Here’s a look at how the 7 games between 14 ranked teams shook out. There were certainly surprises and there has been a realignment, as had been expected, of the top 25.
(#3) Auburn at home beat (#6) LSU by a score of 7-3. Auburn beat the point spread, which was 3.5. Both teams certainly proved that they were well matched with top notch defenses.
(#19) Nebraska on the road lost to (#4) USC by a score of 10-28. In this game, like Auburn Vs. LSU, the favored team, USC, barely beat the point spread, which was 17.5 as they continued to prove that they are one of the elite college clubs.
(#7) Florida went to (#13) Tennessee and won 21-20. Tennessee was a four-point underdog, which means you won if you put your money on the Volunteers. Although Tennessee lost, they showed once again that they’re better than many perceive them to be.
(#17) Miami visited (#12) Louisville as 4-point underdogs and lost by a lot more—7 to 31. Despite injuries, Louisville still looks like it could be the real thing this year.
(#15) Oklahoma visited (#18) Oregon as a 4.5 underdog and lost 33 to 34, which translated into a payoff if you took Oklahoma.
(#24) Texas Tech and (#20) TCU battled with TCU, a two-point underdog at home winning 12 to 3. Defense was the name of the game in this contest.
Finally, in the contest between (#11) Michigan and (#2) Notre Dame resulted in the Irish, who were six-point favorites, being hammered at home 47-21. Notre Dame’s stock seems to have been overrated and Michigan’s defense looks stronger with each game.
What did this translate into regarding the top 25?
Auburn moved up one spot, from #3 to #2, and USC did the same, going from #4 to #3. Florida went from #7 to #5, while Louisville vaulted from #12 to #8. Oregon moved up five notches, from #18 to #13 and TCU climbed from #20 to #16. Michigan got one of the biggest bumps, going from #11 to #6.
All of the losers were devalued, with Notre Dame losing the most ground, going from #2 to #12. Notre Dame probably also lost it’s shot at the national championship. Nebraska and LSU dropped 4 spots to #23 and #10, respectively. Oklahoma, which was #15 ended up at #17 this week.
Two teams dropped out of the top 25 entirely– #17 Miami and #24 Texas Tech. Boise State and Clemson gained spots in the top 25. Clemson moved to into the #19 spot by surprising #9 Florida State 27-20. Florida State plummeted to #18. Boise State has won 3 in a row, putting them into the 25th slot.
The biggest winners this week—Michigan, Louisville, Oregon, Clemson and Boise State.
The biggest losers—Notre Dame, Miami, Texas Tech and Florida State.
Technorati Tags: NCAA Football, College Football Rankings
