Some questions answered (Maryland, Notre Dame), others tabled for later (Baylor, Washington)

Before Saturday we posed 10 questions that the weekend's games might answer. Some were answered emphatically while others remain up in the air. Here are the results as we see them:

1. Q: Is Baylor the best team in the nation?
   A: Maybe
   
   Baylor beat West Virginia 73-42, a result which didn't quite match the spread in our modified rankings, but beat the pre-season spread by enough to put Baylor #1 in our Week 6 modified rankings, and the Bears hold on to #1 in our All-Division Strength power rating, too. So they could be the best team in the nation. On the other hand, they gave up 42 points. That doesn't happen often with teams that end up winning the national championship. Of course, that would rule out Alabama this year, too. The bottom line is we still need to see Baylor against better opponents and better defenses. Four games of 69+ points is impressive, amazing even, but we recall the 1989 Houston Cougars topping power ratings after four games (with three games of 65+ points) before a blitzing scheme by Texas A&M limited them to 13 points in a loss.
   
   
2. Q: How bad is Notre Dame?
   A: Not as bad as they looked in the first five games.
   
   Notre Dame beat Arizona State 37-34 in Arlington, their best game and best win of the season. The Irish move up from #42 to #38 in our modified pre-season rankings, and more importantly, from #90 to #64 in our Strength ratings. So it appears they're not headed for a dismal year, with 7-5 to 9-3 record given BYU, USC, and Stanford remaining on the schedule. A blowout loss to ASU would have spelled trouble, maybe even a losing season, but the Irish showed for the first time that they can play like a top 25 team.
   
   
3. Q: How good is Maryland?
   A: Not nearly as good as they looked before the FSU game.
   
   This was maryland's chance to show they could compete with the big boys; they couldn't, at all. After the 63-0 beatdown the real question is "is FSU the best team in the nation?" and, like Baylor, we have to answer with a definite "maybe."
   
   
4. Q: Who is better, Washington or Stanford?
   A: Unknown
   
   Stanford prevailed 31-28 at home thanks to a game-opening kickoff return touchdown and a half-ending TD pass. Take those away and Washington wins 28-17 on the road. Now, you can't just "take those away" so the result stands—a win by Stanford that pretty much covers home field advantage, meaning the teams are pretty evenly matched. But getting the win means Stanford has a big edge in the Pac-12 title race, so even if Washington is better they failed in their chance to prove it.
   
   
5. Q: Who is worse, Florida International or Southern Miss?
   A: Not certain.
   
   Now this one should have a pretty clear answer: FIU beat Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, so by the rules of head-to-head competition Southern Miss is worse. The Golden Eagles are also on a 17-game losing streak. But FIU only won by a point, 24-23, and the rest of their performances suggest they still might have to be considered the worst team in the FBS. So in this game there was no real winner.
   
   
6. Q: Playing at home, shouldn't Auburn beat Mississippi?
   A: Yes
   
   And they did, 30-22.
   
   
7. Q: Big Ten Question #1: Is Illinois the 3rd best team in the conference, or 10th best?
   A: Probably about 7th best?
   
   After getting pounded 39-19 by Nebraska, the argument for the Illini's greatness weakened a lot. Still, they're a lot better than we thought (12th in the Big Ten) and they've only lost to Washington and Nebraska.
   
   
8. Q: Big Ten Question #2: Is Michigan really any good?
   A: They can be...
   
   ...but don't count on consistency. And though they climb from #66 to #48 in our Strength power rating (and up to #23 in our modified pre-season rankings), they are still vulnerable to almost any team on their schedule. It took them a while to take control against the Gophers, and they never did have control against Akron and UConn.
   
   
9. Q: Big Ten Question #3: Could Northwestern actually be overrated?
   A: Yes.
   
   Northwestern played their best game of the season against Ohio State and are now #19 in the polls. They're just #35 in our Success rankings, so we'd say they probably don't deserve to be in the top 25—unless they beat Wisconsin next week.
   
   
10. Q: Big Ten Question #4: Is Iowa a sleeper for the Legends division title?
    A: Not anyore.
    
    Iowa sleepwalked through the Michigan State game and lost, 26-14, a game they probably needed to win to be in contention.