The first week of November is in the books, and there are some great conference races across the board. The tightness of the competition in the SEC is incredible. There were six intraconference games in the league, five were determined by a touchdown or less. The week prior, five of the seven were decided by single digits. Ohio State and Indiana are putting up big numbers in the Big Ten.
1. Ohio State – The top-ranked Buckeyes pulled away from struggling Penn State for a 38-14 win to improve to 8-0 and 5-0 in the Big Ten. The Ohio State defense has held every opponent to under 17 points this season. Next up is a trip to Purdue.
2. Texas A&M – The 8-0 Aggies had this past week off to enjoy their tremendous win at LSU at night, and turn their attention to Missouri. Texas A&M could get a stiff challenge in Columbia. The Tiger defense is good, but the Aggies are loaded on offense.
3. Indiana – The Hoosiers are definitely not a one-year wonder. They are rolling at 9-0, coming off a 55-10 pounding of Maryland this past Saturday. This was Indiana’s fifth game scoring over 50 points. Next up is a trip to Penn State, which lost to OSU.
4. Alabama – The Crimson Tide carry a seven game winning streak into Saturday night’s showdown with LSU in Tuscaloosa. Bama has won three times by seven or fewer, and the Tide is playing with confidence. Shocker. LSU is in turmoil, hoping for the upset.
5. Oregon – The Ducks are 7-1, losing only to Indiana. Dan Lanning has another outstanding team in Eugene. Oregon was off this past Saturday to sharpen up for what could be a very tough game against Iowa. The Hawkeyes are a tough 6-2.
6. Georgia – The Bulldogs fought back and beat Florida 24-20 in Jacksonville, improving to 7-1. Georgia will have its hands full this coming week in Starkville against Mississippi State, which beat Arkansas this past Saturday. Kirby Smart is the best in the game.
7. Ole Miss – The Rebels took another huge step towards a College Football Playoff berth with a 30-14 win over South Carolina in Oxford. Ole Miss is now 8-1, losing only at Georgia. Next up is The Citadel, then the Florida Gators head to town.
8. Brigham Young – The Cougars are flying high, 8-0 and sitting atop the Big XII. Coming up Saturday is the toughest challenge of the year, as Brigham Young heads to Lubbock to take on the high powered Texas Tech Red Raiders. Both are playoff dreaming.
9. Texas Tech – The Red Raiders were a little slow starting in the little apple, but got things rolling in a 43-20 win over Kansas State. The lone loss this season came at Arizona State. Now the stage is set for a huge battle against BYU in Lubbock.
10. Tech – The Yellow Jackets suffered their first loss of the season, falling 48-36 to North Carolina Stage in Raleigh. Haynes King is having a tremendous season at quarterback. Tech is off this week, then the Yellow Jackets head to struggling Boston College.
11. Oklahoma – The Sooners, facing a brutally tough schedule in the rugged SEC, bounced back from a home loss to Ole Miss to beat Tennessee 33-27. It was a big win in Knoxville. Oklahoma is 7-2, off this Saturday, then will play Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
12. Memphis – The Tigers again look like the best team in the tough American Conference. Memphis has done a great job bouncing back from an upset loss at UAB. The Tigers followed up their thrilling 34-31 comeback win over USF with a 38-14 win over Rice.