SPEEDYLEE COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS

(Week 8)

Eight teams in the Speedylee top 10 played this weekend and four of them lost. As a result, the rankings are very different from the week before. #2 Oklahoma was stunned by unranked Kansas State, #6 Auburn narrowly fell to #1 LSU, #9 Notre Dame lost badly to Michigan and #10 Wisconsin lost to #4 Ohio State. LSU continues to have the best resume in college football with wins over both Florida and Auburn. The Tigers face Alabama next. Utah and Oregon returned to the top 10. Auburn is, without question, the best 2-loss team in the country. This week’s rankings:

1.      LSU (8-0) beat Auburn 23-20 and has the best resume so far this season. Their next game will be against Alabama.

2.      Ohio State (8-0) won its first game of the season against a quality opponent when it beat Wisconsin 38-7. The Buckeyes jumped from fourth to second.

3.      Clemson (8-0) beat Boston College 59-7 and got leap-frogged by Ohio State.

4.      Alabama (8-0) beat Arkansas 48-7 and has next week off before the annual struggle with #1 LSU.

5.      Oklahoma (7-1) lost to Kansas State 48-41 and fell from #2. But Oklahoma is probably capable of beating any of the teams ranked above it and the Sooners still have a pathway to the Final Four, if they win out.

6.      Georgia (6-1) did not play, which was a smart move. Next week, the Bulldogs play Florida.

7.      Florida (7-1) took the week off before playing its annual brawl with Georgia.

8.      Utah (6-1) defeated California of California 35-0.

9.      Oregon (6-1) beat Washington State 37-35.

10.  Auburn (6-2) lost to top-ranked LSU in a typically tough SEC contest.

WATCHLIST: Baylor (8-0), Michigan (6-2).

INELIGIBLE: Penn State

NOTES: The only positions in the rankings that really matter are the top six, due to the NCAA Final Four tournament. The Final Four will come from the first six teams in the Playoff Committee’s rankings. … Michigan’s victory over Notre Dame was the first over a top 10-ranked opponent by the Wolverines this season. Credit Michigan: The second half of that game was probably the worst 30 minutes of football by a Notre Dame team in decades. … Despite its inconsistent play this season, Southern Cal leads the Pac 12’s Southern Division. The Trojans are tied with Utah at 4-1 in conference play but USC defeated Utah earlier this season. … The Rock is rolling. Slippery Rock defeated Clarion 41-6 in NCAA Division II play and improved to 7-0. The Rock’s next game is against California of Pennsylvania.

SPEEDYLEE COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS

(Week 7)

       Another week of changes for the Top 10 was brought about by the loss of a game for one school and the injury to another school’s starting quarterback. Heavily-favored Wisconsin, formerly tied for #6, lost to Illinois and that forced changes in the second five. The high ankle sprain Alabama passer Tua Tagovailoa suffered last night will likely put him out of action for at least one game and that changed things for the formerly #4 Crimson Tide. Ohio State moved into the Final Four this week, bumping Alabama down a spot. In truth, Ohio State has not played a high-quality opponent yet this season – that will change shortly – but the Buckeyes pass the Speedylee Eye Test.

            The Speedylee College Football Rankings are meant to show how we see the college football landscape each week and as a prediction of how the College Football Playoff Committee will act at the end of the season. At the end of the season, just before the committee announces the Final Four, we issue one set of rankings as we see them and another for how we think the will act. This week:

1.      LSU (7-0) defeated Mississippi State 36-13. LSU hosts Auburn next week.

2.      Oklahoma (7-0) beat West Virginia 52-14 and plays Kansas State next week.

3.      Clemson (7-0) beat Louisville 45-10. Clemson hosts Boston College next.

4.      Ohio State (6-0) beat Northwestern 52-3 and hosts a big game vs Wisconsin next week.

5.      Alabama (7-0) survived the Tennessee challenge despite losing Tagovialoa and hosts Arkansas next week.

6.      Auburn (6-1) beat Arkansas 51-10 and plays a big game at LSU next week.

7.      Georgia (6-1) beat Kentucky 21-0. The game was tied 0-0 at halftime. Georgia is off next week.

8.      Florida (7-1) beat a determined South Carolina 38-27 and does not play next week.

9.      Notre Dame (5-1) took the week off to prepare for next week’s game at Michigan.

10.  Wisconsin (6-1) lost a trap game to Illinois 24-23 and plays at Ohio State next week.

WATCHLIST: Utah (5-1) beat Arizona State 21-3, hosts California next week. Oregon (5-1) defeated Washington 35-31 and hosts Washington State next week.

INELIGIBLE: Penn State.

NOTES: This is the second straight season Alabama’s Tagovialoa has lost game time due to an ankle problem. … With Tagovialoa injured, Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts is the unquestioned leader in the Heisman Trophy race. … Michigan had to play an excellent, though ineligible, Penn State team this week and then plays Notre Dame next week. Notre Dame scheduled this week off in order to prepare for Michigan. Notre Dame (5-1) is always popular with the networks and probably has a pathway to the Final Four. … Despite each of them already losing a game, Auburn, Georgia, Florida and Wisconsin all likely still have pathways available to reach the Final Four. The pathway begins and ends with winning out from here on and at least one other top team losing between now and then. … NCAA Division II’s Slippery Rock (6-0) remained unbeaten with a 41-30 victory over Edinboro this week. The Rock’s home game against Clarion next weekend will appear on ESPN 3. Check your local listings.

SPEEDYLEE COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS

(Week 7)

Three of our top 10 teams lost Saturday, although two of them lost to other top 10 teams. Georgia’s unexpected loss to unranked South Carolina changed the landscape in both the Southeastern Conference and in the national rankings. Georgia’s fall from first gave the rankings their biggest shakeup of the season, at least so far. #2 LSU beat #6 Florida and #5 Oklahoma defeated #10 Texas. Two teams had the weekend off to further confuse things.

1.     LSU (6-0) took over the top spot with a 42-28 victory over former #6 Florida.

2.     Oklahoma (6-0) moved from #5 after beating former #10 Texas 34-27.

3.     Clemson (6-0) took care of business and beat Florida State 45-14.

4.     Alabama (6-0) beat a determined Texas A&M squad 47-28.

5.     Ohio State (5-0) had a bye date and avoided an upset.

6.     Tie: Georgia (5-1) lost to South Carolina in 2 overtimes and fell from first.

Wisconsin (6-0) posted an impressive 38-0 victory over Michigan State.

8.     Auburn (5-1) did not play this week, a clever ploy.

9.     Florida (6-1) lost to LSU 42-28.

10.  Notre Dame (5-1) defeated Southern Cal 30-27.

INELIGIBLE: Penn State

WATCHLIST: Army (3-3) lost to Western Kentucky this week but the Cadets play such hard-nosed, disciplined football that they are compelling to watch. … Utah (5-1) has been on and off the top 10 list this year and the Utes beat Oregon State 52-7. Utah’s only loss is to unpredictable Southern Cal.

NOTES: Georgia’s loss to South Carolina shows why playing in a conference is so much tougher than playing as an independent. Every team in a given conference knows each other’s players, coaches and tendencies. The rivalries make for heated games and that combination offers the chance for upsets. … LSU has wins over Florida and Texas. Oklahoma’s biggest win was this weekend. Clemson’s biggest win to date has been against Texas A&M. Alabama’s best wins this year have been over South Carolina and Texas A&M. Ohio State does not have a significant win yet, but they play Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan before the end of the season. Georgia has a win over Notre Dame and Wisconsin’s biggest win has been over Michigan. Auburn has beaten both Texas A&M and Oregon but lost to Florida. Florida has beaten Auburn but lost to LSU. Notre Dame’s most important win came this weekend against USC and their loss was against Georgia. … Division II Slippery Rock narrowly beat Indiana of Pennsylvania 45-42 to remain undefeated.

SPEEDYLEE COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS

(Week 6)

Speedylee’s 11-team top 10 for week 5 looked a lot like the 12-team Big 10: Too many to count. Two of our top 11 lost this week and that shuffled the rankings again. #6 Auburn lost to #9 Florida in the premier game of the week and the teams swapped places. Iowa, which was tied for 10^th, cleaned up our mathematical issue by losing to Watchlisted Michigan. The last two national champions, #3 Clemson and #4 Alabama, each showed their playoff savvy by not playing yesterday.

1.     Georgia (5-0) beat Tennessee 43-14 in a hard-hitting game between longtime rivals. This was a quality win.

2.     LSU (5-0) beat Utah State 42-6 and basically held serve.

3.     Clemson (5-0) did not play.

4.     Alabama (5-0) did not play.

5.     Oklahoma (5-0) beat Kansas 45-20, despite all the cursing.

6.     Florida (6-0) beat Auburn 24-13, a big win for the Gators.

7.     Ohio State (5-0) beat stubborn Michigan State 34-10.

8.     Wisconsin (5-0) beat Kent State 48-0.

9.     Auburn (5-1) lost to Florida. The Tigers can still earn a playoff berth, but they’ll need to win out to convince the Playoff Committee that they belong in the Final Four.

10.  Texas (6-0) beat West Virginia 42-31.

WATCHLIST: Michigan (4-1, earned a quality win over T-10 Iowa 10-3), Notre Dame (4-1, beat 1-4 Bowling Green 42-0).

Ineligible: Penn State

NOTES: As we wrote last week, there is very little to choose from among the teams in our top 6. … DII Slippery Rock rolled over MercyHurst 45-14. Senior kicker Jake Chapla became the career scoring leader at The Rock. He has kicked the most successful field goals for the school and is second in career touchdown conversion kicks. … Grinnell College, a D-III school in Iowa, has had to conclude its season after three games. The team started the season with 39 players and was down to 28 healthy players when the decision was made. The school was 3-30 since 2016. Speedylee has a great affinity for D-III sports and we extend our best regards to the players, coaches, administrators and fans of the Pioneers.

SPEEDYLEE COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS

(Week 5)

          Every team in the Speedylee Top 10 that played this week, won. #2 Clemson proved why playing in a conference is so much tougher than playing as an independent with its narrow victory over North Carolina. Northwestern tried to prove the same lesson to #8 Wisconsin. There was some shuffling, despite all the wins, as #2 Clemson dropped a spot and #3 LSU moved up one without playing a game. #7 Auburn swapped places with #6 Ohio State. Iowa joined the party at the Big Boys Table, moving into a 10^th place tie with Texas. Remember, for all intents and purposes, nothing outside of the top six really matters at the end of the season.

1.     Georgia (4-0) rested up for a rough second half of the season.

2.     LSU (4-0) cleverly did not play and moved up a spot.

3.     Clemson (5-0) narrowly beat North Carolina, 21-20.

4.     Alabama (5-0) beat Mississippi 59-31.

5.     Oklahoma (4-0) handled Texas Tech, 55-16. The Sooners are pounding on the Final Four door.

6.     Auburn (5-0) beat Mississippi State, 56-23.

7.     Ohio State (5-0) beat Nebraska 48-7.

8.     Wisconsin (4-0) defeated Northwestern 24-15.

9.     Florida (5-0) blanked Towson 38-0.

10.  Texas (3-1) did not play.

 Iowa (4-0) beat Middle Tennessee 48-3.

WATCHLIST: Notre Dame (3-1) beat Virginia 35-20, Utah defeated Washington State 38-13, Michigan (3-1) found someone it could beat and spanked Rutgers 52-0, Army (3-1) did not play.

NOTES: It’s one thing to win a national title. It’s another thing to defend one, as #3 Clemson is learning. … #6 Auburn has probably played the toughest schedule in the country so far this season and still has a tough row to hoe. There is very little difference between the teams in the top six. … The two QBs who played for Alabama in its national championship game victory over Georgia two seasons ago both played very well Saturday. Both are strong contenders for the Heisman Trophy this season and one of them plays for Oklahoma. … Southern Cal’s inconsistency, which can partially be explained by its rash of QB injuries, bit the Trojans this week against Washington. … Slippery Rock improved to 4-0 with its 55-14 victory over Seton Hill.

NEXT WEEK’S KEY GAMES: #6 Auburn vs. #9 Florida, #7 Ohio State vs. unranked Michigan State.

INELIGIBLE: Penn State.

SPEEDYLEE COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS

(Week 4)

          A major shakeup this week. Georgia moved up a spot to #1 after winning a tough game against Notre Dame, replacing Clemson, which also won. Clemson dropped one position. The remaining teams in the top six are the same. The action got started when Utah, formerly #7, lost to unranked Southern Cal on Friday and the Utes dropped to the Watchlist. Wisconsin’s victory over Michigan dropped the Wolverines from the top 10, allowing Michigan to join the Watchlist as well. Florida and Wisconsin moved to the big boy table.

1.     Georgia (4-0) defeated watchlisted Notre Dame, 23-17.

2.     Clemson (4-0) thumped Charlotte, 52-10.

3.     LSU (4-0) beat Vandy, 66-38.

4.     Alabama (4-0) beat Southern Mississippi, 49-7.

5.     Oklahoma (3-0) did not play, a smart move.

6.     Ohio State (4-0), desperate to move up, punished Miami of Ohio, 76-5.

7.     Auburn (4-0) beat Texas A&M, 28-20.

8.     Wisconsin (3-0) beat #8 Michigan 30-23.

9.     Florida (4-0) beat Tennessee, 34-3.

10.  Texas (3-1) beat Oklahoma State, 36-30.

WATCHLIST: Notre Dame (2-1), Utah (3-1), Michigan (2-1), Army (2-1).

NOTES: Wisconsin gave up 14 points against Michigan, the first points the Badgers have allowed this season. Wisconsin’s other victims were South Florida and Central Michigan. … Ohio State scored 42 points in the second quarter of its beat down of Miami. The score was 7-5 at the end of the first period. … Southern Cal’s victory over Utah came after the Trojans lost another starting quarterback to injury, compiled more than 100 yards worth of penalties and rushed for less than 20 yards. … Slippery Rock (3-0) blasted Millersville 49-0. … Games to watch next week: USC (3-1) vs. Washington (2-1), #4 Alabama (4-0) against Mississippi (2-1), Washington State (3-0) against watchlisted Utah (3-1).

HEISMAN WATCH: Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts is the frontrunner for the award and Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa is also part of the conversation. Georgia QB Jake Fromm delivered when he had to against Notre Dame, arguably the stiffest opponent any of the three have faced this season, and should be among the front runners as well.

Not eligible: Penn State.

SPEEDYLEE’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS

(WEEK 3)

The top 10 teams held serve this week and many began conference play. Among the top 10 schools, only Michigan failed to score 31 points and the Wolverines did not play this week. There were no changes among the first 10 but Florida (3-0) is fighting to leave the watchlist and take a place at the big dogs table.

1.     Clemson (3-0) defeated Syracuse 41-6.

2.     Georgia (3-0) beat Arkansas St. 55-0.

3.     LSU (3-0) thumped New Mexico St. 65-14.

4.     Alabama (3-0) beat South Carolina 47-23.

5.     Oklahoma (3-0) beat sinking UCLA 48-14.

6.     Ohio St. (3-0) beat Indiana 51-10.

7.     Utah (3-0) edged Idaho St. 31-0.

8.     Michigan (2-0) did not play.

9.     Auburn (3-0) handled Kent St. 55-16.

10.  Texas (2-1) steamed Rice 48-3.

Teams to watch: Florida (3-0), Notre Dame (2-0), Texas A&M (2-1) and Army (1-1). Slippery Rock (2-0) defeated Shippensburg 54-19.

NOTES: Arizona State’s 10-7 victory over Michigan State ended with abundant controversies. … Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts was abundantly productive against UCLA, rushing for 150 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and passing for 289 yards and three scores. That’s 439 total yards and four TDs. Hurts has had the best start to 2019 of all the presumptive top candidates for the Heisman Trophy. Next week’s games include #2 Georgia vs. watchlisted Notre Dame, #9 Auburn vs. watchlisted Texas A&M, #7 Utah vs. unranked USC, #8 Michigan vs. unranked Wisconsin.

Heisman Watch: Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma.

Not eligible: Penn State.