The bulk of our rankings remained stable through week six with the exception of a pair of delicious upsets in Ann Arbor and Norman. This has caused a little bit of shifting but the top of the polls are still intact.
Top 11
1 Clemson (E, 6-0, 28-14 W vs. Wake Forest)
Dinged up Kelly Bryant in the 3rd quarter couldn’t finish, the Tigers still cruised to a win.
2 Alabama (E, 6-0, 27-19 W at Texas A&M)
The Tide didn’t come close to covering the spread in a win that made Nick Saban very, very angry.
3 Georgia (E, 6-0, 45-14 W at Vanderbilt)
The Dawgs are +2.34 YPP and face one currently ranked team the rest of the way.
4 TCU (+1, 5-0, 31-24 W vs. West Virginia)
Likely a decent win for the Frogs assuming the ‘Neers don’t implode, TCU now sits atop the Big 12 standings.
5 Washington (+1, 6-0, 38-7 W vs. California)
So far, Washington is showing no signs of tripping up against their weak schedule to-date.
6 Penn State (+1, 6-0, 31-7 W at Northwestern)
Are we talking enough about the Nittany Lions defense? Now just 54 points allowed through 6 games.
7 Auburn (+2, 5-1, 44-23 W vs. Ole Miss)
Easily dispatch a floundering Ole Miss team. We might get a really entertaining Iron Bowl, you guys.
8 Ohio State (+2, 5-1, 62-14 W vs. Maryland)
I’ve heard Maryland filed paperwork to return to the ACC after this loss.
9 Washington State (+2, 6-0, 33-10 W at Oregon)
A decent win at Autzen against a really banged up Oregon team.
10 Miami (NR, 4-0, 24-20 W at Florida State)
Snapped their 7-game losing streak to the Seminoles in entertaining fashion.
11 Wisconsin (NR, 5-0, 38-17 W at Nebraska)
Finally enter the rankings again with a convincing win in Lincoln.
Next 2
USC (+1, 5-1, 38-10 W vs. Oregon State)
The Trojans pick up a nice easy win in front of hundreds of fans inside the Coliseum.
Oklahoma (-9, 5-1, 38-31 L vs. Iowa State)
Out-scored 25-7 in the second half in one of the worst losses in school history.
Dropped out: Michigan, Oklahoma State
G5 Top 3
1 UCF (+1, 4-0, 51-23 W at Cincinnati)
Sliding into the top spot after scoring 51 points in a shortened game that didn’t even get to the 4th quarter.
2 San Diego State (-1, 6-0, 41-10 W at UNLV)
Helped the Las Vegas community mourn and easily ran past the Rebels.
3 USF (E, 5-0, Bye)
The Bulls had the week off and should remain in these rankings with a couple easy games coming up.
You Were Bad
UConn
The Huskies gave up 70 points on Friday night to Memphis.
Oklahoma
Upset at home by Iowa State as 27-point favorites. Welcome to the spotlight, Lincoln Riley.
Maryland
Gained 66 total yards in a blowout loss to Ohio State.
Tulsa
Surrendered 48 first half points to Tulane and lost 62-28.
Illinois
Lost by 29 points to Iowa, let’s hope they don’t lose 4 straight with Rutgers coming up.
Miami (OH)
Followed up their trip to South Bend with a loss to previously win-less Bowling Green.
Arkansas
Now 2-3 and off to an 0-2 start in the SEC following a 26-point loss at South Carolina.
Colorado
Off to an 0-3 start in Pac-12 play and allowed a NCAA-record 327 rushing yards to QB Khalil Tate.
Week 7 Preview
Enemy Watch
Georgia Tech (+6.5) at #11 Miami
#20 NC State (-12) at Pitt
UConn (+10) at Temple
Boston College (+21.5) at Louisville
Virginia (-4) at North Carolina
Miami, OH (-9.5) at Kent State
#25 Navy (+3.5) at Memphis
Missouri (+30.5) at #4 Georgia
Utah (+12.5) at #13 USC
#21 Michigan State (-4) at Minnesota
Oregon (+10.5) at #23 Stanford
Miami’s top running back Mark Walton is out for the season and wouldn’t it be something if they struggled against the triple option? Canes have won 7 out of the last 8 in the series, though.
Man, the Heels come in as home dogs to Virginia. Thing ain’t like they used to be.
Navy vs. Memphis this weekend is a not-so-sneaky big game for both programs. If the Middies win they will be getting a good look at the G5 top 3 after breaking in to the AP Top 25 this week.
That’s a healthy line for the Trojans who have lost 2 out of the last 3 against Utah. The Utes are dealing with some offensive issues, if you’re betting USC here.
Big game this weekend for P.J. Fleck who has already faced 2 out of the worst 3 or 4 league games of the season, and lost both. Also, kind of a big game for the Spartans to develop into a 9 or 10-win team instead of something more mediocre.
Too Close for Comfort
#2 Clemson (+22.5) at Syracuse
The last visits to the Carrier Dome, where its typically a vacuum of sadness, resulted in a meh 10-point win for Clemson in 2015. With Kelly Bryant a little banged up let’s say this one isn’t quite a cover for the Tigers.
Upset Pick of the Week
Texas A&M (+3) at Florida
This is based on the Aggies playing pretty well against Alabama and Florida wearing THESE uniforms. The Gators are totally losing this game. They’d drop to 3-3 with Georgia on deck.
National Spotlight
#6 TCU (-4.5) at Kansas State
#12 Oklahoma (-7.5) at Texas
Purdue (+15.5) at #7 Wisconsin
#10 Auburn (-6.5) at LSU
Boise State (+7) at #19 San Diego State
Many dreams have died at the hands of Wizard Snyder in the Little Apple. For sure, the Frogs are fully on upset watch this weekend.
Should we expect an extremely pissed off Oklahoma team in the Red River Shootout? At least Texas knows how to beat Iowa State!
I put the Wisconsin game in here because they’ve flown under the radar and this might be, at worst, their 3rd toughest game of the season. No, seriously.
It should be entertaining to watch Auburn’s fearsome defense going up against LSU. Coach O bought a little bit of breathing room with a win in the Swamp and that could be destroyed with another home loss.
SDSU should be favored by 15+ points in their remaining games after this Boise matchup. They’ll have to face a tough opponent in the Mountain West title game (likely Colorado State or Boise again) but this is possibly the last big test for an undefeated regular season. That’d make Rocky Long 34-6 since 2015!
Where’s gameday at this week? Pretty weak slate of games
They are going to the Villanova vs. James Madison game. 😐
I don’t mind that for a week where the FBS is offering zero Top 25 matchups. Short of Aub/LSU or Okla/Tx there aren’t even all that many intriguing games out there IMO. Perfect weekend to appease your significant other/family with some fall activities to build up good will for the second half of the ND season and better football weekends on the slate.
That is my plan exactly.😎
Wouldn’t have minded them going to San Diego State. That’s a program that’s trying to become the next Boise State, going against a program that’s trying not to lose that title. I really like what’s been built at SDSU, so I think that would have been a fun Gameday stop.
That’s actually a really good idea.
How bad is Kent State that Miami(OH) is favored by almost 10 on the road?
I really hope when the CFP committee comes out with their first rankings they put Wiscy around 15-20.
Miami should be 4-2. Their losses to Cincy and BG really, really, really, really should have been wins:
(Go to 2:35 – you’ll figure it out) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw-PyeQZfcI
https://screengrabber.deadspin.com/here-is-how-to-turn-victory-into-defeat-in-99-yards-1819251667
Like last week, this week appears to be bad. Like last week, somebody’s going to take an unexpected L. If TCU doesn’t count given that low line, I’m guessing USC or Stanford.
Hmm, I wonder how we would feel about USC losing the game to go into ND, which would make them losers in 2 of the last 3 as well. Maybe good that they’ve shown they’re very beatable? Or fearful of the proverbial dangerous wounded animal?
I think we know who they are, and their next game result won’t change that. I want them to stay as highly ranked as possible.
This is something I hate about CFB. I will never root for USC to win, or be highly ranked. I will root for them to go 0-12 every year until they drop to FCS, and then again there until they go D2. I acknowledge that technically speaking it is good for ND if they only lose to ND, but I don’t care. F USC always and forever.
I like that attitude.
I know it’s a little weird, but the only rival I feel that way about is Michigan. I’m pretty apathetic about USC outside of when we play them, and MSU has always been a rivalry of mutual respect.
I don’t have any logic or reasoning for what makes one a *hated* rival versus just a rival, but that’s the way these programs have always “felt” to me.
We covered this a bit in the game thread during the Michigan-Sparty game, but a lot of it has to do with who were ND’s biggest opponents when you became a fan/were a student. I was at ND at the tail end of an 11 year streak of not losing to USC; they were a big “rival” but not hated. Michigan, however, since we played them early in the year and our season basically hinged on that game, and it was somewhat even…there’s no hell too hot for Bo Schembechler to me. Another team I don’t like (though I’ll always side with continuing to play them) is Navy. But I’ve got unique circumstances on that.
I started following ND in 2002. I then attended ND from 2003-2007.
The first 8 ND vs USC games I saw resulted in USC wins and them outscoring us 318-122 (40 to 15 on average). Throw in the Bush push game and I hate them worse than any team, but a huuuuge margin.
For the record, same goes for Michigan. I want them to lose every game, our SoS be damned.
I think last Saturday, kg opined that you would be in your mid to late 20s in that scenario.
Yeah, I’ve noticed that younger alums (Weis years) and older alums (Ara years) REALLY hate USC. Which makes sense, for the reason you outlined above. Meanwhile, 80’s-90’s era fans, USC is a rival and therefore a big game we want to win, but don’t have the same visceral hate without some other external reason (like grew up in southern California).
Certain teams, this. For me, in order: Michigan (I hope they lose so much they not only give up the program, but close the school), USC (D2 is fine), Miami (Gee, guess when my ND fandom was formed?), Florida (grew up in N. Florida, had to deal with Gator fans). That’s the list of hatred that trumps any schedule strength benefit. For general purposes unrelated to ND fandom, Baylor should not just close the school, but erase all traces of their existence, and I’m not a Penn State fan (but don’t feel as strongly because I don’t see it as widely the fault of the institutional culture as Baylor–it was covered up, but read up on Baylor and how rape is blamed on the victim was policy.)
Other than that, sure, I’ll hope a team ND is playing wins out so we look better. And it’s easier to root for them after we play (and have beaten them, hopefully) than before.
It’s interesting, against many of our rivals I can check the box score the next morning and think: “Oh good, they won. That should help us out.” But if I’m watching them play, I cannot help but root against them.
scUM then $C, in that order. They are our ONLY rivals so listing any other schools in this exercise is foolish, IMO. But I absolutely despise everything about Meatchicken…I don’t want them to drop to D2, though because we’d never get to beat the hell out of them that way. I still am upset we dropped em from the schedule. I’d love to see them in the Orange Bowl if they can somehow muster the strength to get there. I think tOSU would have to win the conference and get into the playoff for that to happen.
Michigan is not a rival. You respect a rival. They are an enemy to be destroyed.
You can loathe a rival too. No emotions are higher for the ND universe than they are with scUM