- CFP: #8 (=)
- AP: #10 (=)
- Coaches: #9 ( /\ 1)
- Top 4 in CFP are:
- Bama
- Clemson
- Notre Dame
- Michigan
- LSU: not only stays in the Top 10 after Alabama humiliatingly blanks them on their home field, but drops only 4 spots to #7. They are now the only 2-loss team in the Top 10, ahead of 5 other Top 25 teams with fewer losses - including us. Sagarin has LSU at #1 SoS which is fine, but you also have to acquit yourself well, which LSU most certainly did not. They've lost to a now-unranked 3-loss UF team which has been outscored 74-34 at home in its last 2 games, as well as the humiliating home debacle this weekend vs Alabama.
- P12/WSU: sadly gets zero nat'l analysis or attention, which is hugely affecting rankings across the board. Every recap I've heard of Cal @ WSU makes it clear that person did not watch ("they only beat them by 6 in the final 30 seconds"). Meanwhile, lots of voters apparently feel better about LSU's fortunes after getting throttled at home a few days ago. We have an easier schedule, fine, BUT WE'RE ALSO 1 OFFICIATING SCANDAL AWAY FROM UNDEFEATED.
- tOSU: CFP & AP keep tOSU flat, and Coaches moves them up a spot, after nearly dropping a 2nd game to 2-6 Nebraska, who led at halftime on the Buckeyes' field. Weeks earlier, the Bucks were throttled by Purdue by nearly 30 points. tOSU has a notably easier schedule than even us.
- UK: after being wrecked at home by Georgia, Coaches has Kentucky flat, and the others have them down 1 or 2 spots. Feels like 8-0 UCF should slide into that spot instead...
- Overall: many readers right now will say "we just need to focus on winning out" as if that's an interesting or insightful thought, but the point remains that, clearly, being a prestigious program is good for a handful of spots in the rankings that you literally don't have to earn in any given year. Even Michigan's #4 ranking feels like an as-yet undeserved celebration of the return of a legacy program.