The SportsRatings Top 25 is our answer to the AP and coaches' polls. This subjective "poll" properly reflects head-to-head results and give additional consideration to teams who have victories over other top 25 teams.
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After Alabama's nail-biting 32-28 victory over Georgia, the Crimson Tide will face #1 Notre Dame for the BCS championship. But if we made the matchups we'd have the Irish facing off against the Florida Gators, who we put at #2 for their superior résumé. Florida has four wins over top 13 teams, compared to just two for #3 Alabama. You can argue that Alabama beat Georgia while Florida couldn't, but the reverse is true for the games involving Texas A&M, and why is the Georgia comparison more valid? This leaves the possibility open that Florida will win our national championship, if Alabama beats Notre Dame and Florida defeats their opponent (probably Oklahoma).
Ohio State remains at #4; the Buckeyes are undefeated but with Nebraska's departure have beaten no top 25 teams. With no bowl in their future, their final spot is dependent on how the teams around them perform in the bowl season. But they have no shot at our top spot, as the #1 and #3 teams play each other.
Oregon edged up to #5, with LSU and Stanford at #6 and #7. LSU lost to only the #2 and #3 teams, narrowly, and beat the #9 and #10 teams. Stanford barely got past UCLA, 27-24, but that gives them 5 top 25 wins to go with two losses, one of which—an overtime road game against the #1, undefeated team—can't be counted against them. They jump #8 Kansas State who beat Texas 42-24 Saturday to win the Big Twelve and lock up a Fiesta Bowl slot.
Texas A&M and South Carolina are #9 and #10. The Gamecocks won the head-to-head against Georgia easily weeks ago and are now one spot ahead of the #11 Bulldogs, who had a relatively soft schedule in the SEC avoiding LSU and Texas A&M. There are once again six SEC teams in our top 11.
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SportsRatings Top 25 - week 14 2012 (thru 12/01/2012)
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Résumé: Losses; important wins
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| 1 | 1 | Notre Dame | 12-0 | w@Oklahoma 30-13, Stanford 20-13ot |
| 3 | 2 | Florida | 11-1 | L=Ga 17-9; wLSU 14-6, @TexAM 20-17, SCar 44-11, @FSU 37-26 |
| 5 | 3 | Alabama | 12-1 | L TexAM 29-24; w@LSU 21-17, =Georgia 32-28 |
| 4 | 4 | Ohio State | 12-0 | wNebraska 63-38 |
| 6 | 5 | Oregon | 11-1 | L Stanford 17-14ot; w@OreSt 48-24 |
| 7 | 6 | LSU | 10-2 | L@Fla 14-6, Bama 21-17; wSCar 23-21, @TexAM 24-19 |
| 10 | 7 | Stanford | 11-2 | L@Wash 17-13, @ND 20-13ot; w@Ore 17-14ot, OreSt 27-23, SJSt 20-17, @UCLA 35-17, UCLA 27-24 |
| 8 | 8 | Kansas State | 11-1 | L@Baylor 52-24; w@Oklahoma 24-19 |
| 9 | 9 | Texas A&M | 10-2 | L FLA 20-17, LSU 24-19; w@Bama 29-24, @LTech 59-57 |
| 11 | 10 | South Carolina | 10-2 | L@FLA 44-11, @LSU 23-21; wGeorgia 35-7, @Clemson 27-17 |
| 2 | 11 | Georgia | 11-2 | L@SCar 35-7, =Bama 32-28; w=Florida 17-9 |
| 12 | 12 | Oklahoma | 10-2 | L ND 30-13, KansasSt 24-19 |
| 13 | 13 | Florida State | 11-2 | L@NCState 17-16, Fla 37-26; wClemson 49-37 |
| 14 | 14 | Clemson | 10-2 | L@FSU 49-37, SCar 27-17; wBallSt 52-27 |
| 16 | 15 | N. Illinois | 12-1 | L=Iowa 18-17; w@BallSt 35-23, =KentSt 44-37ot, Toledo 31-24 |
| 17 | 16 | Utah State | 10-2 | L@Wisc 16-14, @BYU 6-3; wLaTech 48-41ot, SJSt 49-27 |
| 18 | 17 | San Jose St | 10-2 | L UtahSt 49-27, @Stanford 20-17; wLaTech 52-43 |
| 15 | 18 | Kent State | 11-2 | L@Kentucky 47-14, =NIU 44-37ot; wBallSt 45-43, @Rutgers 35-23 |
| 20 | 19 | Oregon State | 9-3 | L@Wash 20-17, @Stan 27-23, Ore 48-24; wUCLA 27-20 |
| 22 | 20 | Ball State | 9-3 | L@KentSt 45-43, NIU 35-23, @Clem 52-27; w@Toledo 34-27 |
| 23 | 21 | Louisiana Tech | 9-3 | L TexAM 59-57, UtahSt 48-41ot, @SJSt 52-43 |
| 25 | 22 | Louisville | 10-2 | L UConn 23-20ot, @Syr 45-26; w@Rutgers 20-17 |
| -- | 23 | Boise State | 10-2 | L@MichSt 17-13, SDSU 21-19 |
| -- | 24 | Toledo | 9-3 | L@Arizona 24-17ot, BallSt 34-27, @NIU 31-24 |
| 21 | 25 | UCLA | 9-4 | L@Cal 43-17, OreSt 27-20, Stan 35-17, @Stan 27-24; wNeb 36-30 |
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| 19 | -- | Nebraska | 10-3 | L=Wisconsin 70-31, @UCLA 36-30, @OhioSt 63-38 |
| 24 | -- | Rutgers | 9-3 | L@Pitt 27-6, KentSt 35-23, Lou 20-17 |
Oklahoma beat TCU 24-17 to hold on to their likely BCS bowl berth. A win in January would give the Sooners a big boost as it would be their only top 25 win. #13 Florida State is also headed for a BCS bowl, and theirs is guaranteed—they'll be in the Orange Bowl after beating Georgia Tech 21-15. Clemson, the other ACC team in the rankings, holds at #14.
Northern Illinois beat Kent State in a 44-37 overtime thriller, allowing the Huskies to finish the season with just one loss: by 1 point to Iowa in the season opener. They have wins over three other MAC teams in our top 25 and move up to #15. If their slim BCS bowl hopes come true they'll really have a chance to prove themselves, as well as a huge challenge. 11-2 Kent State slides to #18, while Ball State climbs to #20 and Toledo re-enters at #24.
Utah State and San Jose State of the WAC move up a notch to #16 and #17, with Louisiana Tech close behind at #21. All were idle this weekend.
Oregon State's long-delayed game with Nicholls State also happened last weekend, and it wasn't much of a contest with the Beavers winning 77-3. It wasn't that far off from Wisconsin's 70-31 beatdown of Nebraska, however, which knocked the Cornhuskers out of the top 25. Oregon State beat Wisconsin, 10-7, in their season-opener. They also beat UCLA early in the year; the Bruins hold at #25 after their 2nd loss in as many weeks to Stanford. How can a team be severely downgraded for doing better? is our logic, so the Bruins stay in the top 25 despite having four losses.
Louisville beat Rutgers 20-17 and earned a spot in the BCS as well as the Big East title (once tie-broken). The Cardinals move up to #22 and Rutgers falls out.
We could have kept Nebraska and Rutgers, but Boise State deserved a spot after beating Nevada 27-21 to finish 10-2. And Toledo's résumé was equal to Nebraska's and Rutgers', but with an overtime loss to Arizona instead of a 40-point loss to Wisconsin or a 21-point loss to Pitt. They enter at #24.
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