SportsRatings Final Top 25 for 2010 Season: Auburn #1, TCU, Oregon, Stanford

Welcome to the final SportsRatings College Football Top 25 for the 2010 season. 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.

 Auburn beat Oregon, yet another win over a top 25 team, making the Tigers 14-0 and an obvious choice for #1 as there are really no other teams that can make an argument. TCU was undefeated at 13-0 with three top 25 wins, but they barely beat Wisconsin. A dominant win might have given them a chance, but Auburn's résumé is just too strong.

In fact, you could argue for keeping Oregon #2; they lost to the top team by a last-second field goal, after all. But despite their gaudy wins all year they don't have enough big-name victims to keep them ahead of a very strong undefeated team.

Stanford's only loss was to Oregon, and they dominated Virginia Tech; this puts them well ahead of #5 Ohio State, who lost to Wisconsin and narrowly beat Arkansas.

#7 Boise State had a better résumé than either of those two, but their loss to Nevada keeps them lower. The Wolf Pack went 13-1 and beat Boise—at home, in overtime, due to a missed field goal, but they won the game and fair is fair; they stay ahead of the Broncos. Not only that, but comparing games against Virginia Tech would put the Cardinal ahead of Boise anyway.

That's all the 1-loss teams in the nation. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State follow at #9 and #10. Both Big 12 teams finished with 2 losses to other ranked teams, and beat two ranked teams, and the Sooners beat the Cowboys head to head.

SportsRatings Top 25 - final rankings for 2010 season
lw	#	Team	Rec	Losses/important wins
1	1	Auburn	14-0	w=Oregon 22-19, @Bama 28-27, LSU 24-17, Ark 65-43, @MissSt 17-14
3	2	TCU	13-0	w=Wisconsin 21-19, @Utah 47-7, San Diego St 40-35
2	3	Oregon	12-1	L=Auburn 22-19 w Stanford 52-31
4	4	Stanford	12-1	[email protected] 52-31 w=VirginiaTech 40-12
7	5	Ohio State	12-1	[email protected] 31-18 w=Arkansas 31-26
9	6	Nevada	13-1	[email protected] 27-21 w BoiseSt 34-31ot
10	7	Boise State	12-1	[email protected] 34-31ot w=Utah 26-3, @VTech 33-30
11	8	LSU	11-2	[email protected] 24-17, @Ark 31-23 w Alabama 24-21, MissSt 29-7, @TexAM 41-24
13	9	Oklahoma	12-2	[email protected] 36-27, @TexAM 33-19 [email protected] 47-41, =Neb 23-20
14	10	Oklahoma St	11-2	L Nebraska 51-41, OK 47-41 w TexAM 38-35, Tulsa 65-28
15	11	Alabama	10-3	[email protected] 35-21, @LSU 24-21, Aub 28-27 w=MSU 49-7, @Ark 24-20, MissSt 30-10
8	12	Arkansas	10-3	[email protected] 65-43, Bama 24-20, =OSU 31-2 w LSU 31-23, =TexAM 21-14, @MissSt38-31ot
5	13	Michigan St	11-2	[email protected] 37-6, =Alabama 49-7; w Wisconsin 34-24
6	14	Wisconsin	11-2	[email protected] 34-24, =TCU 21-19 w OhioSt 31-18
12	15	Missouri	10-3	[email protected] 24-17, =Iowa 27-24, @Neb 31-17 w OK 36-27, TexAM 30-9, SDSU 27-24
16	16	Texas A&M	9-4	L Mizzou 30-9, =Ark 21-14, @OKst 38-35, LSU 41-24 w OK 33-19, Neb 9-6
17	17	Nebraska	10-4	L Texas 20-13, =Wash 19-7, =OK 23-20, @TexAM 9-6 w Mizz 31-17, @OKst 51-41
21	18	Mississippi St	9-4	[email protected] 29-7, Aub 17-14, @Bama 30-10, Ark 38-31ot
18	19	Virginia Tech	10-3	L JMadison 21-16, =Stanford 40-12, Boise 33-30 [email protected] State 41-30
19	20	Utah	10-3	[email protected] 28-3, =BoiseSt 26-3, TCU 47-7 [email protected] 38-34
24	21	Tulsa	10-3	L @ECU 51-49, @SMU 21-18, @OKst 65-28 [email protected] 62-35
25	22	Central Florida	11-3	[email protected] 17-13, SMiss 31-21, NCst 28-21
--	23	San Diego St	9-4	[email protected] 24-21, @Mizz 27-24, @TCU 40-35, Utah 38-34
--	24	Northern Illinois	11-3	[email protected] 27-10, @ILL 28-22, =MiamiOH 26-21
--	25	NC State	9-4	[email protected] 33-27ot, @Clem 14-13, @Mary 38-31, VTech 41-30 [email protected] 28-21
		out:
20	--	South Carolina	9-5	[email protected] 31-28, =FSU 26-17, Ark 41-20, Aub x 2; wBama 35-21
22	--	Hawaii	10-4	[email protected] 31-13, USC 49-36, Tulsa 62-35, @Boise 42-7; wNev 27-21
23	--	West Virginia	9-4	L Syr 19-14, @UConn 16-13ot, =NCState 23-7, @LSU 20-14

Alabama rocked Michigan State, clearly demonstrating the pecking order between the teams. The Spartans had a better season up to that point and deserved a high ranking, but clearly weren't among the elite teams The Tide jump to #11, followed by Arkansas (whom they beat 24-20), then Michigan State. Wisconsin deserved to be higher (and MSU lower), but the Spartans beat the Badgers head-to-head.

 The rest of the Big 12 follows, with Missouri, Texas A&M, and Nebraska all having lost their bowl games. But the Tigers have three top 25 wins, and A&M and Nebraska have two each. #18 Mississippi State's résumé is almost identical to #16 Texas A&M's, but without any big wins.

#19 Virginia Tech and #20 Utah also have nearly identical profiles: A minor top 25 win, an ugly loss to a non-ranked team, a bad loss to a top five team (Stanford and TCU), and a defeat by Boise State. But the Hokies kept it close against Boise, something Utah couldn't do.

Tulsa and Central Florida represent Conference USA, each having just three losses. Tulsa lost to ECU by 2, SMU by 3, and to Oklahoma State, and destroyed Hawaii in their bowl game. UCF had three competitive losses, won the conference, and beat Georgia in their bowl game.

Three new teams made it in with strong competition from a few that didn't. San Diego State comes in at #23 after wiping out Navy. The Aztecs lost four games by 15 points total, three of those to top 25 teams. Northern Illinois finished 11-3 with a big bowl win. North Carolina State beat former #23 West Virginia in their bowl, holds a win over UCF, and won the #25 spot due to their previous win over Florida State.

Others considered

• The Seminoles nearly made the cut by beating South Carolina.
• The Gamecocks finished 9-5 with two losses to Auburn, which really means they lost to 4 teams.  
• Hawaii holds the only win over Nevada, but their home loss to Tulsa in the Hawaii bowl was too much and they fell out.
• Maryland won big in their bowl game, too, but they had losses to other teams considered (FSU, West Virginia) and were behind them in line.  
• Air Force was 9-4 with losses only to ranked teams, SDSU made it instead due to head-to-head competition.  
• Miami of Ohio went 10-4 and won the MAC but really were not a top 25 caliber team.
• Temple was the only other 4-loss team and they didn't even get to go to a bowl game.

Comments

[Ben]

Iowa would wipe the floor with Hawaii!!!