Last
week’s ranking in ( )’s. NR = not ranked. W = watch list. (AP, USA,
Harris, BCS)
#1
(1) Ohio State (10-0): Make
no mistake the Buckeyes were in trouble against Wisconsin who was
playing without star running back P.J. Hill. Then when it mattered most
they answered in a big way. Once the Badgers tied it 17-17 their next
three possessions went for touchdowns on drives of 80, 48 and 25 yards.
Defensively they held Wisconsin’s next five drives to 5, 5, -5, 11 and
-3. This team knows how to respond to adversity. (1, 1, 1, 1)
#2
(3) Kansas (9-0): This was
an eye popping display of offense, even against a battered Nebraska
team. They opened with a three and out while closing with a punt. Their
middle 12 possessions ended with 11 touchdowns and a missed field goal.
It hardly mattered that the defense was erratic. It is hard to blame
them from losing focus while the offense destroys an opponent. Now I
believe they should be the favorite over Missouri in what is ostensibly
the Big XII North title game on November 24. I also think Oklahoma
wants no part of these guys. (5, 5, 5, 4)
#3
(4) Oregon (8-1): With the
Pac-10 title on the line they never let Arizona State have a chance.
Their opening three drives went 76, 73 and 75 yards for touchdowns to
open a 21-3 lead. The offense was erratic after that, but it didn’t
matter. They added two third quarter touchdowns and never allowed the
Sun Devils closer than 5 points, holding them to 2/13 production on
third down. Now it’s a week off before a Thursday night trip into the
desert at Arizona which could prove dangerous. (3, 3, 3, 3)
#4 (5)
LSU (8-1): As crazy as
it sounds, their defense made the difference in a 41-34 win. Only three
times did Alabama really drive the ball, twice for 80 yards and a
touchdown and their first drive of 43 for a field goal. Their other 13
possessions covered a total of 105 yards on 57 plays. They also created
the game winning turnover. It was an emotional game going up against
Saban and the result was a few big plays allowed. In the end they got
it done yet again in a close game. Not since the final week in
September have they won by more than 7 points, a stat that will change
this week against Louisiana Tech. (2, 2, 2, 2)
#5
(2) Arizona State (8-1): It
sure didn’t look like Rudy Carpenter missed practice. He had 379 yards
passing, but lost to a more efficient Dennis Dixon who beat him in the
touchdown department 4-2. The offense took too long to get going and
when it did in the fourth quarter they were undone by an interception
and fumble following two promising drives. While those drives were
happening the defense was shutting Oregon down in the fourth quarter,
an Arizona State specialty this season, with drives of 23, 19, 3 and 15
ending in Duck punts. Now they hit the road to play mysterious UCLA
while hoping Oregon stumbles. (9, 9, 9, 9)
#6
(7) Hawaii (8-0): They have an opportunity over the final month
to make up some ground in the BCS, but it is probably a long shot for
them going to the national championship. This week they were off and it
was good timing because a pretty good Fresno State team comes over the
Pacific to play them this week. Those two games at the end of the year
still loom (Boise State, Washington) but it looks like a BCS at-large
is all they will get. (14, 12, 10, 16)
#7
(8) West Virginia (8-1): If not for their loss to South Florida
we might be talking about the #1 team in the country. Their wins have
all come by 17+ points and they will be favored in their final four
games, three of which are at home. This week they were off to prepare
for a still dangerous Louisville team. Then it’s off to another
potential stumbling block at Cincinnati before closing at home with
Connecticut and Pittsburgh. Everything is in front of them now. (6, 6,
6, 7)
#8
(9) Oklahoma (8-1): The offense rolled right along against Texas
A&M, reeling off six touchdown drives of 61+ yards with at least
one of them coming in each quarter. Bradford completed 70% of his
passes with 284 yards and 5 touchdowns while a trio of backs totaled 40
carries for 173 yards. Is it any wonder they went 8/14 on third down?
This is a balanced attack capable of marching towards a possible BCS
title game. The defense did their thing when the outcome was in doubt.
Texas A&M’s first 7 drives totaled just 55 yards on 27 plays as
they built a 35-0 lead. (4, 4, 4, 5)
#9
(10) Missouri (8-1): In what could have been a trap game, they
threw the Buffaloes into it instead, rolling up a 55-10 win at
Colorado. After falling behind 10-7 they went on a 48-0 run to close it
out. The total yards went 598-196 showing just how much the Tigers
dominated. Nine times they marched at least 37 yards and never allowed
a drive over 31 yards. When they did lose the lead, what followed was
defensive domination. Colorado’s next 7 drives failed to produce a
first down and their most productive drives totaled 4 plays. If they
can handle Texas A&M and Kansas State (road) it should be an
exciting Big XII North “title game” in Kansas. (7, 7, 7, 6)
#10
(6) Boston College (8-1): Last week I said I expected them to
stumble on the road. They didn’t wait that long. The curse of the teams
ranked #2 took a week to kick in, but an erratic Matt Ryan did them in.
Their 80 yard march in the opening quarter ended in an interception,
and when they fell behind 20-17 another Ryan interception was taken in
for the game clinching touchdown. Perhaps equally troubling was their
defense allowing 452 points to Florida State who is not an offensive
power. Now the Eagles have to rally on the road, and if they can’t beat
Clemson on their field in two weeks they likely won’t even play for the
ACC title. (8, 8, 8, 8)
#11
(11) Connecticut (8-1): The Huskies opened up a 25-6 lead in
the second quarter with offense, defense and special teams. Most of
their success was in rendering a lot of yards by Rutgers (511)
pointless as drives of 72, 83, 69, 42, 36, 38 and 59 ended with a total
of 6 points. The phrase “bend but don’t break” comes to mind. Their
offense kept control of the game with drives of 74, 67 and 75
consecutively starting midway through the third quarter. Like it or not
they are in control of the Big East. If West Virginia should stumble
against Louisville or at Cincinnati this team could back into the
conference title. Otherwise they will need to earn it against the
Mountaineers in their stadium. (16, 16, 16, 13)
#12
(13) Virginia Tech (7-2): After a disheartening loss to Boston
College it showed a lot about their character seeing them hit the road
to crush a decent Georgia Tech team 27-3. They drove the ball well over
the course of the first three quarters when the result was in doubt,
six times moving it 40+ yards. Their defense never allowed the Yellow
Jackets to move it more than 45 yards, allowing just 271 yards total
with 2 sacks and 6 turnovers. They still have a great shot at a rematch
with Boston College in the ACC title game. (11, 11, 13, 11)
#13
(12) Georgia (7-2): Stepping out of SEC play late in the season
they probably wanted a walkover, but instead Troy gave them a tussle.
Their offense really never got into rhythm thanks to a 2/11 showing on
third down. Despite scoring 44 points only three of their drives were
over 38 yards. They let Troy march 63+ yards on them five times. The
Trojans are a decent team, but usually a Georgia defense wouldn’t let a
team like this pile up 488 total yards and 34 points. Still, they were
in charge throughout and never really in danger of losing. (10, 10, 11,
10)
#14
(14) USC (7-2): The Trojans took full advantage of an Oregon
State team playing without stud rusher Yvenson Bernard. USC’s defense
had an opportunity to flex their muscles and held them to just 176
total yards and 3/17 on third down while sacking Canfield 9 times.
Offensively it wasn’t pretty, but they made plays in the second quarter
to build the 24-3 lead and didn’t need more. Booty returned to have a
mediocre game (19/33 157 yards 2 TD, no turnovers) and at least stave
off the people who think this team is finished. They won’t be defending
their Pac-10 title unless something crazy happens, but can prove a few
people wrong with road wins over the next two games (Cal, Arizona
State). (12, 15, 14, 17)
#15
(21) Clemson (7-2): Very quietly the Tigers have climbed back
into the picture and suddenly control their own destiny in the ACC
Atlantic. Their most recent 47-10 rout of Duke has them right back in
the mix. Defensively they allowed only two drives over 31 yards,
recorded 3 sacks and forced 2 turnovers. On offense they pushed it down
the field every other time they had it, five times going 50+ yards in a
thorough beat down of a bad team. If they can beat Wake Forest it sets
up an Atlantic division “title game” on their home field against Boston
College in two weeks. (20, 20, 20, 21)
#16
(16) Michigan (8-2): My prevailing thought during their come
from behind win over Michigan State was that this team has no chance of
beating Ohio State. The Spartan defense held them to drives of 8, 6, 0,
7, 7 and -2 in the meat of this game. Eventually the Wolverines wore
them down with two touchdown marches covering 79 and 66 yards to win
the game. How an offense with four NFL prospects can struggle this much
is a mystery to me. Thus far they have proven to be the second best
team in one of the weakest conferences, and I would not be surprised to
see them lose at Wisconsin next week. (13, 13, 15, 12)
#17
(18) Auburn (7-3): Much of the SEC was stepping outside of the
conference to stomp terrible teams and this was no exception. Right out
of the gate they went exactly 64 yards on their opening three
possessions for a 21-3 lead and never looked back. I don’t blame them
for coasting as they prepare for a tough game at Georgia this week. Any
threat against them ended with the defense producing a turnover. Now
the Mississippi State loss haunts them because they are out of the SEC
West race. (18, 17, 18, 18)
#18
(20) Florida (6-3): They finally unleashed Percy Harvin and he
had almost 200 total yards in the first half, finishing with 223 and
two touchdowns on 20 touches. It was an utter thrashing of Vanderbilt
as they took out some frustration. Their opening 9 possessions went for
7 touchdowns, a missed field goal and an interception before they shut
it down. Defensively they held the Commodores to no more than 21 yards
on six of their first seven drives to set the tone. It would take a
weird turn of events for them to win the SEC East, but stranger things
have happened this season. (17, 18, 17, 15)
#19
(22) California (6-3): The defense finally showed up for the
Golden Bears and then the offense went into hibernation. On Washington
State’s first nine possessions spanning the opening three quarters they
never drove more than 41 yards. Cal’s offense was erratic at best with
marches of 80 (TD) and 91 (FG) surrounded by 0, 5, 0 and 8 among six
total possessions where they failed to gain 10 yards. When it mattered
they closed it out with a long touchdown from Forsett, but this was a
lazy effort from a team trying to break a losing streak. Their season
now comes down to USC where a win could propel them to another 10 win
campaign. (24, 27, 25, 27)
#20
(26) Virginia (8-2): All the Cavaliers do is win games and for
the fifth time they did so by 2 points or less. This could really be a
3-7 team if a few breaks went the other way, but they will play for the
ACC Coastal title in three weeks against Virginia Tech regardless of
how their game at Miami, FL this week turns out. Against Wake Forest
they survived despite punting 7 times and giving it away on downs.
Never did they move it more than 58 yards, but they held the Demon
Deacons under that number on all but one of their drives as well. It
was a slugfest and they made the final punch. (23, 21, 21, 19)
#21
(23) Tennessee (6-3): It was the kind of demolition you would
expect when facing a team with one win out of the Sun Belt. They punted
once after driving 24 yards. Other than that they scored touchdowns on
all but one drive, an opening 57 yard march for a field goal. The
defense gave up some yards despite holding Louisiana-Lafayette to 7
points and that might be the only bad thing that happened. Even against
a weak opponent they needed this to keep up their confidence as they
prepare for Arkansas and Vanderbilt. (22, 24, 24, 24)
#22
(25) Texas (8-2): Are you kidding me? After digging a 35-14
hole at Oklahoma State thanks in part to three McCoy interceptions they
marched for a total of 298 yards to score 24 points and beat the
Cowboys. The defense gave up 594 yards, but a short missed field goal
bailed them out. Charles is apparently in charges with another 180
yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. I still don’t know how good this team
is and we won’t find out against Texas Tech or Texas A&M (road).
(15, 14, 12, 14)
#23
(29) Boise State (8-1): This is probably the best team in the
WAC right here. They had everything going for them in a 42-7 rout of
San Jose State, a team who took Hawaii into overtime. After fumbling
deep in Spartan territory the first time they had the ball and then
punting they reeled off five touchdown drives in a row to make it a
rout. On defense they allowed just one drive over 25 yards and gave up
a total of 198 yards. San Jose State was 2/14 on third down. If Ian
Johnson, who played for the first time in two weeks, can stay healthy
for their trip to Hawai this could be the BCS buster from the WAC. (19,
19, 19, 20)
#24
(17) Alabama (6-3): It felt like they stayed in the game against
LSU with smoke and mirrors, losing the yardage battle 475-254. When
your quarterback completes only 35% of his passes it is hard to win in
the SEC. They hung around on Flynn’s mistakes, but had a lot of
unsuccessful drives on a tough defense. After opening with a 43 yard
march for a field goal, 13 of their next 15 drives failed to go over 24
yards. LSU went 54+ yards five times and made the key plays when it
mattered most. Now that the SEC West title is out of the picture they
need to focus at giant killer Mississippi State this weekend. (21, 23,
22, 22)
#25
(28) Kentucky (6-3): Over their final three games this team has
to decide if they are simply a team fortunate enough to upset LSU or
one that can compete with anyone in the nation. After taking this week
off they head to Vanderbilt and Georgia prior to a home finale against
Tennessee. A sweep could give them the SEC East title in remarkable
fashion. They need to tighten up the defense though. Six teams have
scored at least 27 points on them. (24, 22, 23, 25)
#26
(30) BYU (6-2): Max Hall had himself a game with 355 yards
passing and 3 touchdowns to lead them past Colorado State. The Cougars
showed no ill effects of having their game against San Diego State
postponed last week due to the wildfires. They are in complete control
of the Mountain West with a two game lead over four teams, two of which
they have already beaten. Next up is a dangerous TCU team that
occasionally shows up big. (28, 30, 32, 32)
#27
(NR) Cincinnati (7-2): In a battle of teams who had lost their
last two games the Bearcats were more interested in snapping their
losing streak at South Florida. A wild first quarter featured two
non-offensive touchdowns for each team, but Cincinnati got the better
of the offensive action to lead 31-14. From there it was just a matter
of holding on. South Florida mounted some drives, seven times going 43+
yards but turnovers ended two of them and the last died with the final
gun. Suddenly now Cincinnati can get back into the Big East race
because Connecticut and West Virginia visit them the next two weeks.
(27, 28, 27, 30)
#28
(NR) Arkansas (6-3): I never stopped believing this was a good
team. They just needed a couple of patsies to regain their swagger for
this game against South Carolina. McFadden’s 323 rushing yards set an
SEC record which is saying something considering the likes of players
who have come through this conference. It was part of a 541 yard
rushing attack with Felix Jones chipping in 163 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Only three times did they fail to gain 47 yards in a drive as they
terrorized South Carolina. Now they try to spoil the SEC East title
aspirations of Tennessee. (31, 32, 31, 33)
#29
(19) Wake Forest (6-3): In a defensive showdown they were forced
into third down on offense too many times, delivering on 8/20. Six of
their twelve drives failed to go 10 yards and when you’re playing
Virginia it is wise to build more than a 16-10 lead. It was a
relatively mistake free game on both side and the Cavaliers simply have
that magic going this season. Now the Demon Deacons try to recover from
blowing a chance at getting back into the ACC Atlantic race by visiting
Clemson. (34, 34, 35, 35)
#30
(15) South Florida (6-3): Matt Grothe made too many mistakes
for his team to overcome. His three first half interceptions all took
place in Cincinnati territory with one returned for a touchdown. He was
trying to sling them back into the game on 31/54 passing for 382 yards.
Eight turnovers is simply too much and you can blame the Bearcat
defense that earlier this year forced 7 against Oregon State. The Bulls
have taken a huge stumble from their #2 BCS standing, but can finish
strong by beating the lesser teams in the Big East the next three
weeks. (33, 37, 33, 28)
Dropped
out:
#24 South Carolina (35, 35, 34, 34)
#27 Rutgers (NR, NR, 39, NR)
Watch
list:
Florida State (6-3) 26, 31, 30, 26
Fresno State (6-3) NR, 40, 40, 41
Illinois (7-3) 30, 29, 29, 31
Penn State (7-3) 29, 25, 26, 23
Texas Tech (7-3) NR, 33, 38, 37
Troy (6-3) 37, NR, NR, NR
Wisconsin (7-3) 33, 26, 28, 29
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