Well, that was interesting. It is hard to decide what was the highlight of the weekend – South Carolina’s loud pronouncement of their intention, Florida continuing to quietly amass the best resume in the county, Notre Dame sort of doing the same thing, or the Big Ten and ACC competing to see which conference outlook is the most depressing. That said, Ohio State is clearly a national title contender, oh …. As always, rankings below are as of yesterday’s action, and the methodology can be found here:
| Rank | Team | W | L | RPI | Margin | PairWins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 5 | 0 | 0.746 (3) | 30.231 (4) | 121 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 5 | 0 | 0.758 (1) | 28.27 (6) | 120 |
| 3 | Alabama | 5 | 0 | 0.675 (8) | 36.893 (1) | 118 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 6 | 0 | 0.704 (5) | 23.787 (11) | 117 |
| 5 | Oregon | 6 | 0 | 0.67 (10) | 30.955 (2) | 117 |
| 6 | South Carolina | 6 | 0 | 0.685 (7) | 29.903 (5) | 117 |
| 7 | Kansas State | 5 | 0 | 0.633 (13) | 26.753 (8) | 116 |
| 8 | Stanford | 4 | 1 | 0.748 (2) | 22.148 (15) | 116 |
| 9 | West Virginia | 5 | 0 | 0.702 (6) | 23.683 (12) | 116 |
| 10 | Georgia | 5 | 1 | 0.655 (11) | 23.017 (13) | 113 |
| 11 | Oregon State | 4 | 0 | 0.713 (4) | 13.61 (33) | 112 |
| 12 | Texas | 4 | 1 | 0.627 (16) | 30.908 (3) | 111 |
| 13 | Iowa State | 4 | 1 | 0.674 (9) | 21.396 (17) | 110 |
| 14 | Boise State | 4 | 1 | 0.628 (15) | 14.559 (30) | 109 |
| 15 | Florida State | 5 | 1 | 0.597 (24) | 22.65 (14) | 109 |
| 16 | Cincinnati | 4 | 0 | 0.6 (23) | 17.883 (22) | 108 |
| 17 | Texas Tech | 4 | 1 | 0.61 (20) | 23.867 (10) | 108 |
| 18 | Penn State | 4 | 2 | 0.592 (25) | 16.465 (25) | 106 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 3 | 1 | 0.578 (31) | 27.468 (7) | 102 |
| 20 | Arizona | 3 | 3 | 0.628 (14) | 14.865 (28) | 101 |
| 21 | Baylor | 3 | 1 | 0.618 (18) | 20.143 (19) | 101 |
| 22 | USC | 4 | 1 | 0.616 (19) | 15.665 (27) | 99 |
| 23 | LSU | 5 | 1 | 0.581 (29) | 16.301 (26) | 98 |
| 24 | Michigan State | 4 | 2 | 0.626 (17) | 13.424 (35) | 98 |
| 25 | Michigan | 3 | 2 | 0.587 (26) | 21.535 (16) | 97 |
| 26 | Mississippi State | 5 | 0 | 0.574 (33) | 13.457 (34) | 97 |
| 27 | Texas A&M | 4 | 1 | 0.582 (28) | 25.226 (9) | 96 |
| 28 | Tulsa | 5 | 1 | 0.58 (30) | 9.323 (49) | 96 |
| 29 | Clemson | 5 | 1 | 0.567 (39) | 16.885 (24) | 92 |
| 30 | San Jose State | 4 | 1 | 0.571 (37) | 12.244 (40) | 89 |
| 31 | Nebraska | 4 | 2 | 0.577 (32) | 13.17 (37) | 88 |
| 32 | Arizona State | 4 | 1 | 0.552 (46) | 19.273 (20) | 87 |
| 33 | Missouri | 3 | 3 | 0.572 (35) | 11.379 (42) | 87 |
| 34 | Northwestern | 5 | 1 | 0.564 (40) | 10.911 (43) | 87 |
| 35 | Washington | 3 | 2 | 0.64 (12) | 7.835 (55) | 85 |
| 36 | Western Kentucky | 4 | 1 | 0.574 (34) | 7.671 (56) | 85 |
| 37 | Toledo | 5 | 1 | 0.57 (38) | 8.043 (53) | 84 |
| 38 | NC State | 4 | 2 | 0.571 (36) | 10.677 (44) | 83 |
| 39 | Tennessee | 3 | 2 | 0.553 (45) | 13.926 (32) | 81 |
| 40 | Duke | 5 | 1 | 0.556 (43) | 7.218 (58) | 80 |
| 41 | Iowa | 3 | 2 | 0.559 (42) | 6.915 (61) | 78 |
| 42 | Louisville | 5 | 0 | 0.556 (44) | 6.457 (66) | 78 |
| 43 | Northern Illinois | 5 | 1 | 0.531 (55) | 7.034 (59) | 77 |
| 44 | Fresno State | 4 | 2 | 0.549 (48) | 18.196 (21) | 76 |
| 45 | Vanderbilt | 2 | 3 | 0.583 (27) | 7.029 (60) | 76 |
| 46 | Miami-FL | 4 | 2 | 0.609 (21) | 5.549 (71) | 75 |
| 47 | Louisiana Tech | 5 | 0 | 0.545 (50) | 14.326 (31) | 72 |
| 48 | UCLA | 4 | 2 | 0.527 (58) | 12.42 (39) | 72 |
| 49 | California | 2 | 4 | 0.527 (57) | 13.234 (36) | 71 |
| 50 | Kentucky | 1 | 5 | 0.607 (22) | 8.664 (51) | 70 |
| 51 | Troy | 3 | 2 | 0.534 (54) | 6.385 (67) | 69 |
| 52 | Maryland | 3 | 2 | 0.543 (51) | 3.473 (77) | 67 |
| 53 | Rutgers | 5 | 0 | 0.561 (41) | 7.426 (57) | 66 |
| 54 | Utah | 2 | 3 | 0.491 (75) | 9.407 (48) | 64 |
| 55 | BYU | 4 | 2 | 0.515 (61) | 14.587 (29) | 63 |
| 56 | North Carolina | 4 | 2 | 0.517 (60) | 17.139 (23) | 63 |
| 57 | LA-Lafayette | 4 | 1 | 0.495 (73) | 6.193 (69) | 62 |
| 58 | Ohio | 6 | 0 | 0.541 (52) | 8.797 (50) | 62 |
| 59 | TCU | 4 | 1 | 0.531 (56) | 9.954 (46) | 61 |
| 60 | UTSA | 5 | 0 | 0.479 (83) | 6.817 (63) | 61 |
| 61 | Wisconsin | 4 | 2 | 0.545 (49) | 6.836 (62) | 61 |
| 62 | Central Michigan | 2 | 3 | 0.552 (47) | -8.735 (109) | 60 |
| 63 | UCF | 3 | 2 | 0.512 (63) | 11.952 (41) | 60 |
| 64 | Nevada | 5 | 1 | 0.488 (78) | 6.763 (64) | 59 |
| 65 | Oklahoma State | 2 | 2 | 0.506 (68) | 20.535 (18) | 57 |
| 66 | Connecticut | 3 | 3 | 0.489 (77) | 6.029 (70) | 56 |
| 67 | Ball State | 3 | 3 | 0.507 (65) | 1.746 (83) | 55 |
| 68 | Wake Forest | 3 | 3 | 0.504 (69) | 0.246 (90) | 51 |
| 69 | Utah State | 4 | 2 | 0.493 (74) | 10.401 (45) | 50 |
| 70 | Temple | 2 | 2 | 0.447 (97) | 3.573 (76) | 48 |
| 71 | Minnesota | 4 | 1 | 0.537 (53) | 3.08 (78) | 47 |
| 72 | South Florida | 2 | 4 | 0.506 (67) | 6.279 (68) | 46 |
| 73 | Kent State | 4 | 1 | 0.479 (84) | -2.126 (99) | 44 |
| 74 | LA-Monroe | 3 | 2 | 0.486 (80) | 9.948 (47) | 44 |
| 75 | New Mexico | 3 | 3 | 0.506 (66) | 4.047 (75) | 44 |
| 76 | UAB | 1 | 4 | 0.515 (62) | 1.992 (82) | 42 |
| 77 | Virginia | 2 | 4 | 0.486 (81) | -1.141 (97) | 41 |
| 78 | Arkansas | 2 | 4 | 0.498 (71) | 2.883 (79) | 40 |
| 79 | Ole Miss | 3 | 3 | 0.477 (85) | 8.352 (52) | 39 |
| 80 | Auburn | 1 | 4 | 0.485 (82) | 4.871 (72) | 38 |
| 81 | Marshall | 2 | 4 | 0.496 (72) | 2.054 (81) | 38 |
| 82 | Navy | 2 | 3 | 0.52 (59) | 1.146 (86) | 38 |
| 83 | Arkansas State | 3 | 3 | 0.498 (70) | 1.5 (85) | 37 |
| 84 | Virginia Tech | 3 | 3 | 0.467 (90) | 13.083 (38) | 36 |
| 85 | Purdue | 3 | 2 | 0.467 (91) | 7.87 (54) | 35 |
| 86 | Syracuse | 2 | 3 | 0.474 (87) | 2.7 (80) | 34 |
| 87 | Bowling Green | 3 | 3 | 0.487 (79) | 0.219 (91) | 32 |
| 88 | Buffalo | 1 | 4 | 0.456 (92) | 0.653 (88) | 28 |
| 89 | San Diego State | 3 | 3 | 0.441 (98) | 6.678 (65) | 27 |
| 90 | Illinois | 2 | 4 | 0.475 (86) | -0.728 (96) | 26 |
| 91 | SMU | 2 | 3 | 0.451 (95) | 0.703 (87) | 26 |
| 92 | East Carolina | 3 | 3 | 0.49 (76) | -2.528 (101) | 24 |
| 93 | South Alabama | 1 | 4 | 0.454 (93) | -0.605 (95) | 23 |
| 94 | Western Michigan | 3 | 3 | 0.43 (100) | 0.454 (89) | 23 |
| 95 | Houston | 2 | 3 | 0.429 (101) | -0.29 (93) | 21 |
| 96 | Indiana | 2 | 3 | 0.425 (102) | -0.153 (92) | 21 |
| 97 | North Texas | 2 | 4 | 0.469 (89) | -3.605 (103) | 21 |
| 98 | Texas State | 2 | 3 | 0.47 (88) | -6.749 (107) | 21 |
| 99 | Georgia Tech | 2 | 4 | 0.419 (106) | 4.853 (73) | 20 |
| 100 | Washington State | 2 | 4 | 0.452 (94) | -6.159 (105) | 20 |
| 101 | Wyoming | 1 | 4 | 0.424 (103) | -1.767 (98) | 18 |
| 102 | Pittsburgh | 2 | 3 | 0.387 (111) | 1.701 (84) | 17 |
| 103 | Miami-OH | 3 | 3 | 0.511 (64) | -10.436 (112) | 16 |
| 104 | FIU | 1 | 5 | 0.42 (105) | -4.863 (104) | 14 |
| 105 | Kansas | 1 | 4 | 0.402 (109) | -3.219 (102) | 14 |
| 106 | Boston College | 1 | 4 | 0.398 (110) | -2.362 (100) | 13 |
| 107 | Florida Atlantic | 1 | 4 | 0.422 (104) | -9.134 (110) | 13 |
| 108 | MTSU | 3 | 2 | 0.384 (112) | 4.234 (74) | 13 |
| 109 | Southern Miss | 0 | 5 | 0.451 (96) | -10.636 (114) | 11 |
| 110 | Hawaii | 1 | 4 | 0.417 (107) | -15.101 (120) | 10 |
| 111 | UNLV | 1 | 5 | 0.361 (115) | -6.261 (106) | 9 |
| 112 | UTEP | 1 | 5 | 0.351 (116) | -7.476 (108) | 9 |
| 113 | Air Force | 2 | 3 | 0.317 (124) | -0.425 (94) | 8 |
| 114 | New Mexico State | 1 | 5 | 0.33 (121) | -10.206 (111) | 7 |
| 115 | Rice | 1 | 5 | 0.363 (114) | -10.446 (113) | 7 |
| 116 | Non FBS | 10 | 88 | 0.413 (108) | -18.698 (122) | 6 |
| 117 | Akron | 1 | 5 | 0.314 (125) | -11.887 (117) | 5 |
| 118 | Colorado State | 1 | 5 | 0.341 (117) | -11.436 (116) | 5 |
| 119 | Army | 1 | 4 | 0.338 (118) | -12.307 (118) | 3 |
| 120 | Memphis | 1 | 4 | 0.322 (122) | -11.025 (115) | 2 |
| 121 | Tulane | 0 | 5 | 0.433 (99) | -18.73 (123) | 2 |
| 122 | Colorado | 1 | 4 | 0.338 (119) | -18.172 (121) | 1 |
| 123 | Eastern Michigan | 0 | 5 | 0.335 (120) | -20.977 (124) | 0 |
| 124 | Idaho | 1 | 5 | 0.317 (123) | -14.487 (119) | 0 |
| 125 | Massachusetts | 0 | 6 | 0.363 (113) | -21.937 (125) | 0 |
A few of the quick notes:
- First off, definitely a hat tip to West Virginia. Coming from the Big East, there has been much skepticism whether the throw-heavy attack can handle a high timber of opponent. Last week’s win over Baylor did not prove much as Baylor’s defense is pretty awful. But going to Austin, against a pretty good Texas team? There you go.
- Staying in the Big 12, last week’s surprise of Texas Tech seemed like a mirage – and well, you know …
- Florida State’s shocking loss at NC State takes them off of the National Championship chase, I’d think. Given the increasingly horrendous form of the ACC, it is hard to envision how Florida State could pile up the schedule brownie points to win a 1 loss tie. Speaking of horrible ACC form, Georgia Tech forgetting how to play defense, Virginia Tech losing at UNC after going 0-2 against the Big East, Virginia getting drubbed by Duke, Notre Dame can’t get “into” the league fast enough.
Where does this leave our BCS projection?
- The national title game. Florida has the best resume in the country, and Notre Dame with its rout of Miami is starting to pile up a lot of quality. (and Notre Dame’s schedule ahead offers many more chances)
- The Rose Bowl gets the teams it wants, Oregon vs Michigan – the highest rated of the conference unbeatens. Frankly, I’d give Ohio State the nod given their ranking and how silly prospective punishment is – but hey, we’ll follow the regs for now.
- The Sugar Bowl gets a replacement, and obviously #3 Alabama. The order to fill the rest is Fiesta, Sugar, Orange. Right now Kansas State is the Fiesta Bowl rep, and so they get Stanford. The Sugar Bowl gets West Virginia and the Orange Bowl gets – dare I say – Duke (the highest ranked unbeaten) against Cincinnati from the Big East
In summary
- BCS Title Game: Florida v Notre Dame
- Rose Bowl: Oregon v Michigan
- Fiesta Bowl: Kansas State v Stanford
- Sugar Bowl: Alabama v West Virginia
- Orange Bowl: Duke v Cincinnati
In a national semifinal sort of framework, the top four seeds are clearly Florida, Notre Dame, Alabama and Oregon – though Ohio State obviously would get in if eligible.
