While the consensus is that No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson are the two best teams in college football there is a real battle for the other high-ranking teams in the Associated Poll’s Top 25 Poll. While No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Georgia are surprising no one by their seasons, teams like No. 8 Washington State and No. 6 Texas Christian University are quietly moving up in the polls.
Those two teams are undefeated and have pulled off big-time victories to crack the top 10. Washington State upset then No. 4 USC last week and TCU shocked Oklahoma State on the road two weeks ago. Whether or not they finish the season undefeated is questionable, but right now they are enjoying the time ranked among the best teams in the nation.
They were two of several winners from Week 6 of the season. There were also some big losers after the first month and a half.
Winners
Michigan State
The Spartans played a rivalry game against No. 7 Michigan on the road and upset the Wolverines 14-10. They were a 13-point underdog and shocked Jim Harbaugh’s team. The victory earned them a place in the top 25 at No. 21.
Washington
The Huskies are benefiting from weak conference schedule and are No. 5 in the country. The undefeated team has won their six games by a combined score of 258-61 and have teams in five of their next six games they should be the choice to win. The only real test is hosting Washington State on Nov. 25 and both teams could enter the contest without a loss.
Miami
The only undefeated team in a major conference not in the Top 10, the No. 11 Hurricanes are knocking on the door and last week’s victory at Florida State was a boost for the squad. They face three teams they should beat and then get a big test when they host Virginia Tech on November 4.
Losers
Michigan
They were looking vulnerable with their starting quarterback injured and in a wet, sloppy game at the Big House on Saturday couldn’t dispatch Michigan State. The home loss dropped the Wolverines 10 spots in the polls but more importantly out of the National Championship conversation and with two Big 10 teams ranked ahead of them they could be out of Rose Bowl contention.
Oklahoma
The Sooners escaped Baylor the week before but could not overcome Iowa State, losing at home, 38-31. They too are probably out of any title hopes and their quarterback Baker Mayfield took a hit to his Heisman Trophy expectations with the defeat.
Gary Anderson
The Oregon State head coach became the first significant coaching departure of the season when he announced his resignation two days after a 38-10 loss to USC on Saturday. He was 1-5 and reportedly was frustrated with the lack of support he was receiving from the university. The real loser here could be the Beavers who lose a quality coach and have no idea who is successor will be.