Oregon Still Atop The Blue Through and Through Top 25

Oregon continues to roll with their third win over a Top 25 team, defeating #15 Illinois, and this one was more decisive than their wins over #7 Boise State and #9 Ohio State.  The Broncos collected their second impressive win with a road victory over #31 UNLV.  

Notre Dame and Texas A&M both own three impressive wins and Alabama two.  The Aggies are held back because they lost to Notre Dame and thus must be ranked behind them, and Notre Dame is going to be ranked low because of their horrible loss to Northern Illinois, which is going to do well to have a winning season.  

The Irish will not advance very far unless the teams ahead of them also suffer a loss similar to Notre Dame's loss to Northern Illinois, as is logical.  The teams ahead of the Irish have all beaten quality teams and/or have only lost to high-ranked teams.  As we've mentioned before, a bad loss is devastating and will hurt a team more than scoring an impressive win will help them.

Navy fell hard after losing to Notre Dame, which used the win to make their first appearance in the Top 25 this year.  Navy had to be ranked behind the Irish with the head-to-head loss and the same record, but Notre Dame has a low ceiling with their loss to Northern Illinois.  Memphis had to drop substantially as a result as they lost to Navy.  The ratings must be constantly be adjusted due to logic.

You will notice that Colorado debuts in the Top 25 after beating Cincinnati and is ahead of #27 Nebraska.  The Cornhuskers did defeat Colorado, but because they have three losses to Colorado's two are now ranked behind them.  The head-to-head matchup only breaks ties if the two teams have the same number of losses.

Missouri was able to advance despite a loss as several teams ranked ahead of them lost and the Tigers' two losses are to Top 25 teams, much more impressive than the losses suffered by the teams ranked below them.

1-1.  Oregon 8-0, ran way from  #15 Illinois 38-9 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #7 Boise State, #9 Ohio State and #15 Illinois, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None) 

2-2.  BYU 8-0, ripped UCF 37-18 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #12 SMU and #13 Kansas State, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

3-3.  Penn State 7-0 raced past Wisconsin 28-13 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #15 Illinois, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

5-4.  Indiana 8-0, took care of Washington 31-17 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #27 Nebraska, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

9-5.  Pittsburgh 7-0, blasted #29 Syracuse 41-13 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #29 Syracuse and #33 Cincinnati, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

6-6.  Miami of Florida 7-0, vs. Florida State (Impressive Wins:  Beat #31 Louisville, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

7-7.  Boise State 6-1, beat back #31 UNLV 29-24, (Impressive Wins:  Beat #10 Washington State & #31 UNLV, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses:  None)

11-8.  Iowa State 6-0, was idle this week (Impressive Wins:  Beat #38 Iowa, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

13-9.  Ohio State 6-1, squeaked by #27 Nebraska 21-17 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #27 Nebraska and #38 Iowa, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses:  None)

10-10.  Washington State 6-1, survived San Diego State 29-26 (Impressive Wins:  None:  Biggest Win:  Beat Texas Tech, Lost to #7 Boise State, Bad Losses:  None)

12-11.  Georgia 6-1, did not play  (Impressive Wins:  Beat #17 Texas and #18 Clemson, Lost to #32 Alabama, Bad Losses:  None)

14-12.  SMU 7-1, survived #28 Duke 28-27 in overtime (Impressive Wins:  Beat #28 Duke and #31 Louisville, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses:  None)

15-13.  Kansas State 7-1,eeked out a 29-27 win over Kansas  (Impressive Wins:  Beat #25 Colorado, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses:  None)

17-14.  Tennessee 6-1, did not play (Impressive Wins:  Beat #21 Alabama, Lost to #40 Arkansas, Bad Losses:  None)

8-15.  Illinois 6-2, lost to #1 Oregon 38-9 (Impressive Wins:   Beat #27 Nebraska and #36 Michigan, Lost to #1 Oregon and 3 Penn State, Bad Losses:  None)

19-16.  Army 7-0, was idle this week (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Temple, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

18-17.  Texas 7-1 turned back Vanderbilt 27-24 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Oklahoma, Lost to #11 Georgia, Bad Losses:  None)

21-18.  Clemson 6-1, did not play (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat North Carolina State, Lost to #11 Georgia, Bad Losses:  None)

25-19.  Notre Dame 7-1, whipped #22 Navy 51-14 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #20 Texas A&M, #22 Navy, and #31 Louisville, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses:  Lost to Northern Illinois)

26-20.  Texas A&M 7-1, took it to #24 LSU 38-23 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #24 LSU, #26 Missouri and #37 Arkansas, Lost to #19 Notre Dame, Bad Losses:  None)

32-21.  Alabama 6-2, blanked #26 Missouri 34-0 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #11 Georgia and #26 Missouri, Lost to #14 Tennessee and #34 South Carolina, Bad Losses:  None)

4-22.  Navy 6-1, fell to #19 Notre Dame 51-14 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #23 Memphis, Losses:  Lost to #19 Notre Dame, Bad Losses:  None)

16-23 Memphis 7-1, prevailed over Charlotte 33-28 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat North Texas), Lost to #22 Navy, Bad Losses:  None)

22-24.  LSU 6-2, lost to #20 Texas A&M 38-23  (Impressive Wins:  Beat #32 Mississippi, #34 South Carolina and #37 Arkansas, Lost to #20 Texas A&M and USC Bad Losses:  Lost to USC)

31-25 Colorado 6-2, downed #35  Cincinnati 34-23, (Impressive Wins:  Beat #35 Cincinnati, Lost to #13 Kansas State and #27 Nebraska, Bad Losses:  None)

Dropped Out of Top 25:  Liberty, Duke

Also Considered:

29-26 Missouri 6-2, lost to #21 Alabama 34-0 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Vanderbilt, Lost to #20 Texas A&M and #21 Alabama, Bad Losses:  None)

23-27.  Nebraska 5-3, lost to #9 Ohio State 21-17 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #25 Colorado, Lost to #4 Indiana, #8 Iowa State and #15 Illinois, Bad Losses:  None)

24-28.  Duke 5-2, lost a 28-27 heartbreaker to #12 SMU in overtime (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win: North Carolina, Lost to #12 SMU and Georgia Tech, Bad Losses:  Lost to Georgia Tech)

27-29.  Syracuse 5-2, lost to #5 Pittsburgh 41-13 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #30 UNLV, Lost to Stanford, Bad Losses:  Lost to Stanford)

28-30.  UNLV 6-2, lost to #7 Boise State 29-24  (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:   Oregon State, Lost to #7 Boise State and #29 Syracuse, Bad Losses:  None)

38-31.  Louisville 5-3, came from behind to beat Boston College 31-27 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Virginia, Lost to #6 Miami of Florida, #12 SMU, and #19 Notre Dame, Bad Losses:  None)

35-32.  Arizona State 5-2, was idle (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Utah, Lost to #34 Cincinnati and Texas Tech, Bad Losses:  Texas Tech)

36-33.  Mississippi 6-2, downed Oklahoma 26-14 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #34 South Carolina, Lost to #24 LSU and Kentucky, Bad Losses:  Kentucky)

37-34 South Carolina 4-3, did not play , (Impressive Wins:  None, Lost to #21 Alabama, #24 LSU, and #33 Mississippi, Bad Losses:  None)

30-35 Cincinnati 5-3, lost to #25 Colorado 34-23, (Impressive Wins:  Beat #32 Arizona State, Lost to #5 Pittsburgh, #25 Colorado and Texas Tech, Bad Losses:  Texas Tech)

40-36.  Michigan 4-3, vs. Michigan State (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat USC, Lost To #15 Illinois, #17 Texas and Washington, Bad Losses:  Washington)

42-37.  Arkansas 5-3 blew away Mississippi State 58-25 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #14 Tennessee, Lost to #20 Texas A&M, #24 LSU, and Oklahoma State, Bad Losses:  Oklahoma State)

41-38.  Iowa 5-3, routed Northwestern 40-14  (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Washington, Lost to #8 Iowa State, #9 Ohio State and Michigan State, Bad Losses:  Michigan State)

Dropped from Consideration:

Texas Tech, Liberty, Oklahoma, North Texas

Oregon Remains at the Top in Blue Through and Through Top 25

Many voters in the AP and Coaches polls were shocked, simply shocked, that Texas and Alabama lost, but readers of this blog would not be, because, through the use of logic, they knew that Texas was not #1 but ranked sixth, and even that turned out to be too high.  And they knew that Alabama was not ranked much higher than Tennessee (as they were in the "famous" polls), but below Tennessee.

Oregon and BYU continue to have the most impressive wins without a loss and remain at the top.  Georgia also has two very impressive wins but have a loss to a team that is way down at #32 (Alabama), which lost to #37 South Carolina and that loss (both for Georgia as well as Alabama) is far worse than others in their range.

Navy jumped all the way to #4 as their win over Memphis looks great after the Tigers knocked off North Texas.  The Mean Green had not been considered in the Top 25, but now it's two losses (to Memphis and Texas Tech) look better than other teams previously considered.  All games are interrelated and every result matters.

Even though Iowa State won, they fell hard because the one previously impressive win that was propping them up (Iowa) fell all the way to #41 after a loss, making the Cyclones' win over Iowa no longer as impressive.  A team can fall that far despite a win as teams on their schedule are analyzed each week.

For those seeing our Top 25 for the first time, teams are analyzed based on their respective schedules, looking specifically at their biggest wins and worst losses.  The worst losses are the most important--losing to an unranked team is the most devastating, as it should be.  The #1 consideration for teams with equal records is head-to-head play; if they didn't meet, the next factor is which has the worst loss or losses.  If those are fairly even, the next factor is the most impressive win, and finally if neither has an impressive win, they are ranked based on the quality of their biggest win.

Clemson is behind undefeated Army and Liberty because the Tigers don't have an impressive win yet, so an undefeated team is always going to be ranked ahead of a one-loss team unless that one-loss team has an impressive win and no bad losses.

The worst losses by teams being considered are to Baylor and Kentucky, and as a result, Texas Tech and Mississippi are two of the lowest-ranked teams with two losses.  The Red Raiders fell precipitously from #9 to #33 as a result.  Note that Texas Tech could not fall below North Texas nor Arizona State because they own wins over both and all three have two losses. 

As Stanford continues to lose, that makes Notre Dame's loss to Northern Illinois better than Syracuse's loss to Stanford, so the Fighting Irish debut in the Top 25.  Texas A &M, held back only because they lost to Notre Dame and therefore must be behind them, also advanced past Syracuse.

No teams fell from consideration--Arkansas was the closest but they do own a win over #17 Tennessee.

1-1.  Oregon 7-0, blanked Purdue 35-0  (Impressive Wins:  Beat #7 Boise State and #13 Ohio State, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None) 

2-2.  BYU 7-0, survived Oklahoma State 38-35 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #14 SMU and #15 Kansas State, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

3-3.  Penn State 6-0 was idle this week (Impressive Wins:  Beat #9 Illinois, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

13-4.  Navy 6-0, rolled it up on Charlotte 51-17 (Impressive Wins:  #16 Memphis, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

5-5.  Indiana 7-0, clobbered #23 Nebraska 56-7 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #23 Nebraska, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

14-6.  Miami of Florida 7-0, held off #37 Louisville 52-45 (Impressive Wins:  #38 Louisville, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

7-7.  Boise State 5-1 was off this week (Impressive Wins:  Beat #10 Washington State, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses:  None)

12-8.  Illinois 6-1, knocked Off #40 Michigan 21-7 (Impressive Wins:   #23 Nebraska and #40 Michigan, Lost to #3 Penn State, Bad Losses:  None)

15-9.  Pittsburgh 6-0, did not play (Impressive Wins:  #30 Cincinnati, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

8-10.  Washington State 6-1, ripped Hawai'i 42-10 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #33 Texas Tech, Lost to #7 Boise State, Bad Losses:  None)

4-11.  Iowa State 6-0, outlasted UCF 38-35 (Impressive Wins:  #41 Iowa, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

23-12.  Georgia 6-1 beat #18 Texas 30-15 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #18 Texas and #20 Clemson, Lost to #32 Alabama, Bad Losses:  None)

10-13.  Ohio State 5-1, was off this week (Impressive Wins:  #41 Iowa, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses:  None)

11-14.  SMU 6-1 blasted Stanford 40-10 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #38 Louisville, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses:  None)

18-15.  Kansas State 6-1 blew away West Virginia 45-18 (Impressive Wins:  #31 Colorado, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses:  None)

---16 Memphis 5-1, toppled #34 North Texas 52-44 (Impressive Wins:  #34 North Texas), Lost to #4 Navy, Bad Losses:  None)

21-17.  Tennessee 6-1, defeated #32 Alabama 24-17 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #32 Alabama, Lost to #42 Arkansas, Bad Losses:  None)

6-18.  Texas 6-1 was upset by #12 Georgia 30-15 (Impressive Wins:  #38 Oklahoma, Lost to #12 Georgia, Bad Losses:  None)

17-19.  Army 7-0, held off East Carolina 45-28 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Temple, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

16-20.  Liberty 5-0, was off this week  (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Temple, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

24-21.  Clemson 6-1, rolled over Virginia 38-31 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat North Carolina State, Lost to #12 Georgia, Bad Losses:  None)

25-22.  LSU 6-1 beat #39 Arkansas 34-10 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #36 Mississippi, #37 South Carolina and #42 Arkansas, Lost to USC Bad Losses:  Lost to USC)

20-23.  Nebraska 5-2, lost to #5 Indiana 56-7 (Impressive Wins:  #31 Colorado, Lost to #5 Indiana and #8 Illinois, Bad Losses:  None)

27-24.  Duke 5-1, did not play (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win: North Carolina, Lost to Georgia Tech, Bad Losses:  Lost to Georgia Tech)

32-25.  Notre Dame 6-1, turned back Georgia Tech 31-13 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #26 Texas A&M and #38 Louisville, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses:  Lost to Northern Illinois)

Also Considered:

33-26.  Texas A&M 6-1, nudged Mississippi State 34-24 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #29 Missouri and #42 Arkansas, Lost to #25 Notre Dame, Bad Losses:  None)

28-27.  Syracuse 5-1, was idle this week (Impressive Wins:  Beat #28 UNLV, Lost to Stanford, Bad Losses:  Lost to Stanford)

31-28.  UNLV 6-1 upended Oregon State 33-25 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:   Oregon State, Lost to #27 Syracuse, Bad Losses:  None)

34-29 Missouri 6-1, nipped Auburn 21-17 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Vanderbilt, Lost to #26 Texas A&M, Bad Losses:  None)

---30 Cincinnati 5-2, downed #35 Arizona State 24-14, (Impressive Wins:  Beat #35 Arizona State, Lost to #9 Pittsburgh and #33 Texas Tech, Bad Losses:  None)

---31 Colorado 5-2, drubbed Arizona 34-7, (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Arizona, Lost to #15 Kansas State and #23 Nebraska, Bad Losses:  None)

22-32.  Alabama 5-2, fell to #17 Tennessee 24-17 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #12 Georgia, Lost to #17 Tennessee and #37 South Carolina, Bad Losses:  None)

9-33.  Texas Tech 5-2, lost to Baylor 59-35 (Impressive Wins:  #30 Cincinnati, #34 North Texas and #35 Arizona State, Lost to #10 Washington State and Baylor, Bad Losses:  Baylor)

---34.  North Texas 5-2, fell to #16 Memphis 52-44 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Tulsa, Lost to #16 Memphis and #33 Texas Tech, Bad Losses:  None)

19-35.  Arizona State 5-2, lost to #30 Cincinnati 24-14 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Utah, Lost to #30 Cincinnati and #33 Texas Tech, Bad Losses:  None)

37-36.  Mississippi 5-2, did not play (Impressive Wins:  Beat #37 South Carolina, Lost to #22 LSU and Kentucky, Bad Losses:  Kentucky)

---37 South Carolina 4-3 beat #39 Oklahoma 35-9, (Impressive Wins:  #39 Oklahoma, Lost to #22 LSU, #32 Alabama and #36 Mississippi, Bad Losses:  None)

35-38.  Louisville 4-3, lost to #6 Miami of Florida 52-45 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Virginia, Lost to #6 Miami of Florida, #14 SMU, and #25 Notre Dame, Bad Losses:  None)

30-39.  Oklahoma 4-3, lost to #37 South Carolina 35-9 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Wins:   Houston and Auburn, Lost to #17 Tennessee, #18 Texas,  and #37 South Carolina, Bad Losses:  None)

38-40.  Michigan 4-3, Lost to #8 Illinois 21-7 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat USC, Lost To #8 Illinois, #18 Texas and Washington, Bad Losses:  Washington)

29-41.  Iowa 4-3 lost to Michigan State 32-20 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Washington, Lost to #11 Iowa State, #13 Ohio State and Michigan State, Bad Losses:  Michigan State)

36-42.  Arkansas 4-3 lost to #22 LSU 34-10 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #17 Tennessee, Lost to #22 LSU, #28 Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, Bad Losses:  Oklahoma State)

Oregon Debuts at #1 in First 2024 Blue Through and Through Top 25 of 2024!

 The eagerly-anticipated Blue Through and Through initial Top 25 college football rankings are out, and by virtue of their heartstopping win over Ohio State, the Oregon Ducks sit atop the throne.  Unlike the AP and Coaches polls, this ranking thoroughly examines each team's body of work and never loses track of important wins and bad losses.  And also unlike the aforementioned polls, a team will never be ranked behind one they beat on the field if their records are the same.  A bad loss is much worse than a team not having an impressive win, though each game is carefully analyzed and tougher schedules are considered.

Oregon has the most impressive wins of the contenders, exciting wins over both #7 Boise State and #10 Ohio State so is the easy choice for #1.  Penn State has a nice win over #12  Illinois, but has to take a back seat to #2 BYU, who has defeated both #11 SMU and #18 Kansas State for the second-best body of work among the unbeatens.  There is no other way to logically rank the Top Two other than #1 Oregon and #2 BYU.

Several polls have Texas #1, but their biggest win is over #30 Oklahoma--impressive wins will always top wins over non-Top 25 teams among teams with the same record, and as one can plainly see, wins over two Top 25 teams is always going to be more impressive than a single win over the #30 team.  On the flip side, several polls have Notre Dame ranked high, but they lost to Northern Illinois, a very damaging loss at this point in the season.

And, pollsters are not using logic when they have Georgia ranked ahead of Alabama.  The two have identical 5-1 records and similar losses (Alabama to South Carolina and Georgia to Kentucky) and Alabama defeated Georgia earlier this year.  

Logic also tells us that Ohio State and Iowa State should be near each other and that the Cyclones should be ahead.  The biggest win for both teams was over Iowa, and Ohio State had the loss to Oregon.  Until the Buckeyes own a more-impressive win than Iowa State or until the Cyclones lose, Ohio State is and should always be ranked behind them.

Of the one-loss teams, Boise State and Ohio State logically have to be at the top, since the only loss by either was to the #1 team in the land.  The Broncos get the nod this week as their biggest win was over a team also being considered (Washington State) while Ohio State's biggest win is over Iowa.  The next-best one-loss team is SMU, whose only loss is to #2 BYU.  A loss to a team ranked that high is not going to hurt you, and the Mustangs also own a win over #35 Louisville, another team considered for the Top 25.

Miami of Florida is not ranked higher because, although they are unbeaten, their biggest win is over Florida, a team not even considered.  Army, Navy, and Liberty also have the same story--they just haven't beaten anyone of note yet.  However, all are ranked ahead of teams like Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee, as those four SEC teams all have bad losses, but behind Missouri, Clemson, Kansas State and Texas A&M, who don't have impressive wins either yet, and whose only losses were to ranked teams.  Again, a loss to a ranked team doesn't hurt as much as a bad loss.  And all of those unbeatens:  Army, Navy, and Liberty--will be ranked ahead of those four one-loss teams until they suffer a worse loss, or unless the one-loss teams pile up 2 or 3 wins over ranked teams.

Further, one-loss teams Washington State and Nebraska also have to be ranked ahead of those four mentioned above (Missouri, Clemson, Kansas State and A&M) as their only loss was to a ranked team, not the bad losses of the four behind them.

The overriding problem with today's polls is that they excuse losses by some teams and not others.  A loss is a loss and it is never as good as a win.  Teams with losses should never be ranked ahead of undefeated teams unless the unbeaten team has no impressive wins, and even then, only after considering each of the games on the respective teams' schedules.

One-loss teams such as Boise State, Washington State and Texas Tech are going to be ranked ahead of unbeaten teams that don't own wins over teams that are considered for the Top 25--that's logic.  Of the unbeatens, Oregon, BYU, Penn State, Indiana and Texas all have impressive wins, while Iowa State, Navy, Miami of Florida, Pittsburgh, Army, and Liberty do not and, using logic, should always be ranked ahead of them.  And among unbeatens, the teams are going to be ranked based on the quality wins and the number of those quality wins, as you can clearly see.

Iowa and Oklahoma are the best of the two-loss teams--both lost to two Top 25 ranked teams.

Texas A&M has a nice win over Missouri, but the Aggies are held back because they lost to Notre Dame.

Without further ado, here is the Top 25!

1.  Oregon 6-0 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #7 Boise State and #10 Ohio State, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None) 

2.  BYU 6-0 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #11 SMU and #18 Kansas State, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

3.  Penn State 6-0 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #12 Illinois, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

4.  Indiana 6-0 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #13 Navy, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

5.  Iowa State 6-0 (Impressive Wins:  #29 Iowa, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

6.  Texas 6-0 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #30 Oklahoma, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

7.  Boise State 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #8 Washington State, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses:  None)

8.  Washington State 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #9 Texas Tech, Lost to #7 Boise State, Bad Losses:  None)

9.  Texas Tech 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #19 Arizona State, Lost to #8 Washington State, Bad Losses:  None)

10.  Ohio State 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  #29 Iowa, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses:  None)

11.  SMU 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #35 Louisville, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses:  None)

12.  Illinois 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #20 Nebraska, Lost to #3 Penn State, Bad Losses:  None)

13.  Navy 5-0 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Memphis, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

14.  Miami of Florida 6-0 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Florida, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

15.  Pittsburgh 6-0 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win: Cincinnati, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

16.  Liberty 5-0 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  East Carolina, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

17.  Army 6-0 (Impressive Wins:  None, Beat Temple, Losses:  None, Bad Losses:  None)

18..  Kansas State 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Wins:  Beat Oklahoma State and Arizona, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses:  None)

19.  Arizona State 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Utah, Lost to #9 Texas Tech, Bad Losses:  None)

20.  Nebraska 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Rutgers, Lost to #12 Illinois, Bad Losses:  None)

21.  Tennessee 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #30 Oklahoma, Lost to #36 Arkansas, Bad Losses:  None)

22.  Alabama 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #23 Georgia, Lost to South Carolina, Bad Losses:  Lost to South Carolina)

23.  Georgia 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #24 Clemson, Lost to #22 Alabama, Bad Losses:  None)

24.  Clemson 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat North Carolina State, Lost to #23 Georgia, Bad Losses:  None)

25.  LSU 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #37 Mississippi, Lost to USC Bad Losses:  Lost to USC)

Also Considered:

27.  Duke 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win: North Carolina, Lost to Georgia Tech, Bad Losses:  Lost to Georgia Tech)

28.  Syracuse 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #31 UNLV, Lost to Stanford, Bad Losses:  Lost to Stanford)

29.  Iowa 4-2 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Washington, Lost to #5 Iowa State and #10 Ohio State, Bad Losses:  None)

30.  Oklahoma 4-2 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Wins:   Houston and Auburn, Lost to #6 Texas and #21 Tennessee)

31.  UNLV 5-1 Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:   Kansas, Lost to #28 Syracuse, Bad Losses:  None)

32.  Notre Dame 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #33 Texas A&M and #35 Louisville, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses:  Lost to Northern Illinois)

33.  Texas A&M 5-1 (Beat #34 Missouri, Lost to #32 Notre Dame)

34.  Missouri 5-1 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Vanderbilt, Lost to #33 Texas A&M, Bad Losses:  None)

35.  Louisville 4-2 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat Virginia, Lost to #11 SMU and #32 Notre Dame, Bad Losses:  None)

36.  Arkansas 4-2 (Impressive Wins:  Beat #21 Tennessee, Lost to #33 Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, Bad Losses  Oklahoma State)

37.  Mississippi 5-2 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat South Carolina, Lost to #25 LSU and Kentucky, Bad Losses:  Kentucky)

38.  Michigan 4-2 (Impressive Wins:  None, Biggest Win:  Beat USC, Lost To #6 Texas and Washington, Bad Losses:  Washington)