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The top of this week's college football rankings remain unchanged, but Oklahoma State, Stanford and Boise State survived a weekend of brush-clearing to remain in the running.
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The FCS top 25 saw its first major shakeup in weeks, thanks to the formerly No. 1 Georgia Southern Eagles falling to the No. 5 Appalachian St. Mountaineers. The overthrowing in Boone resulted in the North Dakota St. Bison taking over the top spot -- for the first time in school history -- and damned GSU's national championship hopes*.
* No, it didn't. FCS football's postseason is conducted in a fair and moral fashion.
The Bison claimed the top spot after downing the former No. 2 Northern Iowa Panthers, who tumbled all the way to No. 6. At least UNI and GSU fell in tandem. The James Madison Dukes left the top 10, landing at No. 13, while the New Hampshire Wildcats broke single digits.
The complete FCS top 25 for Week 10:
| Team (First-place votes) | Record | Points | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. North Dakota State Bison (133) | 8-0 | 3,918 | 3 |
| 2. Montana State Bobcats (19) | 8-1 | 3,671 | 4 |
| 3. Appalachian State Mountaineers (5) | 6-2 | 3,567 | 5 |
| 4. Sam Houston State Bearkats (1) | 8-0 | 3,416 | 6 |
| 5. Georgia Southern Eagles | 7-1 | 3,193 | 1 |
| 6. Northern Iowa Panthers | 6-2 | 3,065 | 2 |
| 7. Maine Black Bears | 7-1 | 2,987 | 8 |
| 8. Lehigh Mountain Hawks | 7-1 | 2,983 | 7 |
| 9. New Hampshire Wildcats | 6-2 | 2,601 | 10 |
| 10. Montana Grizzlies | 7-2 | 2,532 | 11 |
| 11. Wofford Terriers | 6-2 | 2,443 | 12 |
| 12. Old Dominion Monarchs | 7-2 | 2,163 | 15 |
| 13. James Madison Dukes | 5-3 | 1,747 | 9 |
| 14. Towson Tigers | 6-2 | 1,364 | 13 |
| 15. Jackson State Tigers | 7-1 | 1,235 | 19 |
| 16. Delaware Blue Hens | 5-4 | 1,076 | 21 |
| 17. Illinois State Redbirds | 6-3 | 977 | 22 |
| 18. Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 5-3 | 955 | 14 |
| 19. William & Mary Tribe | 4-4 | 928 | 18 |
| 20. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles | 5-2 | 926 | 25 |
| 21. Indiana State Sycamores | 5-3 | 853 | 20 |
| 22. Liberty Flames | 6-3 | 710 | 23 |
| 23. Harvard Crimson | 6-1 | 653 | 24 |
| 24. South Dakota Coyotes | 5-4 | 456 | 17 |
| 25. Central Arkansas Bears | 6-3 | 414 | NR |
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Oklahoma Sooners are still on a collision course, with Bedlam setting up to be a huge matchup. Despite the Sooners slip-up against Texas Tech a little over a week ago, both teams are ranked inside the top-10 in the latest BCS Standings, with Oklahoma rebounding this past weekend.
Oklahoma State continues to roll, and sits just behind LSU and Alabama in the rankings. The Crimson Tide and Tigers will face-off this weekend, giving Oklahoma State a chance to move into the top-two with a win.
Four Big 12 teams are ranked this week, with Kansas State and Texas joining the two Oklahoma teams. The Longhorns are just inside the top-25 and Kansas State is right in the middle of the pack, lurking just outside the top-10.
Here's how the Big 12 fared this week. Be sure to check out the full BCS standings, as well.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys
6. Oklahoma Sooners
14. Kansas State Wildcats
21. Texas Longhorns
Stay tuned here for all of the Week 10 College Football Rankings.
Any discussion of Week 10's BCS standings has to center around the upcoming battle between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama. So let's do just that.
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It's the SEC's world and the rest of college football is just living in it. Once again this week, the SEC dominates the top of the polls, with LSU and Alabama ranked No. 1 and No. 2 heading into this weekend's matchup. But the Tigers and Crimson Tide aren't alone in the upper-echelons of the BCS rankings.
Four SEC teams are ranked inside the top-10. In total, six teams are inside the top-25, with Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and Arkansas joining LSU and Alabama in the rankings. The six teams in the rankings and four in the top-10 are both highs for a conference in this week's standings.
Here's a look at the SEC teams ranked in this week's BCS Standings. The full rankings, including a breakdown of the components, can be found here.
1. LSU Tigers
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
9. South Carolina Gamecocks
18. Georgia Bulldogs
22. Auburn Tigers
Stay tuned here for all of the Week 10 College Football Rankings.
For the Pac-12, less is more in the BCS standings again this year. It seems as though the conference out west has been the same story for the last two years: The Stanford Cardinal and Oregon Ducks hover near the top of the rankings while the rest of the Pac-12 flounders away in relative obscurity. The same theme holds true this week as the Ducks and Cardinal continue to steam towards a matchup that should determine the Pac-12 North title.
The Cardinal moved up in the rankings this week, leap-frogging Boise State to take the No. 4 spot. Stanford survived a test from USC, downing the Trojans in a wild triple-overtime matchup. Oregon handled its business, as well, beating back a Washington State team that put up a decent fight.
Here's a look at where the Pac-12 teams stand this week. Be sure to check out the full BCS standings for the week, as well.
4. Stanford
8. Oregon
19. Arizona State
Stay tuned here for all of the Week 10 College Football Rankings.
The LSU Tigers topped the BCS rankings for a third straight week, much to nobody's surprise. With just six unbeatens left and the Tigers playing the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide next week, these standings will change quite a bit next week.
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No surprise: it's a clean sweep for LSU and Alabama in the Week 10 college football rankings. The two SEC titans come in No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the Week 10 Harris Poll (PDF) after doing the same in the Week 10 AP Poll and the Week 10 USA Today coaches poll.
Just like in the other two human polls, the Harris Poll holds its top five steady: Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Boise State follow LSU and 'Bama in order. The only wrinkle with the Harris Poll? Stanford receives a first-place vote, the lone one that didn't go to either LSU or Alabama.
Elsewhere, Clemson fell four spots to No. 10 after its first loss of the year, Kansas State dropped five spots after being shellacked by Oklahoma, and Georgia Tech stormed back into the top 25 at No. 21 after knocking Clemson from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Here's the full Harris Interactive Poll for Week 10:
1
LSU
2
Alabama
3
Oklahoma State
4
Stanford
5
Boise State
6
Oregon
7
Oklahoma
8
Arkansas
9
Nebraska
10
Clemson
11
South Carolina
12
Virginia Tech
13
Michigan
14
Houston
15
Kansas State
16
Penn State
17
Michigan State
18
Wisconsin
19
Arizona State
20
Georgia
21
Georgia Tech
22
West Virginia
23
Cincinnati
24
Texas
25
Auburn
Boise State is in the same spot in the Week 10 AP Poll and the Week 10 USA Today coaches poll as it was in the Week 9 college football rankings. But the Broncos might have a slightly better chance of making the BCS National Championship Game now.
That's because the No. 5 AP/No. 5 coaches Broncos don't have to look over their shoulders (anthropomorphically speaking, you know, because horses can't quite do that) at Clemson or Kansas State anymore, with both undefeated BCS automatic qualifier conference teams spitting the bit in Week 9. Both teams could have probably caught and passed Boise State with undefeated regular seasons; now, the Broncos need only to have three of the four teams ahead of them lose ... and maybe have Oregon lose again, should it beat Stanford ... and maybe have Oklahoma lose, too, if the Sooners upset Oklahoma State.
That's all completely out of Boise State's control, but the Broncos can take solace in this: they're at least in a significantly better place than the No. 14 AP/No. 14 coaches Houston Cougars, who have eight one-loss teams between them and the rest of the remaining undefeated teams.
For more on the Week 10 college football rankings, check out our comprehensive StoryStream.
With Clemson losing in Week 9 and dropping in the Week 10 AP Poll and the Week 10 USA Today coaches poll, the ACC's chances of having a national champion in the 2011 college football season are all but done. And the conference's shot at having more than one BCS team is null and void, too.
The No. 11 AP/No. 12 coaches Tigers are still at the top of the conference, but they're joined by No. 11 coaches/No. 12 AP Virginia Tech, a team they stomped on the road. And those two teams are joined by only one other ACC team, No. 22 AP/No. 23 coaches Georgia Tech, in the Week 10 college football rankings.
What does that mean? Well, you can probably count on one of those three teams heading to the Orange Bowl as the ACC's champion and filler of the conference's automatic BCS bowl berth. But you can also rest assured that there won't be more than one ACC team playing in the biggest bowls.
For more on the Week 10 college football rankings, check out our comprehensive StoryStream.
The Big Ten lost a little ground in the Week 10 AP Poll and the Week 10 USA Today coaches poll. But no conference dominates the murky middle of the college football rankings quite like the Big Ten.
There's Nebraska, No. 9 in both polls despite a loss to No. 17 coaches/No. 19 AP Wisconsin. The Badgers fell because of a loss to Ohio State, unranked but receiving votes, and Nebraska sprang forward after taking down No. 15 AP/No. 16 coaches Michigan State. And then there are Michigan (No. 13 in both polls) and Penn State (No. 15 coaches/No. 16 AP), just sort of hanging out in the middle of the teens.
That's five ranked Big Ten teams, none higher than No. 9 nor lower than No. 19. If that doesn't sound like a conference with no dominant team to you, you should probably check your ears.
For more on the Week 10 college football rankings, check out our comprehensive StoryStream.
West Virginia and Cincinnati are the only Big East teams in either the Week 10 AP Poll or the Week 10 USA Today coaches poll; that should be no surprise. But the Bearcats are the only Big East team other than the Mountaineers even receiving votes in either poll, which is probably a bad thing for a conference that is going to lose West Virginia to the Big 12 in 2012.
The Mountaineers (No. 21 coaches/No. 24 AP) probably just pip the Bearcats (No. 22 coaches/No. 23 AP) in the public eye, but it really doesn't matter that much where either team is ranked right now. Neither team is high enough to even hope for an at-large BCS bid if it wins out, and for both, the only path to BCS riches in 2011 is probably through a Big East title.
They'll have what should amount to a de facto Big East championship game in two weeks at Cincinnati.
For more on the Week 10 college football rankings, check out our comprehensive StoryStream.
Stanford and Oregon look as good as they have all season in the Week 10 AP Poll and the Week 10 USA Today coaches poll. The Cardinal (No. 4 in both polls) survived No. 21 AP USC in Week 9 and didn't move in either poll, and Ducks (No. 7 in both polls) moved up with a loss by Clemson.
That means that both should be in the top seven or eight when this week's BCS standings drop later Sunday night, and that sort of positioning is a good omen for the Pac-12 when it comes to potentially getting two BCS bowl bids. No matter which team wins the Week 11 clash in Palo Alto, the loser shouldn't fall out of BCS contention, and could snag an at-large bid if the other school wins out and scores a victory in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game.
The Arizona State Sun Devils (No. 18 coaches/No. 20 AP) are the fourth Pac-12 team in the Week 10 polls, though Washington lurks in the also receiving votes sections.
For more on the Week 10 college football rankings, check out our comprehensive StoryStream.
Oklahoma State is No. 3 in both the Week 10 AP Poll and the Week 10 USA Today coaches poll. And with Kansas State's loss to Oklahoma on Saturday, the Cowboys are the last BCS National Championship Game hopeful left in the Big 12.
The Cowboys could move up into the top two after Week 10, too, as either No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama must lose in their SEC showdown. Oklahoma State gets No. 17 AP/No. 19 coaches Kansas State at home on Saturday.
No. 7 AP/No. 7 coaches Oklahoma moves back into the top seven after dismantling the Wildcats in Manhattan in Week 9, but the Sooners shouldn't be a threat to make the BCS title game without a number of losses by undefeated teams.
As for the rest of the Big 12 ... it's really just Texas, No. 25 in the coaches poll. West Virginia, a Big 12 team-to-be, is No. 21 in the coaches poll and No. 24 in the AP Poll, but the Mountaineers aren't quite free of the Big East just yet.
For more on the Week 10 college football rankings, check out our comprehensive StoryStream.
LSU and Alabama head up the SEC in the Week 10 AP Poll and the Week 10 USA Today coaches poll, and didn't need to prove themselves in Week 9 to do it. That's the luxury both idle SEC titans enjoyed in advance of their seismic Week 10 clash.
The No. 1 AP/No. 1 coaches Tigers and No. 2 AP/No. 2 coaches Crimson Tide combine to earn all but one of the available first-place votes in the two most prominent human polls in the college football rankings; Boise State snagged one first-place vote from an AP Poll voter.
But the two BCS national championship contenders aren't the only SEC teams in the college football rankings. No. 8 AP/No. 8 coaches Arkansas and No. 10 AP/No. 10 coaches South Carolina join LSU and Alabama in the top 10, No. 18 AP/No. 20 coaches Georgia returns to the top 20, and No. 25 AP Auburn makes its way back into the rankings.
For more on the Week 10 college football rankings, check out our comprehensive StoryStream.
LSU and Alabama have already topped the Week 10 USA Today coaches poll, and they have followed that trick with dominance in the Week 10 AP poll. Less than a week ahead of their match-up, one that should pit the top two teams in the college football rankings and BCS standings, the Tigers and Crimson Tide claim all but one first-place vote in the Week 10 AP top 25.
Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Boise State round out the top five, and the Broncos earn the only first-place vote that didn't go to the SEC West behemoths.
Clemson, Michigan State, and Kansas State all fell out of the top 10 with losses. But USC, which took Stanford to triple overtime, loses just one spot, dropping from No. 20 to No. 21.
And Auburn returns to the poll (again) at No. 25, after a number of teams ahead of the Tigers lost.
The full AP Poll for Week 10:
1
LSU
2
Alabama
3
Oklahoma State
4
Stanford
5
Boise State
6
Oregon
7
Oklahoma
8
Arkansas
9
Nebraska
10
South Carolina
11
Clemson
12
Virginia Tech
13
Michigan
14
Houston
15
Michigan State
16
Penn State
17
Kansas State
18
Georgia
19
Wisconsin
20
Arizona State
21
USC
22
Georgia Tech
23
Cincinnati
24
West Virginia
25
Auburn
The USA Today coaches poll is one third of the BCS rankings formula, and college football's reigning kings, LSU and Alabama, top the Week 10 coaches poll. That, of course, is a good sign that both SEC schools will be just fine when the BCS standings are released Sunday night.
The Tigers and Crimson Tide remain first and second, respectively, in the coaches poll, and receive the same number of first-place votes as they did in Week 9. It's everywhere else that things shift after a more chaotic Week 9 than most expected.
Losses by previously undefeated Clemson and Kansas State knocked those two teams out of the top 10 and top 15, respectively: Clemson dropped from No. 6 to No. 12, and Kansas State fell from No. 12 to No. 19. Michigan State, ranked 10th last week, slid to No. 16 after losing to Nebraska, who moves to No. 9.
Further from the top, Georgia Tech and Texas used big Week 9 victories to move back into the top 25 after short absences.
Here's the full USA Today coaches poll top 25 for Week 10:
1
LSU
2
Alabama
3
Stanford
4
Oklahoma State
5
Boise State
6
Oregon
7
Oklahoma
8
Arkansas
9
Nebraska
10
South Carolina
11
Virginia Tech
12
Clemson
13
Michigan
14
Houston
15
Penn State
16
Michigan State
17
Wisconsin
18
Arizona State
19
Kansas State
20
Georgia
21
West Virginia
22
Cincinnati
23
Georgia Tech
24
Southern Miss
25
Texas
After two more undefeated teams fell, it's time for a look ahead at this week's BCS standings. Boise State thanks you for playing, zombie Oklahoma has a happy Halloween, and LSU vs. Alabama looms over us all. Here are your Week 10 BCS standings projections.
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The top of the college football rankings should remain unchanged, but chaos erupted just beneath this week.
Without the nation's top two in play, Week 10's college football rankings might look a lot like Week 9's. But what could upsets bring?