| Harris Poll | Coaches Poll | Computer Avg. |
1. Oregon (10-0) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
2. Auburn (11-0) | 2 | 2 | 1 |
3. TCU (11-0) | 4 | 4 | 3 |
4. Boise State (9-0) | 3 | 3 | 6 |
5. LSU (9-1) | 6 | 6 | 3 |
6. Stanford (9-1) | 8 | 8 | 5 |
7. Wisconsin (9-1) | 5 | 5 | 12 |
8. Nebraska (9-1) | 9 | 9 | 8 |
9. Ohio State (9-1) | 7 | 7 | 13 |
10. Oklahoma St. (9-1) | 12 | 10 | 6 |
11. Alabama (8-2) | 11 | 12 | 9 |
12. Michigan State (9-1) | 10 | 11 | 10 |
13. Arkansas (8-2) | 13 | 13 | 13 |
14. Oklahoma (8-2) | 14 | 14 | 15 |
15. Missouri (8-2) | 16 | 16 | 11 |
16. Virginia Tech (8-2) | 15 | 15 | 20 |
17. South Carolina (7-3) | 17 | 17 | 19 |
18. Nevada (9-1) | 18 | 18 | 17 |
19. Texas A&M (7-3) | 20 | 19 | 16 |
20. Iowa (7-3) | 19 | 20 | 20 |
21. Mississippi St. (7-3) | 22 | 22 | 18 |
22. Arizona (7-3) | 23 | 23 | 22 |
23. Utah (8-2) | 21 | 24 | 23 |
24. Miami (FL) (7-3) | 24 | 21 | 28 |
25. Florida State(7-3) | 25 | NR | 29 |
Fell from poll: Florida, Kansas State
Voters get it right…? There wasn’t a whole lot of turmoil in either of the polls this week. If there was any, it surrounds Boise State and TCU. Boise, after walking over rival Idaho, moved one step ahead of the Horned Frogs in both of the human polls, and rightfully so I believe. TCU struggled with a good San Diego State team at home, but it was the Utah loss to Notre Dame which hurt the Frogs the most. The Oklahoma State Cowboys seem to bring the most indecisiveness from voters. The offense is on point every week, while the defense carries concern. I don’t agree with the decision to drop Stanford a few spots in the human polls. This is still a very good Cardinal team, even despite the near loss to ASU last week. Wisconsin moved up to a No. 5 ranking, mostly in part to their 83 points scored Saturday. A lot of teams can score 83 points in a game, not many try to, however. I like the Virginia Tech jump to No. 15, the Hokies are one of college football’s hottest teams right now, having won eight straight games.
Computer Malfunctions…? Let me start out by saying Boise State with a No. 6 average ranking in the computers is an absolute mockery. The SEC bias continues to hold up in the polls, evident of the LSU No. 3 rankings. The Oklahoma State No. 6 ranking is surprising to me, especially because Nebraska beat the Cowboys by 10 and the Cornhuskers bring in a No. 8 ranking. Did I say surprising, because I meant leaves me dumbfound. I can’t even really think of why that ranking would come about. The computers surprisingly like Michigan State as the best Big Ten team. The Spartans bring in a No. 10 ranking, with Wisconsin and Ohio State having averages of No. 12 and No. 13 respectively. The race for a champion should work its way out in the next few weeks. Surprisingly, there was one ranking I liked from the computers this week, that being No. 17 Nevada. The humans gave the Wolf Pack a No. 18 ranking, while the computers gave the non-AQ a little more love. The Wolf Pack continues to be a team Boise should be very worried about on the road in the coming weeks.
Biggest Movers…The top 10 teams remained completely intact and the same as last week. Boise gained some ground on current No. 3 TCU and has a chance to surpass the Horned Frogs in the coming weeks with games against Fresno State and No. 18 Nevada. Oklahoma surprisingly moved up a couple spots, rebounding from their loss to Texas A&M, with a win over Texas Tech Saturday. Virginia Tech took a big step forward with their win over North Carolina. With a win over Miami Saturday, the Hokies are primed for an ACC Championship game appearance. Texas A&M, one of the hottest teams down the stretch right now, moved up from No. 25 to No. 19 with their come from behind win over Baylor. Falling this week in the polls were Iowa and Utah, who both fell in upsets Saturday.
Welcome to the Top 25…Two teams made a move back to the BCS this week in Miami (FL) and Florida State. Ironically the Hurricanes take the spot above the Seminoles, even after the dominating performance by Florida State when the two played earlier this season. Florida State kept their ACC Title chances alive with a win over Clemson, but will need to beat Maryland then get some help from Maryland against NC State if they want to make the title game. Miami has a chance to make a statement against Virginia Tech at home Saturday, but to make the ACC title, the Canes will need the Hokies to lose to Virginia in their final game.
We were snubbed...! I think there is one team in particular that can argue a ranking, that team being Northwestern. The Wildcats upset Iowa for the third straight season Saturday. At 7-3 on the year, the Wildcats still have room to end the year with double-digit wins. The loss of starting quarterback Dan Persa surly hurts their chances though. It would be interesting to see where USC would be ranked in the BCS this week. The Trojans, who can’t play in a bowl for two years, took a No. 20 ranking in the AP this week, after their win over No. 22 Arizona in the desert.
There’s always next week…There are quite a few teams that need to be on upset alert this week. Stanford, fresh off of a scare by Arizona State, heads to Cal to take on a Bears team that nearly knocked off the nation’s No. 1. The Bears are playing for a bowl berth and play angry at home. Ohio State heads to Iowa this week in the Big Ten. Ohio State is playing well, but Iowa is never an easy place to play, especially with the Hawkeyes heading off of a loss. We saw that very same outcome against Michigan State earlier this season. Virginia Tech needs to be weary of a hot Miami team on the road this week. The Canes will be looking for revenge from last year’s loss and the last time the Hokies traveled to South Florida, they walked away with a loss. The last team on upset alert is Missouri. The Tigers head to Iowa State on senior day, to take on a Cyclones team that has shown up in big games this season. ISU took Nebraska to overtime just weeks ago and took down Texas earlier this season on the road.
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