Wisconsin Sports Talk Top 20 and Bottom 5--Week 11 (the Bubbles edition)

[Crease Creature]

Yet another exciting week, and this would have been "The Upset Edition, part II" if I hadn't just used the title last week. We go with "bubble" as in a bunch of teams who were right on the edge (and one that was right in there (Baylor, I'm looking at you)) pretty much blew their chance to make any sort of positive noise for the post season.

Also this week is when the teams on the "bubble" of this poll start saying goodbye for the season. Let us proceed:

The Top Twenty(ish)

1. Alabama--going on the road, defeating a team that others had ranked (Miss St. was on our radar), and watching Clemson struggle a little bit with Syracuse, you get the top spot this week Saban. Ole Miss isn't doing you guys any favors though. (Last: 3)
2. Clemson--say what you want about them, they've certainly not fallen apart yet. Rumbles of "Clemsoning" were popping up during the game Saturday, but you managed to stifle those. We're at the point where we can start looking a little more closely at the Tigers to see just how they might match up with the other top 3 teams. (last: 1)
3. Ohio State--This is pretty much the same Illinois defense that took you guys right down to the wire last year (at home!) and you decidedly put them away and wisely just kept feeding Zeke Elliot. (last: 2)
4. Oklahoma--this is why we didn't see Baylor ranked any higher, even when undefeated. They hadn't played anybody yet. A back and forth affair, the Sooners put it away at the end with some costly mistakes by Baylor helping out. Be warned, though, OU is only here until defeated by the Cowboys. That loss to Texas I've just about tossed out, and I won't believe Stillwater can beat Norman until I see it again. (Last: 7)
5. Notre Dame--somehow, wins versus USC, Temple, and Pitt are looking good, and the win over Navy validates you more than anything. (last: 5)
6. Florida--there is one more test against Florida State, but you get Florida Atlantic to prepare. I do foresee a chance that the SEC could get two teams into the final four, but it's best to not think about it. (Last: 9)
7. Oklahoma State--You are up here because there is literally no one else who can be in front of you, even if you did have to mount a furious comeback in the 4th quarter to beat Iowa State. But that's basically the story of your season so far. (Last: 11)
8. Iowa--it is very begrudgingly that I include you in the top 10, but there's also one less team in the poll this week. So it's basically like you're still #10. It's come down to this: Nebraska and Purdue High School are the Badgers' only hopes. Can't believe Minnesota scored 35 against you. (Last: 10)
9. Baylor--still alive, still alive, and not very much in control of your own destiny. You win out, you'd tie with OU for the conference title, but your loss would be to OU, their loss would be to Texas, but they'd have the head-to-head. It all comes down to the committee. Best hope would just be to have Ok State win. (last: 4)
10. Michigan State--welcome back from your exile. Here's your season defining game, right here. Ohio State on Saturday at the 'Shoe. You're still in this, too. (Last: 127)
11. Michigan--I would normally reserve tons of crap for a team that needed 2 OTs to dispatch Indiana, but the Hoosiers are sneaky good this year. At 4-6, two more wins are needed for bowl eligibility, and your last two games are at Maryland, and at Purdue. 6 and 6 is entirely possible, and I would feel that a bowl game (and a winnable one, probably) make this season a success for IU. Yes, I used Michigan as an excuse to talk solely about Indiana. You're welcome. (Last: 14)
12. Navy--doing what good teams do: stomping the life out of bad teams. Congrats on breaking Montee Ball's career TD record. (Last: 18)
13. Stanford--being beaten by an Oregon team who, while currently on the rise, carries with it a harsh sentence: No Playoffs for you. (last: 8)
14. North Carolina--yeah, 31 to nothing at halftime over Miami, and then 45 to nothing after the Tar Heels' first two 2nd half possessions. I see what you're doing. Clemson had better pay attention. (Last: 19)
15. Florida State--I guess you've also spent enough time in exile, though it's impossible to state just how horrible that GT loss was. Only other loss is by 10 to Clemson. Otherwise, you've put away some other decent teams, and have had some closer ones with poor teams. (Last: NR)
16. TCU-- I almost dropped you out of here. Struggling that badly with Kansas? In Fort Worth? Really? It was 10-10 at halftime?! (last: 12)
17. Houston--I think this is more about Memphis than it is about you. Memphis was up 20-0 when Houston's starting QB left with an injury. Houston had -13 rushing yards on 11 carries in the first half. Memphis was up 34-14 before giving up three straight 4th quarter touchdowns to Houston. I mean, you won, but you don't get the jump that Navy and NC are getting. (Last: 17)
18. Toledo--hey, you won, so you can come back in. I'd have ranked you last, though, if not for Wisconsin's bye week. (Last: NR)
19. _None_
20. Wisconsin--(inactive) hope you got healthy. Still two tough games left. (last: 20)

Welcome Back: Michigan State,Florida State, Toledo
Still has a shot: Utah
Dropped Out (and unlikely to return): UCLA, Temple
Help! I'm Falling: LSU

The Bottom Five
124. Ole Miss--(inactive)(last: 124)
125. Kansas--If Ole Miss hadn't had the week off, I promise I would have moved you up to 124. As it is, you guys still suck. (last: 125)
126. Duke--to go from 6-1 to 6-4 in games that you had realistic shots at winning and then got 1. screwed 2. blown out 3.ran into Pitt's best game of the season... It's not so much you as it is you've just hit a terrible rut. It happens. (last: NR)
127. LSU--holy buckets you guys, losing 31-14 at Arkansas, at home!?! It doesn't get much lower than that. No shot at the SEC West anymore. Arkansas almost doubled the number of sacks they have for the season, and Bert didn't even give us any good sound bites out of this one. Geaux home Tigers, you're done. (last: 6)
128. ISIS--Beirut, Baghdad, Paris just since Thursday? Thus said the Emperor of the Romans, Manuel II Palaiologos: "Show me just what Muhammed brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached. God is not pleased by blood--and not acting reasonably is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats...To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death..." Dialogue 7, Twenty-six Dialogues with a Persian. Constantinople, 1391

Climbed out of the Pit: Cal, Michigan State
Welcome to HELL! Duke, LSU, ISIS
Lost in the Styx: Louisville, Minnesota


Teams Still Alive for Crease Creature's College Football Playoff:
Clemson, North Carolina, Houston, Navy, Temple, Memphis, Oklahoma State, OU, TCU, Baylor, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, W. Kentucky, Marshall, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, Notre Dame, Toledo, Northern Illinois, W. Michigan, Bowling Green, Air Force, Boise State, San Diego State, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, USC, UCLA, Stanford, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas State, Appalachian State, and Georgia Southern

 

[Mark87]

Good stuff !