Rankings and Ratings

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Rankings and Ratings

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October 9th

Colorado still getting no love from ESPN’s Football Power Index

... Note … this is the same column that last week said that CU was likely (according to the FPI) to finish 5-7, beating only Oregon State in the final eight games … 

From ESPN … There are 11 undefeated teams left in the FBS — eight in the Power 5 conferences and three in the American Athletic Conference. Not all undefeated records, though, are created equally. The 13 members of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee don’t reveal their first ranking until Oct. 30, but their task then and for six straight weeks afterward is to sort through comparable résumés and determine what separates teams when their records don’t.

Sort of like this …

The following are rankings of the remaining undefeated teams, starting with who has the most realistic chance to reach the CFP and why.

Long shots:

Colorado (5-0)

Remaining SOS: No. 31
Toughest remaining game: Oct. 20 at Washington
FPI says: The only game Colorado is favored to win is Oct. 27 versus Oregon State. The Buffaloes are an FPI underdog in six of their seven remaining games and have less than a 0.1 percent chance of winning out.
Playoff predictor says: If Colorado is an undefeated Pac-12 champ, it has a 0.0 percent chance of making the top four.

Bottom line: The Buffaloes would need to finish as an undefeated Pac-12 champ, as their nonconference strength of schedule ranks 119th in the FBS, and Washington is currently their only ranked opponent. Even if they do defy the odds and win out, the Buffaloes would need a lot of chaos around them in the rankings to be considered by the committee.

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CBS ranking … CU up to No. 20

From CBS Sports … We are six weeks through the college football season, and several high-profile teams have zoomed closer to the front of the pack after emphatic victories. Notre Dame jumped to No. 5 of the CBS Sports 129 after a dominating 45-23 win a Virginia Tech, which kept College Football Playoff dreams intact for the Fighting Irish. Texas probably needs a little help to get into that conversation, but the 48-45 upset over rival Oklahoma earned the Longhorns a No. 8 ranking, bragging rights and shook up what’s looking like a wild Big 12 championship race.

LSU took a tumble out of the top five to No. 14 after falling to Florida 27-19 in The Swamp; the Gators moved up to No. 13, one spot ahead of the Tigers. Then there’s the Sooners, which fell to No. 12 after the loss in the Red River Showdown.

From the Pac-12 … 

10. Washington

16. Oregon

20. Colorado

27. Stanford

31. Washington State

35. Utah

38. USC

54. Arizona State

75. Arizona

80. California

105. Nebraska 

110. Colorado State

113. UCLA

118. Oregon State

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Sports Illustrated Pac-12 Bowl projections:

Rose … Washington v. Wisconsin

Alamo … Oregon v. Texas Tech

Holiday … Colorado v. Michigan

Redbox … Stanford v. Northwestern

Sun … Washington State v. Boston College

Las Vegas … USC v. Utah State

Cheez-It … Cal v. Baylor

First Responders (replacement) … Arizona State v. North Texas

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October 8th

Buffs make a jump in ESPN Bowl projections

Kyle Bonagura moved CU up to the Alamo Bowl from the Holiday Bowl (actually a jump of two spots, with the Pac-12 losing a second New Year’s Day bowl projection – Stanford falling out of the mix)

Mitch Sherman moved CU up three spots in the Pac-12 lineup, from the Las Vegas Bowl to the Holiday Bowl.

ESPN Pac-12 Bowl projections (two pickers):

Rose … Washington v. Penn State

Alamo … Colorado v. Oklahoma State or Oklahoma State or Oregon

Holiday …  Oregon v. Iowa or Michigan v. Colorado

RedBox … Washington State v. Northwestern or Iowa v. Utah

Sun … USC v. Duke or Virginia Tech v. Washington State

Las Vegas … Utah v. Boise State or Stanford v. Fresno State

Cheez-It … Stanford v. Fresno State or Iowa State v. USC

Birmingham Bowl (replacement) … Arizona State v. Houston

First Responders’ Bowl (replacement) … Arizona State v. North Texas

Military Bowl (replacement) … Cal v. Temple

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CBS Bowl projections – Buffs actually move down a spot

From CBS Sports … Jerry Palm, like ESPN, now projects the Pac-12 to only have one New Year’s Six bowl bid. That being the case, Palm moved teams down a spot, with CU moving down from the Sun Bowl to the Las Vegas Bowl:

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October 7th

Colorado up to No. 19 in Associated Press poll

From CBS Sports … Florida and Texas are moving up the college football rankings with some serious momentum after rivalry wins in Week 6. In the AP Top 25, the Gators were one of the biggest movers after beating LSU, surging up eight spots to 14. That was only bested by the Longhorns, who jumped 10 spots to No. 9 after beating Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.

Alabama remains the No. 1 team in the country, followed by Georgia, Ohio State and Clemson. Notre Dame jumped into the top five thanks to LSU’s loss, and Penn State now enters the top 10 thanks to spots opened up by Auburn and Oklahoma’s losses.

Other notable movements include Auburn dropping 13 spots to No. 21 and the AAC combo of USF and Cincinnati making their 2018 poll debuts as they head into Week 7 with undefeated records.

Others Receiving Votes: Iowa (4-1) 87; Stanford (4-2) 59; Washington State (5-1) 46; San Diego State (4-1) 24; TCU (3-2) 20; Appalachian State (3-1) 11; Utah (3-2) 9; Utah State (4-1) 5; South Carolina (3-2) 2; Hawaii (6-1) 1

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USA Today Coaches’ Poll

Others Receiving Votes: Washington State (5-1) 113; Iowa (4-1) 89; Mississippi State (4-2) 67; Appalachian State (3-1) 38; TCU (3-2) 33; San Diego State (4-1) 25; Utah (3-2) 12; Utah State (4-1) 11; South Carolina (3-2) 10; Duke (4-1) 8; Troy (5-1) 8; Syracuse (4-2) 6; Hawaii (6-1) 6; Boise State (3-2) 6; Virginia Tech (3-2) 2; Michigan State (3-2) 1; Fresno State (4-1) 1; Army West Point (3-2) 1; UAB (4-1) 1

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This post, about the USC game, from the 2018 Season, is filed under Article.
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