Projections for rankings beginning week 10: BCS Top Five
1. Alabama
2. Kansas State
3. Oregon*
4. Notre Dame*
5. LSU**
*Notre Dame on the bubble to be ranked third.
**Georgia on the bubble to be ranked fifth.
AP Top Five
1. Alabama
2. Oregon*
3. Kansas State*
4. Notre Dame
5. LSU**
*Kansas State on the bubble to be ranked second.
**Georgia on the bubble to be ranked fifth.
USA Today Coaches Poll Top Five
1. Alabama
2. Oregon*
3. Kansas State*
4. Notre Dame
5. LSU**
*Kansas State on the bubble to be ranked second.
** Georgia on the bubble to be ranked fifth.
Other Projections: Nebraska will be ranked in the top 25 of the Coaches Poll and BCS Standings. Kansas State will be the new number two in the BCS Standings for week 10. The Wildcats also are beginning to gain traction in the AP and Coaches polls. AP voter and ESPN analyst, Kirk Herbstreit, stated during the Notre Dame at Oklahoma game that K-State should be ranked second. Nearly half of the undefeated teams (5 of 11) lost this week: Florida, Mississippi State, Ohio, Oregon State, and Rutgers. Three of the big four unbeatens in the BCS top 10 - Kansas State, Oregon, and Notre Dame - will continue to closely vie for position in the rankings. Oregon and Notre Dame will be approximately .0050 to .0150 apart from each other in the BCS Standings, no matter who lands at third. Oregon's win over Colorado did not help them any in the BCS Standings. Colorado is only ranked 157th in the Sagarin College Football Ratings, one of six computers in the BCS. Notre Dame defeated Oklahoma, number eight in both the BCS and Sagarin Ratings, so the computers will highly favor the them. If there is enough voter influence for the Irish, then they could land at two, but I have not noticed a huge push for Notre Dame to jump Oregon quite yet. Nebraska will be ranked in the top 25 of the Coaches Poll and BCS Standings. The Cornhuskers were the second team out of the Harris Poll and Coaches poll last week, both components of the BCS. After their win against Michigan, they should easily jump back into the rankings. I am more confident in these projected rankings than the last couple weeks' projections, but who knows, the BCS and polls are full of surprises. ESPN's Brad Edwards is projecting the top four to be 1. Alabama, 2. Kansas State, 3. Notre Dame, and 4. Oregon, but he must be counting on voters also favoring the Irish. I may post an update again before the BCS Standings come out sometime after the Coaches Poll noon release time. Updates will now be listed in the post rather than the comments section. ***Update Oct 28 Sunday 3 PM ET*** Official AP and Coaches Poll top five: 1. Alabama, 2. Oregon, 3. Kansas State, 4. Notre Dame and 5. LSU. It is going to be tight between Oregon and Notre Dame for three in the BCS.***Update Oct 28 Sunday 4:55 PM ET*** The voters might end up putting Notre Dame at three in the BCS, but I am still not sure. Even though the Irish did not jump the Ducks in the human polls, they did get a boost in points. Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has Notre Dame projected at third in the BCS by a .0077 margin over Oregon. It can go either way and may even be closer than Palm's projection.***Update Oct 28 Sunday 9:40 PM ET*** Official BCS top five: 1. Alabama, 2. Kansas State, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Oregon, and 5. LSU. Notre Dame beat out Oregon for the three spot by just .0011! My BCS bubble teams keep bursting the bubble lately, but it does not bother me much being off by so little. With the Ducks and Irish in such close competition, expect a good chance of Oregon taking the number three slot back as the season goes on.Follow College Football Universe late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings for projections before the official polls are released. On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollegeFootballUniverseblogOn Twitter: @cfuniverse
 In the Keg of Nails rivalry, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater helped lead the Louisville Cardinals (8-0) to a hard fought 34-31 overtime victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats (5-2) on Friday to stay undefeated.
Bridgewater (6-3, 218) is the catalyst for the Louisville offense with a 70.7 completion percent for the season. He started off slow with his team behind 17-14 at the half against Cincinnati, but ended with an impressive 416 passing yards for the game.
The Louisville QB plays smart football and uses his checks downs often; he throws a good spiral along with it as well as great timing with his receivers on the long ball. Amazingly, Bridgewater is only a true sophomore.
Cardinals wide receiver Devante Parker (6-3, 204) was named player of the game with 120 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter. Parker showed he can run after the catch and haul in the deep ball.
For Cincinnati quarterback Munchie Legaux, he was the reason for most of the Bearcats' big plays, but also mostly the reason for the bad ones. Legaux had three interceptions and only completed 13 of 28 passes. He floats the ball too often and lacks zip on throws, but he is a talented runner.
This season, Louisville has had five of their eight games decided by seven points or less. Friday's game ended with touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter by both teams' quarterbacks to send the game into overtime.
In overtime, Legaux threw a bad pass that was intercepted by cornerback Terell Floyd in the end zone and Louisville made a field goal after a botched snap that did not count since Cincinnati coach Butch Jones called a timeout. Once again, the Cardinals had a game go down to the wire.
Louisville coach Charlie Strong said, "You win a football game and you know you can still improve and this football team knows it... We’re 8-0, but still we can go play so much better. We have yet to put together a 60 minute game. When is that going to happen? We need that to happen."
The most unfortunate occurrence in the game for Louisville was to team sack leader DE Lorenzo Mauldin (6-4, 240), who left the second quarter with a knee injury. As of now, his status is not known.
The toughest game left for Louisville is when they play at BCS No. 15 Rutgers on November 29. The Cardinals are solid all around, but lack the domination of many undefeated teams. If the close games continue, it looks like they will lose sooner or later. But with Bridgewater at quarterback and a hoard of underclassmen, they have further development ahead and a very bright future.
Louisville Schedule 2012 Sun. Sept 2, vs Kentucky W 32-14
Sat. Sept 8, vs Missouri State W 35-7
Sat. Sept 15, vs North Carolina W 39-34
Sat. Sept 22, at FIU W 28-21
Sat. Sept 29, at Southern Miss W 21-17
Sat. Oct 13, at Pittsburgh W 45-35
Sat. Oct 20, vs South Florida W 27-25
Fri. Oct 26, vs Cincinnati W 34-31
Sat. Nov 3, vs Temple
Sat. Nov 10, at Syracuse
Sat. Nov 24, vs Connecticut
Thu. Nov 29, at Rutgers
Illinois (2-5) still has no wins against a BCS conference school and only one win against an FBS team. In the Fighting Illini's last game, they were trounced 45-0 against Michigan.
The Illinois football program has not improved its performance early on under new head coach Tim Beckman. They did lose six straight under previous coach Ron Zook, but overall, they looked better last year. The Illini look disorganized and sloppy on the field this season.
It is just the first year at Illinois for Beckman so it may be early growing pains. He won only five games in his first season as head coach of Toledo, but followed it up with two eight-win regular seasons.
When Beckman was asked on Monday about the slow start in Champaign, he responded, "Stick with the plan, stick with what you believe in. Stick with what you do. It's been successful, so there's no reason why it can't be successful. So that's what you do. We're going to practice basically the same way that I've been practicing at Toledo, Oklahoma State and Ohio State. I'm doing exactly the things that we need to do to make ourselves successful."
Zook was an unimpressive 34-51 in seven years at Illinois, but there needs to be improvement before anyone can say Beckman is better.
If there is hope to muster any success from this season, they have an opportunity to begin doing so this weekend against Indiana (2-5); both teams share last place in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers also have no wins against a BCS conference team and only one win against an FBS program.
Illini Season Comparison
| 2011 Record 7-6
Date, Opponent, Result, Total Yards
Sept 3, vs Arkansas State, W 33-15, 473
Sept 10, vs South Dakota State, W 56-3, 519
Sept 17, vs Arizona State, W 17-14, 240
Sept 24, vs Western Michigan, W 23-20, 463
Oct 1, vs Northwestern, W 38-35, 473
Oct 8, at Indiana, W 41-29, 518
Oct 15, vs Ohio State, L 17-7, 285
Oct 22, at Purdue, L 21-14, 366
Oct 29, at Penn State, L 10-7, 286
Nov 12, vs Michigan, L 31-14, 214
Nov 19, vs Wisconsin, L 28-17, 301
Nov 26, at Minnesota, L 27-7, 160
Dec 31, vs UCLA (Bowl), W 20-14, 326
points/game: 22.6, points allowed/game: 19.6, total yards/game: 355.7
| 2012 Record 2-5
Date, Opponent, Result, Total Yards
Sept 1, vs Western Michigan, W 24-7, 248
Sept 8, at Arizona State, L 45-14, 332
Sept 15, vs Charleston Southern, W 44-0, 479
Sept 22, vs Louisiana Tech, L 52-24, 324
Sept 29, vs Penn State, L 35-7, 366
Oct 6, at Wisconsin, L 31-14, 284
Oct 13, at Michigan, L 45-0, 134
Oct 27, vs Indiana
Nov 3, at Ohio State
Nov 10, vs Minnesota
Nov 17, vs Purdue
Nov 24, at Northwestern
points/game:18.1, points allowed/game: 30.7, total yards/game: 309.6
|
Projections for rankings beginning week nine:
BCS Top Six - Alabama
- Florida
- Oregon*
- Kansas State*
- Notre Dame
- LSU
*Kansas State on the bubble to move up to three. AP Top Six - Alabama
- Oregon
- Florida
- Kansas State
- Notre Dame
- LSU
USA Today Coaches Poll Top Six - Alabama
- Oregon
- Kansas State
- Florida
- Notre Dame
- LSU
Other Projections: Louisiana Tech and Texas will be ranked in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll. Louisville will be ranked in the top 15 of the BCS Standings. On the Top 25 Bubble: Ohio is on the bubble to be ranked in the Coaches Poll Top 25. Kansas State is on the bubble to be ranked third in the BCS Standings. Only one top ten team lost this weekend in the BCS Standings, but there is still a chance of a mild shake up in the top five. Expect Oregon and Kansas State to be in close competition since only .0030 separated them in the BCS for week eight. I am still projecting the Ducks at three, but I would not be surprised to see the Wildcats overtake their spot, especially since K-State defeated the higher ranked opponent. I was off last week mostly from overshooting on Notre Dame as well as by the same surprise to everyone of Florida debuting at two in the BCS Standings. Notre Dame may not move up unless or until they defeat Oklahoma and USC on the road while winning the rest of their games convincingly. Florida will be closer to Alabama than last week, but still not enough to threaten the Tide's number one ranking. As long as the Gators and the Crimson Tide keep winning, the SEC championship will determine one half of the BCS title game. Which team will face the SEC champ in the BCS National Championship is still murky at this point. Kansas State, Notre Dame, and Oregon could all cause a predicament in the BCS if they stay undefeated. Louisville was previously ranked 14th in the Coaches poll for week eight and the Cardinals will be ranked in the BCS top 15 for week nine. Losses in the bottom portion of the top 25 will opponent up a spot for Louisiana Tech to jump back into the rankings after their 70-28 demolition of Idaho. Texas will also be back in both polls for week nine. The Longhorns were already ranked 25th in the BCS. Ohio is on the bubble to break the top 25 of the Coaches Poll and was in the AP Top 25 for week eight. If the Bulldogs or Longhorns do not break the top 25, the Bobcats are the next one in the Coaches Poll. Follow College Football Universe late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings for projections before the official polls are released. On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollegeFootballUniverseblog On Twitter: @cfuniverse
2013 SEC Football Schedule (Conference Games Only)
Week by Week
Aug. 31
Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
Sept. 7
South Carolina at Georgia
Sept. 14
Alabama at Texas A&M
Mississippi State at Auburn
Vanderbilt at South Carolina
Sept. 21
Auburn at LSU
Tennessee at Florida
Sept. 28
Ole Miss at Alabama
Texas A&M at Arkansas
Florida at Kentucky
LSU at Georgia
Oct. 5
Arkansas at Florida
Ole Miss at Auburn
Georgia at Tennessee
Kentucky at South Carolina
LSU at Mississippi State
Missouri at Vanderbilt
Oct. 12
Alabama at Kentucky
South Carolina at Arkansas
Florida at LSU
Missouri at Georgia
Texas A&M at Ole Miss
Oct. 19
Arkansas at Alabama
Auburn at Texas A&M
Florida at Missouri
Georgia at Vanderbilt
South Carolina at Tennessee
LSU at Ole Miss
Oct. 26
Tennessee at Alabama
Kentucky at Mississippi State
South Carolina at Missouri
Vanderbilt at Texas A&M
Nov. 2
Auburn at Arkansas
Georgia vs. Florida (Jacksonville)
Mississippi State at South Carolina
Tennessee at Missouri
Nov. 9
LSU at Alabama
Arkansas at Ole Miss
Auburn at Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Florida
Missouri at Kentucky
Mississippi State at Texas A&M
Nov. 16
Alabama at Mississippi State
Georgia at Auburn
Florida at South Carolina
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Nov. 23
Mississippi State at Arkansas
Kentucky at Georgia
Texas A&M at LSU
Missouri at Ole Miss
Vanderbilt at Tennessee
Nov. 30
Alabama at Auburn
Arkansas at LSU
Tennessee at Kentucky
Ole Miss at Mississippi State
Texas A&M at Missouri
The 2013 SEC Championship Game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
*Saturday dates listed are subject to change based on television selections.
| Team by Team ALABAMA
Sept. 14 at Texas A&M
Sept. 28 OLE MISS
Oct. 12 at Kentucky
Oct. 19 ARKANSAS
Oct. 26 TENNESSEE
Nov. 9 LSU
Nov. 16 at Mississippi State
Nov. 30 at Auburn
ARKANSAS
Sept. 28 TEXAS A&M
Oct. 5 at Florida
Oct. 12 SOUTH CAROLINA
Oct. 19 at Alabama
Nov. 2 AUBURN
Nov. 9 at Ole Miss
Nov. 23 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nov. 30 at LSU
AUBURN
Sept. 14 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 21 at LSU
Oct. 5 OLE MISS
Oct. 19 at Texas A&M
Nov. 2 at Arkansas
Nov. 9 at Tennessee
Nov. 16 GEORGIA
Nov. 30 ALABAMA
FLORIDA
Sept. 21 TENNESSEE
Sept. 28 at Kentucky
Oct. 5 ARKANSAS
Oct. 12 at LSU
Oct. 19 at Missouri
Nov. 2 vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)
Nov. 9 VANDERBILT
Nov. 16 at South Carolina
GEORGIA
Sept. 7 SOUTH CAROLINA
Sept. 28 LSU
Oct. 5 at Tennessee
Oct. 12 MISSOURI
Oct. 19 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 2 vs. Florida (Jacksonville)
Nov. 16 at Auburn
Nov. 23 KENTUCKY
KENTUCKY
Sept. 28 FLORIDA
Oct. 5 at South Carolina
Oct. 12 ALABAMA
Oct. 26 at Mississippi State
Nov. 9 MISSOURI
Nov. 16 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 23 at Georgia
Nov. 30 TENNESSEE
LSU
Sept. 21 AUBURN
Sept. 28 at Georgia
Oct. 5 at Mississippi State
Oct. 12 FLORIDA
Oct. 19 at Ole Miss
Nov. 9 at Alabama
Nov. 23 TEXAS A&M
Nov. 30 ARKANSAS
OLE MISS
Aug. 31 at Vanderbilt
Sept. 28 at Alabama
Oct. 5 at Auburn
Oct. 12 TEXAS A&M
Oct. 19 LSU
Nov. 9 ARKANSAS
Nov. 23 MISSOURI
Nov. 30 at Mississippi State
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 14 at Auburn
Oct. 5 LSU
Oct. 26 KENTUCKY
Nov. 2 at South Carolina
Nov. 9 at Texas A&M
Nov. 16 ALABAMA
Nov. 23 at Arkansas
Nov. 30 OLE MISS
MISSOURI
Oct. 5 at Vanderbilt
Oct. 12 at Georgia
Oct. 19 FLORIDA
Oct. 26 SOUTH CAROLINA
Nov. 2 TENNESSEE
Nov. 9 at Kentucky
Nov. 23 at Ole Miss
Nov. 30 TEXAS A&M
SOUTH CAROLINA
Sept. 7 at Georgia
Sept. 14 VANDERBILT
Oct. 5 KENTUCKY
Oct. 12 at Arkansas
Oct. 19 at Tennessee
Oct. 26 at Missouri
Nov. 2 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nov. 16 FLORIDA
TENNESSEE
Sept. 21 at Florida
Oct. 5 GEORGIA
Oct. 19 SOUTH CAROLINA
Oct. 26 at Alabama
Nov. 2 at Missouri
Nov. 9 AUBURN
Nov. 23 VANDERBILT
Nov. 30 at Kentucky
TEXAS A&M
Sept. 14 ALABAMA
Sept. 28 at Arkansas
Oct. 12 at Ole Miss
Oct. 19 AUBURN
Oct. 26 VANDERBILT
Nov. 9 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nov. 23 at LSU
Nov. 30 at Missouri
VANDERBILT
Aug. 31 OLE MISS
Sept. 14 at South Carolina
Oct. 5 MISSOURI
Oct. 19 GEORGIA
Oct. 26 at Texas A&M
Nov. 9 at Florida
Nov. 16 KENTUCKY
Nov. 23 at Tennessee
*Saturday dates listed are subject to change based on television selections.
|
Big 12 teams dominate the new strength of schedule rankings. The main reason is that there are almost no weak teams in conference, other than the Kansas Jayhawks. All 10 of the Big 12 conference members are ranked in the top 25 of the SOS. Notre Dame's schedule was considered the most difficult during the preseason, but the Fighting Irish are now rated at 20 in the SOS ranking. The Florida Gators are a couple spots ahead at 18, but the Oregon Ducks are a little behind at 42; however, the Pac-12 Championship would boost the Ducks' SOS. The Kansas State Wildcats are sitting at 13, but of course the Big 12 no longer has a championship game. As you can see, five of the top ten teams in the SOS rankings have losing records: Kansas, California, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Auburn. The strength of schedule ranking is based on the average opponent rank for each team according to the College Football Universe power rankings previously posted for beginning week eight (non-FBS teams scheduled were rated at 124) and the full season schedule is calculated. The SOS is not necessarily perfect, but is a good estimate and better than a typical win-loss percent. 1. Kansas 39.3333 2. Iowa State 41.25 3. Texas 41.4167 4. California 42.8333 5. Oklahoma State 42.8333 6. Arkansas 43.0833 7. Kentucky 44.1667 8. Stanford 45.1667 9. Auburn 45.4167 10. Oklahoma 45.3333 11. Missouri 46 12. Arizona 46.5 13. Kansas State 47.0833 14. Baylor 47.25 15. Michigan State 47.3333 16. West Virginia 48.0833 17. Texas Tech 48.25 18. Florida 50.25 19. Michigan 50.3333 20. Notre Dame 50.6667 21. Oregon State 51.3333 22. LSU 51.5833 23. Nebraska 51.75 24. USC 52.0833 25. TCU 52.1667 26. Tennessee 52.75 27. Washington 52.8333 28. Boston College 53 29. Illinois 53.75 30. Utah 54.5 31. Colorado 55.1667 32. Alabama 55.5 33. Washington State 55.75 34. Virginia 55.8333 35. UCLA 56.1667 36. Ole Miss 56.25 37. Syracuse 56.6667 38. Iowa 56.8333 39. Penn State 58 39. South Florida 58 41. South Carolina 58.3333 42. Oregon 58.4167 43. Vanderbilt 59.25 44. Texas A&M 59.9167 44. Wake Forest 59.9167 46. Arizona State 60.5833 47. Georgia Tech 60.6667 48. Wisconsin 61.9167 49. Purdue 62.3333 50. Miami FL 62.6667 51. Ohio State 63.4167 52. Temple 63.4545 53. Indiana 64.75 54. Clemson 65 55. Mississippi State 65.3333 56. Florida State 65.5833 56. Virginia Tech 65.5833 58. Maryland 65.6667 59. Northwestern 66.25 60. Pittsburgh 66.8333 61. Minnesota 67.4167 62. Idaho 68.3333 63. Duke 68.8333 64. Miami OH 69.0833 65. Connecticut 69.1667 65. North Carolina State 69.1667 67. North Carolina 70.5 68. Buffalo 70.5833 69. Eastern Michigan 70.9167 70. Florida Atlantic 71.6667 71. Hawaii 71.8333 72. North Texas 71.9167 73. Georgia 72.25 74. Ball State 72.5833 75. FIU 73.3333 76. New Mexico State 73.5 77. Texas State 73.5833 78. Fresno State 73.75 79. Cincinnati 74.0833 79. Massachusetts 74.0833 81. BYU 74.3333 82. Southern Miss 74.25 83. Akron 74.3333 84. UTEP 75 85. Wyoming 75.25 86. UNLV 75.5385 87. Army 75.5833 88. San Jose State 76.5 89. Rutgers 76.6667 90. Arkansas State 76.75 91. Tulane 76.8333 92. Navy 78.1667 93. Marshall 78.25 94. SMU 78.75 95. Troy 79 96. UAB 79.1667 97. Louisville 79.8333 98. New Mexico 80.3077 99. South Alabama 81.0769 100. Bowling Green 81.3333 101. Louisiana Lafayette 81.5 102. Boise State 81.6667 103. Utah State 82.0833 104. Tulsa 82.3333 105. Colorado State 82.5833 106. Houston 82.8333 107. Central Michigan 83.25 108. San Diego State 83.3333 109. Louisiana Monroe 84.3333 110. Western Kentucky 84.6667 111. Toledo 84.8333 112. Louisiana Tech 85.4167 113. Nevada 85.6667 114. Air Force 85.8333 115. Western Michigan 86.1667 116. Middle Tennessee 86.25 117. Kent State 86.5 118. Rice 88.3333 119. UCF 89.3333 120. East Carolina 90.9167 121. Memphis 92.8333 122. Ohio 94.4167 123. Northern Illinois 95.1667 124. UTSA 98
No one can argue at this point about which team is number one in college football. It is without a doubt the Alabama Crimson Tide. They easily have the best offensive line in the nation led by center Barrett Jones (Sr. 6-5 302, no sacks allowed) and the rest of the line is loaded with definite future NFL talent. The Tide are currently 25th overall in rushing with 217.2 yards per game. The Alabama defense is stifling once again and any worries of how the newcomers would do are basically forgotten. They lead almost every major defensive statistical category including allowing just 55.3 rush yards and 125.8 pass yards per game, along with 7.5 points allowed per game. The most significant win on Alabama’s resume so far may be the season opener against Michigan in a 41-14 blow out. The Tide have yet to lose momentum after the demolition of the Wolverines and have rolled over every opponent since. The speedy Oregon Ducks have done their job this season by running over everyone in their path while winning on average by 32.3 points per game. The Ducks offense possibly possesses the fastest players in college football. Multi-purpose playmaker De'Anthony Thomas previously ran a 4.36 secs 40-yard dash. While most experts agree on the top two teams, I think three through five are more muddled. I give Notre Dame the edge, but can not criticize anyone too much for having Florida or Kansas State at three. However, all of them have a chance of going down hill with the schedules ahead. Some teams have stayed around their preseason rank while there have been major moves by others. In the words of Alabama coach Nick Saban, "This weekend kind of proved that your predictability is not very good. I think what it proved is the only thing predictable about college football is its unpredictability."The power rankings are for the first seven weeks of the season as well as the Tuesday game for week eight. The 124 FBS teams rated below are based on which teams that I perceive as the best. The rankings are not based on historical merit or prediction. The power rankings are not of the most deserving, but I do take the opponents that they defeated into consideration when evaluating the teams. In regards to a mathematical rating based on the most worthy, please refer to the Fair Ranking System standings that I completed after week five and plan to do again by end of season. College Football Power Ranking Top 124
1. Alabama 6-0
2. Oregon 6-0
3. Notre Dame 6-0
4. Florida 6-0
5. Kansas State 6-0
6. LSU 6-1
7. South Carolina 6-1
8. Ohio State 7-0
9. Oklahoma 4-1
10. USC 5-1
11. Florida State 6-1
12. Oregon State 5-0
13. Georgia 5-1
14. Texas Tech 5-1
15. West Virginia 5-1
16. Texas A&M 5-1
17. Clemson 5-1
18. Rutgers 6-0
19. Louisville 6-0
20. Mississippi State 6-0
21. Cincinnati 5-0
22. Boise State 5-1
23. TCU 5-1
24. Stanford 4-2
25. Iowa State 4-2
26. Michigan 4-2
27. Arizona State 5-1
28. Ohio 7-0
29. Penn State 4-2
30. Northwestern 6-1
31. BYU 4-3
32. Louisiana Tech 5-1
33. Texas 4-2
34. Ole Miss 4-3
35. UCLA 5-2
36. Nebraska 4-2
37. Western Kentucky 5-1
38. Wisconsin 5-2
39. Baylor 3-2
40. Tulsa 6-1
41. Iowa 4-2
42. Michigan State 4-3
43. Maryland 4-2
44. North Carolina State 4-2
45. Northern Illinois 6-1
46. Arizona 3-3
47. Toledo 6-1
48. Oklahoma State 3-2
49. Nevada 6-1
50. Kent State 5-1
51. Utah State 5-2
52. Washington 3-3
53. North Carolina 5-2
54. Virginia Tech 4-3
55. Miami FL 4-3
56. Duke 5-2
57. Tennessee 3-3
58. Louisiana Monroe 4-2
59. UCF 4-2
60. San Jose State 4-2
61. Wake Forest 3-3
62. Minnesota 4-2
63. Vanderbilt 2-4
64. Missouri 3-4
65. Bowling Green 4-3
66. California 3-4
67. Temple 3-2
68. New Mexico 4-3
69. Fresno State 4-3
70. San Diego State 4-3
71. Arkansas State 4-3
72. Arkansas 3-4
73. East Carolina 4-3
74. Utah 2-4
75. Middle Tennessee 4-2
76. North Texas 3-4
77. Louisiana Lafayette 4-2
78. UTSA 5-1
79. Navy 3-3
80. Air Force 3-3
81. Syracuse 2-4
82. Pittsburgh 2-4
83. Purdue 3-3
84. Connecticut 3-4
85. Ball State 4-3
86. Texas State 3-3
87. Houston 3-3
88. Troy 3-3
89. Central Michigan 2-4
90. Miami OH 3-4
91. Indiana 2-4
92. Rice 2-5
93. Auburn 1-5
94. Illinois 2-5
95. Western Michigan 3-4
96. Georgia Tech 2-4
97. Washington State 2-5
98. Army 1-5
99. South Florida 2-4
100. Kentucky 1-6
101. Virginia 2-5
102. Colorado State 1-6
103. Colorado 1-5
104. Kansas 1-5
105. Akron 1-6
106. Boston College 1-5
107. UAB 1-5
108. Buffalo 1-5
109. SMU 2-4
110. Marshall 2-4
111. UTEP 1-6
112. Hawaii 1-5
113. Wyoming 1-5
114. FIU 1-6
115. Southern Mississippi 0-6
116. Memphis 1-5
117. Florida Atlantic 1-5
118. South Alabama 1-5
119. UNLV 1-6
120. Idaho 1-6
121. New Mexico State 1-5
122. Eastern Michigan 0-6
123. Tulane 1-5
124. Massachusetts 0-6
Projections for rankings beginning week eight:
BCS Top Five
1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Notre Dame
4. Florida*
5. Kansas State
*Florida is on the bubble to be ranked third in the BCS.
USA Today Coaches Top Five
1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Notre Dame
4. Kansas State
5. Florida*
*Florida is on the bubble to be ranked fourth in the Coaches Poll.
AP Poll Top Five
1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Florida
4. Notre Dame*
5. Kansas State
*Notre Dame is on the bubble to be ranked third in the AP Poll.
Other Projections: LSU, Oklahoma, and South Carolina will be ranked in the top 10 of all rankings projected.
Six ranked teams from the USA Today Coaches poll lost in week seven and two in the top five. Alabama will be ranked number one in the two human polls and should be high enough in the computer rankings to secure the top spot in the BCS.
Notre Dame had the most publicity this weekend with ESPN College Gameday in South Bend and the attention from the dramatic overtime finish against Stanford. The Irish are now a BCS national championship contender after the win over the Cardinal.
The closest competition in the BCS rankings will probably be between Notre Dame and Florida for number three. The Fighting Irish and Gators will be ranked close to each other in the human and computer rankings.
LSU will most likely fall just outside the top five and should be the top ranked one loss team in the BCS standings, but it depends how high the computer rankings boost them up.
Just in case you do not know, the BCS rankings are comprised from the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Harris Poll, and computer rankings. I also provide AP top 25 projections since it is an influential ranking, but is not part of the BCS.
Follow College Football Universe late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings for projections before the official polls are released.
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollegeFootballUniverseblog
On Twitter: @cfuniverse
 The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (5-1) defeated the Troy Trojans (3-3) Thursday night 31-26 for their first win in Troy, Alabama, despite five fumbles and two turnovers by WKU. The Hilltoppers have won four straight by playing possession football and almost never panicking when trailing or after mistakes.
Western Kentucky's average time of possession per game is over 33 minutes and they have had the ball longer than their opponent in every game this season.
WKU head coach Wille Taggart's style is influenced by his time as a running backs coach at Stanford. When asked this summer about the influence from Stanford on the Western Kentucky football program, Taggart responded with, “I got the blue prints.”
The only loss for the Hilltoppers this season came against the number one Alabama Crimson Tide. Western Kentucky defeated the SEC's Kentucky Wildcats 32-31 in overtime and have won two straight Sun Belt conference match ups as part of their four consecutive victories. Dating back to last season, the Hilltoppers have won 12 of their last 14 games with the only two losses coming against LSU and previously mentioned Alabama.
On the Monday after WKU's win over Kentucky, Taggart said, "We want everyone to know our name. Right now, everyone doesn't know [our name]. We are not in the top 25, so it's not good enough. We have to continue to work. At the end of the season, we want everyone to know who we are and what we are about. Right now, we are on schedule to do what we set out to do."
For the Sun Belt conference as a whole, they have made some strides this season in college football with some key non-conference wins. The conference has boasted two wins against SEC programs and another versus an ACC school.
Western Kentucky Time Of Possession Per Game
Date, Opponent, WKU Time, Opponent TimeSept 1 Austin Peay 32:53, 27:07 Sept 8 at Alabama 32:28, 27:32 Sept 15 at Kentucky 36:07, 23:53 Sept 22 Southern Miss 35:42, 24:18 Sept 29 at Arkansas State 30:22, 29:38 Oct 11 at Troy 33:32, 26:28 Average time of possession: 33 mins 34 secs Source: FoxSports.com | WKU Coach Willie Taggart (14-16) at Sun Belt Media Day | Tight end Jack Doyle 5 receptions & 1 TD against Troy. |
There are 16 unbeaten teams remaining in college football so let's take a look at how they rank in comparison. Of course, the Alabama Crimson Tide are number one in points allowed per game and of the combined three rankings listed (ppg, papg, & owl). The Tide could possibly play two undefeated teams this season in Mississippi State and the SEC East division champion. Alabama still has a tough SEC schedule, but they are one of the teams most likely to remain unbeaten by season's end, primarily because of their top ranked defense. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are a close second in the combined rankings, points allowed per game, and opponent win loss percent. Notre Dame has plenty of tough games ahead including Stanford, at Oklahoma, and at USC. If the Irish do manage to make it through the season without a loss, then they will most likely be in the BCS national championship and possibly have a Heisman Trophy finalist in linebacker Manti Te'o. The Oregon Ducks are another team that could stay undefeated if they continue to roll teams like they have been doing. The Ducks are second in points per game of the unbeaten teams and do not appear to be slowing down. They have loads of speed led by De'Anthony Thomas, but there are some tough road games left on the schedule- at Arizona State, at USC, and at Oregon State. The state of Ohio has a chance at a team going undefeated for the season with both the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Ohio Bobcats currently without a loss. And both have manageable schedules. The Buckeyes toughest three opponents left are Penn State, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The Bobcats most difficult opponent remaining is Kent State. They have each done well on offense, but both teams average giving up more than 20 points per game. The Cincinnati Bearcats are another Ohio team that could finish without a loss, but the Bearcats have two challenging games remaining against unbeaten ranked opponents, Louisville and Rutgers. The West Virginia Mountaineers have the best opponent win loss percent listed below and are third in points per game, but second to last in points allowed per game. The Mountaineers have the current Heisman front-runner in quarterback Geno Smith, but are bound to garner a loss with the type of defense they play. West Virginia also has to play fellow Big 12 unbeaten Kansas State on October 20th. According to the statistics listed, the Louisville Cardinals are the most overrated of the undefeated teams. The Cardinals did beat a winless Southern Miss team by just four points and a one win FIU team by only seven. Three Big East teams still do not have a loss, but only one will remain unblemished since they all play each other. The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are scoring the most points among the unbeatens while allowing the most points scored. Louisiana Tech has their toughest challenge yet in week seven against Texas A&M. The Aggies are scoring 44.6 points per game and the Bulldogs allow 35.8 points per game. La Tech does have home field advantage so this is an interesting match up. Either way, expect a high scoring game. The Texas San Antonio Roadrunners played the weakest schedule so far. UTSA has played three FCS teams with South Alabama and New Mexico State as their other two opponents. However, going 5-0 is impressive for such a new FBS program (currently in transition), but do not plan on their record remaining unmarked since they have more FBS teams on the latter half of the schedule. FCS opponents were not included in the opponent win loss percent. Seven of the teams have not played FCS opponents: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana Tech, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon State, and South Carolina. Four of the seven have FCS opponents scheduled: Alabama, Florida, Oregon State, and South Carolina. There are four conferences without an undefeated team: ACC, Conference USA, Mountain West, and Sun Belt. See how the undefeated teams rank in comparison. Points Per Game 1. Louisiana Tech 53.2
2. Oregon 52.3
3. West Virginia 52
4. Kansas State 43.6
5. Alabama 40.2
6. Ohio State 38.5
7. UTSA 37.8
8. Ohio 36.8
9. South Carolina 36.3
10. Mississippi State 34.2
11. Cincinnati 34
12. Louisville 31
13. Notre Dame 28.8
14. Florida 27.2
15. Rutgers 25.4
16. Oregon State | Opponent Win-Loss Percent 1. West Virginia 60%
2. Notre Dame 59.26%
3. Florida 57.14%
4. Oregon State 54.17%
5. Oregon 51.72%
6. Ohio State 50%
7. Alabama 48.15%
8. Kansas State 47.62%
9. Cincinnati 47.06%
10. South Carolina 44.12%
11. Rutgers 30.44%
12. Mississippi State 28.57%
13. Louisiana Tech 27.59%
13. Ohio 27.59%
15. Louisville 26.09%
16. UTSA 18.18%
| Points Allowed Per Game 1. Alabama 7
2. Notre Dame 7.8
3. South Carolina 10.5
4. Rutgers 10.8
5. Florida 11.4
6. Mississippi State 13.4
7. Cincinnati 13.8
8. Kansas State 15.6
8. UTSA 15.6
10. Oregon State 17
11. Louisville 18.6
12. Oregon 20
13. Ohio State 20.5
14. Ohio 22.8
15. West Virginia 35
16. Louisiana Tech 35.8 | Combined Rank 1. Alabama 5-0
2. Notre Dame 5-0
3. Oregon 6-0
3. West Virginia 5-0
5. Kansas State 5-0
6. Florida 5-0
7. South Carolina 6-0
8. Ohio State 6-0
9. Cincinnati 4-0
10. Mississippi State 5-0
11. Louisiana Tech 5-0
11. Oregon State 3-0
11. Rutgers 5-0
14. UTSA 5-0
15. Ohio 6-0
16. Louisville 5-0 | AP Top 25 1
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18 | | Games left between possible undefeated teams
Oct. 20 South Carolina at Florida
Oct. 20 Kansas State at West Virginia
Oct. 26 Cincinnati at Louisville
Oct. 27 Mississippi State at Alabama
Nov. 3 UTSA at Louisiana Tech
Nov. 17 Rutgers at Cincinnati
Nov. 24 Oregon at Oregon State
Nov. 29 Louisville at Rutgers
Dec. 1 SEC Championship
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