With most of the top teams inactive—five out of the top seven in the polls watched Saturday’s action from the couch—Week 9 was largely a dud in terms of the big picture. That doesn’t mean some things didn’t get cleared up, however, as we’ll see in this week’s edition of the conference power rankings…
- SEC
With both Alabama and LSU on sabbatical ahead of a mammoth clash, the SEC basically just needed to avoid screwing things up on Saturday. Auburn tried to play spoiler against Ole Miss, but the Rebels managed a close win and still control their own destiny heading into November. Texas A&M was pushed by woeful South Carolina, further lending credibility to the theory that the Aggies are hanging by a thread.
Perhaps the most impactful result occurred in Jacksonville, where Florida’s evisceration of Georgia—while playing a decidedly average game—has led to all kinds of wild speculation in Athens. As the league’s biggest game of the season looms, the future of the Bulldogs has been a major distraction, and it could lead to a slip for this league moving forward if things get worse.
- Big 12
All of this league’s unbeaten teams prevailed—Baylor had a bye—and so the second spot in these rankings remains the Big 12’s resting place. TCU destroyed West Virginia, while Oklahoma State survived upset alert by winning a shootout at Texas Tech. In addition, one-loss sleeper Oklahoma handled its business in predictable fashion by clobbering Kansas.
Texas was shut out in Ames against an Iowa State team that entered play with a 2-5 mark for the season. The Big 12 cannot be at its best unless Texas is a factor, and this Longhorn squad simply isn’t one, minus a random inexplicable victory over the Sooners in a rivalry game. Now the fun begins in the Big 12, as all the favorites will play each other in the season’s final few weeks.
- Big Ten
The Big Ten jumps up to the third spot basically as a reward for still boasting a trio of undefeated teams. Yes, Ohio State and Michigan State were off for the week, but Iowa picked up a convincing win over Maryland in which it shut out the Terrapins for the first three quarters of the game.
Michigan remains a solid middle-tier team, even if it took some really shoddy clock management on the part of host Minnesota to get the Wolverines to bowl eligibility. Penn State and Wisconsin have quietly put together solid 7-2 starts to offset disastrous Nebraska. This conference is definitely deeper than you think, and that’s why it made the jump this week.
- Pac-12
As more time passes, the Pac-12’s depth begins to unmask itself. What remains is sheer mediocrity. Oregon won at Arizona State in an entertaining game that was marred by poor officiating and instant replay usage. Stanford barely squeaked by Washington State, which is proving itself to be a dangerous team. USC beat Cal in a game that seemed more important than it actually was, as both teams now sit at 5-3 for the year.
Utah had an uninspiring home win over Oregon State and is somehow becoming an afterthought despite having only one loss. UCLA almost blew a home game against Colorado. Basically, it’s Stanford—a one-loss team—and everybody else in a league that has to be considered the most disappointing in the country thus far.
- ACC
This is another league where the top has completely broken free from the rest and is surging, but the Coastal Division is acquitting itself well and could end up producing a solid champion after all. North Carolina won its seventh straight game by a score at Pittsburgh, while Duke probably thought it had beaten Miami in a lethargic performance before one of the greatest endings in college football history gave the Blue Devils a second in-league loss.
Clemson continued its impressive run by overcoming defensive and special teams miscues to beat N.C. State on the road, while Florida State set up a gigantic matchup with the Tigers after beating down Syracuse. In this 14-team league, it is conceivable to think that as many as six teams could miss out on bowl games. That’s embarrassing.