Seven of the eight undefeated teams handled their business, while Sam Houston State eeked out their first win of the season to ensure that all 133 teams will finish with at least one win. Ohio State, Florida State, and Georgia shook off slow starts, Washington won a shootout against USC, Michigan piled it on late against Purdue, and Liberty and James Madison continue to hang around the top of the rankings with blowout victories.
Not hanging around is Air Force, who dropped a shocking 23-3 game to rival Army. The Black Knights entered the game as 17.5-point underdogs but climbed out to a 20-3 halftime lead. Army was one of nine teams that weren't ready to become bowl-ineligible. South Carolina, Stanford, UAB, Michigan State, Indiana, Arkansas, Temple, and Charlotte also live to play another day.
Unfortunately, 11 teams were not so lucky as they earned their seventh loss of the season. Meanwhile, Akron (2-7) defeated Kent State (1-8) for the first time in four years and you would have thought they won the Super Bowl. In reality, they won a wagon wheel, and the camera kept returning to quarterback Jeff Undercuffler Jr. and his potty mouth (something that's gotten him in trouble before).
The number of bowl-eligible teams jumped up to 50 as 11 more teams earned wins to punch their ticket. Another 17 teams are sitting just one away as we inch ever closer to filling the 82 spots required to perform such bowl games as the Tony the Tiger Bowl (formerly the Sun Bowl) and the Pop Tarts Bowl (formerly the Cheez-It Bowl).
Three new teams join this week's Pool Poll, with Jacksonville State, Miami (OH), and USC all dropping out. Here's a look at this week's poll.
1. Ohio State (9-0, 55.1 WA, 0 LA)
Last Week Rank: 1
Last Week: 35-16 win over Rutgers
This Week: Michigan State (3-6, 101)
Why Are They Ranked Here: They've played the better portions of the Big Ten and knocked off a Top 25 opponent in Notre Dame. They should win over Sparty and Minnesota, but a trip to Ann Arbor awaits them in the final week.
2. Washington (9-0, 60.8, 0)
LWR: 3
LW: 52-42 win over USC
TW: Utah (7-2, 21)
Why: Wins over Oregon and USC have them sitting in the driver's seat of the PAC 12, but their non-conference and the bottom tier conference wins bring them down a bit. A tough schedule awaits in their final three weeks. First, it's Utah, then at Oregon State, before playing one last time for the Apple Cup as members of the Pac 12.
3. Florida State (9-0, 66.2, 0)
LWR: 2
LW: 24-7 over Pitt
TW: MFL (6-3, 44)
Why: Their wins over LSU and Clemson look less impressive as both those teams lose more than their share of games. That near loss to Boston College doesn't look as bad now that the Eagles are bowl-eligible, but the hits keep coming as Miami suffered their third loss before their meeting next week. Florida awaits at the end of the season, but they also lost this week, bringing their record to 5-4.
4. James Madison (9-0, 78.3, 0)
LWR: 5
LW: 42-14 victory over Georgia State
TW: UConn (1-8, 130)
Why: They have a win against a Power 5 school, they have knocked off all the top-tier Sun Belt schools, with the exception of Coastal Carolina, who they'll see at the end of the year. This week looks like a sure thing and Appalachian State has been down this season. Even if they go 12-0, there is a slim chance they'll be considered for a bowl game thanks to some arcane transition rules on the books. In fact, the NCAA actually made it harder for schools to make the leap from FCS to FBS. Schools will now have to pay a transition fee of $5,000,000 (it was $5,000 prior to this decision).
5. Georgia (9-0, 79.2, 0)
LWR: 6
LW: 30-21 win over Missouri
TW: Ole Miss (8-1, 12)
Why: Like Michigan, they haven't really played anyone until later in their schedule. The Missouri win was huge in defining who they are, but they'll be tested again quickly with Ole Miss. Then it's Tennessee and finally a rivalry game with a much-improved Georgia Tech.
6. Michigan (9-0, 83.9, 0)
LWR: 4
LW: 41-13 win over Purdue
TW: Penn State (8-1, 13)
Why: Their schedule has been soft until this week. It was nice to see the starters still in the fourth quarter because it won't be so easy in two of the last three games. Perhaps the biggest break for the Wolverines is that they are playing Penn State at noon because FOX has no idea how to schedule football games.
7. Liberty (9-0, 91.8, 0)
LWR: 7
LW: 56-30 over La Tech
TW: Old Dominion (4-5, 90)
Why: CUSA is the weakest conference in the country, but that doesn't mean that the Flames run hasn't been impressive. This is their first year in CUSA and they have already solidified a spot in the championship game where they will likely have a rematch with either New Mexico State or WKU. The schedule should be favorable to head into that game at a 12-0 mark.
8. Texas (8-1, 48.3, 11)
LWR: 9
LW: 33-30 (OT) win over Kansas State.
TW: TCU (4-5, 73)
Why: They beat Alabama which keeps them just ahead of the Tide, but they stumbled against Oklahoma. That loss looks worse now as the Sooners were handed their second loss. KSU could've taken them to double overtime, but elected to go for a touchdown rather than a field goal and came up short, or else it would've been Horns Down. They sit in control of the Big 12 with favorable match-ups the rest of the way.
9. Alabama (8-1, 56, 20)
LWR: 10
LW: 42-28 win over LSU
TW: Kentucky (6-3, 48)
Why: The loss to Texas is their only blemish and after a few rough weeks, the Crimson Tide has looked impressive. They should roll past UK, and enjoy their sacrificial offering (FCS' Chattanooga), all before the Iron Bowl to end the year. They currently sit in the driver's seat of the SEC West and will hope for Georgia in the SEC Championship, as a ticket into the playoffs.
10. Oregon (8-1, 67.4, 2)
LWR: 11
LW: 63-19 over Cal
TW: USC (7-3, 33)
Why: The Ducks have been rolling after that missed last-second field goal loss to Washington. Oregon gets a tough task in USC, then get a break with Arizona State, before taking on a rejuvenated Oregon State. They control their destiny in the Pac-12 and it looks like a rematch with the Huskies is on the table.
11. Louisville (8-1, 74.3, 120)
LWR: 14
LW: 34-3 over Virginia Tech
TW: Virginia (2-7, 118)
12. Ole Miss (8-1, 81.4, 47)
LWR: 16
LW: 38-35 over Texas A&M
TW: Georgia (9-0, 5)
13. Penn State (8-1, 84.5, 5)
LWR: 17
LW: 51-15 over Maryland
TW: Michigan (9-0, 6)
14. Tulane (8-1, 89.1, 28)
LWR: 15
LW: 13-10 over ECU
TW: Tulsa (3-6, 107)
15. Fresno State (8-1, 89.3, 29)
LWR: 18
LW: 37-30 over Boise St
TW: San Jose State (4-5, 92)
16. Air Force (8-1, 97.1, 117)
LWR: 8
LW: 23-3 loss to Army
TW: Hawaii (3-7, 114)
17. Toledo (8-1, 101.6, 44)
LWR: 19
LW: 31-13 win over Buffalo
TW: Eastern Michigan (4-5, 94)
18. Oregon State (7-2, 60.6, 40.5)
LWR: 26
LW: 26-19 win over Colorado
TW: Stanford (3-6, 98)
19. North Carolina (7-2, 62.6, 102)
LWR: 24
LW: 59-7 over Campbell (FCS)
TW: Duke (6-3, 42)
20. Kansas (7-2, 64.4, 31)
LWR: 28
LW: 28-21 over Iowa State
TW: Texas Tech (4-5, 78)
21. Utah (7-2, 65, 27)
LWR: 25
LW: 55-3 over Arizona State
TW: Washington (9-0, 2)
22. Oklahoma State (7-2, 67.6, 87)
LWR: 31
LW: 27-24 over Oklahoma
TW: UCF (4-5, 84)
23. Oklahoma (7-2, 68.4, 34.5)
LWR: 12
LW: 24-27 loss to OKST
TW: West Virginia (6-3, 45)
24. Missouri (7-2, 70, 33.5)
LWR: 13
LW: 21-30 loss to Georgia
TW: Tennessee (7-2, 27)
25. Troy (7-2, 73.9, 28.5)
LWR: 30
LW: 28-10 over South Alabama
TW: ULM (2-7, 125)
Dropped Out: USC, Miami (OH), Notre Dame, and Jacksonville State
Waiting List: Iowa, Tennessee, Miami (OH), Memphis, UNLV, SMU, Notre Dame, USC, Jacksonville State, New Mexico State, Kansas State, Arizona, UCLA, Wyoming, and NCST
Bottom 10
125. ULM (2-7)
126. MTST (2-7)
127. Southern Miss (2-7)
128. Akron (2-7)
129. Vanderbilt (2-8)
130. UConn (1-8)
131. ECU (1-8)
132. Kent St (1-8)
133. SHST (1-8)
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