Techically Week 6 isn't over, as we are getting some Sunday college football at the behest of Hurricane Matthew. However, all of the significant games for the week are in, and we have a new-look Top 25 just for you.
1. Alabama — SEC, 6-0
LW: 1 — Result: W, 49-30 vs. Arkansas
Nick Saban wasn't exactly happy about this win, but of course, he's never happy. Alabama moves to 6-0, and unlike earlier in the season where Louisville was able to jump to No. 1, it looks like the Crimson Tide will have the top spot locked up until someone finally beats them.
2. Clemson — ACC, 6-0
LW: 2 — Result: W, 56-10 vs. Boston College
Clemson just demolished Boston College on Friday, and it really didn't take too much effort from the Tigers. Clemson actually scored 21 points in the fourth quarter even after they had let off the gas, because... well, what else are you supposed to do when your backups are still getting pick-sixes?
3. Ohio State — Big Ten, 5-0
LW: 3 — Result: W, 38-17 vs. Indiana
Urban Meyer apparently caused a little bit of controversy before this game, as he said that Indiana's defense was the best that they had seen all year, including Oklahoma. People said it was a shot at Oklahoma, but it was actually just an accurate statement.
Why is that important? Well, a lot of people might not get the warm fuzzies from a 38-17 win over Indiana, but it is a solid performance from the Buckeyes and exactly what they needed to do as they head into Madison to square off against Wisconsin next week.
4. Michigan — Big Ten, 5-0
LW: 5 — Result: W, 78-0
*takes off glasses, cleans off any smudges, puts glasses back on*
OK, so that really does say 78-0 as the score. Wow. I get that Rutgers may not be much of a conference opponents, but this is still an extremely impressive effort from the Wolverines.
5. Washington — Pac-12, 6-0
LW: 7 — Result: W, 70-21 vs. Oregon
If Michigan hadn't won by that much, that whole bit with the glasses in the previous entry probably would have been reserved for this. Washington has won their last two games — against the two best teams from the conference last year, mind you — by a combined 114-27 score. Yeah, the Huskies are for real
6. Louisville — ACC, 4-1
LW: 6 — Result: DNP
Louisville didn't play this week. They won't get the chance to bounce back from Week 5's loss to Clemson until next Saturday, when they play Duke at home.
7. Texas A&M — SEC, 6-0
LW: 8 — Result: W, 45-38 vs. Tennessee
So it now looks like Texas A&M may be the sole remaining non-Alabama threat left in the SEC. Not bad for the team that was considered fourth at best in the SEC West in the preseason.
Tennessee's magic fell just short in this game, and props to running back Trayveon Williams for showing that the Aggies are more than just Trevor Knight on offense. They now get a week off before facing the aforementioned Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
8. Wisconsin — Big Ten, 4-1
LW: 11 — Result: DNP
Wisconsin had the week off, and they will host both Ohio State and College GameDay next week in the most significant Big Ten game until Ohio State and Michigan at the end of the year.
9. Nebraska — Big Ten, 5-0
LW: 12 — Result: DNP
Nebraska in the Top 10? You better believe it. Their schedule is about to heat up, as they have Indiana and Purdue before back-to-back games at Wisconsin and at Ohio State.
10. Baylor — Big 12, 5-0
LW: 13 — Result: DNP
Baylor is at a weird point in their schedule; they had an off week in Week 6, then they have Kansas next week — essentially another off week — and then they have a second BYE week thanks to the Big 12 schedule allowing regular season games on the first week of December. It will be really interesting to see what the player response is to a schedule like that.
11. Houston — AAC, 5-1
LW: 4 — Result: L, 40-46 vs. Navy
Oh Houston... you were the Group of 5's only hope.
In the grand scheme of things, I don't think a loss at Navy is that bad, but it will likely be enough to keep Houston out of the Playoff, even if they run the table. They may have only fallen to 11 for now, but it is going to be difficult for them to climb the ladder until they play Louisville in November.
12. Tennessee — SEC, 5-1
LW: 9 — Result: L, 38-45 vs. Texas A&M
When Tennessee got the strip-fumble at the goal-line that caused a touchback, I thought it was over. Not the game, I mean the entire season; if they got that lucky yet again, what the hell else was anyone supposed to do to actually beat them this season?
Tennessee has a ton of injuries that they are deal with right now — more than most teams, to be honest. However, things don't get any easier for them, as they get Alabama next week.
13. Ole Miss — SEC, 3-2
LW: 14 — Result: DNP
Another BYE. Ole Miss plays at Arkansas next week.
14. Western Michigan — MAC, 6-0
LW: 15 — Result: W, 45-30 vs. Northern Illinois
This week in ROW THE BOAT:
Western Michigan would have moved down in a normal week, but thanks to all the BYEs and losses in the Top 25 in Week 6, they actually move up a spot. They shouldn't have struggled this much against Northern Illinois, though, and they will start falling back down the rankings if they aren't easily handling their MAC opponents.
15. Florida — SEC, 4-1
LW: 21 — Result: DNP
Another team that didn't play this week thanks to the LSU/Hurricane Matthew fiasco. We will see how that turns out in the end.
16. Miami — ACC, 4-1
LW: 10 — Result: L, 19-20 vs. Florida State
This isn't a bad loss for Miami's resume, as Florida State is still a good team, but... this is a BRUTAL loss in terms of time. Miami really had a chance to establish themselves as a legitimate Playoff contender out of the ACC Coastal, and they fell a PAT short.
17. Oklahoma — Big 12, 3-2
LW: 20 — Result: W, 45-40 vs. Texas
All of the offense? All of the offense. That's what it took for Oklahoma to beat Texas in a Red River Shootout that lived up to its name. After a shaky 1-2 start, Oklahoma has at least righted the ship for now. They get Kansas State next week.
18. North Dakota State — MVC, 5-0
LW: 17 — Result: W, 27-3 vs. Missouri State
They got a big win over Missouri State, who is a decent enough FCS squad. It isn't the domination you would expect from a Top 25 team, though, and they move down a spot because of it. That will keep happening unless that blow the doors off of their remaining FCS opponents.
That may not seem fair, but they got in the Top 25 by virtue of being the five-time reigning FCS champs AND thanks to a win over Iowa. Now that they are in, they need to keep up with everyone else.
19. Virginia Tech — ACC, 4-1
LW: NR — Result: W, 34-3 vs. North Carolina
Remember when North Carolina was good? You know... last week?
Hurricane Matthew scattered some rain upon this game in Chapel Hill, and the result was one of the ugliest games of the year. Virginia Tech only had 264 total yards, but four takeaways helped give them some easy field position to score touchdowns.
20. Boise State — MW, 5-0
LW: 22 — Result: W, 49-21 vs. NMSU
Boise State did exactly what they need to keep doing: getting big wins whenever they can. A win over New Mexico State might not be something for most teams to write home about, but the Broncos did it and they did it well.
21. Auburn — SEC, 4-2
LW: 24 — Result: W, 38-14 vs. Mississippi State
Don't let that final score fool you; this game wasn't even THAT close. Auburn took a 35-0 lead into halftime, and they didn't need to do much in the second half to maintain their lead. Auburn will have a week off before a game against Arkansas will show just how much they have improved since last season.
22. West Virginia — Big 12, 4-0
LW: 23 — Result: DNP
Some more wacky Big 12 scheduling stuff here; West Virginia has used up both of its BYE weeks already. What's the point of having two BYE weeks if you now have eight straight weeks of games?
23. Navy — AAC, 4-1
LW: NR — Result: W, 46-40 vs. Houston
Here's an interesting tidbit: thanks to their win over Houston, Navy now controls their destiny in the American conference. The two are in the same division, and Navy's only loss so far this year came to Air Force in a non-conference game. If Houston wants any shot at the Playoff now, they will need Navy to lose twice in conference... which in turn will reflect poorly on Houston's strength of schedule.
Yikes, Houston. Congrats, Navy.
24. Arkansas — SEC, 4-2
LW: 16 — Result: L, 30-49 vs. Alabama
This is further than I usually drop teams after a loss to the No. 1 team in the nation, but Arkansas hasn't looked great the past three weeks. (Alcorn State game not withstanding) I get that playing A&M and Alabama in back-to-back conference games is about as tough as you can do, but those games were indicative of a fringe Top 25 team playing Top 10 talent: not a blowout, but not that competitive, either.
25. Florida State — ACC, 4-2
LW: NR — Result: W, 20-19 vs. Miami
Not to be dramatic, but this win really could have saved Florida State's season. No, they aren't going to the College Football Playoff like they had hoped at the beginning of the year, but they avoid falling to 3-3 with Clemson and Florida still on the schedule. Props to Dalvin Cook and Deondre Francois for toughing it out.
DROPPED FROM THE RANKINGS: Stanford (18), North Carolina (19), Air Force (25)
