NCAAF Top 25 After Crazy Week 6

After one of the craziest weeks ever in college football, no team should be feeling safe about the remainder of the season. After a day consisting of five upset teams within the top eight, the most ever, I review my new top 25.

1. Florida State Seminoles

Although I don’t think that the Seminoles could compete with some of the other top 10 teams, their preseason status and current record still have them at number one. Jameis Winston is not living up to quite the hype he had coming into the season, but the defense and the improved tailback play of Karlos Williams have continued the longest current win streak in the nation.

2. Auburn Tigers

Odd how now the number one and two teams are identical to the championship game of last season. With a blowout win over LSU, as well as losses from Oregon, Oklahoma, and in-state rival, Alabama, have propelled the Tigers to the number two spot on my list. Nick Marshall is performing at a very high level this season, and the defense is showing that this team is more than just a high-power Gus Malzahn offense. It will be hard for Auburn to retain this status however, as they travel to Mississippi State, one of the hottest teams in the nation.

3. Ole Miss Rebels

They may not rise this much in the actual polls, but after seeing the game against Alabama yesterday, I truly believe they are well deserving of this spot. Senior quarterback, Bo Wallace, has now emerged as a Heisman contender, as he leads an Ole Miss team that is just now getting the credit it deserves. The Rebels have an extremely athletic defense, as they are second in the nation in points allowed; the 17 points allowed to Alabama yesterday were the most they had allowed all season, and only 10 of those points came from the offense. They will continue to battle through the uber-competitive SEC West, as they still have to face Texas A&M, Auburn, and Magnolia State rival, Mississippi State.

4. Mississippi State Bulldogs

The second piece to the greatest day in Mississippi football comes in the form of a blowout over the number six team in the nation at the time. Mississippi State has proven themselves worthy of this spot after defeating LSU on the road, then defending their home turf against Texas A&M; both teams were top 10 at the time. Dak Prescott is yet another player who is emerging as a potential Heisman contender, as he is looking just as good as any other player in the nation right now. The defense has given up quite a bit of points this season, but they are still good enough to be able to beat quality teams. They will be tested next week against Auburn, but if they can make it past that game then they have a very easy four weeks until they have to go up against Alabama.

5. Baylor Bears

The Bryce Petty offensive attack leads Baylor to the number five spot on my list. Baylor has proven to be one of the nation’s most prolific offenses, with a defense that is good enough to allow them to blow their opponents out of the water. The Bears are fortunate enough to play an easy schedule for the remainder of the season, except for hurdles with TCU and Oklahoma later on. They have the number one scoring offense, as well as the number five defense in terms of points allowed, but we will see how these stats play out as they begin to play tougher teams than just SMU or Northwestern State.

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

After a close win over Stanford yesterday, Notre Dame rises to number six in my rankings this week. Everett Golson is emerging onto the scene as a potential Heisman winner, after sitting out last season for poor academic performances. Like two seasons ago, Notre Dame’s season so far has been fueled by very good defensive performances, putting them in third in the nation for points allowed. This is surprising considering the amount of talent they lost last season to the NFL Draft, but after finding replacements for talented linemen, the Fighting Irish are a contender once again.

7. Alabama Crimson Tide

Despite losing yesterday to Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide only slide to number seven on my list. I would have been shocked had the Crimson Tide, or anyone for that matter, come out of the SEC West unscathed, this loss just came sooner than most people would have guessed. Blake Sims is playing well, with very few mistakes, and he is getting loads of help from star receiver Amari Cooper; Cooper is second in the NCAA in receiving yards. The defense is also playing well, but there have been some growing pains after the losses of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and CJ Mosely from last season. If Alabama can finish the season undefeated then they are still almost a lock for the playoffs despite having a loss.

8. Michigan State Spartans

Defeated by Oregon early, the Spartans have not let off the gas pedal since. Michigan State has been one of the nation’s most consistent teams, despite not having the big named players that Florida State, Auburn, and other top teams have. They have one of the best secondary’s in the NCAA, and one of the best defensive minds to lead it, in Mike Dantonio. With Ohio State being the lone remaining ranked team they have to face this season, MSU could still find themselves in the playoffs with a little luck.

9. Oklahoma Sooners

The second top five team that was upset yesterday falls here to number nine. Not many people can say that they saw this team losing to TCU, as the Sooners were one of the preseason favorites to win it all. Like Alabama, they didn’t lose by much and it was to a ranked team also. Also like the Crimson Tide, Oklahoma still has a good chance at making the playoff if they are able to finish the season undefeated, which, besides Baylor, shouldn’t be too hard.

10. TCU Horned Frogs

After upsetting Oklahoma, I have TCU rising from 25 to 10. Trevone Boykin was electric in the win over Oklahoma, as he threw for over 300 yards, and ran for an additional 77. If Boykin plays like this throughout the season, then TCU is going to be one hard team to beat for anyone. They have a tough match next week against Baylor, but if they can win there then they have a very easy schedule to go after that. This team could wind up being the best team in the Big 12 by the end of the season.

11. Arizona Wildcats

After a big win against Oregon, the Wildcats are sure to skyrocket in the polls. Quarterback, Anu Solomon is showing to be a big time threat to defenses.

12. Georgia Bulldogs

Heisman favorite, Todd Gurley, leads the Bulldogs to the number 12 spot in the rankings, as they look to win the SEC East.

13. Oregon Ducks

After a disappointing loss to Arizona last week, Oregon takes a tumble in the polls. It will be difficult for Oregon to make the playoffs despite being one of the favorites coming into the season.

14. Ohio State Buckeyes

An early loss to Virginia Tech made the Buckeyes fall in the polls. They are now trying to rebound in a big way and win the Big 10.

15. Texas A&M Aggies

An embarrassing loss to Mississippi State drops the Aggies to 15. Kenny Hill needs to be more productive than he was yesterday if they want to stand a chance in the SEC.

16. UCLA Bruins

Brett Hundley is one of the most productive quarterbacks in the nation, but a shocking loss to Utah most likely removes the Bruins from playoff contention.

17. Arizona State Sun Devils

Even though they got blown out by UCLA, the Sun Devils have looked good in every other game this season. Wide receiver Jaelen Strong is proving to be one of the best in the country.

18. Oklahoma State Cowboys

With just one close loss to the number one team in the country, the Cowboys have won every game since.

19. ECU Pirates

As one of the most surprising teams in the rankings this season, the ECU offense propels them to 19 in the rankings.

20. Utah Utes

After pulling off a tremendous upset over UCLA, Utah proved they can compete in the Pac 12.

21. Kansas State Wildcats

A lone loss to Auburn and no wins versus quality competition puts Kansas State at 21, despite only one loss.

22. Missouri Tigers

A loss against Indiana is the only thing that keeps Missouri from being a top 10 team. Despite this embarrassing loss the Tigers can still compete in the super tough SEC.

23. Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Cornhuskers received their first loss of the season yesterday to Michigan State. Ameer Abdullah continues to have an incredible season as he leads the NCAA in rushing.

24. Clemson Tigers

Another Tiger team breaks the top 25, as Clemson is the only team in the top 25 with multiple losses. Growing pains with starting a freshman quarterback in Deshaun Watson have shown early on, but he shows promise for the future.

25. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Florida State is not the only undefeated team in the ACC as the Yellow Jackets have now become 5-0. Unfortunately this top notch record doesn’t matter much since the team doesn’t have any quality wins.