Indiana Retains #1 Spot With Win Over #2 Ohio State

 Our rankings, unlike the AP and Coaches polls, are based on actual results and logic.  A bad loss counts much more than a big win, but other than than, we evaluate the teams based on the number and quality of good wins and the number and quality of their losses.  A bad loss is defined as losing to a team not under consideration, while a quality win is defined as a win over any other team being considered.  

We start with each team being equal, then move them up or down based on their season performance vs. that of the teams around them.  We separate them by record and then evaluate them against each other, starting with undefeated teams and moving down.  When we compare teams with the same record, the ones with any Bad Losses* are always going to be ranked lower, and those with Quality Wins* are going to be ranked ahead of those without.  A team with a worse record can be ranked ahead of another if they have less bad losses and/or more quality wins.  

Often, especially late in the year, we have situations where a trio of teams have 2-1 records against each other, so the head-to-head matchup is essentially tied between those three.  In those cases, we break the tie with the evaluation of their best wins and losses and season records.

As the only games played this week were for conference championships, there was once again very little movement.  With the exception of Virginia, the only ranked teams to lose played teams ranked ahead of them and thus didn't fall much.  

One has to take pity on most of the nation's coaches and media, who mistakenly had Ohio State ranked ahead of Indiana all year long, even though Indiana had far more impressive wins.  Blue Football Through and Through has ranked the Hoosiers ahead of the Buckeyes all season long for that reason and last week ranked Indiana #1.  Perhaps the coaches and media will do the same now.

Most Important:  If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record.  In other words, we rank them logically.  We're looking at you, coaches and media, who have Notre Dame ahead of Miami of Florida even though Miami beat Notre Dame.  On the field.

Here are the Top 25*:

2-2-2-2-2-1-1   Indiana (13-0) shocked everyone but us in beating #2 Ohio State 13-10,  (Quality Wins:  #3 Ohio State, #5 Oregon, #26 Illinois and #33 Old Dominion)

3-3-3-3-3-2-2  Ohio State (12-1) went down to #1 Indiana 13-10,  (Quality Wins:  #19 Michigan, #20 Texas, #25 Washington and #26 Illinois, Lost to #1 Indiana)

12-6-4-4-4-3-3 Texas Tech (12-1) blitzed #12 BYU 34-7, (Quality Wins: #7 BYU (twice), #10 Utah and #27 Houston, Lost to #30 Arizona State)

1-1-1-1-1-4-4   Texas A&M (11-1) , (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, #12 Notre Dame and #23 Missouri, Lost to #20 Texas)

7-5-6-6-5-5-5   Oregon (11-1) ,  (Quality Wins:  #18 USC and #25 Washington, Lost to #1 Indiana)

9-9-8-7-6-6-6   Georgia (12-1) easily took care of #16 Alabama 28-7,  ( Quality Wins:  #8 Mississippi, #16 Alabama, #20 Texas, #24 Tennessee and #30 Georgia Tech, Lost to #14 Alabama)

5-4-5-5-7-7-7   BYU (11-2) lost to #4 Texas Tech 34-7, (Quality Wins:  #10 Utah, #28 Arizona and #33 TCU, Lost to #3 Texas Tech (twice))

11-10-9-8-7-8-8 Mississippi (11-1) , (Quality Wins:  #9 Oklahoma and #21 Tulane, Lost to #6 Georgia)

30-24-20-10-9-9=9  Oklahoma (10-2) ,  (Quality Wins: #14 Alabama, #19 Michigan, #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #8 Mississippi and #20 Texas

14-8-10-9-10-10-10 Utah (10-2) ,  Quality Win: #30 Arizona State, Lost to  #3 Texas Tech and #7 BYU)

17-16-15-12-11-11-11  Miami of Florida (10-2) ,  (Quality Win:  #12 Notre Dame,  Lost to #35 SMU and Louisville, Bad Loss:  Louisville)

18-17-16-13-12-12-12  Notre Dame (10-2) ,   (Quality Wins:  #16 Navy, #19 USC and #35 Pittsburgh, Lost to #4 Texas A&M and #11 Miami of Florida)

10-21-19-19-17-13-15-15-13 Vanderbilt (10-2) , (Quality Wins:  #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #14 Alabama and #20 Texas)

6-14-23-18-16-15-16-14  Navy (10-2) , (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  South Florida, Lost to #12 Notre Dame and #13 North Texas)

8-7-7-16-14-14-15   Alabama (9-3) lost to #6 Georgia 28-7, (Quality Wins:  #6 Georgia, #15 Vanderbilt, #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #6 Georgia, #9 Oklahoma and Florida State), Bad Loss:  Florida State)

22-19-21-21-18-17-16  James Madison (12-1) turned back Troy 31-14,  (Quality Win:  #33 Old Dominion, Lost to Louisville, Bad Loss:  Louisville)

23-18-17-14-19-18-17 USC (9-3) ,   (Quality Win:  #19 Michigan, Lost to #5 Oregon, #12 Notre Dame and #26 Illinois)

31-25-22-17-15-19-18  Michigan (9-3) , (Quality Win:  #25 Washington, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #9 Oklahoma and #18 USC)

21-37-32-28-25-21-19  Tulane (10-2) downed #20 North Texas 34-21,  (Quality Win:  #20 North Texas, Biggest Win:  Memphis Lost to #8 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss:  UTSA) 

24-13-11-11-13-13-15-20  North Texas (11-2) lost to #19 Tulane 34-21, (Quality Win:  #16 Navy, Lost to #19 Tulane and #29 South Florida)

29-20-18-23-20-20-21 Texas (9-3), (Quality Wins:  #4 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma and #15 Vanderbilt, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #6 Georgia and Florida, Bad Loss:  Florida)

20-22-24-22-26-23-23  Missouri (8-4) , (Quality Wins:  None; Biggest Wins:  Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #4 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #15 Vanderbilt)

19-30-27-25-21-21-24-24  Tennessee (8-4) ,  (Quality Wins:  None; Biggest Win:  Mississippi State, Lost to #6 Georgia, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #15 Vanderbilt)

32-26-30-27-23-25-25  Washington (8-3) ,  (Quality Win:  #26 Illinois, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #5 Oregon, #19 Michigan and Wisconsin, Bad Loss:  Wisconsin)

Dropped from Top 25*:

#25 Virginia

Also Considered:

33-31-31-28-27-27-26-26   Illinois (8-4) ,  (Quality Win:  #18 USC, Lost to #1 Indiana, #2 Ohio State, #25 Washington and Wisconsin, Bad Loss:  Wisconsin)

13-29-26-24-28-27-27 Houston (9-3) , (Quality Wins:  #28 Arizona and #30 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech, #32 TCU and West Virginia, Bad Loss:  West Virginia)

-------------29-30-28-28  Arizona (9-3) , (Quality Win:  #30 Arizona State, Lost to #8 BYU, #27 Houston and Iowa State, Bad Loss:  Iowa State)

29-29 South Florida (9-3) , (Quality Win:  #13 North Texas, Lost to #11 Miami of Florida, #16 Navy and Memphis, Bad Loss:  Memphis

----35-29-26-29-30-30   Arizona State (8-4), (Quality Win:  #4 Texas Tech, Lost to #10 Utah, #27 Houston, #28 Arizona and Mississippi State, Bad Loss:  Mississippi State)

4-15-12-15-22-31-31  Georgia Tech (9-3) ,  (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Wake Forest, Lost to #6 Georgia, Pittsburgh and North Carolina State, Bad Losses:  Pittsburgh and North Carolina State)

--------------32-32 TCU (8-4)  (Quality Win:  #27 Houston, Lost to #7 BYU, #30 Arizona State, Iowa State and Kansas State, Bad Losses:  Iowa State and Kansas State

---------33-32-33-33 Old Dominion (9-3) , (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Virginia Tech, Lost to #1 Indiana, #17 James Madison and Marshall, Bad Loss:  Marshall)

Dropped from Consideration:  #25 Virginia

Indiana Moves to #1 in Blue Football Through and Through Top 25

Our rankings, unlike the AP and Coaches polls, are based on actual results and logic.  A bad loss counts much more than a big win, but other than than, we evaluate the teams based on the number and quality of good wins and the number and quality of their losses.  A bad loss is defined as losing to a team not under consideration, while a quality win is defined as a win over any other team being considered.  

We start with each team being equal, then move them up or down based on their season performance vs. that of the teams around them.  We separate them by record and then evaluate them against each other, starting with undefeated teams and moving down.  When we compare teams with the same record, the ones with any Bad Losses* are always going to be ranked lower, and those with Quality Wins* are going to be ranked ahead of those without.  A team with a worse record can be ranked ahead of another if they have less bad losses and/or more quality wins.  

Often, especially late in the year, we have situations where a trio of teams have 2-1 records against each other, so the head-to-head matchup is essentially tied between those three.  In those cases, we break the tie with the evaluation of their best wins and losses and season records.

For the third consecutive week, there was little movement among the Top 25, indicating that our rankings from three weeks ago were pretty spot on.

Indiana moved into the #1 spot thanks to an upset of Texas A&M by Texas.  #1 Indiana and #2 Ohio State will meet for the Big 10 Championship next week to decide which will be the lone unbeaten team of the 2025 regular season.

Most Important:  If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record.  In other words, we rank them logically.

Here are the Top 25*:

2-2-2-2-2-1   Indiana (12-0) ran it up on hapless Purdue 56-3,  (Quality Wins:  #5 Oregon, #26 Illinois and #33 Old Dominion)

3-3-3-3-3-2  Ohio State (12-0) ran away from #19 Michigan 27-9,  (Quality Wins:  #19 Michigan, #20 Texas, #25 Washington and #26 Illinois)

12-6-4-4-4-3 Texas Tech (11-1) whitewashed West Virginia 49-0, (Quality Wins: #7 BYU, #10 Utah and #27 Houston, Lost to #30 Arizona State)

1-1-1-1-1-4   Texas A&M (11-1) fell to #20 Texas 27-17, (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, #12 Notre Dame and #23 Missouri, Lost to #20 Texas)

7-5-6-6-5-5   Oregon (11-1) took care of #25 Washington 26-14,  (Quality Wins:  #18 USC and #25 Washington, Lost to #1 Indiana)

9-9-8-7-6-6   Georgia (11-1) got by #25 Georgia Tech 16-9,  ( Quality Wins:  #8 Mississippi, #20 Texas, #24 Tennessee and #30 Georgia Tech, Lost to #14 Alabama)

5-4-5-5-7-7   BYU (11-1) blasted UCF 41-21, (Quality Wins:  #10 Utah, #28 Arizona and #33 TCU, Lost to #3 Texas Tech)

11-10-9-8-7-8 Mississippi (11-1) mashed Mississippi State 38-19, (Quality Wins:  #9 Oklahoma and #21 Tulane, Lost to #6 Georgia)

30-24-20-10-9-9  Oklahoma (10-2) nipped LSU 17-13,  (Quality Wins: #14 Alabama, #19 Michigan, #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #8 Mississippi and #20 Texas

14-8-10-9-10-10 Utah (10-2) upended Kansas 31-21,  Quality Win: #30 Arizona State, Lost to  #3 Texas Tech and #7 BYU)

17-16-15-12-11-11  Miami of Florida (10-2) made mincemeat of Pittsburgh 38-7,  (Quality Win:  #12 Notre Dame,  Lost to #35 SMU and Louisville, Bad Loss:  Louisville)

18-17-16-13-12-12  Notre Dame (10-2) smothered Stanford 49-20,   (Quality Wins:  #16 Navy, #19 USC and #35 Pittsburgh, Lost to #4 Texas A&M and #11 Miami of Florida)

24-13-11-11-13-13  North Texas (11-1) trounced Temple 52-25, (Quality Win:  #16 Navy, Lost to #29 South Florida)

8-7-7-16-14-14   Alabama (10-2) got by Auburn 27-20, (Quality Wins:  #6 Georgia, #15 Vanderbilt, #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #9 Oklahoma and Florida State), Bad Loss:  Florida State)

10-21-19-19-17-13-15-15 Vanderbilt (10-2) tumbled #24 Tennessee 45-24, (Quality Wins:  #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #14 Alabama and #20 Texas)

6-14-23-18-16-15-16  Navy (10-2) navigated its way to a 28-17 win over Memphis, (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  South Florida, Lost to #12 Notre Dame and #13 North Texas)

22-19-21-21-18-17  James Madison (11-1) routed Coastal Carolina 59-10,  (Quality Win:  #33 Old Dominion, Lost to Louisville, Bad Loss:  Louisville)

23-18-17-14-19-18 USC (9-3) came from behind to beat UCLA 29-10,   (Quality Win:  #19 Michigan, Lost to #5 Oregon, #12 Notre Dame and #26 Illinois)

31-25-22-17-15-19  Michigan (9-3) lost 27-9 to #1 Ohio State, (Quality Win:  #25 Washington, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #9 Oklahoma and #18 USC)

29-20-18-23-20-20 Texas (9-3) knocked off previously unbeaten #4 Texas A&M 27-17, (Quality Wins:  #4 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma and #15 Vanderbilt, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #6 Georgia and Florida, Bad Loss:  Florida)

21-37-32-28-25-21  Tulane (10-2) blanked Charlotte 27-0,  (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Memphis Lost to #8 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss:  UTSA) 

15-11-13--20-24-22 Virginia (9-2) Virginia Tech, (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Louisville, Lost to Wake Forest and North Carolina State, Bad Losses:  Wake Forest and North Carolina State)

20-22-24-22-26-23  Missouri (8-4) defeated Arkansas 31-17, (Quality Wins:  None; Biggest Wins:  Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #4 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #15 Vanderbilt)

19-30-27-25-21-21-24  Tennessee (8-4) lost to #15 Vanderbilt 45-24,  (Quality Wins:  None; Biggest Win:  Mississippi State, Lost to #6 Georgia, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #15 Vanderbilt)

32-26-30-27-23-25  Washington (8-4) lost to #5 Oregon 26-14,  (Quality Win:  #26 Illinois, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #5 Oregon, #19 Michigan and Wisconsin, Bad Loss:  Wisconsin)

Dropped from Top 25*:

#22 Georgia Tech

Also Considered:

33-31-31-28-27-27-26   Illinois (8-4) tripped Northwestern 20-13,  (Quality Win:  #18 USC, Lost to #1 Indiana, #2 Ohio State, #25 Washington and Wisconsin, Bad Loss:  Wisconsin)

13-29-26-24-28-27 Houston (9-3) nudged Baylor 31-24, (Quality Wins:  #28 Arizona and #30 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech, #32 TCU and West Virginia, Bad Loss:  West Virginia)

-------------29-30-28  Arizona (9-3) downed #30 Arizona State 23-7, (Quality Win:  #30 Arizona State, Lost to #8 BYU, #27 Houston and Iowa State, Bad Loss:  Iowa State)

29 South Florida (9-3) smothered Rice 52-3, (Quality Win:  #13 North Texas, Lost to #11 Miami of Florida, #16 Navy and Memphis, Bad Loss:  Memphis

----35-29-26-29-30   Arizona State (8-4) lost to #28 Arizona 23-7, (Quality Win:  #4 Texas Tech, Lost to #10 Utah, #27 Houston, #28 Arizona and Mississippi State, Bad Loss:  Mississippi State)

4-15-12-15-22-31   Georgia Tech (9-3) fell to #6 Georgia 16-9,  (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Wake Forest, Lost to #6 Georgia, Pittsburgh and North Carolina State, Bad Losses:  Pittsburgh and North Carolina State)

32 TCU (8-4) trounced Cincinnati 45-23 (Quality Win:  #27 Houston, Lost to #7 BYU, #30 Arizona State, Iowa State and Kansas State, Bad Losses:  Iowa State and Kansas State

---------33-32-33 Old Dominion (9-3) routed Georgia State 27-10, (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Virginia Tech, Lost to #1 Indiana, #17 James Madison and Marshall, Bad Loss:  Marshall)

Dropped from Consideration:

#29 SMU, #31 LSU, #33 Pittsburgh and #34 Wake Forest

Oregon Registers Quality Win To Move Up To #5 in Blue Football Through and Through Top 25*

Our rankings, unlike the AP and Coaches polls, are based on actual results and logic.  A bad loss counts much more than a big win, but other than than, we evaluate the teams based on the number and quality of good wins and the number and quality of their losses.  A bad loss is defined as losing to a team not under consideration, while a quality win is defined as a win over any other team being considered.  

We start with each team being equal, then move them up or down based on their season performance vs. that of the teams around them.  We separate them by record and then evaluate them against each other, starting with undefeated teams and moving down.  When we compare teams with the same record, the ones with any Bad Losses* are always going to be ranked lower, and those with Quality Wins* are going to be ranked ahead of those without.  A team with a worse record can be ranked ahead of another if they have less bad losses and/or more quality wins.  

Often, especially late in the year, we have situations where a trio of teams have 2-1 records against each other, so the head-to-head matchup is essentially tied between those three.  In those cases, we break the tie with the evaluation of their best wins and losses and season records.

This weekend was once again characterized by little movement, as there have been enough results to correctly rank the Top 25*.  Several teams were dropped from consideration, as their Quality Wins have disappeared and their Bad Losses look worse than before.  

Oregon scored their first Quality Win* with a victory over #19 USC and moved up a spot.  As one would expect, there are no Bad Losses* to teams ranked in the Top 10*.  Miami of Florida had its Bad Loss* to SMU erased when the Mustangs entered the list at #35, but its loss to Louisville is now realized as a Bad Loss* after the Cardinals' fourth loss of the season dropped them out of consideration.

With South Florida dropping out of the rankings, North Texas now has a Bad Loss* and thus dropped a couple of spots.

Most Important:  If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record.  In other words, we rank them logically.

Here are the Top 25*:

1-1-1-1-1   Texas A&M (11-0) ran away from Samford 48-0, (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, #12 Notre Dame and #26 Missouri)

2-2-2-2-2   Indiana (11-0) did not play,  (Quality Wins:  #5 Oregon and #27 Illinois)

3-3-3-3-3  Ohio State (11-0) obliterated Rutgers 42-9,  (Quality Wins:  #21 Texas, #23 Washington and #27 Illinois)

12-6-4-4-4 Texas Tech (10-1) took the weekend off, (Quality Wins: #7 BYU, #10 Utah and #28 Houston, Lost to #29 Arizona State)

7-5-6-6-5   Oregon (10-1) overcame #19 USC 42-27,  (Quality Win:  #19 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana)

9-9-8-7-6   Georgia (10-1) clipped Charlotte 35-3,  ( Quality Wins:  #7 Mississippi, #21 Texas and #21 Tennessee, Lost to #14 Alabama)

11-10-9-8-7 Mississippi (10-1) was idle, (Quality Wins:  #9 Oklahoma and #25 Tulane, Lost to #6 Georgia)

5-4-5-5-8   BYU (10-1) bumped Cincinnati 26-14, (Quality Win:  #10 Utah, Lost to #4 Texas Tech)

30-24-20-10-9  Oklahoma (8-2) stymied #26 Missouri 17-6, Lost to #8 Mississippi 34-26,  (Quality Wins: #14 Alabama, #15 Michigan, #21 Tennessee and #26 Missouri, Lost to #8 Mississippi and #20 Texas

14-8-10-9-10 Utah (9-2) won a wild 51-47 game over Kansas State,  Quality Win: #29 Arizona State, Lost to  #4 Texas Tech and #7 BYU)

17-16-15-12-11  Miami of Florida (9-2) downed Virginia Tech 34-17,  (Quality Win:  #12 Notre Dame,  Lost to #35 SMU and Louisville, Bad Loss:  Louisville)

18-17-16-13-12  Notre Dame (9-2) ran it up on Syracuse 70-7,   (Quality Wins:  #16 Navy, #19 USC and #35 Pittsburgh, Lost to #1 Texas A&M and #11 Miami of Florida)

24-13-11-11-13  North Texas (10-1) rambled over Rice 56-24, (Quality Win:  #16 Navy, Lost to South Florida, Bad Loss:  South Florida)

8-7-7-16-14   Alabama (8-2) ran it up on Eastern Illinois 56-0, (Quality Wins:  #6 Georgia, #17 Vanderbilt, #21 Tennessee and #26 Missouri, Lost to #9 Oklahoma and Florida State), Bad Loss:  Florida State)

31-25-22-17-15  Michigan (9-2) manhandled Maryland 49-20, (Quality Win:  #23 Washington, Lost to #9 Oklahoma and #19 USC)

6-14-23-18-16  Navy (8-2) did not play, (Quality Win:  #34 South Florida, Lost to #12 Notre Dame and #13 North Texas)

10-21-19-19-17 Vanderbilt (9-2) demolished Kentucky 45-17, (Quality Win:  #26 Missouri, Lost to #14 Alabama and #20 Texas)

22-19-21-21-18  James Madison (10-1) edged Washington State 24-20,  (Quality Wins:  None; Biggest Win:  Old Dominion, Lost to Louisville, Bad Loss:  Louisville)

23-18-17-14-19 USC (8-3) lost to #5 Oregon 42-27,   (Quality Win:  #15 Michigan, Lost to #5 Oregon, #12 Notre Dame and #27 Illinois)

29-20-18-23-20 Texas (8-3) turned back Arkansas 52-37, (Quality Wins:  #9 Oklahoma and #17 Vanderbilt, Lost to #3 Ohio State, #7 Georgia and Florida, Bad Loss:  Florida)

19-30-27-25-21  Tennessee (8-3) scored a 31-11 victory over Florida,  (Quality Wins:  None; Biggest Win:  Mississippi State, Lost to #6 Georgia, #9 Oklahoma and #14 Alabama)

4-15-12-15-22   Georgia Tech (9-2) lost to #32 Pittsburgh 42-28,  (Quality Win: #34 Wake Forest, Lost to #32 Pittsburgh and North Carolina State, Bad Loss:  North Carolina State)

32-26-30-27-23  Washington (8-3) whipped UCLA 48-14,  (Quality Win:  #27 Illinois, Lost to #3 Ohio State, #17 Michigan and Wisconsin, Bad Loss:  Wisconsin)

15-11-13--20-24 Virginia (9-2) was idle this week, (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Louisville, Lost to #37 Wake Forest and North Carolina State, Bad Loss:  North Carolina State)

21-37-32-28-25  Tulane (9-2) tumbled Temple 37-13,  (Quality Win:  #33 Memphis, Lost to #7 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss:  UTSA)

Dropped from Top 25*:

#22 Missouri, #24 Houston

Also Considered:

20-22-24-22-26  Missouri (7-4) fell to #9 Oklahoma 17-6, (Quality Wins:  None; Biggest Wins:  Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #17 Vanderbilt)

33-31-31-28-27   Illinois (7-4) Lost to Wisconsin 27-10,  (Quality Win:  #19 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana, #3 Ohio State and #23 Washington and Wisconsin, Bad Loss:  Wisconsin)

13-29-26-24-28 Houston (8-3) lost to TCU 17-14, (Quality Wins:  #29 Arizona State and #30 Arizona, Lost to #4 Texas Tech, TCU and West Virginia, Bad Losses:  TCU and West Virginia)

----35-29-26-29   Arizona State (8-3) annihilated Colorado 42-17, (Quality Win:  #4 Texas Tech, Lost to #10 Utah, #28 Houston and Mississippi State, Bad Loss:  Mississippi State)

-------------29-30  Arizona (8-3) blitzed Baylor 41-17, (Quality Wins:  None; Biggest Win:  Cincinnati, Lost to #7 BYU, #28 Houston and Iowa State, Bad Loss:  Iowa State)

27-23----32-31 LSU (7-4) nudged Western Kentucky 17-14, (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Clemson and Florida, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #7 Mississippi, #14 Alabama and #17 Vanderbilt)

---------33-32  Old Dominion (7-3) routed Georgia Southern 45-10, (Quality Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Virginia Tech, Lost to #2 Indiana, #18 James Madison and Marshall, Bad Loss:  Marshall)

----36-28-37-33  Pittsburgh (8-3) gummed up #22 Georgia Tech's hopes in a 42-28 win, (Quality Win:  #22 Georgia Tech, Lost to #12 Notre Dame, Louisville and West Virginia, Bad Losses:  Louisville and West Virginia)

---------38-34  Wake Forest (8-3) demolished Delaware 52-14, Quality Win:  #20 Virginia, Lost to #15 Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and Florida State, Bad Losses:  North Carolina State and Florida State)

--------------35 SMU (8-3) smothered Louisville 38-6 (Quality Win:  #11 Miami of Florida, Lost to #34 Wake Forest, TCU and Baylor, Bad Losses:  TCU and Baylor)

Dropped from Consideration:

#30 East Carolina, #31 Cincinnati, #34 Memphis, #36 Louisville and #37 South Florida