College Football Rankings, Week 10

Rankings through Saturday, November 6, 2010. Full Rankings.

1. Oregon, 9-0, 45.14
2. TCU, 10-0, 38.34
3. Boise State, 8-0, 33.49
4. Stanford, 8-1, 30.45
5. Auburn, 10-0, 26.86
6. Alabama, 7-2, 26.05
7. Ohio State, 8-1, 25.96
8. Nebraska, 8-1, 25.68
9. Oregon State, 4-4, 25.23
10. Arizona State, 4-5, 25.22
11. Virginia Tech, 7-2, 25.13
12. USC, 6-3, 24.66
13. Iowa, 7-2, 24.22
14. Nevada, 8-1, 24.19
15. Wisconsin, 8-1, 23.74
16. Arkansas, 7-2, 23.06
17. LSU, 8-1, 22.53
18. Oklahoma State, 8-1, 22.03
19. Missouri, 7-2, 22.02
20. Arizona, 7-2, 21.69
21. Miami (FL), 6-3, 21.25
22. Oklahoma, 7-2, 20.90
23. South Carolina, 6-3, 20.86
24. California, 5-4, 20.55
25. Florida State, 6-3, 20.53

TCU at Utah. For those who spend late fall cheering for the college football results that creates the most Bullshit Cartel Series (BCS) chaos, this game was a win win situation. Both TCU and Utah entered the game undefeated and highly esteemed by the BCS cartel. The winner would have another quality win and a shot at the national championship game if they remained undefeated.

Or would they? This game between TCU and Utah has determined the most screwed team in the nation the past two years. In 2008, Utah beat TCU with a late game drive in Salt Lake City. This undefeated Utes team watched as two one loss teams, Florida and Oklahoma, played for the championship. Utah did get a consolation berth in the Sugar Bowl, posting a 14 point win over Alabama. The BCS champion Florida beat this same Alabama team by 11. Last year, TCU ran away from Utah in Fort Worth, Texas on their way to an undefeated season. The Horned Frogs earned a final fourth place BCS ranking, good for a spot on the couch to watch two very beatable teams, Alabama and Texas, play for the title.

The BCS sucks. One championship game in not enough; only a 16 team playoff will give college football the grand finale it deserves every year. But, on a late fall day in Salt Lake City, one can still hope. TCU grabbed hope by the ears and thumped Utah. They took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards for a touchdown. By the time a Utah fumble led to TCU’s third touchdown of the first quarter, the game was all but over. TCU won 47-7. It might just be the best possible outcome for those fanatical about BCS chaos. TCU now has a monster 40 point win over a good Utah team, which has earned them points in the human polls. Too bad their large margin of victory doesn’t matter to the computers.

3. Boise State (8-0) 33.49. Hawaii was supposed to give the Broncos a game. Instead, Boise State suffocated a Hawaii pass attack that had previously gained 7.8 yards a pass attempt. Hawaii threw for 4.5 yards on average over 28 attempts and gave up 7 sacks. Boise State wins 42-7.

4. Stanford (8-1), 30.45. Last year, the Cardinal traveled to Arizona and gave up two long touchdown runs in the second half to lose by 5. It made some people question the team’s ability to close out games. In Palo Alto this weekend, Stanford avenged last season’s loss with an emphatic 25 point win. The questions keep getting answered this year.

10. Arizona State (4-5) 25.22. How many close games are the Sun Devils going to lose? Against USC this weekend, they had a blocked extra point returned for 2 points and then missed a game winning field goal. USC won by 1. Will they finally get that big win against Stanford next weekend?

17. LSU. People like to talk about Les Miles’ luck: the 13 men on the field against Tennesee, the perfect bounce on a fake field goal attempt against Florida. But people rarely talk about LSU’s execution after their breaks. After the Tennesee penalty, they punched the ball in the endzone. After the first down against Florida, a supposedly weak offense marched 35 yards in a minute and scored the game winning touchdown. And this weekend against Alabama, LSU executed a perfect reverse on a fourth and 2. The Power Rank still doesn’t love this team, but their win over Alabama puts them right back in the championship game discussion.