Blue Through and Through College Football Rankings: Week 10

For the first time this year, the #1 team held on to its spot.  Even though Alabama edged closer with its third win over a Top 25 team, they cannot claim two wins over Top 10 teams as Clemson can.  

There was little movement, which is typical of an accurate ranking barring upsets.  Ohio State scored its second win over a Top 25 team and third impressive win, but has the anchor of a loss to the #14 team around it.  No one else ranked ahead of the Buckeyes has a loss to a team ranked that low.

Troy would be ranked ahead of Boise State using the same logic (Boise State has a loss to the #22 team), but Troy doesn't have any wins over teams considered for the Top 25, and that will hamper any further movement.  Boise State doesn't have any bad losses, unlike all the teams ranked below them except Troy and three-loss teams Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas and Florida State.   

Wyoming has a bigger win than every team ranked below them.

LSU and Arkansas have the misfortune of losing to three Top 10 teams.

By logic, South Florida, Navy, Houston and Oklahoma (each with two losses) have to be ranked in that order because of head-to-head results.

Colorado has to be ranked ahead of Washington State because they have the same biggest win (over Arizona State) and Colorado's losses were to #3 Washington and USC while Washington State lost to #12 Boise State and FCS Eastern Washington.  Neither can be ranked ahead of the teams ahead of them because they both lack an impressive win and they have a loss to a non-Top 25 team. 

While Utah is in that same category (no impressive win and a bad loss, Utah has to be ranked ahead of Colorado because the Utes beat USC while Colorado lost to them.  Utah, however, has to be ranked ahead of every team behind it either because of a more impressive win (and USC is surging), less losses, or less damaging losses.

(Note:  the rankings are based on logic rather than hype or potential.  Teams with the same record are judged by their biggest wins and their losses, if any.  Impressive wins over Top 25 teams are more important than other wins, and losses to Top 25 teams hurt far less than other losses.

The "Biggest Win" refers to the highest-ranked win; generally, only ranked teams and teams being considered are listed.  Sometimes, as in the case of Western Michigan, they don't have a win over teams in these rankings, and it is unknown at this time which of their listed wins is the biggest.)

1-1   Clemson (9-0) shut out Syracuse 54-0; Biggest Wins: #5 Louisville 42-36, #10 Auburn 19-13, #13 Troy 30-24 and Florida State 37-34
2-2    Alabama (8-0) blanked #25 LSU 10-0; Biggest Wins: #12 Texas A&M 33-14, #23 Tennessee 49-10, #24 Arkansas 49-30, LSU 10-0
3-3   Michigan (9-0) blitzed Maryland 59-3; Biggest Wins: #8 Wisconsin 14-7, #14 Penn State 49-10 and Colorado 45-28
5-4   Washington (9-0) crushed California 66-27; Biggest Win: #19 Utah 31-24
6-5    Louisville (8-1) lambasted Boston College 52-7; Biggest Win: Florida State 63-20; Lost to #1 Clemson 42-36
8-6    Ohio State (8-1) blew out #16 Nebraska 62-3; Biggest Wins: #8 Wisconsin 30-23 in overtime, #16 Nebraska 62-3 and Oklahoma 45-24; Lost to #14 Penn State 24-21
7-7   Western Michigan (8-0) whipped Ball State 52-20; Biggest Win: Northwestern 22-21 or Eastern Michigan 45-31
10-8   Wisconsin (7-2) topped Northwestern 21-7; Biggest Wins:  #16 Nebraska 23-17 in overtime and LSU 16-14; Lost to #3 Michigan 14-7 and #6 Ohio State 30-23 in overtime
4-9   Texas A&M (7-2) was upset by Mississippi State 35-28; Biggest Wins: #10 Auburn 29-16, #23 Tennessee 45-38 in two overtimes and Arkansas 45-24; Lost to #2 Alabama 33-14 and Mississippi State 35-28
11-10 Auburn (7-2) edged Vanderbilt 23-16; Biggest Wins:  #24 Arkansas 56-3 and LSU 18-13; Lost to #1 Clemson 19-13 and #9 Texas A&M 29-16 
14-11  West Virginia (7-1) creamed Kansas 48-21; Biggest Win: TCU 34-10; Lost to #20 Oklahoma State 37-20
12-12 Boise State (8-1) got by San Jose State 45-31; Biggest Win:  Washington State 31-28; Lost to #22 Wyoming 30-28
17-13 Troy (7-1) outpointed Massachusetts 52-31; Biggest Win:  Southern Mississippi 37-31; Lost to #1 Clemson 30-24
20-14 Penn State (7-2)  pounded Iowa 41-14; Biggest Win:  #6 Ohio State 24-21; Lost to #3 Michigan 49-10 and Pittsburgh 42-39
18-15  Virginia Tech (7-2) squeaked by Duke 24-21;  Biggest Win:  #17 North Carolina 34-3; Lost to #23 Tennessee 45-24 and Syracuse 31-17
9-16  Nebraska (7-2) was ripped by #6 Ohio State 62-3; Biggest Win: #22 Wyoming 52-17; Lost to #6 Ohio State 62-3 and #8 Wisconsin 23-17 in overtime
19-17  North Carolina (7-2) smashed Georgia Tech 48-20; Biggest Win: Florida State 37-35; Lost to #15 Virginia Tech 34-3 and Georgia 33-24
13-18   Baylor (6-2) was slaughtered by TCU 62-22; Biggest Win: #20 Oklahoma State 35-24; Lost to TCU 62-22 and Texas 35-34
21-19 Utah (7-2) did not play; Biggest Win: USC 31-27; Lost to #4 Washington 31-24 and California 28-23
22-20 Oklahoma State (3-2) pulled out a 43-37 win over Kansas State; Biggest Win:  #11 West Virginia 37-20; Lost to #18 Baylor 35-24 and Central Michigan 30-27
15-21 Florida (6-2) was rolled by #24 Arkansas 31-10; Biggest Win: Georgia 24-10; Lost to #23 Tennessee 38-28 and #24 Arkansas 31-10
23-22 Wyoming (7-2) blasted Utah State 52-28; Biggest Win:  #12 Boise State 30-28; Lost to #16 Nebraska 52-17 and Eastern Michigan 27-24
25-23 Tennessee (6-3) blanked Tennessee Tech 59-7; Biggest Wins: #15 Virginia Tech 45-24 and #21 Florida 38-28; Lost to #2 Alabama 49-10, #9 Texas A&M 45-38 in 2 OT's and South Carolina 24-21
-----24  Arkansas (6-3) smothered #21 Florida 31-10; Biggest Wins:  #21 Florida 31-10 and TCU 41-38; Lost to #2 Alabama 49-30, #9 Texas A&M 45-24 and #10 Auburn 56-3
24-25 South Florida (7-2) was idle this week; Biggest Win: Navy 52-45; Lost to Florida State 55-35 and Temple 46-30

Dropped Out:  LSU

Also Considered:
Navy (6-2) nipped Notre Dame 28-27:  Biggest Win:  Houston 45-40; Lost to #25 South Florida 52-45 and Air Force 28-14 
LSU (5-3) lost to #1 Alabama 10-0; Biggest Win:  Mississippi 38-21 or Southern Mississippi 45-10;  Lost to #1 Alabama 10-0, #8 Wisconsin 16-14 and #10 Auburn 18-13 
Houston (7-2) ; Biggest Win: Oklahoma 33-23; Lost to Navy 45-40 and SMU 38-16
Oklahoma (6-2) :  Biggest Win:  TCU 52-46; Lost to #6 Ohio State 45-24 and Houston 33-23
Colorado (6-2) was idle; Biggest Win:  Arizona State 40-16; Lost to #3 Michigan 45-28 and USC 21-17
Washington State (7-2) whipped Arizona 69-7; Biggest Win:  Arizona State 37-32; Lost to #12 Boise State 31-28 and Eastern Washington 45-42
Florida State (6-3) came from behind to beat North Carolina State 24-20; Biggest Win:  #24 South Florida 55-35; Lost to #1 Clemson 37-34, #5 Louisville 63-20 and #17 North Carolina 37-35
San Diego State (8-1) shut out Hawai'i 41-0; Biggest Win: California 45-40 or Utah State 40-13; Lost to South Alabama 42-24

Polite Broncos Down San Jose State 45-31

BOISE, Idaho--No one can ever accuse this Boise State team of running up the score.  

Once again, the Bronco defense made an opponent look like possessing one of the nation's most potent offenses in a 45-31 win over unheralded San Jose State last night in Bronco Stadium.  

San Jose State came into the game ranked 96th in the country in total offense, but often made it look like the Broncos were two or three players short in big plays that continually burned the Boise State defense.  The Spartans accumulated 495 yards of offense to remain in the game until the final minutes.

Frustrated by a 7-6 advantage after the first quarter, Bronco coach Bryan Harsin called for a fake punt on fourth-and-12 from Boise State's own 37-yard line.  Upon taking the snap, punter Sean Wale ran straight for his line, eluded a would-be tackler, and raced 29 yards to preserve the drive.

'It was my one chance to shine, and I certainly wasn't sliding. But I didn't really know what to do once I got into the open field," Wale said.

It seemed to be the spark that the Bronco offense needed.  Three plays later, freshman running back Alexander Mattison scored on a 19-yard run.  

''It could've been a stop on downs for us if we'd been able to make the play,'' Spartans coach Ron Caragher said. ''But we didn't and it changed the momentum of the game.''

Caragher's team, which started the year 1-5, fought back on the next drive with quarterback Kenny Potter finding Rahshead Johnson with a 12-yard scoring strike that cut the lead to 14-13 with 10 minutes left in the half.  

Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien connected with Cedrick Wilson on a 25-yard pass and then hooked up with Wilson on a fourth-down conversion  to highlight a Bronco drive that culminated in a 34-yard Tyler Rausa field goal.

After the Bronco defense made one of their few stops of the evening, Boise State mounted an eight-play drive with Jeremy McNichols carrying it in from seven yards out to extend the lead to 24-13 with 2:06 left in the half.

However, the Spartans responded with a quick drive before halftime, with Bryce Crawford converting a 39-yard field goal with 10 seconds left and the teams went into their respective locker rooms with Boise State holding a 24-16 advantage.

McNichols' 27-yard run keyed a 70-yard Bronco drive to open the second half with Rypien spotting Wilson for a 15-yard scoring pass.  After a sequence of punts, the Rypien-to-Wilson connection paid off again as Rypien found Wilson alone.  Wilson sprinted along the right sideline and dove for the pylon to complete a 36-yard scoring play that gave Boise State one of their largest leads of the season, 38-16.

But the hospitable Broncos played gracious hosts by once again letting an opponent back into the game.  San Jose State marched down the field on an 11-play, 78-yard drive with Potter guiding an 11-yard pass to Justin Holmes in the end zone to cut the lead to 38-23 with 11:13 left in the game.

After the Bronco offense chewed up 6:48 of clock and scored on a five-yard pass from Rypien to tight end Alec Dhaenens, San Jose State needed just 56 seconds to return the favor.  On the fourth play of the Spartan's next possession, Malik Roberson burst through the Bronco defense untouched on the way to a 60-yard score.  Potter dove in for an easy two-point conversion to cut the lead to 45-31 with 3:29 left.  

Boise State, which has had considerable trouble with onside kicks this season, nearly failed to recover one again before McNichols alertly batted the ball out of bounds.  Boise State turned it over on downs, but San Jose State was unable to come up with last-minute heroics and the Broncos prevailed.

Boise State advanced to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the Mountain West Conference with the victory.  The Broncos lost for the first time last week at Wyoming and cling to only faint hopes of winning their own division.

McNichols (158 yards) and Mattison each surpassed 100 rushing yards, with Mattison running for a career-high 100 yards on 18 carries.  

''(Giving Mattison more carries) was predetermined on our part,'' Harsin said. ''We knew he was ready for his opportunity. But it's not just about running the ball. It's also about being able to protect the quarterback in different looks."

McNichols recorded his fourth 100-yard performance in a row and the seventh this season and moved into a tie for sixth in the Bronco record book for most touchdowns in a season with 16 (see charts at conclusion of article.)  McNichols has now rushed for 150 or more yards six times, fourth all-time at Boise State.

McNichols added one catch for nine yards and passed Jeremy Avery (2007-10) for ninth place in career all-purpose yards.  McNichols is nine catches and 36 yards behind Brock Forsey (1999-2002) for the most career receptions and reception yards by a running back in Boise State history.

Rypien enjoyed his most accurate passing game of the season, completing 16-of-21 for 219 yards and three scores to pass Joe Southwick (2010-13) for seventh place in career completions.  Wilson led the Bronco receivers with six catches for 102 yards and two of those touchdowns.

San Jose State fell to 3-7 and 2-4.  Happy to face little pressure from the Boise State defense, Spartan quarterback Potter completed 23-of-36 passes for 278 yards.  Potter wasn't sacked until the final play of the game.

Meanwhile, Roberson plowed through the Bronco defense for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Boise State travels to Hawai'i next Saturday while San Jose State has a bye week before hosting Air Force on November 19.

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Rushing Touchdowns in a Season:

1.    Jay Ajayi (28) 2014
2.    Brock Forsey (26) 2002

3.    Ian Johnson (25) 2006
4.    Jeremy McNichols (20) 2015
5.    Jay Ajayi (18) 2013

6.    Ian Johnson (16) 2007

6.    Chris Jackson (16) 1987
6.    Doug Martin (16) 2011
6.   Jeremy McNichols (16) 2016
10.  D.J. Harper (15) 2012

10.  Doug Martin (15) 2009

12.  Jon Helmandollar (14) 2004
13.  Ian Johnson (13) 2008

13.  Jared Zabransky (13) 2004

13.  David Mikell (13) 2003
13.  Brock Forsey (13) 2001
17.  Doug Martin (12) 2010
17.  Ryan Dinwiddie (12) 2003
17.  Rodney Webster (12) 1981
20.  Jeremy Avery (11) 2010)
20.  Jared Zabransky (11) 2005
20.  Eron Hurley (11) 1998
20.  Cedric Minter (11) 1980

Career 150-Yard Rushing Games:

1.    Cedric Minter (8) 1977-1980
1.    Brock Forsey (8) 1999-2002
3.    Jay Ajayi (8) 2012-2014
4.    Jeremy McNichols (6) 2014-current
5.    Ian Johnson (5) 2005-2008
6.    Doug Martin (4) 2010-2011
7.    Rodney Webster (3) 1980-1983
7.    Chris Jackson (3) 1986-1987
7.    Chris Thomas (3) 1987-1991
10.  Jon Francis (2) 1984-1985
10.  K.C. Adams (2) 1994
10.  Eron Hurley (2) 1995-1999
10.  Jeremy Avery (2) 2007-2010
10.  D.J. Harper (2) 2007-2012
15.  John Smith (1) 1972-1975
15.  Terry Zahner (1) 1977-1980
15.  Willie Bowens (1) 1993-1994
15.  David Mikell (1) 2000-2003)

All-Purpose Yards, Career:

1.    Brock Forsey (6,670) 1999-2002

2.    Titus Young (5,502) 2007-2010

3.    Cedric Minter (5,316) 1977-1980

4.    David Mikell (5,032) 2000-2003

5.    Ian Johnson (4,927) 2005-2008

6.    Doug Martin (4,885) 2008-2011

7.    Chris Thomas (4,807) 1988-1991

8.    Jay Ajayi (4,583) 2012-2014

9.    Jeremy McNichols (4,280) 2014-current

10.  Jeremy Avery (4,142) 2007-2010

11.  Ryan Ikebe (3,700) 1993-1996

12.  Rodney Webster (3,665) 1980-1983

13.  John Smith (3,549) 1972-1975

14.  D.J. Harper (3,450) 2007-2012

15.  Thomas Sperbeck (3,317) 2013-current

16.  Shane Williams-Rhodes (3,312) 2012-2015

17.  Tim Gilligan (3,076) 2000-2003

18.  Matt Miller (3,049) 2011-2014

19.  Terry Zahner (2,903) 1977-1980

20.  Don Hutt (2,870) 1970-1973

21.  Mike Wilson (2,849) 1990-1993

22.  Austin Pettis (2,842) 2007-2010

23.  Jon Francis (2,767) 1984-1985

24.  Quinton Jones (2,723) 2004-2006

25.  Kerry Lawyer (2,639) 1991-1993

Career Receptions by a Running Back:

1.    Brock Forsey (103) 1999-2002

2.    Jeremy McNichols (94) 2014-current

3.    Chris Thomas (93) 1987-1991

4.    John Smith (89) 1972-1975

5.    Jeremy Avery (87) 2007-2010

6.    David Hughes (80) 1977-1980

7.    Jay Ajayi (73) 2012-2014

8.    Rodney Webster (70) 1980-1983

9.    Doug Martin (67) 2008-2011

10.  Ian Johnson (60) 2005-2008

Career Receiving Yards By a Running Back: 

1.    Brock Forsey (1,050) 1999-2002

2.    Jeremy McNichols (1,014) 2014-current

3.    Jeremy Avery (790) 2007-2010

4.    Jay Ajayi (771) 2012-2014

5.    Doug Martin (715) 2008-2010

Career Completions:
1.    Kellen Moore (1,157) 2008-2011

2.    Bart Hendricks (650) 1997-2000
3.   Tony Hilde (629) 1993-1996
4.    Ryan Dinwiddie (622) 2000-2003
5.    Jared Zabransky (610) 2003-2006

6.    Grant Hedrick (475) 2011-2014

7.    Brett Rypien (447) 2015-current  

8.    Joe Southwick (439) 2010-2013

9.    Jim McMillan (382) 1971-1974

10.  Mike Virden (324) 1989-1990

11.  Taylor Tharp (321) 2004-2007
12.  Hazsen Choates (316) 1983-1986

13.  Gerald DesPres (281) 1981-1984

14.  Joe Aliotti (278) 1979-1980

15.  Eric Guthrie (275) 1968-1971

Former Boise State Broncos in the NFL--Week Eight

Tyrone Crawford had an amazing game to help the Cowboys win.  Here are the complete performances of former Broncos in the NFL:


Jay Ajayi, running back of the Miami Dolphins, was idle this week.

Ryan Clady, starting tackle of the New York Jets, helped the Jets beat the Browns.

Kamalei Correa, linebacker for Baltimore, did not play

Tyrone Crawford, starting defensive tackle for Dallas, had six tackles, three of them solo, with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble in Cowboy win.

George Iloka, starting safety for Cincinnati, had five solo tackles, a pass deflection and an interception in a tie with the Redskins.

DeMarcus Lawrence, defensive end for Dallas, had two tackles, one of them solo, to help the Cowboys win.

Charles Leno, tackle for the Bears, saw action as Chicago beat Minnesota.

Doug Martin, running back for Tampa Bay, is injured.

Shea McClellin, linebacker for New England, had no stats in Patriot win.

Kellen Moore, quarterback for Dallas, is on the injured reserve list.

Reed Odhiambo, the backup left guard for Seattle, played as the Seahawks lost.

Matt Paradis, started at center for Denver, helped the Broncos win.

Orlando Scandrick, cornerback for Dallas, had three solo tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss in Dallas win.

Jamar Taylor, starting cornerback for Cleveland, had three solo tackles and four pass deflections in Brown loss.

Darian Thompson, reserve safety for the New York Giants, had no statistics in Giant win.

Kyle Wilson, cornerback for New Orleans, is on injured reserve.

Billy Winn, backup defensive end with Denver, had four tackles, two of them solo, in Bronco win.