Wisconsin Sports Talk Top 20 and Bottom Five week 10 - The Upset edition

[Crease Creature]

Again, my apologies for the abruptness of last week's poll. My little guy was helping me in the office, touched the mouse, and accidentally erased my analysis of the results. Anyway, here's what we've got before the committee releases its results. This poll is in no way reflective of what I think the AP, Coaches, or Playoff people sees out there, but I do look at those tables, and usually shake my head a little bit. I'm always open to getting contributions from the rest of the community. Even if its just your top 4/5.

So, there were quite a few shakeups in the college football landscape, a few of the big boys go down, and Clemson getting a heck of a lot of love from the AP, going from 3 to 1 (and picking up 25 first place votes) and a bit from the Coaches, too (going from 5 to 2, picking up 19 first place votes). With only four teams having first place votes, this is the fewest number of teams to do so since week 3. Clemson also tops our poll this week. And my top 4 matches the AP solely by accident.

The Top Twenty

1. Clemson--You've held the #2 spot in this poll since week 6, when you rocketed up from 12 to 7 in week 5, and then made the jump. You now hold the #1 spot. I don't know if I honestly believe that you are the best team in football, my gut keeps telling me that I can't trust you. But who do you have left to lose to? Syracuse, Wake Forest, and SoCar make up your last three games, plus the ACC championship game. You lose before that game, you guys might as well fold up shop and give up on football. I guess you getting the Seminole monkey off your back is a good sign, one that we can believe in? (Last: 2)
2. Ohio State--I know what you can be, but I'm not sure what you are. Indiana was 3 yards away from having the opportunity to beat you guys (I'd have gone for 2, had I been the coach and we score at the end. When you're the underdog like that, why not just go for the win), but nobody else has been close. You've got Illinois this week before finishing out with the neighbors to the north. Depending on what happens with JT Barrett, you could make it. (Last: 6)
3. Alabama--Way, way back you guys beat Wisconsin, and I had you at #1. Whatever happened with you and Ole Miss back in September, I'm not sure. That and the scare against Tennessee (both games at home! even). But you put down LSU, have MSU this week, and the pressure to win out isn't there any more thanks to Bert and his gang dispatching the Rebels for you. Win over LSU gives you the bump over Baylor, who had to fight off KState. (Last: 5)
4. Baylor-- Tough trip to Manhattan, huh? Kansas State is such an enigma. They'll get blown out one week, and put a scare into a title contender the next. But, hey, your schedule starts now. OU, OkState, and TCU loom, the last two on the road. The Cowboys are currently undefeated just like you, and they get a trip to Ames to warm up for you. Watch the BigXII end up with a bunch of one-loss teams. What a mess that will be. (last: 4)
5. Notre Dame--Right where I predicted you would be when you lost to Clemson. Hovering right on the edge and ready to slide in should there not be four unbeaten teams. I know I usually doc poor performances, but a lot of Pitt's success came in garbage time when ND put a true freshman out at QB to handle mop-up duty and just really probably shouldn't have been out there. That game against Stanford keeps looming. (Last: 8)
6. LSU--I know I usually put my former number 1's down at 10, but I didn't feel I could honestly have LSU behind the next four teams. They're still good, but Saban had his guys ready for them. (last: 1)
7. OU--Enough fooling around. Your chance to put that Texas debacle behind you is here. Whoever put the BigXII schedule together deserves a medal this year. Sooners have Baylor, TCU, and Bedlam to finish the year. One more loss very likely puts them out of contention. (Last: 9)
8. Stanford--I'm sorry for bagging on you at the beginning of the season, but Northwestern is as enigmatic as KState, they've just managed to avoid a few more losses. Take care of your business, and your last game against ND is basically a play-in game. Although, right now it's Utah waiting for you in the Pac-12 title game. (Last: 11)
9. Florida--You know you were playing Vandy, right? Still a better team than Iowa. (Last: 12)
10. Iowa--Not a top 10 team. They're just not. The spread against Indiana was down to 6.5 at game time. You ended up covering, but I would take Wisconsin, with a functional Corey Clement, over you. (last: 10)
11. Oklahoma State--I've seen it from you before, Gundy. It was truly one hell of a win over TCU, but I won't believe it until the Bedlam Bell in Old Central is ringing in victory, which has only happened twice in the last decade. Fun Fact: last season's 38-35 OT win brought the overall record for the Cowboys in the "rivalry" to 18-84-7. Hence my hesitation. (Last: 16)
12. TCU--Well, I've said something was out of sorts with you from time to time this season. You need a lot of things to fall the right way for you now. (last: 7)
13. Utah--Still have control of your own destiny. You have UCLA coming up, and beating them guarantees you a shot at Stanford for the Pac-12 title. Teams ahead of you still have tough games, too. Not having a Paz-12 voice on the committee this year may hurt. (Last: 17)
14. Michigan--Nowhere does that fantastic loss to Michigan State come back to bite you more than it does right now. You can still make things interesting if you beat Ohio State, but the odds that you'll help yourself are slim. (Last: 19)
15. UCLA--shutting out Gary Anderson and the Beavers shines favorably upon you in this poll. Welcome back. Season ending games @ Utah and against USC will determine your outcome. You sit one game behind Utah in the South division right now. (Last: NR)
16. Temple--Not sure what giving up 40 points to SMU means, but you also scored 60 yourself...and your offense isn't all that impressive to begin with. (Last: 18)
17. Houston--You can be here now. Shutting out a Vanderbilt team that only lost to Florida by 2 is a good sign now, I guess. Still, Memphis is looking at you as a must win. (Last: NR)
18. Navy--Holy smokes you guys pounding the pants off Memphis. With your only loss on the road at Notre Dame, you guys are looking good. Still 4 more games over the next 5 weeks for the midshipmen, and one of them is Houston. Just how important is this year's Army-Navy game? Could delay the final committee rankings by a week: from SB Nation

    This week's F/+ rankings feature a rather predictable top 10. Clemson and Alabama remained in the top two spots after strong performances, Notre Dame moved ahead of Michigan, Oklahoma moved up a bit more, LSU fell, Baylor fell a bit ... it all makes sense. And while you might have qualms with Michigan and USC being in the top 10, it's not a new development.
    But then there's No. 12: Navy. The Midshipmen surged from 24th -- ahead of TCU, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, Utah, Iowa, Michigan State, etc. -- with a dominant win over Memphis.
    Crazy, right? It is until you look at Navy's statistical resume. The Middies have lost only to Notre Dame (now third in F/+), and while the final was 41-24, it was 24-21 at halftime. Beyond that, they have treated bad teams like bad teams. They beat Colgate, East Carolina, UConn, Air Force, Tulane and USF (all ranked 67th or worse in F/+) by an average of 36-15, and they ran Memphis out of its own building on Saturday, rushing for 374 yards and scoring the game's final 21 points.
    This is a really good team, as efficient as ever on offense, a bit more aggressive in its bend-don't-break defense and dominant at field position and finishing drives. Having wrecked Memphis' season, Navy will also have a chance of wrecking Houston's on Black Friday. Do that, and the Midshipmen have a strong chance at their first major bowl since the 1963 season, a No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle vs. Texas in the Cotton.
    (And here's your reminder that if the Midshipmen win the American Athletic Conference and are in contention for a committee-crafted New Year's bowl, the committee's going to delay its final rankings by a week because of Army-Navy. That would mean eight days between conference championships and the Playoff announcement, rather than one.)

    A good bit about Oklahoma State in that article too. (Last: NR)
19. North Carolina--I don't know if it's you, or if it's Duke just absolutely letting the wheels fall off. I honestly wrote you guys off early in the season, as that South Carolina loss is uglier and uglier by the week, and will assuredly keep you out of the playoff should you beat Clemson for the ACC. (Last: NR)
20. Wisconsin--This team, with a functional Corey Clement is a top 15 team. With a healthy Corey Clement, they are probably a top 10 team (with an extra win, and some more breathing room in games that have been won (hiding a lot of the warts, a la the Packers' 6-0 start)) sitting right on the playoff bubble pending the B1G title game. As it is, you're 8-2, with both losses coming to top 10 teams, one of those technically (and actually?) a road game, with a decent shot of finishing the year 11-2, should you win the National University Holiday Bowl. (last: 20)

Newcomers: Houston, Navy, North Carolina
Welcome Back: UCLA
Dropped Out: Toledo (hey, deal was, you keep winning, you stay), Memphis
Help! I'm Falling: Michigan State, Ole Miss
On the Radar: Toledo (per our agreement), Miss St, Memphis
Just a note: It's very possible that starting next week the list only gets shorter. The radar teams are all retreads, and anybody who falls out probably isn't getting back in after next week.

The Bottom Five
124. Ole Miss--you lost to Bert? Really? He was so excited he said he couldn't wait to get home and hop on Jen. (last: 14)
125. Kansas-- Turns out I'm not alone. I ran across a fun little list put together every week since beginning of 2014 season by Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports. He ranks the Bottom 25 every week, using some formula that he's devised. He's got Kansas as the second worst team in all I-A football. Looks like I'm giving them too much credit. They got plastered by Texas, by the way. 59-20. (last: 125)
126. Cal--Another 23 yards, and Oregon has 800 yards of just offense against you. This was supposed to maybe be your year! (Last: NR)
127. Michigan State--what the heck guys? Dantonio, it was Nebraska! Really? Maybe this will give the Huskers the confidence to beat Iowa (last: 3)
128. Missouri vs their student body--I'm just really glad i'm not in school anymore. It's ridiculous, honestly. These people are childish morons and are the prime example of what is wrong with today's youth. I'm ashamed to be a part of this generation. The team itself lost to Miss St. Man those early season polls are worthless. Rick Pitino is probably relieved that something like this is happening. (last:126)

Climbed out of the Pit: ACC officials, KState, Texas, Minnesota, Arkansas
Welcome to HELL! Ole Miss, Cal, Michigan State, whiney spoiled children
Lost in the Styx: Louisville

Definitely check out some of the links I provided. Doing research for this week's thread was fun.


NEW FEATURE:
Team's Still Alive for Crease Creature's College Football Playoff:
Clemson, Houston, North Carolina, Navy, Memphis, Temple, Baylor, OSU, OU, TCU, Iowa, UW, Ohio St, Mich St, Michigan, W. Kentucky, Marshall, Louisiana Tech, Notre Dame, W. Michigan, Toledo, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Boise State, Air Force, San Diego State, Utah, UCLA, USC, Stanford, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Florida, Arkansas State, Appalachian State, and Georgia Southern.