The SportsRatings Weekly Top 25 is a subjective ranking of the top 25 college football teams in the style of the AP or USA/Coaches poll. Our rankings properly reflect head-to-head results and give additional consideration to teams who have victories over other top 25 teams.
The entire top half of our rankings stays the same as there were no major upsets over the weekend. Probably the biggest upset was #22 Auburn beating #16 Mississippi State, a result even more unexpected than the ranking difference between the teams would make it seem.
But starting at the top: Stanford handled Duke (at Duke) 44-14, not allowing the Blue Devils a point on offense until 1:30 left in the game. #2 Alabama took care of Penn State on the road in much the same manner as they beat them last year at home, 27-11. Florida State mauled I-AA Charleston Southern 62-10, and rounding out the top five Oklahoma and Boise State were idle. Florida State and Oklahoma meet next weekend in a game with potentially huge national championship repercussions.
#6 Wisconsin beat Oregon State 35-0, still an impressive shutout despite the Beavers' loss to Sacramento State last weekend. Louisiana State pounded on I-AA Northwestern State 49-3 with yet another quarterback at the helm most of the game.
South Carolina had the toughest game of any team in the top ten as they faced Georgia in a back-and-forth affair but came out on top 45-42. For comparison's sake, #5 Boise State beat the Bulldogs much more convincingly last week. Side note: Georgia should pretty easily be a 7-5 team and 9-3 isn't unrealistic at all, so those calling for Mark Richt's scalp should wait a while.
#9 Texas A&M was idle and fellow (for now) Big Twelve team Oklahoma State bashed Arizona much like they did in last year's Alamo Bowl, winning 37-14.
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SportsRatings Top 25 - week two 2011 (thru 9/10/2011)
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Team
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Rec
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Losses/important wins
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| 1 | 1 | Stanford | 2-0 | |
| 2 | 2 | Alabama | 2-0 | |
| 3 | 3 | Florida State | 2-0 | |
| 4 | 4 | Oklahoma | 1-0 | |
| 5 | 5 | Boise State | 1-0 | |
| 6 | 6 | Wisconsin | 2-0 | |
| 7 | 7 | Louisiana State | 2-0 | wOregon 40-27 |
| 8 | 8 | South Carolina | 2-0 | |
| 9 | 9 | Texas A&M | 1-0 | |
| 10 | 10 | Oklahoma State | 2-0 | |
| 11 | 11 | Ohio State | 2-0 | |
| 12 | 12 | Arkansas | 2-0 | |
| 13 | 13 | Oregon | 1-1 | [email protected] 40-27 |
| 14 | 14 | California | 2-0 | |
| 19 | 15 | Florida | 2-0 | |
| 18 | 16 | Virginia Tech | 2-0 | |
| 17 | 17 | Southern Cal | 2-0 | |
| 21 | 18 | Arizona State | 2-0 | wMizzou 37-30ot |
| 22 | 19 | Auburn | 2-0 | wMissSt 41-34 |
| 20 | 20 | Nebraska | 2-0 | |
| 23 | 21 | Baylor | 1-0 | wTCU 50-48 |
| 24 | 22 | South Florida | 2-0 | [email protected] 23-20 |
| 15 | 23 | Missouri | 1-1 | [email protected] 37-30ot |
| 16 | 24 | Mississippi State | 1-1 | [email protected] 41-34 |
| 25t | 25 | TCU | 1-1 | [email protected] 50-48 |
| out: | ||||
| 25t | -- | Notre Dame | 0-2 | L USF 23-20, @Mich 35-31 |
Ohio State was very lucky that they didn't suffer their first in-state loss since 1921 as they held off Toledo 27-22. The Rockets were driving in the red zone but couldn't convert on 4th down. Toledo has played much better than expected the first two weeks of the season and they host Boise State next Friday which will make for another good secondhand comparison between top teams.
Arkansas had no trouble with, or mercy for, New Mexico, winning 52-3, and Oregon rebounded with a 69-20 beating of Nevada. On the other hand, #14 California once again held their spot—barely—as they edged Colorado 36-33 in overtime. The Bears look increasingly shaky as a ranked team, but then again last week's victim Fresno State gave Nebraska plenty of trouble.
New #15 Florida has defeated their first two opponents 80-3. Even though those opponents were Florida Atlantic and Alabama-Birmingham, it's still 80-3. They move up four spots and will get a better test against Tennessee next weekend. They hop over Virginia Tech who had trouble dispatching East Carolina 17-10, and USC, who holds at #17 again after having their 2nd close call at home against Utah. The Utes were lined up for the tying field goal but the Trojans got a clutch block to win 17-14 (the touchdown run-back didn't count due to 'sideline interference' as the team poured on the field). UPDATE: The call was reversed hours later and now, apparently, the official final score is USC 23, Utah 14.
Just behind the Trojans are the Sun Devils. Arizona State got a huge win over #15 Missouri and move up to #18. It could have gone either way of course—they won 37-30 in overtime—but a win's a win. Likewise, though Auburn beat Mississippi State 41-34 they were at home and needed a goal-line stand to win. The Tigers, so disparaged last week and unceremoniously dropped from the AP rankings for struggling with Utah State, move up to #19 in our rankings as the Bulldogs fall to #24, one spot behind ASU victim Missouri. Mississippi State has their own shot at redemption Thursday when they take on #7 LSU.
Nebraska holds at #20 after surviving a scare from Fresno State, followed by Baylor (idle) and South Florida who beat Ball State 37-7. As Notre Dame falls from the top 25 after starting 0-2 and losing to Michigan 35-31 Saturday, the Bulls lose their bragging points, but unlike the Wolverines they beat the Irish at Notre Dame. TCU now has the #25 spot all to themselves; they beat Air Force pretty impressively, winning 35-19 in a game that wasn't even as close as that score.
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