There were some tremendous games this past weekend around the country. Two games in the Big Ten stood out, with Indiana winning at Penn State, and a classic in the rain between Iowa and Oregon. The SEC is stacked, and there is not an easy out. Texas Tech was very sharp against Brigham Young. There are great conference races all around the country, with so many teams fighting to get one of those 12 coveted spots in the College Football Playoff.
1. Ohio State – The Buckeyes defense was outstanding again in a 34-10 win over Purdue in West Lafayette to make it 9-0. The defending champions can essentially clinch a playoff berth Saturday against UCLA in the horseshoe.
2. Texas A&M – The Aggies followed up their extremely impressive win at LSU (with an open date in between) with a victory on the road against another set of Tigers, Mizzou in Columbia. This team is explosive offensively and boasts an outstanding defensive front.
3. Indiana – The Hoosiers had a tremendous come from behind win over Penn State in Happy Valley. Indiana is a perfect 10-0 and into double digits in the win column for a second straight campaign. Wisconsin heads to Bloomington this Saturday.
4. Alabama – The Crimson Tide handled LSU 20-9, pushing the record to 8-1 with an eight-game winning streak since losing the opener to Florida State. Ty Simpson is an outstanding quarterback. Oklahoma heads to T-town for a big SEC clash.
5. Oregon – The Ducks mounted a tremendous comeback victory in Iowa City to edge the Hawkeyes 18-16. An overruled two-point conversion after Iowa took a 16-15 lead was huge. Oregon is now 8-1 and will be in action Friday night at home against Minnesota.
6. Georgia – The Bulldogs played one of their best games of the season this past week in Starkville, defeating Mississippi State 41-21 in Starkville. Now Kirby Smart’s team is 8-1 and all the focus is on Texas for a highly anticipated showdown Between the Hedges.
7. Ole Miss – The Rebels, led by their high octane offense, easily defeated The Citadel in a tune up game. Next up is talented Florida in Gainesville, with interim coach Billy Gonzalez. Last season, the Gators upset Ole Miss in Gainesville.
8. Tech – The Yellow Jackets were off this past week following their first loss of the season, which came at N.C. State. Haynes King is a tremendous quarterback, leading a high powered offense. Tech heads north to play Boston College Saturday.
9. Texas Tech – The Red Raiders have bounced back in strong fashion since losing at Arizona State. The highlight win came this past Saturday, as they dominated Brigham Young 29-7 in Lubbock. Texas Tech can score, and is in the Big XII driver’s seat.
10. Texas – The Longhorns were off this past week, fine tuning for the highly anticipated matchup against Georgia in Athens. Steve Sarkisian’s team has loads of talent, and has won four straight, beating Oklahoma, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vandy.
11. Oklahoma – The Sooners have faced one of the toughest schedules in college football, and are 7-2 on the year. Oklahoma had this past week off after beating Tennessee in Knoxville. Now comes a huge test at Alabama, which will be seeking revenge.
12. James Madison – Welcome to the Top 12 James Madison. These Dukes are some kind of tough. They beat Marshall 35-23 to improve to 8-1 and 6-0 in the Sun Belt. James Madison leads the Sun Belt, losing only to Louisville. The Dukes host App. St. Saturday.