The Polls - Week 11

The LSU/Alabama game lived up to the hype for me. A lot of people called it boring, or an exhibition of bad quarterback play, but I thought it was very entertaining game. When it's a shootout, like Okie State had with KSU, no one play could mean the entire game, but with a 9-6 defensive SEC struggle, you hang on every play because a big one could mean the game. I keep LSU and Alabama #1 and 2, but if OSU or Stanford go undefeated then I agree they deserve a shot at LSU in the BCS Title Game. No, they will not be one of the two best teams in the country in my opinion, but they do play in a legitimate conference and deserve a chance - one in which Bama already had, at home no less.

1. LSU, 9-0 (1): W vs. #3 Oregon, W vs. Northwestern State, W at #16 Mississippi State, W at #19 West Virginia, W vs. Kentucky, W vs. #22 Florida, W at Tennessee, W vs. #15 Auburn, W at #2 Alabama

2. Alabama, 8-1 (4): W vs. Kent State, W at Penn State, W vs. North Texas, W vs. #8 Arkansas, W at #17 Florida, W vs. Vanderbilt, W at Ole Miss, W vs. Tennessee, L vs. #1 LSU

3. Stanford, 9-0 (3): W vs. San Jose St., W at Duke, W at Arizona, W vs. UCLA, W vs. Colorado, W at Washington State, W vs. #25 Washington, W at #21 Southern California, W at Oregon State

4. Oklahoma State, 9-0 (2): W vs. LA-Lafayette, W vs. Arizona, W vs. Tulsa, W at #11 Texas A&M, W vs. Kansas, W at #22 Texas, W at Missouri, W vs. #24 Baylor, W vs. #16 Kansas State

5. Oregon, 8-1 (6): L vs. #4 LSU, W vs. #9 Nevada, W vs. Missouri State, W at Arizona, W vs. Cal, W vs. #19 Arizona State, W at Colorado, W vs. Washington State, W at Washington

6. Boise State, 8-0 (5): W at Georgia, W at Toledo, W vs. Tulsa, W vs. Nevada, W at Fresno State, W at Colorado State, W vs. Air Force, W at UNLV

7. Arkansas, 8-1 (8): W vs. Missouri State, W vs. New Mexico, W vs. Troy, L at #6 Alabama, W vs. #13 Texas A&M, W vs. #9 Auburn, W at Ole Miss, W at Vanderbilt, W vs. #11 South Carolina

8. Oklahoma, 8-1 (7): W vs. #24 Tusla, W at #14 Florida State, W vs. Missouri, W vs. Ball State, W vs. #12 Texas, W at Kansas, L vs. Texas Tech, W at #9 Kansas State, W vs. Texas A&M

9. Clemson, 8-1 (9): W vs. Troy, W vs. Wofford, W vs. #1 Auburn, W vs. #14 Florida State, W at #9 Virginia Tech, W vs. Boston College, W at Maryland, W vs. North Carolina, L at Georgia Tech

10. Houston, 9-0 (11): W vs. UCLA, W at North Texas, W at LA Tech, W vs. Georgia State, W at UTEP, W vs. East Carolina, W vs. Marshall, W vs. Rice, W at UAB

11. South Carolina, 7-2 (15): W vs. East Carolina, W at Georgia, W vs. Navy, W vs. Vanderbilt, L vs. #14 Auburn, W vs. Kentucky, W at Mississippi State, W at Tennessee, L at Arkansas

12. Georgia, 7-2 (14): L vs. #9 Boise State, L vs. #22 South Carolina, W vs. Coastal Carolina, W at Ole Miss, W vs. Mississippi State, W at Tennessee, W at Vanderbilt, W vs. Florida, W vs. New Mexico State

13. Michigan State, 7-2 (13): W vs. Youngstown State, W vs. Florida Atlantic, L at Notre Dame, W at Central Michigan, W at Ohio State, W vs. #11 Michigan, W vs. #4 Wisconsin, L at #13 Nebraska, W vs. Minnesota

14. Southern California, 7-2 (18): W vs. Minnesota, W vs. Utah, W vs. Syracuse, L at Arizona State, W at Arizona, W at Cal, W at Notre Dame, L at Stanford, W at Colorado

15. Virginia Tech, 8-1 (10): W vs. App. State, W at East Carolina, W vs. Arkansas State, W at Marshall, L vs. #11 Clemson, W vs. Miami (FL), W at Wake Forest, W vs. Boston College, W at Duke

16. Kansas State, 7-2 (17): W vs. Eastern Kentucky, W vs. Kent State, W at Miami (Fl), W vs. #12 Baylor, W vs. Missouri, W at Texas Tech, W at Kansas, L vs. #11 Oklahoma, L at #4 Oklahoma State

17. Georgia Tech, 7-2 (20): W vs. Western Carolina, W at MTSU, W vs. Kansas, W vs. North Carolina, W at North Carolina State, W vs. Maryland, L at Virginia, L at Miami (FL), W vs. #4 Clemson

18. Wisconsin, 6-2 (19): W vs. UNLV, W vs. Oregon State, W at Northern Illinois, W vs. South Dakota, W vs. #10 Nebraska, W vs. Indiana, L at #16 Michigan State, L at Ohio State, W vs. Purdue

19. Auburn, 6-3 (24): W vs. Utah State, W vs. #14 Mississippi State, L at Clemson, W vs. Florida Atlantic, W at #15 South Carolina, L at #11 Arkansas, W vs. Florida, L at #1 LSU, W vs. Ole Miss

20. Penn State, 8-1 (12): W at Indiana State, L vs. #8 Alabama, W at Temple, W vs. Eastern Michigan, W at Indiana, W vs. Iowa, W vs. Purdue, W at Northwestern, W vs. Illinois

21. Nebraska, 7-2 (19): W vs. Chattanooga, W vs. Fresno State, W vs. Washington, W at Wyoming, L at #5 Wisconsin, W vs. Ohio State, W at Minnesota, W vs. #10 Michigan State, L vs. Northwestern

22. Texas, 6-2, (21): W vs. Rice, W vs. BYU, W at UCLA, W at Iowa State, L vs. #2 Oklahoma, L vs. #9 Oklahoma State, W vs. Kansas, W vs. Texas Tech

23. Southern Miss, 8-1 (25): W vs. Louisiana Tech, L at Marshall, W at SE Louisiana, W at Virginia, W vs. Rice, W at Navy, W vs. SMU, W at UTEP, W at East Carolina

24. Michigan, 6-2 (22): W vs. Western Michigan, W vs. Notre Dame, W vs. Eastern Michigan, W vs. San Diego State, W vs. Minnesota, W at Northwestern, L at #24 Michigan State, W vs. Purdue, L at Iowa

25. Cincinnati, 7-1 (23): W vs. Austin Peay, L at Tennessee, W vs. Akron, W vs. N.C. State, W at Miami (OH), W vs. Louisville, W at South Florida, W at Pittsburgh



SEC Power Rankings:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Arkansas
4. South Carolina
5. Georgia
6. Auburn
7. Florida
8. Mississippi State
8. Vanderbilt
10. Tennessee
11. Kentucky
12. Ole Miss

Ole Miss fans got what they wanted this week with Pete Boone and Houston Nutt stepping down. Nutt's time in Ole Miss can be looked at like this: he took a losing team with good athletes, made them a winner, then blew it up...and it's in worse shape now than when he got there 4 years ago despite two Cotton Bowl victories. One of the quickest rises and falls I can ever remember (Charlie Weis at ND being a close second). I will say this for Nutt, he had a $6 million buyout coming his way and he desperately wanted to succeed, but the hole he dug was too great. My hope is that they make the wrong hire, and go even further down the toilet...into an oblivion that takes 20 years to get out of.


JB