 and are once again ahead of Alabama whom they beat earlier in the year. The three remaining 2-loss teams follow: #19 Utah, #20 Virginia Tech, and #21 Northern Illinois; none of the three has a top 25 win.
Mississippi State, the rankings' only 4-loss team, moves to #22 while Hawaii is #23. As Arizona and Ohio both drop out, West Virginia and Florida State reappear in the rankings. Only three 3-loss teams are not represented in the top 25: Tulsa, Central Florida, and Navy.
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