Time for the weekly qualitative look at college football. This results-driven look at the sport has almost entirely dismissed any preconceived preseason notions about the 120 major-college teams and simply ranked the top quarter of them based on what they’ve accomplished.
That is to say, who they’ve played and where they’ve played.
SEE RELATED:
Please note that despite my best efforts, there still is a slight bump for a handful of teams. Southern California is the only team in the top 30 with a loss to a team not included in this rundown. But it was on a last-second field goal on the road to a decent (to date) Washington outfit.
Likewise, Florida (No. 5), Texas (No. 7) and Oklahoma (No. 22) could all be argued a little lower based on their accomplishments to date. That said, it’s hard to ignore the visual evidence of their games to date.
Of course, this ranking will fluctuate wildly for a few more weeks as some teams continue building a resume and others just get started.
And there can be a domino effect as well; Boise State, for instance, got a huge bump when Oregon (which lost to the Broncos on Sept. 3) demolished California yesterday. On the flip side, Louisiana State’s victory at Washington lost value when the Huskies flopped at Stanford.
Here’s the full 30-team rundown, with record, record at the end of regulation, last week’s ranking and some notable games listed for each.
Team W-L Reg. Pvs. Notes
1. Alabama 4-0 4-0 1 * Virginia Tech (N), Arkansas (H)
2. Houston 3-0 3-0 6 * Oklahoma State (A), Texas Tech (H)
3. Virginia Tech 3-1 3-1 11 * Nebraska (H), Miami (H); L: Alabama (N)
4. Boise State 4-0 4-0 7 * Oregon (H), Fresno State (A)
5. Florida 4-0 4-0 9 * Tennessee (H), Kentucky (A)
6. Louisiana State 4-0 4-0 3 * Washington (A), Mississippi State (A)
7. Texas 4-0 4-0 4 * Texas Tech (H)
8. Iowa 4-0 4-0 NR * Penn State (A), Arizona (H)
9. Cincinnati 4-0 4-0 8 * Rutgers (A), Oregon State (A)
10. Miami 2-1 2-1 2 * Georgia Tech (H), Florida State (A); L: VT (A)
11. Oregon 3-1 3-1 NR * California (H), Utah (H); L: Boise State (A)
12. Texas Christian 3-0 3-0 24 * Clemson (A), Virginia (H)
13. South Florida 4-0 4-0 NR * Florida State (A)
14. Southern California 3-1 3-1 17 * Ohio State (A); L: Washington (A)
15. Oklahoma State 3-1 3-1 15 * Georgia (H); L: Houston (H)
16. Brigham Young 3-1 3-1 14 * Oklahoma (N); L: Florida State (H)
17. Michigan 4-0 4-0 12 * Notre Dame (H)
18. Georgia 3-1 3-1 18 * South Carolina (H); Ariz. State (H); L: Okla. St. (A)
19. Georgia Tech 3-1 3-1 20 * Clemson (H), North Carolina (H); L: Miami (A)
20. South Carolina 2-1 2-1 NR * Mississippi (H), N.C. State (A); L: Georgia (A)
21. Ohio State 3-1 3-1 25 * Illinois (H), Navy (H); L: Southern Cal (H)
22. Oklahoma 2-1 2-1 19 * Tulsa (H); L: Brigham Young (N)
23. California 3-1 3-1 5 * Minnesota (A); L: Oregon (A)
24. Missouri 4-0 4-0 NR * Illinois (N), Nevada (A)
25. Kansas 4-0 4-0 22 * Southern Miss (H), Duke (H)
26. Arizona 3-1 3-1 NR * Oregon State (A); L: Iowa (A)
27. Auburn 4-0 4-0 NR * West Virginia (H)
28. Nebraska 3-1 3-1 27 * Florida Atlantic (H); L: Virginia Tech (A)
29. Florida State 2-2 2-2 10 * Brigham Young (A); L: Miami (H), South Florida (H)
30. N.C. State 3-1 3-1 NR * Pittsburgh (H); L: South Carolina (H)
—- Patrick Stevens
