Monday, November 23, 2009

TOP 25, WEEK 12

After rewarding Rutgers and Stanford with significant jumps in the rankings last week, they showed me they did not care for my respect as they lost their respective games. Rutgers was pummelled by Syracuse, and Stanford lost to its rival. Both fell from the rankings. They may make it back into the final rankings, but at this point they are on the outside looking in. Everyone in the top 12 either won or was idle, so no changes there. I was poised to move Temple up significantly to number 14, but after I saw the results of Rutgers and Stanford following their big leaps, I kept them at a more modest 17 (the lowest ranked 2 loss team). I have joined the Temple bandwagon and want to see them keep winning, so I did not want to jinx them with an 8-3 Ohio team on the schedule this week for a chance to play Central Michigan in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship game. Therefore, Central Michigan and Temple swapped spots. I have to say my favorite part of doing the rankings this week was dropping LSU out following its loss to Ole Miss. I think I am getting too much gratification over LSU's misfortunes, but I don't think unranked status is too harsh of a punishment. There are many other quality three-loss teams. With rivalries getting into full swing next week, we may see more major shake ups in the rankings. Stay tuned.


1. TCU (11-0)

2. Cincinnati (10-0)

3. Alabama (11-0)

3. Texas (11-0)

5. Florida (11-0)

6. Boise State (11-0)

7. Georgia Tech (10-1)

8. Pittsburgh (9-1)

9. Oregon (9-2)

10. Ohio State (10-2)

11. Houston (9-2)

12. Iowa (10-2)

13. Penn State (10-2)

14. Central Michigan (9-2)

15. Oklahoma State (9-2)

16. Utah (9-2)

17. Temple (9-2)

18. Clemson (8-3)

19. North Carolina (8-3)

20. Wisconsin (8-3)

21. Navy (8-3)

22. Nevada (8-3)

23. Nebraska (8-3)

24. Oregon State (8-3)

25. Ole Miss (8-3)

OTHERS TO WATCH: Troy, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Miami (FL), USC, Boston College, LSU, Rutgers, Stanford

3 comments:

  1. Hey Scott,

    Are you going to do anything on the big rivalry matchups this week?

    The BCS published their list of the teams still eligible for a BCS bid. Are you going to comment on that? I find it interesting that BYU was included but Utah was omitted. They both have two losses and the game this weekend should be a close one.

    Which teams do you think will earn their invites/get selcted.

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  2. Also, since you bleed a little blue, do you think that BYU can overcome its weaknesses from a year ago against Utah? The Utes had the personell to really stretch BYU beyond the breaking point. Do they still have the right people? Is BYU going to contain Jordan Wynn better than they did Andy Dalton or Cristian Ponder? Will the BYU secondary hold or break against an agressive passing offense?

    King Louie is no longer dominating on special teams, I think that will be a key difference between this year and last year. Can BYU execute well enough to win?

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  3. TCU,
    Those are excellent questions. I am highlighting the BYU-Utah rivalry everyday on www.isportsweb.com. The poll question focuses on rivalries, too.

    I saw the BCS list and am working on a response to that, but it will also appear on www.isportsweb.com. I did notice the exclusion of Utah. I have lots of thoughts on that list and who is/isn't on it.

    All your questions about BYU-Utah will be included in my Game Preview on Friday.

    Glad to see you are still following the blog.

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