Last Word on College Football
Top 25 Week 11
Separation Saturday was far more lopsided than anyone expected. At the top of our rankings, it was more carnage than separation. Four top ten teams lost, and three of those losses (Georgia, Notre Dame, and TCU) were blow-outs.
Miami and Auburn made the biggest statements this week. Miami makes their case for inclusion into the College Football Playoffs and Auburn sets up another massive showdown with Alabama in two weeks for the SEC West Championship. Oklahoma dominated TCU. And the Pac-12 leader Washington lost to Stanford. How close is it at the top? Our second, third, and fourth ranked teams are separated by three points total.
How did the carnage up top shake up our weekly poll of writers?
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LAST WORD ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25
WEEK 11
| Rank
|
Team
|
Points
|
Previous
|
|
1. |
 |
449 | 1 | |
| Alabama survived Top 10 carnage this week with a last second touchdown from Jalen Hurts. Injuries are taking their toll on the Tide defense. With Auburn’s big win, the Iron Bowl will be for all the marbles in the SEC West.
|
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2. |
 CLEMSON (9-1) |
414 | 3 | |
| Clemson clinched the ACC Atlantic with a 31-14 win over Florida State. Tigers defense was dominate, again. Kelly Bryant kept the offense on track. Up next the Tigers host the Citadel.
|
||||
3. |
 MIAMI (9-0) (1) |
412 | 5 | |
| In the biggest game of the Richt era, the Hurricanes not only showed up, they showed out. If there was any doubt about the legitimacy of this team, the country was put on notice Saturday with a resounding defeat of Notre Dame.
|
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4. |
 OKLAHOMA (9-1)
|
411 | 4 | |
| The Sooners took a big step towards a berth in the Big 12 championship with a 38-20 victory over TCU. Oklahoma travels to Lawrence to face Kansas next Saturday.
|
||||
5. |
 WISCONSIN (10-0) |
378 | 6 | |
|
The story of this game was Wisconsin’s defense suffocating the same Iowa team that ran wild on Ohio State last week. This defense is championship caliber, but is a Hornibrook-led offense? Questions remain about the So. QB.
|
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6. |
 AUBURN (8-2) |
348 | 10 | |
| If there was ever to be a statement made on game day, it was made by Auburn in a 40-17 thrashing of Georgia. Auburn will face ULM before going head to head with Alabama to claim stake in the West.
|
||||
7. |
 GEORGIA (9-1) |
339 | 2 | |
| The Bulldogs hopes for an undefeated regular season came to an emphatic end with a 40-17 loss to Auburn. The tandem of Chubb and Michel were held to 48 yds. combined as Kirby Smart’s club was whipped in every phase of the game.
|
||||
8. |
 OHIO STATE (8-2) |
325 | 11 | |
| Ohio State’s up-and-down season continues. After getting absolutely embarrassed against Iowa last week, the Buckeyes demolished the out-manned Spartans yesterday. Does Ohio State have the best chance of any 2-loss team?
|
||||
9. |
 NOTRE DAME (8-2)
|
295 | 3 | |
| The ghosts couldn’t quite wake up for this game. Notre Dame might want to avoid playing in Miami for, well, the rest of this century. After getting drubbed by Alabama in the 2013 Championship Game, the Irish were pummeled by the Hurricanes yesterday.
|
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10. |
 TCU (8-2) |
273 | 8 | |
|
TCU fell to Oklahoma 38-20. Kenny Hill was inconsistent the entire game. The Frogs defense was ineffective the first half. Saturday the Frogs travel to Lubbock for early kickoff. |
||||
11. |
 PENN STATE (8-2)
|
263 | 13 | |
| Penn State ended their two-game skid with a win against Rutgers. Nothing better for a fading team than a home date with Rutgers, right? Penn State is still on the outside looking in based of head-to-head against the Buckeyes.
|
||||
12. |
 |
249 | 15 | |
| Always a bridesmaid. The Cowboys are setting themselves up for another “Not Quite New Year’s Day” Bowl. The worst thing? They’ll likely get knocked out of a NY6 bowl by playing and losing in the Big 12 Championship Game.
|
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13. |
 USC (9-2) |
247 | 12 | |
| The Trojans got 329 yards passing from quarterback Sam Darnold in cruising to a 38-24 win over Colorado in Boulder. The Trojans clinched the Pac-12 South title with the win. They host crosstown rival UCLA Saturday night.
|
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14. |
 UCF (9-0) |
243 | 14 | |
| The Golden Knights keep rolling. A sneaky strong resume, it’s got quality wins against Maryland and Memphis. They’ll have another shot against top 25-USF in two weeks. Only thing missing? A marquee Power 5 victory.
|
||||
15. |
 WASHINGTON STATE (9-2) |
205 | 17 | |
| The Cougars aren’t totally out of this thing yet. Mike Leach and company actually control their own destiny to the Pac-12 Title. After that, any hopes of playoff entrance become awfully tenuous.
|
||||
16. |
 WASHINGTON (8-2) |
177 | 9 | |
| The Huskies were upset at Stanford in Week 11, jeopardizing their chances to win the P12North. They’ll take on Utah next week to try to keep those hopes alive.
|
||||
17. |
 MISSISSIPPI STATE (7-3)
|
125 | 18 | |
| How much do our voters think of Alabama? The Bulldogs came up just short to the Tide, yielding a touchdown with less than a minute to go, and still moved up the rankings.
|
||||
18. |
 MEMPHIS (8-1)
|
121 | 19 | |
| Mike Norvell has done what Justin Fuente couldn’t: keep the Tigers on track late in the season. Memphis will be a handful late this season with a potent offensive attack.
|
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19. |
 MICHIGAN (8-2) |
114 | 23 | |
| The Maize and Blue have a chance to play spoiler this weekend against Wisconsin. In a season that’s been largely disappointing, this weekend and the finale against Ohio State offer opportunities of redemption.
|
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20. |
 STANFORD (7-3)
|
105 | NR | |
| Stanford earned a huge win over division rival Washington. The Cardinal need to beat Cal and have Washington State lose the Apple Cup to win the P12North title.
|
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21. |
 MICHIGAN STATE (7-3)
|
66 | 16 | |
| The Spartans were dominated in all three phases of the game Saturday in Columbus, losing 48-3. They return home licking their wounds to face a reeling Maryland next Saturday at Spartan Stadium.
|
||||
22. |
 LSU (7-3) |
57 | NR | |
| LSU handled Arkansas with relative ease as they got their running game back on track. Danny Etling also had success passing against the porous Razorback secondary. The Tigers travel to Knoxville this weekend.
|
||||
23. |
 USF (8-1) |
53 | 25 | |
| A bounce back win against UConn, the Bulls look to get back on track after the bye week as they host Tulsa.
|
||||
24. |
 NORTH CAROLINA STATE (7-3)
|
49 | 24 | |
| The Wolfpack got back on track with a close win against a vastly improved Boston College team. N.C. State has losses to three teams with a total of six losses.
|
||||
25. |
 |
42 | 24 | |
| Wins against Michigan State and Iowa look great for the Wildcats, and losses to Wisconsin and Penn State shouldn’t hurt too much. But an inexplicable loss to 4-win Duke in week two hurts this team. | ||||
Others Receiving Votes: West Virginia (29), Virginia Tech (22), South Carolina (15), Iowa State (9), Iowa (8), Arizona (6), San Diego State (1)
Looking Ahead
It’s all about getting into the Playoffs now. Who controls their own destiny? Alabama, Clemson, Miami, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, clearly. For Alabama and Wisconsin, there is no way an undefeated conference champion doesn’t get in. Clemson and Oklahoma have the resumes to win out and get in. And Miami winning out would mean a conference championship and a final impression of beating Clemson.
But remember, the season still isn’t over. We haven’t had a dull week yet during this season. Next week promises more twist and turn than a cheap romance novel. Michigan travels to Wisconsin to play spoiler. TCU is on the road in Lubbock against a dangerous Texas Tech team. Miami has to hold court against Virginia. And in the battle of L.A., the Bruins make the short trip across town to play the Trojans.
It promises to be another week full of drama.
About the Poll: Eighteen LWOCFB writers rank the Top 25 teams across the nation weekly to determine the best teams from around the country.
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