The top teams in the college football rankings continue to cruise right along, but behind them stands carnage and confusions. Sure, LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and even Boise State look solid, but continue to work your way down in the rankings and you’ll find teams with suspect issues that stand out. And for a few, those issues spelled doom on Saturday.
College Football Rankings Preview: Michigan, Georgia Tech Fall; Top Teams Still Strong
We preview this week’s college football rankings with a look back at the scores and upsets that matter.
The Michigan Wolverines came into the week ranked just outside the top-10, but will fall on Sunday when the latest rankings are released. In-state rival Michigan State shut down the Wolverines' offense, for the most part, en route to a 28-14 win.
Georgia Tech went down as well, falling to Virginia, 24-21. Remember this is a Virginia team that needed overtime to beat Idaho, and only did so by a single point last time out.
Here’s a look at the scores that matter.
No. 1 LSU 38, Tennessee 7. Another week, another dominant performance by the LSU defense. The Tigers just keep making things look easy.
No. 2 Alabama 52, Ole Miss 7. Trent Richardson is still a man among boys and the Crimson Tide, like LSU, keep trucking with a strong defense.
No. 3 Oklahoma 47, Kansas 17. The Jayhawks made this a game, but Oklahoma turned it on in the second half and continued its run through the Big 12.
No. 4 Wisconsin 59, Indiana 7. This wasn't even fair. Russell Wilson caught a touchdown and continues to make "did you see that?" plays every week.
No. 5 Boise State 63, Colorado State 13. Again, Boise State rolls. And again, people will ask, “who have they played?”
No. 6 Oklahoma State 38, No. 22 Texas 26. The Cowboys' defense may be suspect, but the offense is still firing on all cylinders. And when it is, that Oklahoma State offense is a sight to behold -- unless Brandon Weeden steps out of the end zone for a safety, of course.
No. 7 Stanford 44, Washington State 14. Stanford continues to wear opponents down and dominate the second half. Oregon and Stanford are on a collision course in the Pac-12 North again.
No. 8 Clemson 56, Maryland 45. So this was the game Clemson decided to be Clemson, and it still won.
No. 9 Oregon 41, No. 18 Arizona State 27. Yes, the Ducks used their usual second-half surge to win, but DDarron Thomas' injury, if it's serious, has Oregon fans holding their breath.
No. 23 Michigan State 28, No. 11 Michigan 14. Denard Robinson is a heck of an athlete, but his passing ability remains suspect. Sure, he'll run all over the place, but if he's forced throw, his game quickly becomes an adventure.
Virginia 24, No. 12 Georgia Tech 21. Two weeks to prepare for the Georgia Tech offense? No problem for Virginia, who finally solved the Tech mystery this year.
No. 15 South Carolina 14, Mississippi State 12. I don’t even know what this is, but South Carolina survived it.
Ohio State 17, No 16 Illinois 7. The Buckeyes threw the ball four times and completed one of them. And won. You knew the Zook dream had to come to an end sometime. That one completed pass went for a touchdown, by the way, because of course it did.
No. 17 Kansas State 41, Texas Tech 34. The Kansas State defense had been a solid storyline this year, but the offense showed some spunk on Saturday.
No. 19 Virginia Tech 38, Wake Forest 17. Wake Forest actually led this one heading into the second quarter. Then Virginia Tech blew the doors off, following up on last week’s emotional win with another solid victory.
No. 21 Texas A&M 55, No. 22 Baylor 28. Robert Griffin III can't play defense, and neither can Baylor. They'll be gone and Texas A&M should be moving on up. Bonus: the Aggies totally got this halftime lead thing down now.
No. 24 Auburn 17, Florida 6. See: South Carolina.
Here is last week’s AP Poll. The latest poll will be released around noon ET on Sunday.
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
| 1 | LSU (40) | 6-0 | 1450 |
| 2 | Alabama (10) | 6-0 | 1405 |
| 3 | Oklahoma (8) | 5-0 | 1382 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 5-0 | 1243 |
| 5 | Boise State (1) | 5-0 | 1222 |
| 6 | Oklahoma State | 5-0 | 1176 |
| 7 | Stanford | 5-0 | 1164 |
| 8 | Clemson | 6-0 | 1080 |
| 9 | Oregon | 4-1 | 1000 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 5-1 | 921 |
| 11 | Michigan | 6-0 | 868 |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | 6-0 | 741 |
| 13 | West Virginia | 5-1 | 659 |
| 14 | Nebraska | 5-1 | 642 |
| 15 | South Carolina | 5-1 | 608 |
| 16 | Illinois | 6-0 | 594 |
| 17 | Kansas State | 5-0 | 580 |
| 18 | Arizona State | 5-1 | 414 |
| 19 | Virginia Tech | 5-1 | 410 |
| 20 | Baylor | 4-1 | 308 |
| 21 | Texas A&M | 3-2 | 251 |
| 22 | Texas | 4-1 | 216 |
| 23 | Michigan State | 4-1 | 181 |
| 24 | Auburn | 4-2 | 156 |
| 25 | Houston | 6-0 | 142 |
And here’s the USA Today Coaches Poll, which is always an adventure. The latest will be released on Sunday, as well.
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS |
| 1 | Oklahoma (32) | 5-0 | 1434 |
| 2 | LSU (15) | 6-0 | 1409 |
| 3 | Alabama (11) | 6-0 | 1399 |
| 4 | Wisconsin (1) | 5-0 | 1244 |
| 5 | Stanford | 5-0 | 1232 |
| 6 | Boise State | 5-0 | 1170 |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | 5-0 | 1168 |
| 8 | Clemson | 6-0 | 1046 |
| 9 | Oregon | 4-1 | 995 |
| 10 | Michigan | 6-0 | 891 |
| 11 | Arkansas | 5-1 | 871 |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | 6-0 | 805 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 5-1 | 678 |
| 14 | Nebraska | 5-1 | 671 |
| 15 | Illinois | 6-0 | 634 |
| 16 | West Virginia | 5-1 | 528 |
| 17 | Virginia Tech | 5-1 | 523 |
| 18 | Kansas State | 5-0 | 462 |
| 19 | Michigan State | 4-1 | 431 |
| 20 | Arizona State | 5-1 | 343 |
| 21 | Texas | 4-1 | 243 |
| 22 | Houston | 6-0 | 200 |
| 23 | Texas A&M | 3-2 | 198 |
| 24 | Baylor | 4-1 | 185 |
| 25 | Penn State | 5-1 | 77 |
See More:
