NCAA 1
Alabama has earned the right to move back into the top spot of the USA TODAY Sports 1-128 re-ranking after Saturday's offense-driven Iron Bowl win against rival Auburn. Oregon did nothing wrong: The Ducks beat Oregon State, which ends its season one win shy of bowl eligibility.
The Crimson Tide simply completed an impressive regular season with one final win of consequence. Both teams will play one more game before the beginning of the postseason, with Alabama matching up with Missouri to decide the Southeastern Conference championship and Oregon meeting Arizona for the second time this fall to settle the Pac-12.
FOOTBALL FOUR: Rating and debating college football and the Playoff
Two things are clear as the season enters championship weekend. The first is that the Tide and Ducks stand head and shoulders above the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision. The second: Even with just a handful of games left to go, there's reason to think the re-ranking could undergo one final shakeup before we begin the march toward the inaugural College Football Playoff.
1. Alabama (11-1, 7-1) | 2. Oregon (11-1, 8-1) | 3. Florida State (12-0, 8-0) | 4. TCU (10-1, 7-1) | 5. Ohio State (11-1, 8-0) | 6. Baylor (10-1, 7-1) | 7. Arizona (10-2, 7-2) - UP 6 | 8. Michigan State (10-2, 7-1) | 9. Mississippi State (10-2, 6-2) | 10. Wisconsin (10-2, 7-1)
11. Georgia Tech (10-2, 6-2) | 12. Kansas State (9-2, 7-1) | 13. Mississippi (9-3, 5-3) - UP 4 | 14. Missouri (10-2, 7-1) | 15. UCLA (9-3, 6-3) - DOWN 8 | 16. Arizona State (9-3, 6-3) | 17. Georgia (9-3, 6-2) | 18. Boise State (10-2, 7-1) | 19. Oklahoma (8-3, 5-3) | 20. Clemson (9-3, 6-2)
Boise State QB Grant Hedrick(Photo: Brian Losness, USA TODAY Sports)
21. USC (8-4, 6-3) | 22. Louisville (9-3, 5-3) | 23. Auburn (8-4, 4-4) | 24. Nebraska (9-3, 5-3) | 25. LSU (8-4, 4-4) | 26. Colorado State (10-2, 6-2) | 27. Utah (8-4, 5-4) | 28. Minnesota (8-4, 5-3) | 29. Duke (9-3, 5-3) | 30. Northern Illinois (10-2, 7-1)
31. Air Force (9-3, 5-3) - UP 12 | 32. Stanford (7-5, 5-4) | 33. Marshall (11-1, 7-1) | 34. Memphis (9-3, 7-1) | 35. Cincinnati (8-3, 6-1) | 36. Utah State (9-4, 6-2) - DOWN 7 | 37. Texas A&M (7-5, 3-5) | 38. UCF (8-3, 6-1) | 39. Toledo (8-4, 7-1) | 40. East Carolina (8-3, 5-2)
41. West Virginia (7-5, 5-4) | 42. Georgia Southern (9-3, 8-0) | 43. Arkansas (6-6, 2-6) | 44. Notre Dame (7-5, 0-0) - DOWN 9 | 45. Iowa (7-5, 4-4) | 46. Louisiana Tech (8-4, 7-1) | 47. Brigham Young (8-4, 0-0) | 48. Washington (8-5, 4-5) | 49. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4, 7-1) | 50. Texas (6-6, 5-4) - DOWN 12
51. Boston College (7-5, 4-4) | 52. Maryland (7-5, 4-4) | 53. South Carolina (6-6, 3-5) - DOWN 11 | 54. Western Michigan (8-4, 6-2) | 55. San Diego State (7-5, 5-3) | 56. Florida (6-5, 4-4) | 57. Navy (6-5, 0-0) | 58. Tennessee (6-6, 3-5) | 59. Houston (7-4, 5-2) | 60. Pittsburgh (6-6, 4-4) - UP 12
Pittsburgh WR Tyler Boyd(Photo: Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports)
61. Oklahoma State (5-6, 3-5) | 62. Bowling Green (7-5, 5-3) | 63. Miami (Fla.) (6-6, 3-5) | 64. Rutgers (7-5, 3-5) | 65. North Carolina State (7-5, 3-5) - UP 18 | 66. North Carolina (6-6, 4-4) - DOWN 19 | 67. Nevada (7-5, 4-4) | 68. Appalachian State (7-5, 6-2) | 69. Virginia Tech (6-6, 3-5) | 70. Western Kentucky (7-5, 4-4) - UP 14
71. Penn State (6-6, 2-6) - DOWN 8 | 72. Central Michigan (7-5, 5-3) | 73. California (5-7, 3-6) | 74. Arkansas State (7-5, 5-3) - UP 9 | 75. Rice (7-5, 5-3) | 76. Kentucky (5-7, 2-6) | 77. Illinois (6-6, 3-5) - UP 9 | 78. Virginia (5-7, 3-5) - DOWN 13 | 79. Texas State (7-5, 5-3) | 80. Oregon State (5-7, 2-7) - DOWN 11
81. UAB (6-6, 4-4) | 82. Michigan (5-7, 3-5) - DOWN 6 | 83. UTEP (7-5, 5-3) | 84. Middle Tennessee State (6-6, 5-3) | 85. Temple (5-6, 3-4) | 86. Northwestern (5-7, 3-5) - DOWN 18 | 87. Fresno State (6-6, 5-3) | 88. Ohio (6-6, 4-4) | 89. South Alabama (6-6, 5-3) | 90. Old Dominion (6-6, 4-4)
91. Ball State (5-7, 4-4) - UP 13 | 92. Indiana (4-8, 1-7) | 93. Texas Tech (4-8, 2-7) | 94. Colorado (2-10, 0-9) | 95. Akron (5-7, 3-5) | 96. Washington State (3-9, 2-7) | 97. Louisiana-Monroe (4-8, 3-5) | 98. Tulane (3-8, 2-5) | 99. Buffalo (5-6, 3-4) | 100. Hawaii (4-9, 3-5)
101. South Florida (4-8, 3-5) | 102. New Mexico (4-8, 2-6) | 103. Kansas (3-9, 1-8) | 104. Wyoming (4-8, 2-6) | 105. Purdue (3-9, 1-7) - DOWN 7 | 106. Syracuse (3-9, 1-7) | 107. Wake Forest (3-9, 1-7) | 108. UTSA (4-8, 3-5) | 109. Florida International (4-8, 3-5) | 110. Iowa State (2-9, 0-8)
111. North Texas (4-8, 2-6) | 112. Vanderbilt (3-9, 0-8) | 113. Army (4-7, 0-0) | 114. Florida Atlantic (3-9, 2-6) | 115. San Jose State (3-9, 2-6) | 116. Southern Mississippi (3-9, 1-7) | 117. Tulsa (2-10, 2-6) | 118. Connecticut (2-9, 1-6) | 119. Massachusetts (3-9, 3-5) | 120. Miami (Ohio) (2-10, 2-6) | 121. Troy (3-9, 3-5) | 122. UNLV (2-11, 1-7) | 123. Kent State (2-9, 1-6) | 124. New Mexico State (2-10, 1-7) | 125. Eastern Michigan (2-10, 1-7) | 126. Idaho (1-10, 1-7) | 127. Georgia State (1-11, 0-8) | 128. SMU (0-11, 0-7)
New to the top 25 :
No. 21 USC (No. 29). If not quite to the program's expectations, Steve Sarkisian's debut regular season was absolutely satisfactory.
USC's Cody Kessler has had a phenomenal and relatively overlooked season.(Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)
No. 24 Nebraska (No. 26). The Cornhuskers move back into the top 25, though without Bo Pelini.
No. 25 LSU (No. 27). The Tigers ran at will on Texas A&M to reach eight wins.
No. 26 Colorado State (No. 18). Losing to Air Force doesn't detract too much from a terrific season for Jim McElwain and CSU.
No. 28 Minnesota (No. 19). The Golden Gophers made enormous strides despite coming up short in the Big Ten West Division.
No. 33 Marshall (No. 21). Marshall failed, but at least the Thundering Herd did so in spectacular fashion.
No. 31 Air Force (No. 43). That win against the Rams caps a very impressive regular season.
No. 65 North Carolina State (No. 83). Beating rival North Carolina to reach seven wins will pay dividends on and off the field in the next two months.
No. 91 Ball State (No. 104). Pete Lembo's bunch heads into the offseason on a high note after knocking off Bowling Green.
No. 86 Northwestern (No. 68). The Wildcats' performance against Illinois with bowl eligibility on the line was embarrassing.
No. 66 North Carolina (No. 47). Also embarrassing: UNC's defense.
No. 50 Texas (No. 38). Charlie Strong has the Longhorns on the right path, but it's not going to be easy.
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