SPEEDYLEE COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS

(Week 9)

Georgia’s victory over Florida was the biggest game of the weekend. Georgia did not improve in the rankings but its resume got better. Florida’s loss dropped it to #9. Most teams ranked above Georgia this week did not play and #3 Clemson did not play a meaningful game when it defeated Wofford. Oregon’s victory over Southern Cal allowed it to jump past Utah. Undefeated Baylor joined the top 10 for the first time this season. We have come to the final stretch of the season.

1.      LSU (8-0) did not play ahead of key game against 8-0 Alabama. Last three games are against Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas A&M. Their combined records stand at 11-16.

2.      Ohio State (8-0) did not play ahead of key games against 3-6 Maryland and 2-6 Rutgers. Three weeks from now OSU faces a stern test in undefeated and ineligible Penn State.

3.      Clemson (9-0) defeated Wofford 59-14. Finishes regular season against North Carolina State, Wake Forest and South Carolina. Their records combine to total 15-11, only Wake Forest has a winning mark so far.

4.      Alabama (8-0) did not play ahead of key game against LSU. Finishes with Mississippi State, Western Carolina and Auburn, who combine to record of 13-14.

5.      Oklahoma (7-1) did not play. Finishes season against Iowa State, #10 Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State. Three of the four have winning records and one is even for a total of 23-10.

6.      Georgia (7-1) defeated #7 Florida 24-17 in a good game. Faces Missouri, Auburn, Texas A&M and Georgia Tech in final four games, with combined records of 20-16.

7.      Oregon (7-1) humbled USC 56-24. Final three games are against Arizona, Arizona State and Oregon State, currently combined 13-12 records.

8.      Utah (7-1) beat Washington 33-28. Finishes season with UCLA, Arizona and Colorado, who combine for record of 11-16.

9.      Florida (7-2) lost to Georgia 24-17. Finishes with Vanderbilt, Missouri and Florida State, total records of 11-14.

10.  Baylor (8-0) did not play, a clever ploy. The Bears will play their first meaningful opponent November 16 when they face #5 Oklahoma.

WATCHLIST: Auburn (7-2), Michigan (6-2). Auburn has an early-season win over #8 Oregon and losses to LSU and Florida. Michigan has a win over Notre Dame and losses to Penn State and Wisconsin.

INELIGIBLE: Penn State.

NOTES: It might not be the Game of the Century, but the LSU-Alabama game could turn out to be an elimination game for the Final Four. Great matchup of long-time rivals with a lot on the line. Schools who avoid conference play seldom have games like this one. … Auburn has defeated Oregon and yet Oregon is ranked higher here. Auburn is not playing at the same level it was early in the season. Oregon is ranked ahead of Utah based upon Oregon’s victory over Southern California Saturday. USC beat Utah earlier this season. … It seems likely that the conferences that will produce Final Four teams this season will be the SEC (which could produce 2 teams as has happened before), the 14-team Big 10 (if Ohio State wins out), the ACC (assuming Clemson wins out) or the 10-team Big 12 (if Oklahoma wins out). Either LSU or Alabama will have a loss by this time next week but we could see both in the Final Four, depending upon how the remainder of their schedules go. The Pac 12, which at least knows how many member schools it has, does not seem likely to produce a Final Four club this year. … The game of the utmost concern to many Speedylee readers was NCAA Division II Slippery Rock’s toughie against California (of Pennsylvania). The Rock nipped the Vulcans 31-28 and remained undefeated. Two games remain between the Rock and another undefeated season.