RF365 College Power Rankings - week of Oct 22 2009

By Todd Erickson  |   Friday, October 23, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

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And another one bites the dust…say goodbye to longshot Virginia Tech and Ohio State and their BCS national championship game hopes. Texas barely survives the toothless Sooners and Cincy impresses with big road win over South Florida. For now, though, it’s looking like the SEC champ will play either Texas or USC in Pasadena on January 7.

1. FLORIDA GATORS/SEC (6-0). If you haven’t heard about it by now, you can’t say you’re much of a college football fan. The Gators were helped by several bad calls by SEC refs on their way to a 23-20 win over Arkansas. The officiating crew has since been suspended. Next up: at Mississippi State.
2. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE/SEC (7-0). The Tide prevailed over a feisty South Carolina squad, 20-6, and play host to an improving Tennessee this weekend. The Vols manhandled Georgia 45-19 last Saturday.
3. TEXAS LONGHORNS/Big 12 (7-0). Colt McCoy (127 yards passing) continues to struggle against solid defenses, but the Horns managed to pull out a 16-13 squeaker over Oklahoma. They’ll travel to take on Missouri this weekend. Can you say trap game?
4. USC TROJANS/Pac-10 (5-1). The Trojans prevailed 34-27 over a tenacious Notre Dame team in South Bend, despite Charlie Weis’ efforts to trip up USC with illegal trick plays. This week: Oregon State visits revenge minded Troy.
5. CINCINNATI BEARCATS/Big East (6-0). The Bearcats throttled South Florida on the road but lost QB Tony Pike in the process. They can’t afford to overlook a desperate Louisville team coming to town this week.
6. TEXAS CHRISTIAN HORNED FROGS/MWC (6-0). The Frogs toyed with Colorado State for a quarter, going down 6-0 before dominating the rest of the contest with the next 44 points. They face their biggest hurdle in reaching a BCS bowl game this season when they travel to Provo, Utah to take on No.
7. MIAMI HURRICANES/ACC (5-1). The ‘Canes romped over Central Florida, 27-7 to keep their improbably national title hopes alive. They host Clemson this week.
8. IOWA HAWKEYES/Big Ten (7-0). The Hawkeyes spotted the Badgers a ten-point lead in the first half and then stormed back to take the Big Ten contest 20-10. They head to East Lansing to take on Michigan State this week.
9. GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS/ACC (6-1). The Yellow Jackets impressed with a 28-23 victory over previous No. 5 Virginia Tech. Now they get a breather before taking on North Carolina next Thursday.
10. LSU TIGERS/SEC (5-1). The Tigers had a bye last weekend and host Auburn this week.
11. BOISE STATE BRONCOS/WAC (6-0). The Broncos barely knocked off Tulsa last week—28-21—when Golden Hurricane QB G.J. Kinney missed his wide open receiver, Slick Shelly, in the final minute of play at the BSU 30-yard line. BSU vacations in Hawaii this weekend while they take on the Warriors.
12. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS/Big Ten (6-1). The Nittany Lions shut out Minnesota 20-0 and journey to Ann Arbor to joust with the Michigan Wolverines this Saturday.
13. BYU COUGARS/MWC (6-1). The Cougars took care of business against San Diego State, 38-28, and face their toughest foe of the season this Saturday when No. 6 MWC foes Texas Christian hops into Lavell Edwards Stadium.
14. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS/Big 12 (5-1). The Cowboys took care of business in defeating Missouri, 33-17. They travel to Baylor this weekend with the big game with Texas looming in the future.
15. OREGON DUCKS/Pac-10 (5-1). The Rubber Duckies had last week off to prepare extra hard for their road game at Washington this Saturday. They cannot afford to suffer the same fate that USC did in Week 3.
16. PITTSBURGH PANTHERS/Big East (6-1). Pitt jumps into the rankings with their sixth win—a 24-17 road win over Rutgers. They host South Florida this weekend in conference action.
17. UTAH UTES/MWC (5-1). The Utes helped deep-six former OC Mike Sanford’s head coaching career when they knocked off UNLV, 35-15. They’ll host a very gritty Air Force Academy team this weekend.
18. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES/ACC (5-2). The Hokies dropped 13 spots when they choked on the road at Georgia Tech. They can still recover and challenge for the ACC title, but the margin of error is razor thin. This week: Bye. Next week: North Carolina.
19. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES/Big Ten (5-2). Ohio State was in lock-step with Virginia Tech when they lost to Purdue and dropped 13 slots in the power ranking. The Buckeyes host the Minnesota Golden Gophers this week.
20. HOUSTON COUGARS/C-USA (5-1). Houston demolished Tulane 44-16 in the Superdome last weekend and host instate rival Southern Methodist in C-USA action this Saturday.
21. KANSAS JAYHAWKS/Big 12 (5-1). The Jayhawks were upset by Colorado, 34-30. They could fall completely out of the rankings when they entertain Oklahoma this weekend.
22. WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS/Big East (5-1). WVU took care of Marshall, 24-7. They host Connecticut this weekend in Big East action.
23. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH/Independent (4-2). The Irish dropped their second game of the season, but they’re still the most dangerous 2-loss team in the nation. They host Boston College this week.
24. WISCONSIN BADGERS/Big Ten (5-2). The Badgers blew a 10-point halftime lead to Iowa and with it, any chance to win the Big Ten championship and play in the Rose Bowl Game on New Year’s Day. Next up: Purdue on Oct 31.
25. OKLAHOMA SOONERS/Big 12 (3-3). The Sooners have lost all three games by a total of 5 points. There isn’t a better 3-loss team in the country, Sam Bradford or not. They are on the road this weekend against No. 21 Kansas.
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About Todd Erickson

Todd Erickson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and pens the RealFootball365 Top 25 college football power rankings and "Fourth and inches..." weekly columns from August thru January. He is currently working on the second edition of Road to the Rose Bowl ...
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