Another week has flown by in college football and we’re really starting to learn things about these teams. Ole Miss is no longer perfect, and LSU reminded everyone that playing at night in Baton Rouge is still terrible. Mississippi State and Auburn looked beatable but both finished strong. Notre Dame and Florida State both took the week off after their clash, and TCU scored a lot of points against Texas Tech.
Here are this week’s power rankings.
And then there was one… team from Mississippi that’s still undefeated. The Bulldogs survived their trip to Lexington with a victory over Kentucky. The Wildcats made it interesting for a while, but quarterback and probably Heisman frontrunner Dak Prescott led Miss. State to their now 7-0 record.
In Lane Kiffin’s return to Knoxville, Alabama came out firing. Its 27-0 deficit was too large for Tennessee to match, though, the Vols did make a valiant effort. The Crimson Tide relaxed a little too much after amassing such a big lead, but it ended up not mattering. Alabama has a bye week this week to prepare for its visit to LSU Nov. 8.
Auburn absorbed everything Steve Spurrier and South Carolina threw at them and survived. The defense still needs some work, but Auburn’s offense is potent. And with every passing week, the Tigers’ wins over LSU and Kansas State look better and better. Auburn travels to Oxford this Saturday to face the recently defeated Ole Miss Rebels in what should be another offensive showdown.
Florida State had the week off following its win over Notre Dame. With a Thursday night game at Louisville coming in three days, that game could spell trouble for the Seminoles. But if they survive – which they most likely will – their path to the Playoff is one of the easier ones in college football.
Marcus Mariota threw his first interception of the season. Someone alert the selection committee. Seriously, though, Oregon is the best team in the Pac-12 by far and its loss to Arizona is the only thing keeping it from being a lock for the playoff.
Similarly to Oregon, Michigan State has one loss (coincidentally, a loss to Oregon) and doesn’t necessarily control its own destiny as far as the final four is concerned. But the Spartans definitely control the state of Michigan, beating their intrastate rivals 35-11 on Saturday.
So, Ole Miss lost at LSU at night 10-7. The bad side of Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace reared its head as the gunslinger threw multiple interceptions to end the game. But with games against Auburn and Mississippi State remaining, Ole Miss might be able to sneak back into the conversation with victories.
The SEC East still exists and Georgia is playing quite well in it. The Bulldogs still have to play Auburn, but their road to Atlanta for the SEC championship game is clear, as is the road to the national title if they happen to win the SEC.
As far as quality losses go, Notre Dame is top dog. It just doesn’t work as well when the team doesn’t have any quality wins. The Irish are still a good team and gave Florida State all it could handle, but ended up on the losing side. They’re a top 10 team, but not a playoff contender.
The Horned Frogs demolished Texas Tech over the weekend, scoring more than their basketball team usually does and winning 82-27. With games against West Virginia and Kansas State on the horizon, TCU could potentially make a title run with a clean slate through the rest of the season.
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