Brand New Blue Through and Through Top 25

Unlike the AP and Coaches' polls, we base our rankings on logic.  Undefeated teams are ranked by the highest impressive win and number of impressive wins.  Generally, a big win places a team over another with a big loss, unless there are other big wins and losses to look at.  A bad loss will hurt a team much more than a big win will help it.  On the other hand, a loss to a Top 25 team will not hurt a team, other than its comparison to other teams' losses to Top 25 teams and in the number of total losses.

A team that beat another head-to-head will always be ranked ahead of that team as long as they have the same or better record.  The mistake that voters in most polls (both AP and Coaches) is that they are swept up in emotion and forget logic.  These voters will no doubt be highly impressed by Kansas State's 49-0 win over previously well-thought of Oklahoma State.  But K-State cannot be ranked ahead of Tulane, which has a better record and defeated them on the football field.

The principal of head-to-head matchups is well evident this week.  Liberty is ranked ahead of Wake Forest, Tulane is ahead of Kansas State, K State is ranked ahead of Oklahoma State because of wins on the field--as would any poll that can be taken seriously.  Kentucky is ranked above Mississippi State and Mississippi State is ahead of Arkansas, all by virtue of the same number of losses decided by head-to-head records. 

Tennessee gained the top spot not only with another impressive win but largely due to the collapse of ranked ACC teams that were the big feathers in Clemson's cap up to this week.  Clemson still has more impressive wins, but two of Tennessee's biggest wins are both more impressive than the top win by the Tigers as of now.  

There was an oddity when Penn State, which lost to Ohio State, moved up in the rankings, only because so many teams ahead of the Nittany Lions lost and there are only two teams behind them (LSU and Utah) with the resume to pass them.

The Top 25:

2-1  Tennessee (8-0) Beat Kentucky 44-6; Beat #7 Alabama 52-49, #12 LSU 40-13 and Kentucky 44-6

1-2  Clemson (8-0) had a bye week; Beat #16 Syracuse 27-21, #17 North Carolina State 30-20, #19 Wake Forest 51-45  and Florida State 34-28

5-3  Michigan (8-0) ripped rival Michigan State 29-7; Beat #14 Penn State 41-17 and #25 Maryland 34-27

4-4  TCU (8-0) downed West Virginia 41-31; Beat #22 Kansas State 38-28 and #23 Oklahoma State 43-40

3-5  Georgia (8-0) ran over Florida 42-20; Beat #8 Oregon 49-3 and South Carolina 48-7

7-6  Ohio State (8-0) rallied to top #14 Penn State 44-31; Beat #14 Penn State 44-31

6-7  Alabama (7-1) did not play; Beat Mississippi State 30-6 and Texas 20-19; Lost to #1 Tennessee 52-49

8-8  Oregon (7-1) toppled Cal 42-24; Beat #9 UCLA 45-30; Lost to #5 Georgia 49-3

11-9 UCLA (6-1) whipped Stanford 38-13; Beat #13 Utah 42-32; Lost to #8 Oregon 45-30

13-10 USC (7-1) beat Arizona 45-37; Beat #15 Oregon State 17-14; Lost to #13 Utah 43-42

12-11 Mississippi (7-1) nudged Texas A&M 31-28; beat Kentucky 22-19 and Troy 28-10; Lost to #12 LSU 45-20

17-12 LSU (6-2) did not play; Beat #11 Mississippi 45-20 and Mississippi State 31-14; Lost to #2 Tennessee 40-13 and Florida State 24-23

16-13 Utah (6-2) survived a scare from Washington State 21-17; Beat #10 USC 43-42 and #15 Oregon State 42-16, lost to #9 UCLA 42-32 and Florida 29-26

15-14 Penn State (6-2) lost a lead and the game to #6 Ohio State 44-31; No significant wins; Lost to #3 Michigan 41-17 and #6 Ohio State 44-31

21-15 Oregon State (6-2) was idle this week; Beat Boise State 34-17; Lost to #14 USC 17-14 and #16 Utah 42-16

9-16  Syracuse (6-2) lost to Notre Dame 41-24; Beat #17 North Carolina State 24-9 and Purdue 32-29; Lost to #2 Clemson 27-21 and Notre Dame 41-24

19-17 North Carolina State (6-2) edged Virginia Tech 22-21; Beat Florida State 19-17; Lost to #2 Clemson 30-20 and #16 Syracuse 24-9

22-18 Liberty (7-1)  did not play this week; No significant wins; Lost to #19 Wake Forest 37-36

13-19 Wake Forest (6-2) fell victim to Louisville 48-21; Beat #18 Liberty 37-36 and Florida State 31-20; Lost to #2 Clemson 51-45 and Louisville 48-21

#24-20 North Carolina (6-1) destroyed Pittsburgh 42-24; No significant wins; Lost to Notre Dame 45-32

25-21 Tulane (7-1) did not play; Beat #22 Kansas State 17-10; Lost to Southern Mississippi 27-24

----22 Kansas State (6-2) mashed Oklahoma State 48-0; Beat Oklahoma State 48-0 and Oklahoma 41-34; Lost to #4 TCU 38-28 and #21 Tulane 17-10

10-23 Oklahoma State (6-2) was whitewashed by #22 Kansas State 48-0; Beat Texas 41-34; Lost to #4 TCU 43-40 and #24 Kansas State 48-0

---24 Illinois (7-1) turned back Nebraska 26-9; No significant wins; Lost to Indiana 23-20

24-25 Maryland (6-2) was idle; No significant wins; Lost to #5 Michigan 34-27 and Purdue 31-29

Dropped Out:  Kentucky

Also Considered:

Washington (6-2) did not play; No significant wins; Lost to #9 UCLA 40-32 and Arizona State 45-30

Coastal Carolina (7-1) beat Marshall 24-13; No significant wins; Lost to Old Dominion 49-21

Troy (6-2) did not play; No significant wins; Lost to #12 Mississippi 28-10 and App State 32-28

Boise State (6-2) motored to a 49-10 win over Colorado State; No significant wins; Lost to #15 Oregon State 34-17 and UTEP 27-10

Florida State (5-3) routed Georgia Tech 41-16; Beat #12 LSU 24-23; Lost to #2 Clemson 34-28, #17 North Carolina State 19-17 and #19 Wake Forest 31-21

20--- Kentucky (5-3) lost to #1 Tennessee 44-6; Beat Mississippi State 27-17; Lost to #1 Tennessee 44-6, #11 Mississippi 22-19 and South Carolina 24-14

Mississippi State (5-3) was idle this week; Beat Arkansas 40-17; Lost to #7 Alabama 30-6, #12 LSU 31-14 and Kentucky 27-17 

Purdue (5-3) had the week off; Beat #25 Maryland 31-29; Lost to #14 Penn State 35-31, #16 Syracuse 32-29 and Wisconsin 35-24

Texas (5-3) was idle this week; Beat Texas-San Antonio 41-20; Lost to #7 Alabama 20-19, #25 Oklahoma State 41-34 and Texas Tech 37-34

Oklahoma (6-3) got by Iowa State 27-13; Lost to #4 TCU 55-24, #22 Kansas State 41-34 and Texas 49-0

Notre Dame (5-3) beat #16 Syracuse 41-24; Beat #16 Syracuse 41-24 and #22 North Carolina 45-32; Lost to #6 Ohio State 21-10, Stanford 16-14 and Marshall 26-21

Louisville (5-3) beat #19 Wake Forest 48-21; Beat #19 Wake Forest 48-21 and UCF 20-14; Lost to #15 Syracuse 31-7, Florida State 35-31 and Boston College 34-31

UCF (7-2)  beat Cincinnati 25-21; Lost to Louisville 20-14 and East Carolina 34-13

Cincinnati (6-2) fell to UCF 25-21; No significant wins; Lost to Arkansas 31-24 and UCF 25-21

Arkansas (5-3) upended Auburn 41-27; Beat South Carolina 44-30 and Cincinnati 31-24; Lost to #7 Alabama 49-26, Mississippi State 40-17 and Texas A&M 23-21

18--- South Carolina (5-3) fell to Missouri 23-10; Beat Kentucky 24-14; Lost to #5 Georgia 48-7, Missouri 23-10 and Arkansas 44-30

Texas-San Antonio (6-2) did not play; No significant wins; Lost to Houston 37-35 and Texas 41-20

Blue Football Through and Through Top 25

We will debut our popular Top 25 teams this week while watching the precarious position of the United States.  If fascists win either the House of Representatives or the Senate, we will obviously have to discontinue the ranking.

Unlike the AP and Coaches' polls, we base our rankings on logic.  Undefeated teams are ranked by the highest impressive win and number of impressive wins.  Generally, a big win places a team over another with a big loss, unless there are other big wins and losses to look at.  A bad loss will hurt a team much more than a big win will help it.  A team that beat another head-to-head will always be ranked ahead of that team as long as they have the same record.

Clemson earns the top spot on the basis of four significant wins, including three over Top 25 teams.  They have proven the most this season, and it is inarguable that until they lose (or another team matches its impressive wins), they are the #1 team.

Tennessee is the easy choice for #2, with a win over #6 Alabama and two other impressive wins, including a W over #21 LSU.  Georgia also has two wins over Top 25 teams, one short of Tennessee.  Plus, the Volunteers have three significant wins to two for Georgia.  TCU and Michigan are very close--TCU gets the nod because of a win over #10 Oklahoma State while Michigan's biggest win is over #15 Penn State.

The Top 25:

#1  Clemson (8-0) Beat #9 Syracuse 27-21, #13 Wake Forest 51-45, #19 North Carolina State 30-20  and Florida State 34-28

#2  Tennessee (7-0) Beat #6 Alabama 52-49 #21 LSU 40-13 and Florida 39-33

#3  Georgia (7-0) Beat #8 Oregon 49-3 and #18 South Carolina 48-7

#4  TCU (7-0) Beat #10 Oklahoma State 43-40 and Kansas State 38-28

#5  Michigan (7-0) Beat #15 Penn State 41-17 and #24 Maryland 34-27

#6  Alabama (7-1) Beat Mississippi State 30-6 and Texas 20-19; Lost to #2 Tennessee 52-49

#7  Ohio State (7-0)—No significant wins

#8  Oregon (6-1) Beat #11 UCLA 45-30; Lost to #3 Georgia 49-3

#9  Syracuse (6-1) Beat #19 North Carolina State 24-9 and Purdue 32-29; Lost to #1 Clemson 27-21

#10 Oklahoma State (6-1) Beat Texas 41-34; Lost to #4 TCU 43-40

#11 UCLA (6-1) Beat #17 Utah 42-32; Lost to #8 Oregon 45-30

#12 Mississippi (7-1) beat #20 Kentucky 22-19 and Troy 28-10; Lost to #17 LSU 45-20

#13 Wake Forest (6-1) Beat #22 Liberty 37-36 and Florida State 31-20; Lost to #1 Clemson 51-45

#14 USC (6-1) Beat #21 Oregon State 17-14; Lost to #16 Utah 43-42

#15 Penn State (6-1) Lost to #5 Michigan 41-17

#16 Utah (5-2) beat #14 USC 43-42 and #21 Oregon State 42-16, lost to #11 UCLA 42-32 and Florida 29-26

#17 LSU (6-2) beat #12 Mississippi 45-20, Mississippi State 31-14 and Florida 43-35; Lost to #2 Tennessee 40-13 and Florida State 24-23

#18 South Carolina (5-2) Beat #20 Kentucky 24-14; Lost to #4 Georgia 48-7 and Arkansas 44-30

#19 North Carolina State (5-2) Beat Florida State 19-17; Lost to #1 Clemson 30-20 and #9 Syracuse 24-9

#20 Kentucky (5-2) Beat Mississippi State 27-17 and Florida 26-16; Lost to #12 Mississippi 22-19 and #18 South Carolina 24-14

#21 Oregon State (6-2) Beat Boise State 34-17; Lost to #14 USC 17-14 and #16 Utah 42-16

#22 Liberty (7-1)  No significant wins; Lost to #13 Wake Forest 37-36

#23 North Carolina (6-1) Beat App State 63-61; Lost to Notre Dame 45-32

#24 Maryland (6-2) Beat Illinois 38-33; Lost to #5 Michigan 34-27 and Purdue 31-29

#25 Tulane (7-1) Beat Kansas State 17-10; Lost to Southern Mississippi 27-24

Also Considered:

Kansas State (5-2) Beat Oklahoma 41-34; Lost to #4 TCU 38-28 and #25 Tulane 17-10

Cincinnati (6-1) No significant wins; Lost to Arkansas 31-24

Illinois (6-1) No significant wins; Lost to Indiana 23-20

Washington (6-2) No significant wins; Lost to #12 UCLA 40-32 and Arizona State 45-30

Florida State (4-3) Beat #21 LSU 24-23; Lost to #1 Clemson 34-28, #13 Wake Forest 31-21 and #19 North Carolina State 19-17

Coastal Carolina (6-1) No significant wins; Lost to Old Dominion 49-21

Florida (4-3) Beat Utah #16 29-26; Lost to #2 Tennessee 38-33, #20 Kentucky 26-16 and #17 LSU 45-35

Mississippi State (5-3) Beat Arkansas 40-17; Lost to #6 Alabama 30-6, #20 Kentucky 27-17 and #17 LSU 31-14

Troy (6-2) No significant wins; Lost to #12 Mississippi 28-10 and App State 32-28

Arkansas Beat #18 South Carolina 44-30, Cincinnati 31-24 and BYU 52-35; Lost to #7 Alabama 49-26, #24 Mississippi State 40-17 and Texas A&M 23-21

Purdue (5-3) Beat #24 Maryland 31-29; Lost to #9 Syracuse 32-29, #16 Penn State 35-31 and Wisconsin 35-24

Boise State (5-2) No significant wins; Lost to #21 Oregon State 34-17 and UTEP 27-10

Texas (5-3) Beat Texas-San Antonio 41-20; Lost to #6 Alabama 20-19, #10 Oklahoma State 41-34 and Texas Tech 37-34

Texas-San Antonio (6-2) No significant wins; Lost to Houston 37-35 and Texas 41-20

Blue Through and Through Final Rankings

With Clemson's victory over Alabama last night, the Tigers now have the most impressive resume in the nation. Alabama owns wins over the #3, #5, #18, #19, #20 & #21 teams, which would be enough to take #1 in most years.

However, Clemson has beaten the #2, #7, #10, #21, #24 and #25 teams.  They have thus beaten 3 of the nation's Top 10 teams, and of course, own a head-to-head win over Alabama.

We should note that Blue Through and Through is the only ranking in the nation that has had Clemson ranked #1 during the season, not one week, but several weeks.  Last night's Clemson win over Alabama was a total shock to every coach and media person who voted Alabama #1 every single week this season.

The more-published polls had Navy still ranked at #25 prior to the bowl season despite a 28-14 loss to Air Force and two other losses.  The polls made the classic mistake of ranking Navy ahead of South Florida, when South Florida not only had a better record than Navy but beat them on the field.  Blue Through and Through did not have Navy ranked for the reasons stated above, and lo and behold, which Top 25 ranking was more accurate regarding Navy?

Navy lost to five-loss Louisiana Tech 48-45 in their bowl game.  Not only that, but the American proved to be one of the worst conferences in the nation in the bowl season.

Similarly, Michigan, with its loss to Florida State, must fall below the Seminoles, as both have the same record.

In the SEC, Tennessee has to be ahead of Florida by virtue of a win, and the Gators must be ahead of LSU because of a win over the Tigers.

The Pac-12 and the SEC are the biggest beneficiaries of the head-to-head matchups above. Tennessee, Utah and Washington State are all more impressive than Air Force.

Because of these rankings, the difference between #2 Ohio State and #3 Washington is now much closer.  Both have four Top 25 wins and only one loss to a Top 10 team.



(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.)




5-1   Clemson (14-1) beat #7 Ohio State 31-0 and topped #2 Alabama 35-31; Biggest Wins: #2 Alabama 35-31, #7 Ohio State 31-0, #10 Florida State 37-34, #21 Auburn 19-13, #24 Louisville 42-36 and #25 Virginia Tech 42-35; Lost to Pittsburgh 43-42
1-2    Alabama (14-1) rocked #3 Washington 24-7, but lost their first game of the season to #1 Clemson 35-31; Biggest Wins: #3 Washington 24-7, #4 USC 52-6, #18 Tennessee 49-10, #19 Florida 54-16, #20 LSU 10-0 and #21 Auburn 30-12; Lost to #1 Clemson 35-31
3-3   Washington (12-2) lost to #2 Alabama 24-7; Biggest Wins:  #14 Stanford 44-6, #15 Colorado 41-10, #23 Utah 31-24 and Washington State 45-17; Lost to #2 Alabama 24-7 and #4 USC 26-13
10-4 USC (10-3) won a 52-49 thriller over #6 Penn State; Biggest Wins:  #3 Washington 26-13, #6 Penn State 52-49 and #14 Colorado 21-17; Lost to #2 Alabama 52-6, #13 Stanford 27-10 and #23 Utah 31-27
6-5 Oklahoma (11-2) ripped #21 Auburn 35-19:  Biggest Wins:  #13 Oklahoma State 38-20, #18 West Virginia 55-28, #19 Kansas State 38-17 and #21 Auburn 353-19; Lost to #7 Ohio State 45-24 and Houston 33-23
7-6 Penn State (10-3)  lost to #4 USC 52-49; Biggest Wins: #7 Ohio State 24-21,  #8 Wisconsin 38-31 and Temple 34-27; Lost to #4 USC 52-49, #11 Michigan 49-10 and Pittsburgh 42-39
2-7    Ohio State (11-2) lost to #1 Clemson 31-0; Biggest Wins: #5 Oklahoma 45-24, #8 Wisconsin 30-23 in overtime, #11 Michigan 30-27 in two overtimes and #22 Nebraska 62-3; Lost to #1 Clemson 31-0 and #6 Penn State 24-21
9-8   Wisconsin (11-3) tripped #9 Western Michigan 24-16; Biggest Wins:  #9 Western Michigan 24-16, #20 LSU 16-14 and #22 Nebraska 23-17 in overtime; Lost to  #6 Penn State 38-31, #7 Ohio State 30-23 in overtime and #11 Michigan 14-7
8-9   Western Michigan (13-1) lost its first game of the year to #8 Wisconsin 24-16; Biggest Win: Toledo 55-35; Lost to #8 Wisconsin 24-16
----10 Florida State (9-3) beat #11 Michigan 33-32; Biggest Wins:  #11 Michigan 33-32, #19 Florida 31-13 and #20 South Florida 55-35; Lost to #2 Clemson 37-34, #24 Louisville 63-20 and North Carolina 37-35
4-11   Michigan (10-3) lost to #10 Florida State 33-32; Biggest Wins: #6 Penn State 49-10, #8 Wisconsin 14-7 and #15 Colorado 45-28; Lost to #7 Ohio State 30-27 in two overtimes, #10 Florida State 33-32 and Iowa 14-13
19-12 Oklahoma State (10-3) crushed #14 Colorado 38-8; Biggest Wins:  #14 Colorado 38-8, #15 West Virginia 37-20 and #17 Kansas State 43-37; Lost to #5 Oklahoma 38-20, Baylor 35-24 and Central Michigan 30-27
12-13 Stanford (10-3) squeaked by North Carolina 25-23; Biggest Wins:  #4 USC 27-10 and #17 Kansas State 26-13; Lost to #3 Washington 44-6, #14 Colorado 10-5 and Washington State 42-16
11-14 Colorado (10-4) was whipped by #12 Oklahoma State 38-8; Biggest Wins:  #23 Utah 27-22 and Washington State 38-24; Lost to #3 Washington 41-10, #4 USC 21-17, #11 Michigan 45-28 and #12 Oklahoma State 38-8
13-15  West Virginia (10-3) fell to Miami of Florida 31-14; Biggest Wins: #17 Kansas State 17-17 and BYU 35-32; Lost to #5 Oklahoma 56-28, #12 Oklahoma State 37-20 and Miami of Florida 31-14
14-16 South Florida (11-2) beat South Carolina 46-39; Biggest Win: Navy 52-45; Lost to #10 Florida State 55-35 and Temple 46-30  
20-17 Kansas State (9-4) tipped Texas A&M 33-28; Biggest Win:  Texas A&M 33-28; Lost to #5 Oklahoma 38-17, #12 Oklahoma State 43-37, #13 Stanford 26-13 and #15 West Virginia 17-16
23-18 Tennessee (9-4) downed #22 Nebraska 38-24; Biggest Wins: #19 Florida 38-28 and #25 Virginia Tech 45-24; Lost to #2 Alabama 49-10, Texas A&M 45-38 n 2 OT's, Vanderbilt 45-34 and South Carolina 24-21 
----19 Florida (9-4) beat Iowa in a total mismatch, 30-3; Biggest Win: #20 LSU 16-10; Lost to #2 Alabama 54-16, #10 Florida State 31-13, #18 Tennessee 38-28 and Arkansas 31-10
16-20 LSU (8-4) flew by  Louisville 29-9; Biggest Wins:  Louisville 29-9 and Texas A&M 54-39;  Lost to #2 Alabama 10-0, #8 Wisconsin 16-14, #19 Florida 16-10 and #21 Auburn 18-13 
15-21 Auburn (8-5) lost to #5 Oklahoma 35-19;  Biggest Win:  #20 LSU 18-13 ; Lost to #1 Clemson 19-13, #2 Alabama 30-12, #5 Oklahoma 35-19, Texas A&M 29-16 and Georgia 13-7
17-22  Nebraska (9-4) lost to #18 Tennessee 38-24; Biggest Win: Wyoming 52-17; Lost to #7 Ohio State 62-3, #8 Wisconsin 23-17 in overtime, #18 Tennessee 38-24 and Iowa 40-10
24-23 Utah (9-4) edged Indiana 26-24; Biggest Win: #4 USC 31-27; Lost to #3 Washington 31-24, #14 Colorado 27-22, Oregon 30-28 and California 28-23
----25 Virginia Tech (10-4) beat Arkansas 35-24;  Biggest Win:  North Carolina 34-3; Lost to #1 Clemson 42-35, #18 Tennessee 45-24, Georgia Tech 30-20 and Syracuse 31-17

Dropped Out:  Temple, Boise State, Washington State, Texas A&M

Also Considered:

Air Force (10-3) blitzed South Alabama 45-21; Biggest Wins:  Boise State 27-20 and Navy 28-14; Lost to Wyoming 35-26, New Mexico 45-40 and Hawai'i 34-27
Texas A&M (8-5) lost to Kansas State 33-28; Biggest Wins: #18 Tennessee 45-38 in two overtimes and #21 Auburn 29-16; Lost to #1 Alabama 33-14, #17 Kansas State 33-28, #20 LSU 54-39, Mississippi 29-28 and Mississippi State 35-28