Heading into the last week of the regular season (Army-Navy aside), we have a clear and decisive number one team in the Book weekly top 20 and that would continue to be the Florida State Seminoles. Jameis and the boys 37-7 beat down of the Florida Gators in the Swamp on Saturday just strengthened the death grip they already had on the top spot, while the vast majority of their opposition lost ground and in some cases, considerable ground.
This marks the first week that the Seminoles have been number one in the AP poll since October 1, 2000, but the fifth straight week and seventh over all this year that FSU is #1 in the Book.
Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State Cowboys have risen to #2 in the latest poll, taking Alabama's position from last week. OSU finishes at home against #20 Oklahoma this Saturday.
Others rounding out the top 5 are #3 Alabama, #4 Arizona State and #5 Ohio State. The weekend's big winners and losers didn't move a great deal despite all the chaos that ensued. Auburn, a clear cut #3 in the national polls, rose from 15 to 13 in our poll, while Wisconsin, who seemed to be in the Book top 10 all year despite two early season losses, dropped only from 5 down to 9 after being bopped at home by Penn State.
BC's devastating loss at Syracuse, wasn't as devastating in terms of their national or ACC position in the poll. The Eagles sit at #8 in the ACC and #60 in country after finishing the regular season at 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the ACC.
Only one team fell out of the top 20 this week and that would be USC, who was replaced by their conquerors, UCLA now at #15.
Another solid, if unspectacular week against the spread, going 30-26 .538 with 3 games the same as the Vegas spread, for an overall mark year to date of 353-291-8 .548 with 39 games the same. The Book was on the right side of the BC-SU game taking the Orange (Book said SU -2). That makes it 3-6 with two the same and one no selection for the Eagle season.
Of note this week, a national title game of Florida State-Ohio State, which seems to be the most likely scenario, (although I would put the Buckeyes firmly on upset alert against Sparty in the Big 10 title game), would find the Noles a whopping 14 point favorite on a neutral field. As a matter of fact, with the Book being a season long, power rating entity, it is almost impossible for anyone else but FSU to win the championship at this point, even if they were to lose both the ACC title and bowl game.
Top 20
- Florida State 12-0
- Oklahoma State 11-1
- Alabama 11-1
- Arizona State 10-2
- Ohio State 12-0
- Baylor 10-1
- Missouri 11-1
- Stanford 10-2
- Wisconsin 9-3
- Michigan State 11-1
- South Carolina 10-2
- Oregon 10-2
- Auburn 11-1
- Clemson 10-2
- UCLA 9-3
- Bowling Green 9-3
- Washington 8-4
- LSU 9-3
- Georgia 8-4
- Oklahoma 9-2
- Florida State 12-0 1 in the country
- Clemson 11-1 14 in the country
- North Carolina 6-6 27 in the country
- Duke 10-2 34 in the country
- Georgia Tech 7-5 39 in the country
- Miami 9-3 48 in the country
- Virginia Tech 8-4 52 in the country
- Boston College 7-5 60 in the country
- Maryland 7-5 62 in the country
- Syracuse 6-6 65 in the country
- Pittsburgh 6-6 68 in the country
- Wake Forest 4-8 74 in the country
- NC State 3-9 98 in the country
- Virginia 2-10 103 in the country
- Louisville 1 at Cincinnati
- Memphis E at Connecticut
- at Rutgers 1 South Florida
- at #6 Baylor 13 Texas
- at South Alabama 1 Louisiana-Lafayette
- at #2 Oklahoma State 15 #20 Oklahoma
- MAC Championship
- #16 Bowling Green 6 Northern Illinois
- Conference USA Championship
- Marshall 7 at Rice
- SEC Championship
- #7 Missouri 2 #13 Auburn
- ACC Championship
- #1 Florida State 27 Duke
- PAC 12 Championship
- at #4 Arizona State 7 #8 Stanford
- Big 10 Championship
- #5 Ohio State 4 #10 Michigan State
- Mountain West Championship
- at Fresno State 3 Utah State
- Navy 16 Army