2009 NCAA College Football Week 10 Top 25

Week 10 Football Top 25 Rankings

I said last week when I wrote my weekly preview column that I smelled some upsets this weekend. The only problem was that the major upsets I picked never materialized and the favorites that I picked to hold on didn’t! Looks like I should have gone against my intuition last week!

This weekend was defined by breakout performances from three teams: Texas, Florida and Oregon. All three stepped in front of national audiences and manhandled their opponents, leaving each with a legitimate claim as the hottest team in the country. However, it is the Gators and Longhorns who are now in the driver’s seat for a National Championship showdown, thanks to their unblemished records and high preseason rankings.

Also, be sure to check out Matt's weekly college football bowl projections as we take a look at the expected bowl matchups this winter.

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SIX THINGS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK

• Texas Is Going To Go Undefeated

I will readily admit that I expected Texas to lose last weekend. The Longhorns simply hadn’t impressed me all season and their resume, outside of a victory over Oklahoma, was underwhelming. However, Texas simply overwhelmed Oklahoma State and their path to Pasadena looks to be clear. Remaining on their schedule are games against Central Florida (blowout), Baylor (blowout), Kansas (blowout) and Texas A&M (mildly intriguing). Assuming they don’t slip up against A&M, the Longhorns will face the ‘winner’ of the feckless Big XII North, likely Missouri (already blown them out) or Nebraska (blowout). Thus, it will take an upset of monumental proportions for Texas to finish the season short of a 13-0 record. Start making your reservations for January in California, Horns fans.

• USC’s Reign Atop The Pac Ten Is Over

Since Pete Carroll took over at USC, his teams have won at least a share of the Pac Ten Championship seven times! During that time period, there have been many challengers to USC’s throne but none have managed to unseat the mighty Men of Troy.

Until now. Oregon’s shocking 47-20 victory wasn’t just a deathblow to USC’s championship dreams, it was a progressive deconstruction of the Trojan defense. It was an emphatic end to USC’s streak atop the conference and may have signaled in a new perennial contender.

Now, we’ve seen this before: The Ducks edged the Trojans in 2007 and appeared on track to play in the National Title Game before Dennis Dixon tore his ACL. However, that Oregon team didn’t give USC their worst loss in the Carroll era and it didn’t play defense like this edition of Ducks. Finally, Oregon’s win gives them a defacto three game lead in Pac Ten play with two games in hand and a tiebreaker. The Ducks are almost certainly going to the Rose Bowl and it is still way too early to rule them out of the National Championship picture.

• The National Leader In Mental Toughness Is Iowa

At about 2 PM last Saturday, I really thought that Iowa’s undefeated streak was over. Playing in windy conditions at home, the Hawkeyes spotted Indiana leads of 21-7 and 24-14 thanks to Ricky Stanzi’s five interceptions. However, the Hawkeyes scored 28 points in the 4 th quarter in one of the wildest games I’ve ever seen to turn Indiana’s upset bid into an Iowa blowout.

With so much adversity, how the heck do the Hawks keep winning? Aside from favorable instant replay decisions, of course. Seriously, how bad are the Big Ten replay officials? They either make egregious decisions (poor Indiana has had multiple bad calls go against them in multiple games this season) or simply refuse to review the most blatant of plays (Anyone else remember the Illinois non-fumble in the 2007 Ohio State game?).

Regardless of officiating, Iowa has overcome more adversity this season than any other team in the country. The Hawkeyes have fallen behind all but once this season, yet they boast America’s only 9-0 record! That’s the product of immense mental toughness. I think that the credit for their rock-solid attitude has to belong to head coach Kirk Ferentz. If you look up the definition for ‘unflappable’ in the dictionary, Ferentz’s picture will appear right above it. This might be the most clear-cut example I’ve ever seen of a team taking on their coach’s personality and Ferentz deserves all the credit in the world for it.

• The “G” On Georgia’s Helmets Stands For Gator Bait

The World’s Largest Cocktail Party has become the World’s Largest Georgia Slaughter in the last decade. Since Mark Richt took over the Georgia program, Florida is 7-2 against the Bulldogs! This has become the most one-sided rivalry in the country outside of Ohio State-Michigan during that time period and things don’t appear to be changing any time soon: The last two seasons have produced Gator victories by an average of 32 points!

This season’s edition was particularly painful for Dawg fans because their team gave them a tiny bit of hope early, coming back from a 14-0 deficit to make the game a competitive 14-10 contest in the 2 nd quarter. Of course, Florida dominated the rest of the game thanks to a massively superior talent level and Georgia’s inexplicable proclivity towards committing more penalties than any other team in America. In short, Florida was more talented and much better coached and that’s the root cause why the Dawgs have become the definition of Gator Bait.

• Tennessee Is The Best Four Loss Team In The Country

Outside of Oregon, has any team improved more than the Volunteers since the start of the season? The Vols began the year with a strong defense that seemed doomed to a season of carrying their weak offense, a perception that was reinforced by an ugly 19-15 home loss to UCLA. At the time, Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton was probably the least popular person in the entire state.

Fast forward to today: Tennessee is 4-4 but their offense has suddenly shown signs of life behind a solid running game and shocking improvement from Crompton. Tennessee’s defense is also better than ever. While the Vols have lost tight games to Auburn, Florida and Alabama, they’ve also blown out divisional rivals Georgia and South Carolina in the last three weeks and their season-ending schedule seems primed for an 8-4 finish. With their defense and a continually improving offense, expect Tennessee to finish the season as the proverbial ‘team that no one wants to play in a bowl game’.

• November Will Be A Month To Remember

Entering November, there are a whopping seven undefeated teams in Division One college football! That means that the potential for a BCS Armageddon scenario is certainly in place, as only two of those teams ( Alabama and Florida) have a chance of facing each other during the rest of the season.

Now, that doesn’t mean that we’re going to finish the year with multiple unbeatens! The only two teams that seem all but locks to finish undefeated are Texas and Boise State, so there could be a lot of controversy late in the season with a gaggle of one-loss teams jockeying for position opposite the Longhorns in the National Championship game.

Meanwhile, a controversy of another sort looms between Boise State and TCU. For the second consecutive season, an undefeated Mountain West team could push the Broncos out of a BCS bowl thanks to a stronger schedule. If that happens, will Boise State finally begin scheduling multiple strong opponents or will they perpetuate their trend of scheduling weak opposition?

Needless to say, November will truly be a month to remember.

NEW FEATURE: BOWL PROJECTIONS

The big change in the BCS projections this week was swapping USC and Oregon in the Rose Bowl. I still expect the Trojans to finish 10-2 and USC (with that record) is a BCS no-brainer. The best part is the Pitt-Penn State matchup in the Fiesta Bowl, which would renew a rivalry that has been dormant for the better part of a decade.

But the BCS bowl matchups aren’t the only big changes this week. If you want to see where your favorite team is projected to play in the postseason, or are simply just interested where the shocking 7-2 Idaho Vandals will play their first postseason affair, check out my projections for all 34 bowl games at the link below!

BCS Championship: Alabama versus Texas

Rose Bowl : Iowa versus Oregon

Sugar Bowl : Florida versus Southern California

Fiesta Bowl : Penn State versus Pittsburgh

Orange Bowl : Georgia Tech versus Texas Christian

For the entire list of 2009-2010 College Football Bowl projections, check out Football-Bowl.com.

THE FINAL RANT: What Happened To Mark Richt?

Did anyone else immediately discount Georgia’s chances against Florida when you saw them come running out in black helmets and pants? I know I did. In fact, I saw their uniforms and I started laughing. This was nothing more than a sad attempt to pump a team up enough to hope for a hot start against a superior opponent. Instead, Georgia turned their emotion from their new black digs into a bunch of penalties and a 14-0 deficit! Mark Richt should know better: The last time he busted out the black uniforms was in 2008 and Georgia was absolutely destroyed on their home field against Alabama!

On the other hand, everyone also saw Tennessee’s Halloween-themed uniforms against South Carolina on Saturday night. The Vols looked like giant pieces of candy corn and their fans and players ate it up. Even better, the game was almost over by the end of the first quarter as Tennessee came out firing on all cylinders. After the game, everyone from Lane Kiffin to the guy selling popcorn in the nosebleed seats credited the black jerseys for their hot start and the big question floating around Knoxville on Monday was whether Coach Kiffin would pull the black jerseys out again this fall.

Ok, let’s get one thing very clear here. Tennessee and Georgia pulled the same trick on Saturday and got two very different results. Tennessee didn’t beat South Carolina like a drum because they wore black uniforms, they beat them like a drum because they were significantly better coached! That’s the same reason that Georgia got eaten alive by the Gators: Urban Meyer’s staff is significantly better than Mark Richt’s, just like Nick Saban and his staff were better last year!

Now, I know that wearing black jerseys is the newest trick that coaches are using to convince recruits that they’re cool and down with the times. It’s a great recruiting strategy to attract players to their school because it makes a bunch of old white guys look like they have a ton of ‘swagger’. But let’s call a spade a spade here: In terms of actual impact on the game, there is virtually none. Look at Notre Dame and the whole mystique surrounding their green jerseys. That’s nice and all but the last couple of times that the Irish have busted out the greenies, they’ve lost the game. Why? Because Charlie Weis and Tyrone Willingham were inferior coaches in those contests! In fact, I don’t remember a single game that I’ve seen the Irish wear their green jerseys and win!

Which brings me back to Coach Richt. Look Mark, by all indications you’re a really nice guy. I just have one major problem: If you spent more time preparing for Florida’s offense and/or had made the blatantly obvious decision to remove Willie Martinez from the defensive coordinator position back in the offseason, you wouldn’t need to resort to parlor tricks as the only hope that you have to keep the game against your archrivals close. If you’re not careful, you’re going to go down in the Georgia annals as the guy who brought cool black jerseys to Athens but couldn’t beat Florida to save his life. I hope you’re paying attention, Lane Kiffin, because if you start relying on the gimmick jersey well instead of preparation, you’re seat is going to get just as hot as Richt’s is right now.

That’s right. As sad as it sounds, Mark Richt could turn out to be this year’s version of Tommy Tuberville or Phil Fulmer: An SEC head coach with a ton of past success who loses his job because his program is becoming stale. Considering that Richt’s record against his three major rivals (Florida, Tennessee, Georgia Tech) is going to drop to 4-8 in the past four seasons when Tech runs the Bulldogs over later this year, I can’t muster a major argument against the naysayers. If Richt doesn’t show a willingness to overhaul his staff, beginning with Martinez, then the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs might have a new head coach.

THE TOP 25

These rankings reflect the entire resume of a team during the season. Thus, I’m not putting together a power ranking based on teams matching up on a proverbial neutral field and settling things. In fact, I’m doing quite the opposite: I’m trying to reward achievement throughout the season against quality competition.

For example, I might be one of the few in the country that doesn’t have Boise State in the top ten. While the Broncos have an undeniably impressive victory over Oregon on their resume, they can only boast one victory over a team with a winning record on the rest of their entire schedule! That’s why both TCU and Houston are ranked ahead of them from the non-BCS schools: Both have played a significantly tougher schedule and I want to reward that.

Speaking of rewarding tough scheduling, I will tell you right now that Texas is severely lacking in that regard. Texas’ non-conference schedule doesn’t include a single game against a BCS conference opponent and I think that if we finish with three BCS conference unbeatens that the Longhorns should be the odd man out. They’ll be the champions of a down conference and won’t have been tested by another conference all season.

That stance should encapsulate the philosophy behind my top 25. Without further ado, here are the newest top 25 rankings……..

IN THE NATIONAL TITLE DISCUSSION

#1)Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0, #1 Last Week)

Week 9 Result: Off Week

Hopefully Alabama spent their off week working on their woeful passing game. While the Tide has managed to ride on of the country’s best defenses to an 8-0 start, I’m not sure that they can beat LSU this week without a better showing from Greg McElroy. Luckily, the Tide can rely on a boisterous partisan crowd to back them up in their quest for perfection.

Week 10: Home versus #7 Louisiana State, 3:30 PM EST

#2)Iowa Hawkeyes (9-0, #2)

Week 9 Result: 42-24 Victory at Home versus Indiana

They might be the ugliest team in America but they’re also the only team in the country with a 9-0 record. Iowa’s resume includes two wins against non-conference BCS teams with winning records and a 5-0 record in Big Ten play. That includes wins against three teams ranked in the BCS top 25! Iowa might have looked terrible for three quarters against the Hoosiers this weekend, but when push comes to shove, the Hawkeyes won the game by 18 points. Their early struggles were the only reason that the only 9-0 team in the country isn’t atop my rankings this week.

Week 10: Home versus Northwestern, Noon EST

#3)Florida Gators (8-0, #4)

Week 9 Result: 41-17 Victory versus Georgia in Jacksonville

My opinion of Florida has become significantly more favorable thanks to a dominating performance against the Bulldogs. For the first time all season, the Gator offense opened up against a major opponent and the Gators look significantly more dangerous now than at any time during the year. The Gators still have two tough games left before the SEC title game but this team looked much more focused than any other point in the season. For the first time all year, I think that the Gators could really become the first teams since Nebraska in 1995 to repeat as National Champions.

Week 10: Home versus Vanderbilt, 7:15 PM EST

#4)Texas Longhorns (8-0, #5)

Week 9 Result: 41-14 Victory at #9 Oklahoma State

Texas remains hamstrung by their weak non-conference schedule. Their win at Oklahoma State was extremely impressive: Unfortunately it will also likely go down as their best win of the regular season. I also have to assume that their win over archrival Oklahoma will become more impressive with time but the Longhorns’ schedule remains, to me, their biggest stumbling block should there be a jumble of undefeated teams. There is no question that this is one of America’s best teams but if Cincinnati or Iowa finish undefeated would they have earned a chance at the National Title over the Horns?

Week 10: Home versus Central Florida, Noon EST

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#5)Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0, #6)

Week 9 Result: 28-7 Victory at Syracuse

Speaking of the Bearcats, their next four games are their biggest of the season. Connecticut, West Virginia and Pittsburgh remain on the Big East schedule and a visit from the talented but massively underachieving Fighting Illini looms large as well. One step at a time: Can Cincinnati beat the Huskies this week and stay perfect?

Week 10: Home versus Connecticut, 8:00 PM EST

IN THE NATIONAL TITLE DISCUSSION

#6)Oregon Ducks (7-1, #11)

Week 9 Result: 47-20 Victory at Home versus #3 USC

Oregon scored 47 points and racked up 613 yards en route to the worst loss of Pete Carroll’s college coaching career. The Ducks were simply dominant on offense and their spread option game was run to perfection. Oregon has all but sealed up the Pac Ten title, the real question is whether they can re-insert themselves into the National Title picture.

Week 10: At Stanford, 3:30 PM EST

#7)Louisiana State Tigers (7-1, #7)

Week 9 Result: 42-0 Victory at Home versus Tulane

LSU could throw a big wrench into the SEC’s plans for a battle of unbeatens in the conference title game if they can knock off Alabama this weekend. The Tigers have improved offensively since Florida shut them down and I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if LSU managed to wrest control of the SEC West away from the Tide. This is a potential season-defining game for the Tigers.

Week 10: At #1 Alabama, 3:30 PM EST

#8)Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-1, #8)

Week 9 Result: 56-31 Victory at Vanderbilt

Georgia Tech’s first half performance against Vanderbilt was nothing short of ugly. The Yellow Jackets scored a ton of points but allowed the previously toothless Commodores to score 28 points of their own! Luckily, Paul Johnson’s Jackets woke up in the second half and trounced Vanderbilt. However, there has to be a concern that they’ll be looking ahead to the Georgia game for the next two weeks as they close ACC play against inferior opposition.

Week 10: Home versus Wake Forest, 3:30 PM EST

#9) Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1, #10)

Week 9 Result: 34-13 Victory at Northwestern

Speaking of looking ahead, the Nittany Lions admitted that they overlooked Northwestern through the first half last week. Well, PSU turned on the jets in the second half and turned a 13-10 deficit into a 34-13 victory to set up a huge showdown with Ohio State. Both teams play excellent defense, so expect another low-scoring struggle similar to last year’s 13-6 decision for the Nits in Columbus.

Week 10: Home versus #15 Ohio State, 3:30 PM EST

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OUTSIDE THE NATIONAL TITLE DISCUSSION BUT DANGEROUS

#10) Texas Christian Horned Frogs (8-0, #14)

Week 9 Result: 41-0 Victory at Home versus UNLV

TCU just keeps on rolling through their schedule. Their 41-0 shellacking of UNLV was no surprise as the Horned Frogs have outclassed nearly every opponent that they’ve faced this season. The biggest concern for Gary Patterson’s crew will be staying focused on the task at hand: They were nearly caught looking ahead to BYU by a pesky Air Force team a few weeks ago. Can they manage to maintain their perfect record until their showdown with Utah?

Week 10: At San Diego State, 4:00 PM EST

#11) Miami Hurricanes (6-2, #13)

Week 9 Result: 28-27 Victory at Wake Forest

Miami won ugly this week, defeating Wake Forest on a late touchdown to win by a single point. Nevertheless, they have built an impressive resume this season, especially considering how young this team is. The Hurricanes’ resume will continue to be augmented by their strong opening slate, during which they became the only team this season to face four consecutive ranked opponents.

Week 10: Home versus Virginia, Noon EST

#12) Houston Cougars (7-1, #15)

Week 9 Result: 50-43 Victory at Home versus Southern Mississippi

After eight games, Case Keenum has thrown for over 3,200 yards and 25 touchdowns against a paltry five interceptions. His team has beaten three BCS conference teams this fall and are now a prohibitive favorite in Conference USA. Needless to say, Keenum deserves legitimate consideration for the Heisman Trophy. If Houston keeps winning, the nation will begin to take notice. The Cougars face a major test this week when they travel to slumping but dangerous Tulsa.

Week 10: At Tulsa, 7:30 PM EST

#13) Pittsburgh Panthers (7-1, #16)

Week 9 Result: Off Week

Pitt’s final three games are going to be brutal: At West Virgina, Notre Dame, at Cincinnati. Those three games will decide their season’s fate in both conference play and at a national level. With that in mind, it will be very important for the Panthers to focus on an improved Syracuse squad this week because they’ve had too good of a year to get caught looking ahead.

Week 10: Home versus Syracuse, Noon EST

#14) Southern California Trojans (6-2, #3)

Week 9 Result: 47-20 Loss at #11 Oregon

Where to start? USC’s offense really missed tight end Anthony McCoy early, as Matt Barkley threw to two other tight ends, both of whom dropped potential major gainers. He didn’t throw to the tight end for the rest of the game. On top of their offensive woes, USC’s defense appeared to regress as the game wore on and this will probably go down as the worst loss in Pete Carroll’s career. However, even the best programs have a bad game every decade or so, so I’m willing to give the Ducks credit and expect continued success from the Trojans. That starts this week against Arizona State’s solid defense.

Week 10: At Arizona State, 8:00 PM EST

#15) Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2, #17)

Week 9 Result: 45-0 Victory at Home versus New Mexico State

The Buckeyes now lead the country in shutouts with three after shellacking NMSU. There isn’t much more to say other than the Buckeyes took care of business against a vastly inferior opponent. Despite two losses, Ohio State still controls their own destiny because if they beat Penn State, Iowa and Michigan in the next three weeks, they win the Big Ten and their Rose Bowl berth in a dozen years! That’s a lot to play for. Despite the difficult schedule, don’t underestimate the Buckeyes and their exceptional defense.

Week 10: At #9 Penn State, 3:30 PM EST

#16) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-2, #18)

Week 9 Result: 40-14 Victory versus Washington State in San Antonio

It was tough watching Notre Dame dominate hapless Washington State on Saturday night. WSU is quite possibly the worst BCS conference team in the country and Notre Dame’s passing game is one of the best. While I’m not sold on the Irish defense, they’ve had a solid season thus far, beating five BCS conference opponents. Up next: Plucky Navy looks to extend their winning streak at Notre Dame Stadium to two games after breaking a 44 year losing streak in 2007.

Week 10:Home versus Navy, 2:30 PM EST

#17) Wisconsin Badgers (6-2, #22)

Week 9 Result: 37-0 Victory at Home versus Purdue

The Badgers flew out of the gates after their off week and destroyed previously surging Purdue. Wisconsin’s notable power rushing game was the source of their success and John Clay is slowly making a case to be included on next year’s Heisman short list. The Badgers are a solid team defensively and can run the ball on almost anyone: This team could easily finish the season 10-2 thanks to a schedule that doesn’t include Penn State.

Week 10:At Indiana, Noon EST

#18) Arizona Wildcats (5-2, #21)

Week 9 Result: Off Week

The Wildcats are the least-discussed team in the BCS top 25 but there’s one little known fact about Mike Stoops’ crew: They are the only team outside of Oregon who still controls their destiny in the Pac Ten. A win against WSU this week would secure bowl eligibility before an extremely tough closing kick. Can the Cats really compete for a Rose Bowl bid?

Week 10: Home versus Washington State, 3:30 PM EST

#19) Boise State Broncos (8-0, #24)

Week 9 Result: 45-7 Victory at Home versus San Jose State

Here’s Boise State’s resume: 8 wins, only two of which have come against teams with winning records. The Broncos have only played one BCS conference team this season! Despite the supposedly proven track record that they bring to the table, Boise State is 1-4 in their last five bowl s and 4-4 in the last 5 ½ years against BCS conference foes. That’s a major reason why I’m not inclined to give the Broncos the benefit of the doubt.

On the other hand, their only win this year against a BCS conference foe came against Oregon, who appears to be the favorite to win the Pac Ten at this point. Thus, I have to move the Broncos up despite the fact that they have the weakest schedule of any team in my top thirty five! The Broncos’ fate this season will be tied directly to Oregon’s success: If the Ducks keep winning, I have to keep moving the Broncos up because that’s probably going to be the only way to really judge Boise State thanks to a very weak schedule.

Week 10:Friday, At Louisiana Tech, 7:30 PM EST

#20) Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-2, #9)

Week 9 Result: 41-14 Loss at Home versus #5 Texas

Everything was set up for the Cowpokes against Texas. The game was at home, the stadium was sold out and a win would have moved them into the driver’s seat in the Big XII South. Instead, they shot themselves in the foot with mistakes and turnovers and Texas had the game won by halftime. It will be very interesting to see how the Cowboys react down the stretch after being dismantled.

Week 10:At Iowa State, 3:30 PM EST

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#21) Oklahoma Sooners (5-3, #23)

Week 9 Result: 42-30 Victory at Home versus Kansas State

I was a little bit disappointed in the Sooners this week: They jumped out to an early 28-6 lead against Kansas State but allowed the Wildcats to jump back into the game on numerous occasions, needing a late rally to pull out a 42-30 decision. While Oklahoma never trailed, it was a surprise nonetheless that they allowed a vastly inferior team to hang around. Perhaps the Sooners were looking ahead to historical rival Nebraska, against whom they face off this weekend.

Week 10: At Nebraska, 8:00 PM EST

#22) Virginia Tech Hokies (5-3, #12)

Week 9 Result: 20-17 Loss at Home versus North Carolina

Perhaps no game surprised me more last week than Tech’s home loss on Thursday night. From a pick ‘em perspective, V-Tech at home on Thursdays is usually a gimmie. The best way to describe the Hokies at this point is that they’re a great defensive team which still has some work to do on the offensive side of the football. Unfortunately, they have to try to break their two game losing streak on the road on a Thursday night against an East Carolina team that kicked off the 2008 season by Virginia Tech.

Week 10: Thursday at East Carolina, 7:30 PM EST

#23)Oregon State Beavers (5-3, #25)

Week 9 Result: 26-19 Victory at Home versus UCLA

The Beavers’ typical 2 nd half surge continued with a home win against UCLA. Oregon State’s offense scored early and often but the Bruins came back from a 16-3 deficit at halftime to make a serious push. However, the Beavers scored a late touchdown to seal the win and it will be extremely interesting to see how they fare down the stretch, beginning with a showdown in Strawberry Canyon this Saturday.

Week 10: At #25 California, 7:00 PM EST

#24) Boston College Eagles (6-3, Not Ranked)

Week 9 Result: 31-10 Victory at Home versus Central Michigan

Boston College just continues to amaze me. They’ve had three coaches in five years, yet the Eagles continue to be one of the best-coached and most disciplined teams in the country. Their win over Central Michigan was a case study in perseverance, as they absolutely dominated the second half to turn a tight game into a laugher. Boston College is still in the thick of the ACC Atlantic Division chase, which is pretty impressive. Consider this: If I had told you at the start of the year that only one of last year’s ACC Title Game participants were going to return this year, would anyone have picked Boston College?

Week 10: Off Week

#25) California Golden Bears (6-2, NR)

Week 9 Result: 23-21 Victory at Arizona State

California has very quietly rebuilt themselves into a legitimate contender. After back to back embarrassing blowout losses to Oregon and USC, most people wrote the Bears off. However, they’ve put together a three game winning streak and there is a very real possibility of a nine or ten win season in Berkeley. Considering the vitriol surrounding the program after the aforementioned losses, that’s an incredible turnaround.

Week 10: Home versus #23 Oregon State, 7:00 PM EST

TEN MORE TO KEEP AN EYE ON

• Utah Utes
• Texas A&M Aggies
• Stanford Cardinal
• South Florida Bulls
• West Virginia Mountaineers
• Arkansas Razorbacks
• Missouri Tigers
• BYU Cougars
• North Carolina Tar Heels
• Clemson Tigers

By Matt Baxendell
CollegeSports-fans.com Staff Writer