College Football Rankings: LSU, Alabama Top BCS Standings

LSU takes the top spot in the Week 9 BlogPoll, racking up 74 first-place votes. This marks more than a month on top for the Tigers, but it’s the first time they’ve received more than the maximum 25 points per blog. (There’s the something wrong with the BlogPoll this week, we know about it, we don’t have reliable standard deviation numbers this week because of it, and we apologize.)

Right behind LSU is Alabama, which claims 12 first-place votes. Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Clemson round out the top five, and Boise State is a close sixth, concluding a tier of four unbeaten teams that is clearly stalking the SEC titans.

No. 21 Arizona State also hangs on in the back end of the rankings. The Sun Devils were a favorite dark horse pick to start the season, but an early loss against Illinois in a game ASU probably should have won, and a loss to Oregon two weeks ago derailed much of that. Arizona State can still play spoiler in the Pac-12 however, still leading the Pac-12 South division.

See the complete BCS top 25 and the rest of the college football rankings.

Also falling into the BCS rankings for the SEC were No. 13 South Carolina, No. 22 Auburn, and No. 23 Georgia. A team like South Carolina continues to slowly creep up in the BCS rankings and can continue to climb, especially if they can get past No. 10 Arkansas in a few weeks. Currently, the Gamecocks lead the SEC East so it will also potentially set them up against the No. 1 or No. 2 ranked BCS team in the SEC title game. It’s unlikely South Carolina can win out and make a charge for the National Title, but they can certainly play spoiler.

See the complete BCS top 25 here.

Before we start hyping the Nov. 5 “Game of the Century, 2011 Edition” and pondering a rematch between these same teams in New Orleans next Jan. 9, here’s a reminder:

There are other games that still have to be played and they might still matter, just a little.

Here’s the current Top 25 in the BCS rankings.

That’s quite a tumble for Wisconsin, considering they lost on a last second play. They’re also ranked below Nebraska, a team Wisconsin handled rather easily a few weeks ago. Kansas State continues to sneak up the BCS rankings, still having Oklahoma on their schedule. Oregon is the highest ranked one loss team, with their only loss to top ranked LSU. Oklahoma State and Kansas State are two teams that the computers love, so it will be interesting to see how they can climb as the season goes on.

Stanford has its best showing of the season in the Week 9 AP Poll and the Week 9 USA Today coaches poll. And with Oregon not far behind and USC rising, this may be the best the Pac-12 has looked in the college football rankings in 2011.

Stanford (No. 3 coaches/No. 4 AP) enjoys its highest ranking of the 2011 season in the coaches poll after shellacking Washington on Saturday, while Oregon (No. 7 AP/No. 7 coaches) keeps creeping up as unbeatens ahead of it lose. Both teams look like BCS contenders, though only the Cardinal still have a legitimate shot at the BCS National Championship Game.

Clemson’s the highest-ranked ACC team in the Week 9 AP Poll and the Week 9 USA Today coaches poll. Clemson’s the last undefeated ACC team. In 2011, the ACC is boiling down to Clemson and 11 dwarves.

The Tigers (No. 6 AP/No. 6 coaches) enjoy their highest ranking of the year in the Week 9 college football rankings, and seem to have installed themselves at the back of a pack of unbeaten teams that top the poll. But beyond Clemson, there’s not much to smile about as far as the conference is concerned.

Michigan State takes the reins of the Big Ten from Wisconsin in the Week 9 AP Poll and the Week 9 USA Today coaches poll. It makes sense, because the Spartans dashed the Badgers’ BCS National Championship Game hopes with a miraculous victory on Saturday night.

Michigan State (No. 9 AP/No. 10 coaches) joins the top 10 in both polls after upsetting Wisconsin (No. 11 coaches/No. 12 AP) and leaving the Big Ten with no undefeated outfits. The Spartans and Badgers could meet again in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Of course the SEC rules the Week 9 AP Poll and the Week 9 USA Today coaches poll: LSU and Alabama are both SEC teams.

The Tigers and Crimson Tide set up their No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash in two weeks by winning in Week 8 and ensuring that they will both be undefeated for it. And Oklahoma’s loss removed the Sooners from the top spot in the coaches poll, meaning that LSU and Alabama are likely to be No. 1 and No. 2 in the three major human polls and the BCS rankings for Week 9 ... and probably Week 10, too, after their bye weeks.

LSU’s poised to make a clean sweep of the Week 9 college football rankings. After topping the Week 9 USA Today coaches poll, the Tigers retain the No. 1 spot in the Week 9 AP Poll.

And barring something beyond the scope of human belief that would drop either team over their bye weeks, LSU and Alabama will meet as the AP Poll’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams in two weeks in Tuscaloosa. It will be the first time that two SEC teams will play as No. 1 and No. 2 in the AP Poll.