Closest Pool Poll Ever Sees Three Teams Separated By Tenth of a Percent

 It has been a wild and crazy season so far in college football. Six coaches have been fired and then their replacements have already matched or surpassed their win total for the season. Nine teams are no longer bowl eligible (10 if you add James Madison who is transitioning to FBS this season),but everybody has won at least once.

The craziest is perhaps the top of the food chain. Entering Saturday, there were six undefeated teams and it stayed that way thanks to two top 25 wins and two beatdowns in rivalry games. When the dust cleared, Ohio State, Tennessee, and TCU were all within 0.3 percent away from each other in their WP score (or average of their victories based on opponents rank). Tennessee would've been easily in control had their late season scheduling of an FCS school not occurred. In these rankings FCS schools are considered to be a 132 ranking, although this year I add a ranking of 133 for those FCS schools that are the bottom of that division as well. TCU has 4 wins over Top 25 opponents, but they also scheduled an FCS school earlier this year. Meanwhile, despite a less than impressive resume, the balance of having decent non-conference opponents has paid off for the Buckeyes. Two of their three non-conference wins are against winning teams (Toledo and Notre Dame), and they benefited from playing a Rutgers team that was 3-1 at the time and Wisconsin when they were 2-1.

Timing is everything for these rankings, but the ultimate measure is victories, and look for some massive movement next week when Tennessee and Georgia meet. The Top 5 may also see some ripples on the outside as Alabama can improve upon their position with a win over a Top 25 opponent in LSU. The two Big Ten schools will drop significantly this week in their WP as the Buckeyes take on lowly Northwestern (128) and Michigan faces Rutgers (73). The timing of this week also benefits Clemson who welcomes a now Top 50 squad in Notre Dame (39), who has rebounded from a slow start with ranked wins over BYU and Syracuse. TCU matches up against Texas Tech (63) which could be a game, because it's truly impossible to know how anything in the Big 12 is going to shake out until its over (see Kansas State's 48-0 thumping of No.9 Oklahoma State or the fact that Kansas has a winning record).

Here's a full look at this week's rankings:

1. Ohio State (8-0, WP 53.3, LP 0)

Last Week: 44-31 win over Penn State

Up Next: Northwestern (1-7, No. 128)

The thought: That defense was a Halloween nightmare for Sean Clifford and Penn State as J.T. Tuimoloau, or J.T.T, had six tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble that he also recovered, and 2 interceptions, including a pick-six. I was raving about this offense in the preseason and while it has shown flashes, the defense has been the saving grace for the Buckeyes this season.

2. Tennessee (8-0, WP 53.4, LP 0)

Last Week: 44-6 win over Kentucky

Up Next: Georgia (8-0, No. 6)

The thought: This offense is scary good and they even looked the Halloween part at home this week. This time they brought a defense to haunt Will Levis and Kentucky with their most impressive performance yet. They'll need to bring that level of defense to silence a very powerful Georgia offense.

3. TCU (8-0, WP 53.6, LP 0)

Last Week: 41-31 win over West Virginia

Up Next: Texas Tech (4-4, No. 63)

The thought: The Horned Frogs have found many different ways to win this year, but perhaps the mountain air and early start time caused some chilling results. In the second half they shook off the cobwebs and did enough to win on the road. The path to the Big 12 Championship is in reach with Texas Tech serving as the first obstacle.

4. Clemson (8-0, WP 59, LP 0)

Last Week: Bye

Up Next: Notre Dame (5-3, No. 39)

The thought: Clemson hasn't been particularly impressive, but they do enough to win and they started to unravel the Cinderella season that Syracuse was having. The Orange followed that game with a loss at home to Notre Dame, and now the Fighting Irish are feeling good when they welcome the Tigers to South Bend on Saturday. It's a weird schedule of unknowns left for Clemson as South Carolina and Louisville could present challenges or they'll get rolled by 30.

5. Michigan (8-0, 65.8 WP, 0 LP)

Last Week: 29-7 win over Little Brother

Up Next: Rutgers (4-4, No. 73)

The thought: Blake Corum is an unstoppable force and should find himself in New York in December. The defense is better than anyone could have thought with all the amazing talent that left in April. There's just something that seems to be missing. Even that impressive second half against Penn State was marred by an ugly first half. A slow start likely dooms them against Ohio State, but also no one is talking about Illinois waiting like a trap the week before the Game. As it is, I don't think this team beats Tennessee or Georgia, probably win against Clemson or TCU, and it's a toss-up as to which teams show up in Columbus. Keep running the ball, but try to find the end zone or else Jake Moody is winning the Lou Groza again for the wrong reasons.

6. Georgia (8-0, WP 77.6, LP 0)

Last Week: 42-20 over Florida

Up Next: Tennessee (8-0, No. 2)

The thought: I think Georgia is great, but outside of Oregon in Week 1 they haven't really faced anyone. That changes this week and it's a good a game as anyone could ask for in the first weekend of November. The only thing better than this is that this is the last weekend for political ads.

7. Ole Miss (8-1, WP 76.4, LP 27)

Last Week: 31-28 over Texas A&M

Up Next: An extra week to prepare for Alabama

The thought: Ole Miss was rolling until LSU absolutely demolished them 45-20 two weeks ago. The Rebels nearly stumbled against a punch-drunk Texas A&M, but will get a week to officially try and end Alabama's playoff hopes and reposition themselves back into the conversation.

8. Alabama (7-1, WP 45.6, LP 3)

Last Week: Off Week

Up Next: LSU (6-2, No. 19)

The thought: The Crimson Tide boast the second best WP in the Top 25, but that pesky loss to Tennessee on the road has them at No. 8. Wins against LSU and Ole Miss in the next coming weeks would likely shoot them back up into the Top 5 where they honestly belong.

9. Oregon (7-1, WP 63, LP 1)

Last Week: 42-24 win over Cal

Up Next: Colorado (1-7, No. 127)

The thought: Who would've thought that Bo Nix would be one of the nation's top quarterbacks, but that's the case in Euene. The Ducks have rattled off seven straight wins after their drubbing in Week 1 by Georgia. They are on a collision course with one of the two Los Angeles teams for the Pac 12 title.

10. Illinois (7-1, WP 74.7, LP 97)

Last Week: 26-9 win over Nebraska

Up Next: Michigan State (3-5, No. 97)

The thought: Quick, name the leading rusher in all of college football? If you said Chase Brown from Illinois then you would be correct. Only Brown and Marshall's Khalan Laborn have eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark this season. Illinois is on pace to win the Big Ten West and get their first trip to Indianapolis.

11. USC (7-1, 75.7, 47)

Last Week: Win over Arizona

Up Next: Cal (99)

12. UCLA (7-1, 78.9, 21)

Last Week: Win over Stanford

Up Next: Arizona State (105)

13. North Carolina (7-1, 79.7, 88)

Last Week: Win over Pitt

Up Next: Virginia (103)

14. Tulane (7-1, 82.4, 115)

Last Week: Bye

Up Next: Tulsa (109)

15. Coastal Carolina (7-1, 94.7 WP, 93 LP)

Last Week: Win over Marshall

Up Next: App State (58)

16. Liberty (7-1, 95.3, 17)

Last Week: Bye

Up Next: Arkansas (43)

17. Penn State (6-2, 44.5, 6.5)

Last Week: Loss to Ohio State

Up Next: Indiana (100)

18. Kansas State (6-2, 48, 25)

Last Week: Blanked Oklahoma State

Up Next: Texas (49)

19. LSU (6-2, 50.2, 28.5)

Last Week: Bye

Up Next: Alabama (8)

20. Oklahoma State (6-2, 63.5, 16.5 LP)

Last Week: Worst loss in Mike Gundy's almost 20 years at Oklahoma State (KSU)

Up Next: Kansas (46)

21. Troy (6-2, 71.2, 36)

Last Week: Bye

Up Next: Louisiana (72)

22. Wake Forest (6-2, 72.5, 40.5)

Last Week: 8 turnovers in loss to Louisville

Up Next: NCST (26)

23. Syracuse (6-2, 75, 28.5)

Last Week: Back-to-back losses (ND)

Up Next: Pitt (77)

24. Utah (6-2, 75.5, 33.5)

Last Week: Bye

Up Next: Arizona (108)

25. Washington (6-2, 79.7, 70)

Last Week: Bye

Up Next: Oregon State (28)

Waiting List:

NCST, UCF, Oregon State, UTSA, Cincinnati, Maryland, Boise State, South Alabama, San Jose State, James Madison, ECU, Wyoming, Toledo, Notre Dame, and Mississippi State

Gone and Totally Forgotten: Teams That Are No Longer Bowl Eligible That Aren't Transitioning to FBS

Charlotte, Arkansas State, Hawai'i, Nevada, Colorado, Northwestern, USF, UMass, and Akron.

Looking Back at the Wild First Half of the College Football Season

(Tennessee fans celebrate after defeating Alabama for the first time in 16 seasons.)

This past weekend marked the halfway point for many of the teams in college football, with teams playing anywhere from 6 to 8 games so far. After Colorado's win over Cal, all 131 teams in the FBS have at least one victory and nine teams are currently unblemished to begin the season. Some of those are unsurprising (Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, and Clemson) while others continue to shock (Tennessee, Ole Miss, TCU, Syracuse, and UCLA). Kansas and James Madison appeared in the Top 25 simultaneously, which is just one of the many great storylines so far. This week it's Tulane's turn to be highlighted as they are one of 16 teams with just one loss this season.

The Green Wave are also one of 16 teams that have already become bowl eligible, which is something to say because currently 71 of the 131 teams sit at .500 or below. Five coaches have been fired (Arizona St, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, and Wisconsin), and another resigned before the season started (Bill Clark-UAB). It couldn't be going any worse for Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Mario Cristobal (Miami), and Brent Venables (Oklahoma) in their first season as head coach. Meanwhile, Mike Elko (Duke), Sonny Dykes (TCU), and Lincon Riley (USC) have all found great success in the early going in their first go-around on campus.

The Top 25 in this week's Pool's Poll is as balanced as ever, but don't look for appearances from Conference USA, the MAC, or the Mountain West, as all three conferences have been cannibalizing any standouts from the group. However, UAB, Toledo, and Air Force are trying their best respectively. Here's a brief look at each conference and their Power Index score (or teams that rank in the Top 50 - teams appearing in the Bottom 31), the surprise team, and the disappointment.

AAC: Power Index (0)

Surprise: Tulane (6-1)-I predicted a 4-8 campaign for the Green Wave, but they have been pleasantly overachieving.

Disappointment: Houston (3-3)- I predicted a 10-2 season for the Cougars and they have no desire to finish even remotely close to that prediction.

ACC: PI (+3)

S: Syracuse (6-0)- The Orange are getting it done and perhaps have saved Dino Babers his job, but it is a rough schedule remaining, starting in Death Valley against Clemson on Saturday.

D: Miami (3-3)- The Hurricanes were waxed by Middle Tennessee State at home and have struggled to establish an offensive identity.

Big 12: PI (+6)

S: Kansas (5-2)- The Jayhawks played a meaningful game against Duke earlier this year. If that sentence doesn't summarize how weird this season has been, I don't know what does.

D: Baylor (3-3)- It's tough to decide if Baylor or Oklahoma should be in this spot, but I did have the Bears finishing a little better after last year's impressive campaign.

Big Ten: PI (+6)

S: Illinois (6-1)- The Illini are tied for the third-best record in the Big Ten and should be favored to win all but one of their five remaining games (Michigan).

D: Wisconsin (3-4)- This came down to the fact that Michigan State won the head-to-head last week or else Sparty would be here. The Badgers have been so disappointing that they fired Paul Chryst.

CUSA: PI (-1)

S: Rice (3-3)- Everyone in Conference USA is about where I expected them to be, but I only had the Owls winning two games this year, so this is a safe bet.

D: FAU (3-4)- I had these Owls making a bigger splash in the conference, but if they win out from here, then my prediction is spot on.

Independents: PI (N/A)

S: UConn (3-5)- The Huskies won just three games in the previous three seasons and narrowly picked up a fourth last weekend as they find success for them under Jim Mora Jr.

D: Notre Dame (3-3)- The Irish killed their momentum by getting stuffed by one of the worst defenses in the nation (Stanford) in South Bend.

MAC: PI (-4)

S: Buffalo (4-3)- The Bulls started 0-3 including an embarrassing loss to Holy Cross (FCS), but they've rattled off four straight wins and look to be in control of the MAC East.

D: Everybody else that isn't Toledo: The bottom keeps picking off the top and therefore sends everyone to the middle. EMU had a chance to go to 5-2, but instead, NIU improved to 2-5. Currently, there are only five of the 12 teams with a winning record, and four of them are 4-3.

MWC: PI (-2)

S: UNLV (4-3)- I had the Rebels winning three games all year, so this is a plus for them.

D: Most of the conference, but especially Fresno State (2-4)-The Bulldogs have not been great in Jeff Tedford's return as the head ball coach.

PAC 12: PI (+3)

S: UCLA (6-0)- The Bruins could have easily been 5-1 after a near upset by South Alabama, but UCLA and USC and making sure their last two years in the PAC 12 are good ones.

D: They are who we thought they were: Colorado is bad, but that was expected, ASU lost to EMU and fired Herm Edwards, but the Sun Devils, Wildcats, and Cal Bears were expected to be bottom-tier teams and they are hitting those marks so far.

SEC: PI (+8)

S: Tennessee (6-0)- A wild finish in Knoxville left the Vols without a defeat and goalposts.

D: Texas A&M (3-3)- Did you know that the Aggies have the same amount of wins as Vanderbilt does this year?

Sun Belt: PI (+1)

S: James Madison (5-1)- The Dukes were built for the transition from FCS to FBS, but no one thought they would be ranked in their first year.

D: App State/Louisiana (3-3)- These two have found themselves in the conference championship three of the last four seasons, but it looks like one of these two will be MIA went the 2022 event comes around.