2. Florida State Seminoles (8-0) -- Once more, Florida State needed a furious late rally to stay undefeated. And once more, they got one, as Jameis Winston made some big plays down the stretch to keep the 'Noles at a perfect 8-0 with a Thursday night win over Louisville. With the Cardinals out of the way, FSU has a pretty easy ride to the ACC Championship game.
Marcus Mariota |
4. Oregon Ducks (8-1) -- After being dominated by Stanford the first two times in his career, Marcus Mariota came out on fire against the Cardinal. The junior ended up throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for two more as the Ducks ran past Stanford. The victory puts them firmly in the driver's seat in the Pac-12 North and keeps them very much in the Playoff mix.
5. TCU Horned Frogs (7-1) -- Although Trevone Boykin was far from perfect, TCU used their ground game to escape with a huge victory over West Virginia on the road. The Horned Frogs now have wins over Oklahoma, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Minnesota and their lone loss, a road game against a strong Baylor team.
6. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1) -- After having very little troubles with Tennessee, Alabama was off this week, before a huge SEC West battle with LSU, in Baton Rouge. That LSU game is before meetings with Mississippi State and then Auburn in the Iron Bowl, which will obviously either push the Tide into the Playoff or eliminate them.
7. Kansas State Wildcats (7-1) -- Much like their conference rivals, TCU, K-State kept themselves very much in the Playoff hunt with a strong performance against Ok. State. The Wildcats' defense continues to play at a very high level, holding opponents to just 18.6 points per game, 12th in the entire nation.
8. Michigan State Spartans (7-1) -- The Spartans were gifted with a bye, one week before their biggest conference meeting of the year: a home battle with Ohio State. The Spartans' D must shut down the scorching hot J.T. Barrett, while Connor Cook will hope for a big day against an inconsistent Buckeyes' defense. The winner holds soul possession of the Big Ten East and gets a big resume booster.
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1) -- After a slow start to their game against Navy, Notre Dame absolutely rolled through the fourth quarter, thanks to another great day from QB Everett Golson, who is trying to reassert himself into the Heisman conversation.
10. Baylor Bears (7-1) -- To really nobody's surprise, Baylor won big against the joke of the Big 12, Kansas, putting up 60 points in the process. While their Playoff hopes took a beating against West Virginia, a Baylor team with a healthy Bryce Petty is a dangerous one, and they have ample opportunities down the stretch to get some big wins.
11. Ole Miss Rebels (7-2) -- For the second straight week, Ole Miss was so close. But, once more they couldn't get the job done as a late fumble by superb receiver Laquon Treadwell cost the Rebels the game. Not only did their second loss likely eliminate them from Playoff contention, Treadwell, their leading receiver, is almost certainly out for the year following a sickening leg injury.
12. Arizona State Sun Devils (7-1) -- It was really a great week for Arizona State, who distanced themselves from the rest of the Pac-12 South with a huge win over Utah. Not only did they manage that game, their archrival Arizona, was upset by UCLA, greatly hurting their Pac-12 South hopes.
13. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1) -- The Buckeyes used a primetime ABC showing to absolutely thrash Illinois, 55-14. The offense continues to look explosive, while the defense, led by end Joey Bosa, has really looked good in Big Ten play. Although a road game in East Lansing will obviously be difficult, the Buckeyes have the chance to get a huge win.
14. Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-1) -- While the OSU-MSU matchup will likely decide the Big Ten East, the West is basically decided. The 8-1 'Huskers continue to play at a high level, even with Ameer Abdullah pretty beat up, and he has a chance to get to 100 percent before Nebraska's big meeting with Wisconsin.
15. LSU Tigers (7-2) -- While the SEC has been all about the up-and-comers in Ole Miss and Mississippi State, we shouldn't forget about the traditional powers. Both LSU and Alabama are going to be tough to beat down the stretch, and they meet this weekend in a game that is great every year. If the Tigers' defense can play the way it did against Ole Miss and shut down Amari Cooper, LSU almost certainly has the chance to pull another upset.
16. Georgia Bulldogs (6-2) -- Georgia was in pretty good position to sneak into the Playoff prior to yesterday. They had a quality win over Clemson and they had the favorable SEC East schedule to run the table. But, the Bulldogs' defense looked lost against the pretty terrible Florida offense and Georgia's offense clearly missed Todd Gurley, culminating in a loss for Georgia, costing them a Playoff spot.
17. Oklahoma Sooners (6-2) -- It was a great way to rebound from their second loss of the season for Oklahoma. The Sooners had a bye week before a meeting with the terrible Iowa State Cyclones, who they dispatched with no issues. Now, the Sooners have a chance for a huge victory against Baylor, who could struggle to stop Trevor Knight.
18. Duke Blue Devils (7-1) -- Duke has not been playing particularly very pretty at all this year. They have enjoyed a soft schedule to the tone of 7-1 and barely managed to escape past Pitt this past week. But, they are 7-1 and in prime position to win the ACC Coastal for the second straight year, thanks to another big year from wide receiver Jamison Crowder.
19. Clemson Tigers (6-2) -- While Clemson will almost certainly miss the injured Deshaun Watson, they have been gifted with a very soft schedule the rest of the way that sets them up perfectly in the ACC Atlantic, if FSU were to falter. Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Georgia State and the struggling South Carolina Gamecocks? The Tigers should run the table.
20. UCLA Bruins (7-2) -- It really has been a pretty disappointing year in Westwood. Brett Hundley hasn't gotten the help he needs to fulfill preseason expectations, and the team as a whole was expected to be better than 7-2 at this point. But, a pretty strong performance against Arizona keeps them in the Pac-12 South hunt and they still own a nice victory against ASU as well.
21. Marshall Thundering Herd (8-0) --The Herd got a bye this week, and that might have been their toughest opponent all year. Marshall has played absolutely nobody, the reason they are all the way down at 21 despite being 8-0. Still the offense has been downright impressive, and the running game has helped keep the pressure off of Rakeem Cato.
22. Utah Utes (6-2) --Utah didn't play bad at all against Arizona State, as they were able to tame a pretty dangerous Sun Devils' offense. Unfortunately the loss really hurts and gives them no momentum entering a huge test against Oregon. Unless Devontae Booker has a huge game, there is really no way Utah keeps up with the Ducks' offense.
23. Arizona Wildcats (6-2) -- The Wildcats' weaknesses continue to be exposed, as they have been unable to build on that Oregon win. The offense has lost it's swagger, and other than do-it-all linebacker Scooby Wright, the defense has looked very, very spotty.
24. Wisconsin Badgers (6-2) -- You have to give Wisconsin a ton of credit. After they lost their second game of the year to Northwestern, the Badgers have played angry, putting up 37 or more in their last three contests. Their 37-0 beatdown of Rutgers this past week further proved that the Badgers and Melvin Gordon still have some serious fight left in them.
25. Colorado State Rams (8-1) -- Quietly, Jim McElwain has built a winner out of Colorado State, who won this weekend to improve to 8-1. Former Alabama running back Dee Hart continues to dominate, while sophomore Rashard Higgins has turned into one of the nation's top receivers. While CSU's schedule isn't exactly loaded with tough opponents, wins against Boston College and Utah State are nice.
Others Receiving Votes
West Virginia Mountaineers
Missouri Tigers
USC Trojans
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
North Dakota State Bison
Louisville Cardinals
Minnesota Gophers
Texas A&M Aggies
East Carolina Pirates
Boise State Broncos
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