Irish Insanity
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They've been FBS since 2014
2018 AP & Coaches Polls
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T-Boone
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Is that right? Good on them. Makes me want to read A Walk in the Woods again.
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15 teams left with 0 or 1 loss. Here are the rankings based on their SOS this season.
Number. Team - Sagarin SOS - ESPN SOS - Aggregate - ESPN SOR
UNDEFEATED
1. Notre Dame - 36 - 29 - 32.5 - 1
2. Clemson - 40 - 39 - 39.5 - 3
3. Alabama - 51 - 52 - 51.5 - 4
1-LOSS
4. LSU - 8 - 4 - 6.0 - 2
5. Michigan - 20 - 13 - 16.5 - 5
6. Texas 19 - 15 - 17.0 - 9
7. Oklahoma - 21 - 25 - 23.0 - 11
8. Kentucky - 23 - 31 - 27.0 - 6
9. Iowa - 28 - 30 - 29.0 - 14
10. Florida - 31 - 32 - 31.5 - 10
11. NC State - 35 - 37 - 36.0 - 19
12. Georgia - 47 - 40 - 43.5 - 8
13. West Virginia - 53 - 56 - 54.5 - 18
14. Ohio State - 57 - 58 - 57.5 - 7
15. Washington State - 71 - 74 - 72.5 - 21
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After Ohio State lost to Purdue, Notre Dame now has the best Strength of Record in the country. This is purely about accomplishment -- how difficult was it to achieve the record you have? Harder to go 7-1 with LSU's schedule... <a href="https://t.co/SMS3VMEVRP">https://t.co/SMS3VMEVRP</a> <a href="https://t.co/SNHaJqg5CY">pic.twitter.com/SNHaJqg5CY</a></p>— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) <a href="https://twitter.com/SethWalder/status/1054084594344083461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Big thing first is that ND is number 1 in Strength of Record on ESPN. ND should probably root for Michigan to keep winning as it gives them probably one of the best wins in the FBS this season (Texas-Oklahoma, Florida-LSU, LSU-Georgia also come to mind). A couple of big games this weekend should eliminate a few more teams from the playoff discussion (Florida-Georgia, Iowa@PSU, Wazzu@Stanford, Kentucky@Mizzou, and a few more).
Number. Team - Sagarin SOS - ESPN SOS - Aggregate - ESPN SOR
UNDEFEATED
1. Notre Dame - 36 - 29 - 32.5 - 1
2. Clemson - 40 - 39 - 39.5 - 3
3. Alabama - 51 - 52 - 51.5 - 4
1-LOSS
4. LSU - 8 - 4 - 6.0 - 2
5. Michigan - 20 - 13 - 16.5 - 5
6. Texas 19 - 15 - 17.0 - 9
7. Oklahoma - 21 - 25 - 23.0 - 11
8. Kentucky - 23 - 31 - 27.0 - 6
9. Iowa - 28 - 30 - 29.0 - 14
10. Florida - 31 - 32 - 31.5 - 10
11. NC State - 35 - 37 - 36.0 - 19
12. Georgia - 47 - 40 - 43.5 - 8
13. West Virginia - 53 - 56 - 54.5 - 18
14. Ohio State - 57 - 58 - 57.5 - 7
15. Washington State - 71 - 74 - 72.5 - 21
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After Ohio State lost to Purdue, Notre Dame now has the best Strength of Record in the country. This is purely about accomplishment -- how difficult was it to achieve the record you have? Harder to go 7-1 with LSU's schedule... <a href="https://t.co/SMS3VMEVRP">https://t.co/SMS3VMEVRP</a> <a href="https://t.co/SNHaJqg5CY">pic.twitter.com/SNHaJqg5CY</a></p>— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) <a href="https://twitter.com/SethWalder/status/1054084594344083461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Big thing first is that ND is number 1 in Strength of Record on ESPN. ND should probably root for Michigan to keep winning as it gives them probably one of the best wins in the FBS this season (Texas-Oklahoma, Florida-LSU, LSU-Georgia also come to mind). A couple of big games this weekend should eliminate a few more teams from the playoff discussion (Florida-Georgia, Iowa@PSU, Wazzu@Stanford, Kentucky@Mizzou, and a few more).
ulukinatme
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Ha, I was just coming to post the above. Screw the bolded though.
Circa
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Tell me, Other than TA&M, who Isn't all that great yet.
Who have they played that had a team? They scheduled this season 5-6 years ago? and everyone's on their nuts because they blow out bad teams....
Or Is It because 28 year olds smoke stogies with Butch Jones after beating a bad Tenn. team.... In the locker room.
YAAAAAY GO BAMA! Teach dem boys how to get lung cancer
irishtrooper
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Circa
Conspire to keep It real
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It's a level playing field with the NFL. Ya can't get Joe Montana or Jerry Rice out of retirement, or any JUCO player to be up to NFL caliber. Why would he want anything but an NCAA to comply with his shenanigans.
Meyer went down and Is hated. If everyone had more technology when Satan ran from the Dolphins he'd be laughed at still.
Winning fixes everything? Laughable with Bama.
Crazy Balki
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Except, you're comparing ND's win over Vandy, to UF's. They're not comparable.
Firstly, not all injuries are created equal. Vandy was blowing out Florida prior to the injury to Ke'Shawn Vaughn, who is easily their best offensive player. It's not surprise that their offense stalled shortly after.
Secondly, when ND played Vanderbilt, Wimbush was still the starting QB. ND had, as they had in the previous 2 games, fizzled offensively after establishing a quality lead. Went up 16-0 and then stalled. The offense has taken massive steps forward with Book as QB, so odds are fairly high that in a rematch, it wouldn't be remotely that close.
The Pac12 is teetering on being eliminated from Playoff consideration with only WashSt(14) having one loss. Stanford winning against WSU this weekend and Washington(15) next weekend puts them on top of the North. WSU has to win out against Stanford, Washington, and probably Utah to be the Pac12's only one loss Playoff contender.
West Virginia(13), Texas(6) and Oklahoma(8) all have one loss. W.Va is similar to Stanford in that they can put themselves in the title game with wins over Texas and Oklahoma. The W.Va offense is firing on all cylinders again. Will Grier has the third highest Passer Rating nationally, has thrown 22 TDs and 7 INTs and averages over 300 yds per game passing. Oklahoma's passing defense is last (tenth) in the conference, 103rd nationally (vs P5 teams). Texas' is sixth.
In the SEC, the one loss teams are LSU, Florida, Georgia and Kentucky. The Florida(9)-Georgia(7) winner is odds on favorite for the SEC East. Kentucky still has Georgia to play. LSU(4) is living on defense alone with their only TD against MissSt after a turnover gave them the ball on MSU's 2 yd line, and taking three downs to score then. Four FGs otherwise. They can't stay with Alabama. Their total offense is seventh in the conference behind Florida(6th) and A&M(5th). We will see only one SEC team with one loss outside of Alabama before the championship game.
Ohio State(11), Michigan(5) and iowa(18) are the one loss teams in the BIG. TCU gave Ohio State twenty points in their twelve point win. Minnesota gave OSU ten points and missed two FGs in their sixteen point loss. They squeaked by Penn State by one point before the loss to Purdue. They don't seem to be able to muster a running game, averaging just over 100 yds per game in their last four games putting them close to the conference bottom over that period. Iowa has Penn St and Purdue the next two weekends. Michigan may well be the only Big10's one loss team.
I'd love to see Stanford win the Pac, Mich win the B10 and VaTech go to the ACC Championship as ND wins out.
West Virginia(13), Texas(6) and Oklahoma(8) all have one loss. W.Va is similar to Stanford in that they can put themselves in the title game with wins over Texas and Oklahoma. The W.Va offense is firing on all cylinders again. Will Grier has the third highest Passer Rating nationally, has thrown 22 TDs and 7 INTs and averages over 300 yds per game passing. Oklahoma's passing defense is last (tenth) in the conference, 103rd nationally (vs P5 teams). Texas' is sixth.
In the SEC, the one loss teams are LSU, Florida, Georgia and Kentucky. The Florida(9)-Georgia(7) winner is odds on favorite for the SEC East. Kentucky still has Georgia to play. LSU(4) is living on defense alone with their only TD against MissSt after a turnover gave them the ball on MSU's 2 yd line, and taking three downs to score then. Four FGs otherwise. They can't stay with Alabama. Their total offense is seventh in the conference behind Florida(6th) and A&M(5th). We will see only one SEC team with one loss outside of Alabama before the championship game.
Ohio State(11), Michigan(5) and iowa(18) are the one loss teams in the BIG. TCU gave Ohio State twenty points in their twelve point win. Minnesota gave OSU ten points and missed two FGs in their sixteen point loss. They squeaked by Penn State by one point before the loss to Purdue. They don't seem to be able to muster a running game, averaging just over 100 yds per game in their last four games putting them close to the conference bottom over that period. Iowa has Penn St and Purdue the next two weekends. Michigan may well be the only Big10's one loss team.
I'd love to see Stanford win the Pac, Mich win the B10 and VaTech go to the ACC Championship as ND wins out.
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Article from si.com on ND's schedule and how BK plans to keep the team fresh.
https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/10/25/notre-dame-irish-navy-schedule-travel-playoff
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame will do something unusual Saturday after the final whistle of its matchup Saturday against Navy in San Diego. The Fighting Irish will load their buses at SDCCU Stadium and go back to their hotel, where the players will go to sleep. Their game will end about 8:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Their wake-up call will be 7:30 a.m., and they’ll arrive back in South Bend on Sunday afternoon.
Typically, a team playing a road game will bus immediately to the airport and fly home. In Notre Dame’s situation, that would mean a takeoff past midnight Eastern Time, and players would get back to their own beds around 6 a.m. (As a semi-frequent red-eye flier, that next day usually is an absolute waste because plane sleep is not bed sleep.) Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly wants his players to get a full night of real sleep and then relax during the four-and-a-half-hour flight home. This may seem like a little thing, but Kelly and his staff are trying to make the logistics of Notre Dame’s unusual stretch run as easy as possible on the players.
“I think that’s really the most important thing,” Kelly said. “Getting out there hydrated, staying on the Eastern Standard clock, playing the game, staying over, getting a good night’s sleep, getting on the plane, using that as an opportunity to rest so when we get back here we’re not feeling the effects of the West Coast trip.”
Notre Dame is 7–0 and eyeing a trip to the College Football Playoff. It’s possible the Fighting Irish could make the playoff at 11–1. (Especially if Michigan, a team Notre Dame beat in its season opener, is 12–1 and the Big Ten champion. This could be a recipe for both teams getting in.) But going 12–0 would remove all doubt for Notre Dame. To do that, the Fighting Irish must win the following games:
• vs. Navy in San Diego on Saturday
• at Northwestern on Nov. 3
• vs. Florida State in South Bend on Nov. 10
• vs. Syracuse at Yankee Stadium in New York on Nov. 17
• at USC on Nov. 24
Notre Dame likely will be favored in every game, but playing four of five away from home increases the possibility of an upset. Kelly knows this, so he’s making every tweak he can to the travel schedule because he can’t control the actual schedule.
Notre Dame sports information director Michael Bertsch had some fun with Google Maps to describe exactly how much the Irish will travel for the season’s final five games. They have round-trip flights to San Diego, Newark and Los Angeles that will total 8,522 miles. That would be the same distance as a flight to Yangoon, Myanmar, and 92 miles short of a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. It also would be enough for a round-trip flight to Stockholm.
The trip to San Diego was going to be a road game regardless. This is Navy’s home game, and the academy chose to play it in one of America’s most important Navy towns. The trip to Northwestern is a few hours on a bus, and given the crowd population of recent games at Ryan Field, it might feel more like a Notre Dame home game. (Plus, the tall grass at Northwestern should give Notre Dame fans pangs of nostalgia for Notre Dame Stadium’s former playing surface.)
Football coaches would always prefer as many home games as possible, but Notre Dame works differently than most places. In Laken Litman’s story on the Fighting Irish in last week’s issue of SI, Fighting Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick relayed the advice Knute Rockne got from Jesse Harper almost a century ago: “Take the team to the largest venues in the country because you want the world to know who Notre Dame is.”
That’s a big reason why the Irish are playing Syracuse—which is 5–2 and may wind up being Notre Dame’s toughest remaining opponent—in The House That Jeter Built instead of at Notre Dame Stadium. Aside from following historical advice that has served Notre Dame (the football program and the university) well for decades, the Shamrock Series game is a solid bit of fan service in a place with one of Notre Dame’s largest alumni clusters. So Notre Dame wasn’t going to back out or change anything just because a playoff berth might be at stake.
Of course, none of that matters if Notre Dame can’t beat Navy. The Midshipmen are 2–5 this season, but the teams have split their past two meetings with a point differential of only five. So Kelly is taking nothing for granted. He’s just hoping that his team will be able to celebrate a win with a good night’s sleep instead of an immediate cross-country flight.
https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/10/25/notre-dame-irish-navy-schedule-travel-playoff
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame will do something unusual Saturday after the final whistle of its matchup Saturday against Navy in San Diego. The Fighting Irish will load their buses at SDCCU Stadium and go back to their hotel, where the players will go to sleep. Their game will end about 8:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Their wake-up call will be 7:30 a.m., and they’ll arrive back in South Bend on Sunday afternoon.
Typically, a team playing a road game will bus immediately to the airport and fly home. In Notre Dame’s situation, that would mean a takeoff past midnight Eastern Time, and players would get back to their own beds around 6 a.m. (As a semi-frequent red-eye flier, that next day usually is an absolute waste because plane sleep is not bed sleep.) Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly wants his players to get a full night of real sleep and then relax during the four-and-a-half-hour flight home. This may seem like a little thing, but Kelly and his staff are trying to make the logistics of Notre Dame’s unusual stretch run as easy as possible on the players.
“I think that’s really the most important thing,” Kelly said. “Getting out there hydrated, staying on the Eastern Standard clock, playing the game, staying over, getting a good night’s sleep, getting on the plane, using that as an opportunity to rest so when we get back here we’re not feeling the effects of the West Coast trip.”
Notre Dame is 7–0 and eyeing a trip to the College Football Playoff. It’s possible the Fighting Irish could make the playoff at 11–1. (Especially if Michigan, a team Notre Dame beat in its season opener, is 12–1 and the Big Ten champion. This could be a recipe for both teams getting in.) But going 12–0 would remove all doubt for Notre Dame. To do that, the Fighting Irish must win the following games:
• vs. Navy in San Diego on Saturday
• at Northwestern on Nov. 3
• vs. Florida State in South Bend on Nov. 10
• vs. Syracuse at Yankee Stadium in New York on Nov. 17
• at USC on Nov. 24
Notre Dame likely will be favored in every game, but playing four of five away from home increases the possibility of an upset. Kelly knows this, so he’s making every tweak he can to the travel schedule because he can’t control the actual schedule.
Notre Dame sports information director Michael Bertsch had some fun with Google Maps to describe exactly how much the Irish will travel for the season’s final five games. They have round-trip flights to San Diego, Newark and Los Angeles that will total 8,522 miles. That would be the same distance as a flight to Yangoon, Myanmar, and 92 miles short of a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. It also would be enough for a round-trip flight to Stockholm.
The trip to San Diego was going to be a road game regardless. This is Navy’s home game, and the academy chose to play it in one of America’s most important Navy towns. The trip to Northwestern is a few hours on a bus, and given the crowd population of recent games at Ryan Field, it might feel more like a Notre Dame home game. (Plus, the tall grass at Northwestern should give Notre Dame fans pangs of nostalgia for Notre Dame Stadium’s former playing surface.)
Football coaches would always prefer as many home games as possible, but Notre Dame works differently than most places. In Laken Litman’s story on the Fighting Irish in last week’s issue of SI, Fighting Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick relayed the advice Knute Rockne got from Jesse Harper almost a century ago: “Take the team to the largest venues in the country because you want the world to know who Notre Dame is.”
That’s a big reason why the Irish are playing Syracuse—which is 5–2 and may wind up being Notre Dame’s toughest remaining opponent—in The House That Jeter Built instead of at Notre Dame Stadium. Aside from following historical advice that has served Notre Dame (the football program and the university) well for decades, the Shamrock Series game is a solid bit of fan service in a place with one of Notre Dame’s largest alumni clusters. So Notre Dame wasn’t going to back out or change anything just because a playoff berth might be at stake.
Of course, none of that matters if Notre Dame can’t beat Navy. The Midshipmen are 2–5 this season, but the teams have split their past two meetings with a point differential of only five. So Kelly is taking nothing for granted. He’s just hoping that his team will be able to celebrate a win with a good night’s sleep instead of an immediate cross-country flight.
Some Irish Bloke
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RDU Irish
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"Jack Swarbrick relayed the advice Knute Rockne got from Jesse Harper almost a century ago: “Take the team to the largest venues in the country because you want the world to know who Notre Dame is.”"
This is such a BS philosophy in this day and age. Your national TV contract covers you just fine!
This is such a BS philosophy in this day and age. Your national TV contract covers you just fine!
IrishSteelhead
All Flair, No Substance
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2018 AP & Coaches Polls
David Pollock just argued LSU should be ranked ahead of ND in first CFP poll, and Desmond Howard explained why he is wrong.
Is.....this.......real.......life??? (Prolly knows ND needs to stay undefeated to help scum)
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David Pollock just argued LSU should be ranked ahead of ND in first CFP poll, and Desmond Howard explained why he is wrong.
Is.....this.......real.......life??? (Prolly knows ND needs to stay undefeated to help scum)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Andy in Sactown
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Yup. Only saying that to prop up the case for the Skunkbears.
If meatchicken takes a loss and is out of it, he'll jump back onto the ND hate train faster than Sylvester can say..
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Irish YJ
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Agree Vaughn was a big loss. Not sure I'd characterize it as a Vandy blow out though. I'd say it was more FL having a very bad 1Q, and got it together after that. Vandy had a few big plays, and FL made mistakes, in the first half. Vandy had a 75ish yard TD early, and FL fumbled deep in their own territory giving Vandy and easy score. FL's O woke up in the 2Q and scored on 4 of their next 5 drives. They even coughed it up again giving Vandy more easy points.
Agree on Book being a huge step forward. That said, even with BW, our other talent alone should have blown out Vandy in South Bend. The CFP voters will definitely look at the Book factor, but also that it was a home game that was closer than it should have been. Just like they will give UF points for a road win regardless of injury to Vandy. Regardless, our O should have been better than UF's trash O, even with BW.
I'd say everything is comparable, and the CFP will compare everything they have if "needed". Doubt it will ever be needed as I doubt ND and UF will both have 1 loss at the end of the season.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/tomorrows-top-25-today-kentucky-to-crash-top-10-of-new-college-football-rankings/
by Chip Patterson
Here's how we think the new AP Top 25 will look on Sunday:
1. Alabama (Last week -- 1): The Tide were off this week, back in action in the Game of the Year of the Century against LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Nov. 3 in primetime on CBS.
2. Clemson (2): The Tigers absolutely blasted Florida State, handing the Seminoles a defeat that tied for the worst in program history. No reason to doubt the Tigers anymore as they prepare for a likely top-four spot in the first CFP Rankings reveal.
3. Notre Dame (3): A first-play fumble didn't make for a great omen, but the Irish were good enough to not need much luck in an easy win against Navy in San Diego.
4. LSU (4): The Tigers were off this week.
5. Michigan (5): The Wolverines were off this week.
6. Georgia (7): Jake Fromm's get-right game came in the biggest game of the season, giving the Bulldogs an edge in the SEC East race coming off a loss and an off week. Georgia's best win of the year comes at a crucial time, and if this level of play continues for two more weeks the Bulldogs are right back in the national title conversation.
7. Oklahoma (8): As the points and yards pile up, we're going to come around on the idea that Kyler Murray is doing this quarterback thing at Oklahoma on an elite level, one that stacks up to the Heisman Trophy winner from a year ago. If the wins continue to pile up, Murray will have an argument to be right there in New York City as well.
8. UCF (10): The Knights were off this week, back in action on Thursday night.
9. Ohio State (11): The Buckeyes were off this week.
10. Kentucky (12): Everything is setting up as well as Kentucky could have hoped. Georgia is coming to town next week, and the SEC East is on the line. Thanks to a walk-off touchdown against Missouri, the Wildcats have a chance to take the lead in the division race when the Bulldogs come to town.
11. Washington State (14): The Cougars could see a slight jump in the order between 10-15 thanks to going on the road and pulling out a 41-38 win at Stanford. Washington State will be the Pac-12's highest-ranked team heading into November and likely the last hope for the conference making the College Football Playoff.
12. West Virginia (13): Great response from Will Grier and the Mountaineers after getting pushed around by Iowa State. A 58-14 romp is exactly what should bolster the voters' confidence in West Virginia as a top-15 team with top-10 potential.
13. Florida (9): Turnovers were to blame in the Gators' loss to Georgia, which is a weird twist of fate for a team that been among the best in the country at ending up on the plus-side of the turnover margin. In so many ways, including multiple red zone stands, Florida looked the part of an SEC East title contender. With its only losses coming to top-15 teams, don't expect Florida to fall beyond No. 20.
14. Texas (6): What will the voters do with Texas? The Longhorns have a win against Oklahoma and just two losses, but those losses came to unranked Maryland and unranked Oklahoma State. We're guessing the quality of that win and the flurry of losses for ranked teams at the back of the top 25 limit how far Texas can fall, considering the top-10 status it brought into the weekend.
15. Utah (23): No one in college football had a more impressive jump from September to October than Utah. Four straight Pac-12 wins, all by double digits while scoring 40 points or more, have put Utah in the conversation as one of the better two-loss team in the country. Holding on to that claim, and the lead in the Pac-12 South, means winning at Arizona State, at home against Oregon and at Colorado in the next three weeks.
16. Penn State (17): A third straight home loss would have been devastating for a Penn State team that has been just a few plays away from being the leader in the Big Ten title race heading into November. By holding on against Iowa, Trace McSorely and the Nittany Lions showed grit they'll need next week on the road against Michigan.
17. Oregon (19): The Ducks are currently in action at Arizona. (BGIF NOTE: ORE, 5-3, LOST to UAZ, 4-5, by 44-15. They likely drop into ORV.)
18. Utah State (NR): No halftime score was as stunning as Utah State's 52-5 lead against New Mexico on Saturday. The Aggies cruised to a 61-19 win, their seventh in a row and sixth of the season scoring 40 points or more.
19. San Diego State (NR): The Aztecs are currently in action at Nevada. (BGIF NOTE: SDS, 6-2, LOST to Nevada, 5-4, by 28-24.)
20. Virginia (NR): The Wahoos are in first place in the ACC Coastal, only needing a win in the Commonwealth Cup against Virginia Tech to secure the program's first division title.
21. Houston (NR): It's possible that the Cougars are the best team in the AAC, not only a threat to UCF's playoff run but a worthy contender for a New Year's Six bid in its own right. They sure looked the part against South Florida, running it up against the Bulls even with superstar Ed Oliver sidelined.
22. Boston College (NR): In beating Miami, the Eagles secured bowl eligibility and made themselves a player in the ACC Atlantic division race. Boston College has one conference loss already but gets Clemson in Chestnut Hill in two weeks.
23. Iowa (18): Are the Hawkeyes set for a drop? Definitely. But losses below Iowa in the rankings and the fact that its one of the last two-loss Power Five teams in the country should keep it on the edge of enough ballots to remain ranked for another week.
24. Georgia Southern (NR): The Eagles are in command of the Sun Belt title race after knocking off Appalachian State at home on Thursday night and have a solid profile worth a national ranking with their only loss of the season coming at Clemson. (BGIF NOTE: WTF are they doing ranked? Because they beat App St who shouldn't have been ranked. GSU is rated #91 by Sagarin having played the 159th Toughest Schedule when there's only 130 FBS teams.)
25. Syracuse (NR): There are a number of teams that could end up slipping in here at the end of the rankings, including one of our teams that are projected to fall out. I'm thinking that the thrilling shootout win against a ranked NC State team gives Syracuse, now bowl eligible for the first time under Dino Babers, the edge in enough ballots to show up inside the top 25.
Projected to drop from the rankings: Washington (15), Texas A&M (16), Wisconsin (20), South Florida (21), NC State (22), Stanford (24), Appalachian State (25)
by Chip Patterson
Here's how we think the new AP Top 25 will look on Sunday:
1. Alabama (Last week -- 1): The Tide were off this week, back in action in the Game of the Year of the Century against LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Nov. 3 in primetime on CBS.
2. Clemson (2): The Tigers absolutely blasted Florida State, handing the Seminoles a defeat that tied for the worst in program history. No reason to doubt the Tigers anymore as they prepare for a likely top-four spot in the first CFP Rankings reveal.
3. Notre Dame (3): A first-play fumble didn't make for a great omen, but the Irish were good enough to not need much luck in an easy win against Navy in San Diego.
4. LSU (4): The Tigers were off this week.
5. Michigan (5): The Wolverines were off this week.
6. Georgia (7): Jake Fromm's get-right game came in the biggest game of the season, giving the Bulldogs an edge in the SEC East race coming off a loss and an off week. Georgia's best win of the year comes at a crucial time, and if this level of play continues for two more weeks the Bulldogs are right back in the national title conversation.
7. Oklahoma (8): As the points and yards pile up, we're going to come around on the idea that Kyler Murray is doing this quarterback thing at Oklahoma on an elite level, one that stacks up to the Heisman Trophy winner from a year ago. If the wins continue to pile up, Murray will have an argument to be right there in New York City as well.
8. UCF (10): The Knights were off this week, back in action on Thursday night.
9. Ohio State (11): The Buckeyes were off this week.
10. Kentucky (12): Everything is setting up as well as Kentucky could have hoped. Georgia is coming to town next week, and the SEC East is on the line. Thanks to a walk-off touchdown against Missouri, the Wildcats have a chance to take the lead in the division race when the Bulldogs come to town.
11. Washington State (14): The Cougars could see a slight jump in the order between 10-15 thanks to going on the road and pulling out a 41-38 win at Stanford. Washington State will be the Pac-12's highest-ranked team heading into November and likely the last hope for the conference making the College Football Playoff.
12. West Virginia (13): Great response from Will Grier and the Mountaineers after getting pushed around by Iowa State. A 58-14 romp is exactly what should bolster the voters' confidence in West Virginia as a top-15 team with top-10 potential.
13. Florida (9): Turnovers were to blame in the Gators' loss to Georgia, which is a weird twist of fate for a team that been among the best in the country at ending up on the plus-side of the turnover margin. In so many ways, including multiple red zone stands, Florida looked the part of an SEC East title contender. With its only losses coming to top-15 teams, don't expect Florida to fall beyond No. 20.
14. Texas (6): What will the voters do with Texas? The Longhorns have a win against Oklahoma and just two losses, but those losses came to unranked Maryland and unranked Oklahoma State. We're guessing the quality of that win and the flurry of losses for ranked teams at the back of the top 25 limit how far Texas can fall, considering the top-10 status it brought into the weekend.
15. Utah (23): No one in college football had a more impressive jump from September to October than Utah. Four straight Pac-12 wins, all by double digits while scoring 40 points or more, have put Utah in the conversation as one of the better two-loss team in the country. Holding on to that claim, and the lead in the Pac-12 South, means winning at Arizona State, at home against Oregon and at Colorado in the next three weeks.
16. Penn State (17): A third straight home loss would have been devastating for a Penn State team that has been just a few plays away from being the leader in the Big Ten title race heading into November. By holding on against Iowa, Trace McSorely and the Nittany Lions showed grit they'll need next week on the road against Michigan.
17. Oregon (19): The Ducks are currently in action at Arizona. (BGIF NOTE: ORE, 5-3, LOST to UAZ, 4-5, by 44-15. They likely drop into ORV.)
18. Utah State (NR): No halftime score was as stunning as Utah State's 52-5 lead against New Mexico on Saturday. The Aggies cruised to a 61-19 win, their seventh in a row and sixth of the season scoring 40 points or more.
19. San Diego State (NR): The Aztecs are currently in action at Nevada. (BGIF NOTE: SDS, 6-2, LOST to Nevada, 5-4, by 28-24.)
20. Virginia (NR): The Wahoos are in first place in the ACC Coastal, only needing a win in the Commonwealth Cup against Virginia Tech to secure the program's first division title.
21. Houston (NR): It's possible that the Cougars are the best team in the AAC, not only a threat to UCF's playoff run but a worthy contender for a New Year's Six bid in its own right. They sure looked the part against South Florida, running it up against the Bulls even with superstar Ed Oliver sidelined.
22. Boston College (NR): In beating Miami, the Eagles secured bowl eligibility and made themselves a player in the ACC Atlantic division race. Boston College has one conference loss already but gets Clemson in Chestnut Hill in two weeks.
23. Iowa (18): Are the Hawkeyes set for a drop? Definitely. But losses below Iowa in the rankings and the fact that its one of the last two-loss Power Five teams in the country should keep it on the edge of enough ballots to remain ranked for another week.
24. Georgia Southern (NR): The Eagles are in command of the Sun Belt title race after knocking off Appalachian State at home on Thursday night and have a solid profile worth a national ranking with their only loss of the season coming at Clemson. (BGIF NOTE: WTF are they doing ranked? Because they beat App St who shouldn't have been ranked. GSU is rated #91 by Sagarin having played the 159th Toughest Schedule when there's only 130 FBS teams.)
25. Syracuse (NR): There are a number of teams that could end up slipping in here at the end of the rankings, including one of our teams that are projected to fall out. I'm thinking that the thrilling shootout win against a ranked NC State team gives Syracuse, now bowl eligible for the first time under Dino Babers, the edge in enough ballots to show up inside the top 25.
Projected to drop from the rankings: Washington (15), Texas A&M (16), Wisconsin (20), South Florida (21), NC State (22), Stanford (24), Appalachian State (25)
As noted above, the second part of the Top 25 took a beating. Only two of the eleven teams from 15-25 won. One of the winners was #16 Penn State over #17 Iowa. Utah could move up seven spots from 23 to 16 due to the carnage. Seven teams previously unranked in the new Top 25 is reasonable.
Only three undefeated P5 teams remain (Alabama, Clemson, ND) + undefeated UCF.
Of the one loss teams, four (Texas, Florida, Iowa and NC State) suffered their second loss. USF suffered their first loss, elminating them from the best G5 competition.
The remaining one loss teams (8) include:
B10- Michigan, Ohio State
B12 - Oklahoma, West Virginia
SEC - Georgia, Kentucky, LSU
Pac12 - Washington State
ACC - none
Six of the eight one loss teams play each other, - (Mich-Ohio St, Okla-W.Va, Georgia-Kentucky) which will leave three of those standing. Alabama could give LSU and the Ga/Kty winner second losses.
Barring upsets and unexpected losses in conference championships, we could have three one loss teams (and UCF?) vying for one of the last spots in the Playoff. If one of the undefeateds suffers a loss, they would be in that mix.
Only three undefeated P5 teams remain (Alabama, Clemson, ND) + undefeated UCF.
Of the one loss teams, four (Texas, Florida, Iowa and NC State) suffered their second loss. USF suffered their first loss, elminating them from the best G5 competition.
The remaining one loss teams (8) include:
B10- Michigan, Ohio State
B12 - Oklahoma, West Virginia
SEC - Georgia, Kentucky, LSU
Pac12 - Washington State
ACC - none
Six of the eight one loss teams play each other, - (Mich-Ohio St, Okla-W.Va, Georgia-Kentucky) which will leave three of those standing. Alabama could give LSU and the Ga/Kty winner second losses.
Barring upsets and unexpected losses in conference championships, we could have three one loss teams (and UCF?) vying for one of the last spots in the Playoff. If one of the undefeateds suffers a loss, they would be in that mix.
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Irish YJ
Southsida
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OSU - LOL, they move up three spots to 8 in the AP after a bye.
UCF - finally moves up a spot, but still gets jump by OSU
UF - only drops 4 spots to 13...
TX - drops 9 spots after a narrow road loss to a decent OKSt team. Would anyone take #11 KY over either #15 TX or one loss WVU on a neutral field?
UCF - finally moves up a spot, but still gets jump by OSU
UF - only drops 4 spots to 13...
TX - drops 9 spots after a narrow road loss to a decent OKSt team. Would anyone take #11 KY over either #15 TX or one loss WVU on a neutral field?
wizards8507
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We have the second best win in CFB this year.*
Irish YJ
Southsida
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true, we'd only drop 10
GATTACA!
It's about to get gross
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I'd take Kentucky over Texas. I think Texas is a big fat phony.
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I don’t think Texas is that good either
NDRock
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And in comes #22 Auburn
Andy in Sactown
Can't wait 'til gameday.
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Alabama and Clemson stay at #1 and #2. We stay at #4. Michigan leapfrogs us into #3.
I'm not happy 'bout it.
EDIT: I also disagree with it since we beat NW by 10, despite the shit show we just watched and Fishigan beat them by 3. Again, not happy 'bout it.
It's just a sad prediction.
I'm not happy 'bout it.
EDIT: I also disagree with it since we beat NW by 10, despite the shit show we just watched and Fishigan beat them by 3. Again, not happy 'bout it.
It's just a sad prediction.
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