Editor’s Note: Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.
It’s time to focus on BYU.
The Cougars remained undefeated and handed Kansas State and SMU their only losses of the season. However, BYU remains outside the top 10 in the AP and Coaches polls. But not here. BYU is ranked No. 7 in this week’s The Athletic 134.
I’m surprised the Cougars don’t get more love. They’re undefeated at 7-0 and have two very good wins, both of which are ranked higher in the polls than Iowa State and several others. The team’s best win is better. In fact, they’ve been in my top ten for weeks now.
Maybe it’s because BYU has already played twice on Friday night, or maybe it’s because BYU beat Kansas State 38-9 on Saturday night at 10:30 on kickoff. Yes, the Cougars have had some close games and needed a late touchdown to beat Oklahoma State, but this team, and especially their defense, looks legitimate and is allowing 10 yards per game right now Ranked 13th.
You should also pay attention because the second half of your schedule is manageable. BYU and Iowa State will not play each other in the regular season. The Cougars have already defeated Kansas State and will not play Colorado again, 5-2. If the Big 12 wants to get two teams into the College Football Playoff, BYU will likely be one of them.
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AP Top 25: Oregon’s new No. 1; Vandy ends poll drought
We’re more than halfway through the season, but we’ve still achieved surprising results that have transformed the rankings. It’s this week’s The Athletic 134.
1-10
| rank | team | Record | Previous article |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
7-0 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
6-1 |
3 |
|
|
3 |
6-0 |
4 |
|
|
4 |
7-0 |
6 |
|
|
5 |
5-1 |
5 |
|
|
6 |
6-1 |
2 |
|
|
7 |
7-0 |
8 |
|
|
8 |
6-1 |
12 |
|
|
9 |
6-1 |
11 |
|
|
10 |
6-1 |
9 |
Georgia slips to No. 2 after beating Texas, while the Longhorns drop to No. 6, as their best wins right now are over slumping Michigan or slumping Oklahoma. The Bulldogs’ loss to Alabama knocked them out of the top spot, especially after the Tide lost again and are now ranked just behind Boise State, whom Oregon defeated.
Miami leapfrogged Ohio State after beating Louisville, but Ohio State’s game against Penn State in two weeks will be another shakeup game.
Tennessee and LSU rounded out the top 10 after the Vols beat Alabama and the Tigers beat Arkansas 34-10. Tennessee and LSU have incredibly even resumes, but Tennessee has the better winning streak, so the Vols have a slight edge.
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Tennessee proves against Alabama that it’s no one-hit wonder under Josh Heupel
11-25th
I was a little skeptical of Indiana’s ceiling after beating bad teams, but Nebraska’s 56-7 demotion turned me into a believer on Saturday, moving the Hoosiers to No. 11. News: Quarterback Curtis Locke is out indefinitely with a thumb injury. But the path to 10 or even 11 wins is there. Iowa State fell two spots, largely due to performances from Tennessee State, LSU and Indiana State on the same day, and the Cyclones needed a late rally to survive at UCF.
Illinois is the only new team in the top 25, improving to 6-1 after defeating Michigan State 21-7.
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Stewart Mandel’s 12-team playoff predictions after Week 8
26-50
Teams outside of the top 25 suffered a variety of losses this week. As a result, Syracuse, UNLV, South Carolina, Memphis, Army, Duke and Cincinnati jumped significantly into the top 35. Next up is Michigan vs. Michigan State, which could have major ramifications for both teams.
Is it weird that when the Buffs became a solid team, we stopped talking about Colorado? Colorado beat Arizona 34-7 to move to 5-2 and No. 38. It would be a shock if Colorado didn’t bowl, which would be another improvement for coach Deion Sanders.
No. 46 Florida and No. 47 Virginia Tech also crack the top 50 after beating Kentucky and Boston College, respectively. Utah State continued its decline, clinging to just No. 50 after losing to TCU.
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Mandel’s final thoughts: Georgia’s defensive havoc devastates Texas and more from Week 8
51-75
USC fell to 52nd in the rankings after falling to 1-4 in Big Ten play after giving up another 14-point lead and losing to Maryland. No. 53 Rutgers dropped out of the top 50 with a shocking loss to UCLA.
Louisiana State continues to dominate the Sun Belt, currently ranked No. 60 after beating Coastal Carolina to improve to 6-1 overall, while Georgia Southern takes control of the Sun Belt East with a win over James Madison, Moved from ranking to 63rd.
No. 65 North Carolina State and No. 66 Cal are the toughest teams to rank. NC State recently lost to Wake Forest but came back to beat Cal to go 0-4 in ACC play by a total of nine points. If the Golden Bears could make a field goal, their record would be completely different.
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Morales: USC invested heavily in Lincoln Riley and his staff. Where are the results?
76-100
Baylor jumped to No. 76 in the rankings with a surprise 59-35 victory over Texas Tech. Texas State dropped to No. 77 after losing to Old Dominion. Auburn lost a double-digit lead against Missouri, falling to 2-5 and falling to No. 80.
No. 82 Western Michigan actually sits atop the MAC at 3-0 after beating Buffalo, which has beaten Toledo and NIU. Marshall moves up to No. 81 following last week’s win over WMU and a win over Georgia State.
The bottom of the Power 4 comes together. Purdue is at the bottom of the group at No. 95, but Florida State is ranked No. 94 after losing to Duke for the first time. No. 93 Mississippi State has had tough games with Georgia and Texas A&M in recent weeks, while Houston slipped to No. 89 after a 42-14 loss to Kansas.
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Big 12, ACC should enjoy multiple bids if acquired: College Football Playoff Bubble Watch
101-134
New Mexico State has won three straight after defeating Utah State 50-45 to move up to No. 106 in Bronco Mendenhall’s first year. UTSA’s win over Florida Atlantic University moved the Roadrunners back to No. 110.
UTEP beat FIU for its first win of the season and moved up to No. 129.
The Athletic 134 series is part of a partnership with Allstate. The Athletic maintains complete editorial independence. Partners have no control or involvement in the reporting or editorial process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo: Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
