After some serious movement in the week five edition of the Power 10, this week saw slightly less shifting, despite many of the top teams being in action against quality opponents. Florida State did make a move up to sixth after demolishing Maryland.
1. Alabama (won 45-3 over Georgia State)
There isn’t a whole lot to say about a six touchdown win over a very inferior opponent. The Tide did not suffer any major injuries, which is the worst thing that can happen in such a game. Alabama now has a run of SEC game in which they will be favored by a considerable margin. The first one is in Lexington against Kentucky.
2. Clemson (won 49-14 over Syracuse)
ACC rookie Syracuse could not provide a challenge to high-flying Clemson in the Carrier Dome. This game didn’t garner much national praise, but the road conference win is another example of how well Clemson is playing. The Tigers now have to avoid looking ahead to the big Florida State game in two weeks and focus on beating Boston College at home.
3. Oregon (won 57-16 over Colorado)
The Ducks put up another impressive performance on the road at Colorado. They face their biggest test of the year this week at Washington. The Huskies are coming off of a close loss to Stanford, but they have the ability to make things interesting for a BCS-contending Oregon program.
4. Stanford (won 31-28 over Washington)
Despite the predictions of some college football pundits, including myself, Stanford was able to beat Washington and keep on rolling. Because Stanford doesn’t produce the gaudy amount of numbers that Oregon does, more national attention is paid to the Ducks. But Stanford has proven time and again that it can be just as nationally competitive. This week, the Cardinal will travel to Utah.
5. Ohio State (won 40-30 over Northwestern)
Ohio State has now played two challenging conference opponents in a row and has won both games. The 10-point margin of victory was a bit deceiving about the game; Northwestern had the lead over Ohio State for most of the game. After the Buckeyes took a field goal lead, an endzone fumble led to another touchdown. Ohio State will now get an off week before a home game against Iowa in two weeks.
6. Florida State (won 63-0 over Maryland)
This was easily the most impressive performance in the nation Saturday. The Maryland team that Florida State destroyed was ranked in the top 25. As impressive as Jameis Winston and the Seminole offensive attack was, the defensive play was even more so. They held the Terrapins to only 33 rushing yards. Jimbo Fisher’s team will now enjoy an off week before the monstrous matchup against Florida State in two weeks.
7. Georgia (won 34-31 over Tennessee)
Many predicted that there would be a letdown for Georgia after the thrilling victory over LSU. And while that might have been partially responsible for the game in Knoxville being so close, it was also due to the fact that Tennessee was playing well. Georgia escaped with the win, but did not escape unscathed. Star running back Keith Marshall suffered a season-ending injury. That came after back Todd Gurley was sidelined with an ankle injury the previous week. Wide receivers Justin Scott-Wesley (out for the year) and Michael Bennett also went down. The Tennessee game could prove to be the most costly event of the season for Georgia, even though it was such a fantastic victory.
8. Texas A&M (off)
The Aggies had the week off. Johnny Manziel and every other story around this program that were dominating headlines before the season have seemingly quieted down. A trip to Ole Miss this weekend will get them back on the scene to some degree. But this is a disgruntled Rebel team that has lost two straight games, Alabama and Auburn. Kevin Sumlin better have his team ready. Last year, Texas A&M nearly added another loss to its resume in Oxford.
9. Oklahoma (won 20-17 over TCU)
Oklahoma got a very solid victory at home over TCU. I expected the Horned Frogs to put be very competitive in the game, which they were. But the Sooners showcased their resiliency by hanging on to win. Now, Bob Stoops will prepare his team to play in what was once a nationally relevant rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas. This one is expected to be one-sided.
10. Miami (won 45-30 over Georgia Tech)
While the two teams from the ACC Atlantic Division, Clemson and Florida State, have garnered most of the attention paid to the conference, Miami has been quietly plotting along without losing a game. The ‘Canes achieved a very nice 15-point win over Georgia Tech Saturday. After an off week, Miami will travel to North Carolina to play the Tar Heels on a Thursday night battle on October 17th.