From Last Word On College Football, by Mike Loveall
Mother Nature cast her vote this week, with Hurricane Matthew wreaking havoc across the southeast. Several games, including Houston vs. Navy and Notre Dame vs. N.C. State were severely impacted by the weather. And, of course, the controversial decision by Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley to cancel the LSU vs. Florida game, and the equally controversial decision by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey to allow this course of action.
But the weather wasn’t the only drama this weekend. Houston’s loss to Navy dashed the hopes of a Group-of-Five team crashing the College Football Playoffs. Texas A&M was finally able to fend off another 21-point, second half comeback from Tennessee in a classic Top 10 match up in College Station. And imagine this: the kicking game making a difference in the FSU vs. Miami game. FSU’s block of Miami PAT with less than two minutes to play seals their own come-from-behind win in Miami. Washington exerts its dominance in the Pac-12 with a thrashing of Oregon. Meanwhile, the steep dive continues in Palo Alto, as Stanford was crushed by Washington State.
Last Word on College Football Top 25: Week 6
Our top four remains unchanged, with Houston falling from fifth to 13th after their loss to Navy. Washington and Texas A&M made moves up with their impressive wins, and Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Baylor (all on byes) moved up due to losses of the teams in front of them to round out the Top 10.
The next five are mostly teams coming off tough losses this week. Tennessee’s overtime loss drops the Vols to eleventh, followed by Ole Miss (bye), Houston, Boise State and Miami. Only Boise State is coming off a win. Florida State’s win moves them to sixteen, followed by newcomer Virginia Tech, Florida, a still-undefeated West Virginia, and Red River Rivalry winner Oklahoma.
The last five include Utah, Auburn, Western Michigan, Arkansas and LSU.
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LAST WORD ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25: WEEK 6
| Rank
|
Team
|
Points
|
Previous
|
|
1. |
|
398 | 1 | |
| Alabama manhandled a Top 25 conference foe on the road. The defense continues to dominate. It seems the Tide are on the march to Atlanta — and beyond — yet again. Mike Loveall
|
||||
2. |
|
377 | 2 | |
| The Buckeyes struggled but still came out on top 38-17 over Indiana. Next up, the Buckeyes will have a Top 10 match up on the road against Wisconsin. Rob Gritzer
|
||||
3. |
|
366 | 3 | |
| Another week, another win as Clemson continues to assert their position in the polls. With a potential trap game against an always tricky North Carolina St., next week, the Tigers must continue to play with the focus we’ve seen the past five weeks to punch their ticket to Orlando. Justin Gordon
|
||||
4. |
|
347 | 4 | |
| Michigan absolutely humiliated Rutgers in one of the most one-sided power conference games in the modern era. With Michigan State’s struggles, some are already looking at Ohio State on Thanksgiving weekend as Michigan’s only real challenge. Yesh Ginsburg
|
||||
5. |
|
345 | 6 | |
| The Huskies destroyed nemesis Oregon, ending a decade-plus losing streak in emphatic fashion. Next, Chris Petersen’s resurgent team faces Oregon State at home, coming off of its first Pac-12 conference win of the season. Donald King
|
||||
6. |
|
319 | 9 | |
| For the second time this year the Aggies surrendered a two touchdown lead but managed to win the game in OT. The Tennessee game was a classic matchup with big plays, turnovers and excitement. The Aggies get a much needed bye week to recover before heading to Alabama. Matthew Atkinson
|
||||
7. |
|
310 | 7 | |
| The Cardinals had a much needed week off after a heartbreaking loss to Clemson. They return to ACC action Saturday vs Duke. It wasn’t totally uneventful, though, as Houston’s loss hurts Louisville’s college football resume. Jonathan Bailey
|
||||
8. |
|
274 | 11 | |
| Wisconsin is coming off a much needed bye after a 14-7 loss to Michigan. Despite the loss, the Badgers find themselves back in the Top 10 before hosting #2 Ohio State at home this week. Rob Gritzer
|
||||
9. |
|
257 | 12 | |
| The Huskers crack the top 10 this week despite having a bye as several teams ahead of them suffered losses. Next up is Indiana on the road in the first game between the two programs since Nebraska joined the Big Ten. John Bava III
|
||||
10. |
|
242 | 15 | |
| The Baylor Bears had a week off, but still move up due to some other teams above them losing. Baylor returns to action next week against a fiesty Kansas team that just gave TCU all they could handle in 24-23 loss. Sean Garmer
|
||||
11. |
|
233 | 8 | |
| The Vols had seven turnovers against the Aggies, negating the impressive offensive performance. The clock finally struck midnight on Tennessee’s luck as A&M finished the Vols in 2OT after another 21-pt comeback. Mike Loveall
|
||||
12. |
|
223 | 14 | |
| Ole Miss had a bye week and extra prep time for their road trip to Fayetteville. Coach Freeze needs to have his team in top shape if they want to win against a fast paced and fired up Arkansas team. Kate Pearson-Halyburton
|
||||
13. |
|
201 | 5 | |
| Houston’s Playoff dreams were dashed in a shocking loss to Navy. This is still a talented team with Top 10 potential if it can respond well to this adversity. Still, this was not a good week for the Cougars. Yesh Ginsburg
|
||||
14. |
|
168 | 17 | |
| The Broncos did not have much of a running game Saturday and did not need one as QB Brett Rypien went 21-28 passing for 391 yards and five TDs in a 49-21 win at New Mexico. The Broncos remain in a first place tie with Wyoming in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West. Tony Siracusa
|
||||
15. |
|
161 | 10 | |
| The ride had to end at some point, right? Miami looked good against FSU and if not for a blocked extra point, we could be talking about Miami as a Top 5 team. Next weeks offers a chance a redemption in a potential Coastal division clinching game against North Carolina. Justin Gordon
|
||||
16. |
|
141 | 21 | |
| Florida State edged out a 20-19 win over Miami in dramatic fashion. The Seminoles were able to exercise the demons of its Wide Rights and Lefts as they blocked a potential game tying extra point with 1:38 to play. Jonathan Bailey
|
||||
17. |
|
137 | NR | |
| Jerod Evans was tired of hearing the doubters and his performance both on the ground and through the air gave the Hokies a 34-3 victory over UNC in a torrential rain. Tech travels up north to face a struggling Syracuse football team. JW Gravley
|
||||
18. |
|
123 | 19 | |
| The Gators were out of action this week due to Hurricane Matthew and finds themselves back in the East Division race. Will the weather end up being the deciding factor in the East, or will the conference do the right thing? Mike Loveall
|
||||
19. |
|
110 | 23 | |
| West Virginia remains undefeated this week as they prepare for a post-bye week showdown on the road versus Texas Tech. Quarterback Skyler Howard and top receiver Shelton Gibson will look to shred a meager Red Raiders defense through the air next weekend in Lubbock. Brendan Dzwierzynski
|
||||
20. |
|
109 | 20 | |
| The Oklahoma Sooners had 672 yards of total offense in a 45-40 win against the Texas Longhorns. The Sooners are now 2-0 in Big 12 play and return home to face Kansas State on Saturday. Jason Rhea
|
||||
21. |
|
59 | 25 | |
| After falling behind 14-3 to Arizona, the Utes rattled off 26 straight points, heading to a 36-23 home win. Quarterback Troy Williams ran for two touchdowns and threw for a third. Utah is now tied with Colorado for first place in the Pac 12 South with a road game against Oregon State coming up next. Tony Siracusa
|
||||
22. |
|
55 | NR | |
| Auburn absolutely dominated Mississippi State. The Tigers entered the half 35-0, the most points allowed by State in the first half of a game in a decade. After this 38-14 win, Auburn looks to take the momentum into the bye week for extra time to prepare for Arkansas. Lauren Beasley
|
||||
23. |
|
54 | 24 | |
| Zach Terrell threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns in the Broncos 45-30 win over Northern Illinois, moving them to 6-0 for the first time since 1941. Their next game takes place on the road against Akron who currently enjoy a two-game winning streak in the series. John Bava III
|
||||
24. |
|
43 | 18 | |
| The Razorbacks struggled to keep up with the Tide this week. QB Austin Allen threw three interceptions including one which was returned 100 yards for a touchdown by Minkah Fitzpatrick. Arkansas continue on their tough run as they face Ole Miss next before a road game at Auburn. Matthew Atkinson
|
||||
25. |
|
35 | NR | |
| At this point, LSU needs every opportunity for a win it can get. The Tigers are sitting with three wins, but have a tough second half schedule. At this point, the Tigers are still working toward bowl eligibility. Mike Loveall | ||||
OHIO STATE (5-0)
CLEMSON (1) (6-0)
MICHIGAN (6-0)
WASHINGTON (6-0)
TEXAS A&M (6-0)
LOUISVILLE (4-1)
WISCONSIN (4-1)
NEBRASKA (5-0) 
BAYLOR (5-0)
TENNESSEE (5-1)
MISSISSIPPI (3-2)
HOUSTON (5-1)
BOISE STATE (5-0)
MIAMI (4-1)
FLORIDA STATE (4-2)
VIRGINIA TECH (4-1)
FLORIDA (4-1)
WEST VIRGINIA (4-0)
OKLAHOMA (3-2)
UTAH (5-1)
AUBURN (4-2)
WESTERN MICHIGAN (6-0)
ARKANSAS
LSU (3-2)Others Receiving Votes: Navy (29), North Carolina (26), Oklahoma State (17), Arizona State (17), Stanford (4), Washington State (3), North Dakota State (2), Air Force (1), USC (1).
Team resumes are starting to take the precedent in voter rankings, as teams are starting to play
Week 7 sees several teams back in action, with Ohio State and Wisconsin expected to be the highlight of the weekend. And while there won’t be as many Top 25 match ups as the previous two weeks, everyone knows that every college football weekend has plenty of excitement.
Previous LWOS Polls:
Preseason Top 25
Week 1 Top 25
Week 2 Top 25
Week 3 Top 25
Week 4 Top 25
Week 5 Top 25
About the poll: Sixteen Last Word on College Football writers submit ballots and points are awarded on a inverse-scale (a first place vote receives 25 points, a 25th-place vote receives 1 point).
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