CU in the Rankings

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CU in the Rankings

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October 23rd

CBS 1-133: USC, Washington State, TCU among “biggest movers” downward

From CBS Sports … Ohio State coach Ryan Day has been boasting about the Buckeye’s toughness throughout this season, and that identity was crucial to grinding out a 20-12 win over Penn State in one of the biggest games on the Week 8 schedule. Our CBS Sports and 247Sports college football rankings voters took note of Ohio State’s defensive excellence, and now rankings profile that features two wins against teams in our top 15 has moved the Buckeyes ahead of Washington for the No. 3 spot in the CBS Sports 133.

Michigan kept its hold on the No. 1 spot it took from Georgia two weeks ago with the Bulldogs remaining at No. 2 after an off week. Much of the top 10 remained the same with Penn State’s drop from No. 7 to No 10 allowing for some shake up that included Alabama jumping up two spots to No. 9.

North Carolina fell eight spots to No. 18 after its stunning loss to Virginia, but there were far more notable moves down than big surges up throughout the top 30 in the rankings. Duke and Tennessee, for example, fell after road losses to higher-ranked conference foes but remained inside the top 25, allowing for teams like LSU, Missouri and Air Force to strengthen their position inside the top 20 after Week 8 wins. Utah, interestingly enough, only moved up three spots to No. 13 after beating USC on the road as an underdog; our voters’ big takeaway from that game — at least in terms of rankings movement — was to move the Trojans down.

Biggest movers 

• No. 26 USC (-8): Two straight losses have knocked USC out of the College Football Playoff picture and produced a combined 16-spot drop from the top 10 to outside the top 25 in the CBS Sports 133. The Trojans’ efforts to turn the season around after this midseason slide has become one of the biggest stories in the Pac-12, but our voters have firmly concluded this is not a team to be taken seriously as a contender.
• No. 38 Washington State (-9): This is a case where the voters have to balance success from early in the season with the state of a team in the present. Wins against Oregon State and Wisconsin are quality victories by our rankings, but three straight losses have left the Cougars at 4-3 as the group has not looked as competitive as it did in September. Injuries have a played a big role in the midseason losing streak, but recent form also plays a role in Washington State dropping despite having those quality wins on the resume.
• No. 55 TCU (-9): The Horned Frogs enter a much-needed break after an early season campaign that featured rollercoaster results. Devastation from the high-profile home loss to Colorado in the opener was slightly calmed by a three-game winning streak, but after losing three of the next four games — including a 41-3 rout at the hands of Kansas State on Saturday — TCU finds itself as a middling team needing a 2-2 finish for bowl eligibility. That’s a big change in postseason destination for the reigning national runner-up, but getting there would be accomplishment considering a final stretch that still has Texas and Oklahoma on the calendar in November.

From the Pac-12 ...

• No. 4… Washington … down one spot
• No. 7 … Oregon … up one spot
• No. 11 … Oregon State … up one spot
• No. 13 … Utah … up three spots
• No. 21 … UCLA … up two spots
• No. 26 … USC … down eight spots
• No. 38 … Washington State … down nine spots
• No. 42 … Arizona … down three spots
• No. 54 … Colorado … same as last week
• No. 55 … TCU … down nine spots
• No. 60 … Nebraska … up three spots
• No. 72 … Cal … up three spots
• No. 89 … Colorado State … down one spot
• No. 102 … Stanford … down six spots
• No. 103 … Arizona State … down four spots

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ESPN+ Rankings: Colorado still not favored (at No. 77), while 6-2 USC comes in at No. 13

From ESPN … If you were a top college football team and you weren’t either on a bye week or named Michigan, you probably got a little nervous at some point Saturday. Lots of highly ranked teams struggled. Most of them avoided an upset — sorry, North Carolina — but we saw a decent amount of change in the updated SP+ rankings.

Only top-ranked Michigan remains in the same spot it was in a week ago — the Wolverines expanded their lead on the field following a ruthless blowout of rival Michigan State — and there are otherwise lots of ups and downs.

Below are this week’s SP+ rankings. What is SP+? In a single sentence, it’s a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. I created the system at Football Outsiders in 2008, and as my experience with both college football and its stats has grown, I have made quite a few tweaks to the system.

SP+ is indeed intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking that gives credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling — no good predictive system is. It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you’re lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you’re strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise.

From the Pac-12 … 

• No. 5 … Oregon
• No. 7 … Washington
• No. 13 … USC
• No. 15 … Oregon State
• No. 20 … UCLA
• No. 24 … Utah
• No. 29 … TCU
• No. 34 … Arizona
• No. 39 … Washington State
• No. 61 … Nebraska
• No. 72 … California
• No. 77 … Colorado
• No. 85 … Arizona State
• No. 101 … Stanford
• No. 105 … Colorado State

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October 16th

CBS 1-133: CU jumped by Arizona; now behind all five remaining opponents in rankings

From CBS Sports … One week after Michigan bumped Georgia from the No. 1 spot in the CBS Sports 133, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team, the Wolverines have only strengthened their position in the wake of yet another dominant win. Michigan has held every opponent to 10 points or less during its 7-0 start, and as the level of competition has ramped up during Big Ten play, we’ve seen the Wolverines raise their performance even higher.

The 52-7 home win against Indiana in Week 7 followed a 52-10 victory at Minnesota and a 45-7 win at Nebraska. The Hoosiers turned some heads with a 7-0 lead early, but when Michigan flips the switch, it’s hard for opponents to prevent things from getting out hand — like the Wolverines scoring 52 unanswered points on Saturday. Voters who were skeptical of Michigan’s ranking early in the year have been convinced by the dominance in recent weeks. After edging Georgia for No. 1 by just one voting point last week, the hold on the top spot is even firmer heading into Week 8.

This week also saw a top-three return for Washington, The Huskies peaked at No. 2 a few weeks ago but entered the weekend at No. 5 after some closer-than-expected results in early Pac-12 play. However, after the epic 36-33 over Oregon, there’s a stronger debate for Washington as one of the top teams in the country. That’s a win our voters are going to respect, clearly, as our voters still look at the Ducks as a top-10 team and only dropped them one spot for the loss.

USC was not so lucky, falling eight spots to No. 18 after losing at Notre Dame, which jumped up to No. 15 and is now the highest-ranked two-loss team in the CBS Sports 133. The strength of the USC win clearly offsets the penalty of last week’s Louisville loss as the Cardinals tumbled down nine spots (well behind the Irish) to No. 22 after losing at Pitt.

Biggest movers 

• No. 39 Arizona (+15): Though on its face a top-40 ranking for a 4-3 team might look out of little out of place, the Wildcats are getting credit not just for thumping a strong Washington State side in Pullman but also the run run they made at USC the week prior before falling short in triple-overtime. Like Oklahoma State, this is a team that has flipped its trajectory in recent weeks and now could be a problem for those teams at the top of the conference.
• No. 54 Colorado (-10): In blowing a 29-0 halftime lead at home to Stanford, the Buffaloes not only did real damage to their projected odds of making a bowl — hitting the off week at 4-3 instead of 5-2 — but also took a major hit to their ranking profile and have fallen outside of the top 50.

From the Pac-12 ...

• No. 3… Washington … up two spots
• No. 8 … Oregon … down one spot
• No. 12 … Oregon State … up four spots
• No. 16 … Utah … up four spots
• No. 18 … USC … down four spots
• No. 23 … UCLA … down six spots
• No. 29 … Washington State … down 11 spots
• No. 39 … Arizona … up 15 spots
• No. 46 … TCU … up four spots
• No. 54 … Colorado … down 10 spots
• No. 63 … Nebraska … up one spot
• No. 75 … Cal … down ten spots
• No. 88 … Colorado State … up 13 spots
• No. 96 … Stanford … up 15 spots
• No. 99 … Arizona State … down three spots

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October 15th

Washington into AP Top Five … USC drops to No. 18 … UCLA down to No. 25 … Washington State out of national rankings

From ESPN … Washington moved up to No. 5 on Sunday in The Associated Press college football poll, the Huskies’ best ranking in six years, after a thrilling victory over Oregon, and unbeaten Air Force was ranked for the first time since 2019.

The top four teams in the country were unchanged after No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State all won Saturday in blowout fashion. The Bulldogs received 43 first-place votes, Michigan got 16, and Ohio State and Florida State each had one.

Washington received two first-place votes and jumped two spots past No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 7 Penn State, giving the Huskies their best ranking since reaching No. 5 on Oct. 8, 2017. The last time Washington was ranked this highly this late in the season was 2016, when the Huskies made the College Football Playoff.

That was the last time any Pac-12 team reached the four-team playoff.

Washington beat Oregon 36-33 when the Ducks missed a field goal on the game’s final play. Oregon dropped one spot to No. 9, flip-flopping with No. 8 Texas.

North Carolina moved up two spots to a season-high No. 10 after beating Miami 41-31.

USC dropped eight spots to No. 18 after suffering its first loss of the season at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish jumped six places to No. 15.

No. 22 Air Force vaulted into the rankings by beating rival Wyoming to stay undefeated.

Others receiving votes: James Madison 70, Clemson 35, Florida 12, Washington State 11, Fresno State 6, Liberty 5, Wyoming 4, Kentucky 4, Kansas 2, Miami 1, West Virginia 1, Oklahoma State 1

Dropped from rankings: Washington State 19, Kansas 23, Kentucky 24, Miami 25

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October 9th

With less-than-perfect win over Arizona State, CU slides in CBS 1-133; Pac-12 with seven teams in Top 20

From CBS Sports … Michigan has surpassed Georgia to take over as the new No. 1 team in our updated college football rankings, beating out the Bulldogs by one voting point in the updated CBS Sports 133, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team. Though the change of name and logo at the top is dramatic on the surface, Michigan supplanting Georgia comes less as a direct response to Week 6 results — which included arguably the best performance of the season for not only the Dawgs as a whole but more specifically Carson Beck under center and more the continuation of a weeks-long trend of shakeups in the top five.

Two weeks ago marked the first time all season that Georgia did not earn a majority of the first-place votes with four different teams all entering the No. 1 debate. Last week saw four different teams enter the top six spots in the rankings, including Michigan’s surge back up to No. 2. Now, the Wolverines have taken over the top spot following a dominant 52-10 win at Minnesota.

Georgia, of course, is still held in high regard by our voters firmly at No. 2, followed by Florida State, Ohio State and Washington to round out of the top five. Oklahoma is one of the big movers in the top of the rankings, jumping up five spots to No. 6 following its epic last-minute Red River Rivalry win against Texas. The Longhorns, meanwhile, dropped six spots to No. 9 after their first loss of the season.

The biggest riser within the top 25 was Louisville, which soared up to No. 13 after improving to 6-0 with a win against Notre Dame on Saturday. It took a couple of weeks for our voters to buy into Jeff Brohm’s unbeaten start, but over the last two weeks the Cardinals have moved up 15 spots between a road win at NC State and the victory over the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame remains just inside the top 20 after the loss, down nine spots to No. 19. For more on the notable week-to-week adjustments not just in the top 25 but throughout the CBS Sports 133, check out the Mover’s Report below the top 25 table.

From the Pac-12 ...

• No. 5 … Washington … up one spot
• No. 7 … Oregon … same as last week
• No. 10 … USC … down one spot
• No. 16 … Oregon State … up three spots
• No. 17 … UCLA … up ten spots
• No. 18 … Washington State … down five spots
• No. 20 … Utah … up one spot
• No. 44 … Colorado … down three spots
• No. 50 … TCU … down six spots
• No. 54 … Arizona … up three spots
• No. 64 … Nebraska … same as last week
• No. 65 … Cal … down ten spots
• No. 96 … Arizona State … up two spots
• No. 101 … Colorado State … down seven spots
• No. 111 … Stanford … same as last week

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The Athletic: UCLA and Arizona make big moves up the 1-133 list

From The Athletic … I brought this upon myself. I know this.

I moved Texas up to No. 1 last week. I could’ve waited until after the Red River Rivalry game to be sure. Some friends advised me to do so. But in a season without a clear No. 1, I felt the Longhorns had played like and looked like the best team at that point in the season. I still do. One week later, I received my reward for believing in Texas, in the form of a 34-30 Oklahoma win in the final seconds. So Texas’ brief time at the top is over.

It’s still not easy. As many as seven or eight teams can make a case for No. 1. But after one week removed from the top spot, Georgia moves back to No. 1 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 133.

We finally saw the Georgia team we expected this year, in a 51-13 beatdown of the previously unbeaten Kentucky Wildcats. No slow starts this time. No trouble moving the ball. No explosive runs allowed. It’s a really good win. It was exactly what Georgia should do.

Oklahoma, which beat Texas, moves all the way up from No. 14 to No. 2. The Longhorns didn’t drop far — that win over Alabama looked good, then not-so-good, and now good yet again. Remember, these rankings are not predictive. It’s an attempt to judge accomplishments, which can look better or worse each week. Florida State’s wins against LSU and Clemson? Still good, but not quite the wins we thought at the time.

We’re into the second half of the season. So many more matchups between top-10 teams are on the schedule, including this coming week. The fun has only just begun.

From the Pac-12 … 

• No. 6 … Washington … down one spot from last week
• No. 9 … Oregon … down one spot
• No. 12 … USC … down two spots
• No. 16 … UCLA … up 11 spots
• No. 17 … Washington State … down four spots
• No. 18 … Oregon State … down one spot
• No. 19 … Utah … down 1 spot
• No. 37 … Colorado … down five spots
• No. 51 … TCU … down 11 spots
• No. 54 … Arizona … up 27 spots
• No. 55 … Cal … down six spots
• No. 79 … Nebraska … up five spots
• No. 95 … Arizona State … same as last week
• No. 102 … Colorado State … down three spots
• No. 104 … Stanford … down two spots

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October 2nd

CBS Sports: CU out of the Top 40; The Athletic: Buffs out of the Top 25

From CBS Sports … An impactful slate in Week 5 resulted in a shakeup with four new teams occupying the top six spots in the CBS Sports 133 college football rankings, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team. One result is a strong move up into the top five for Texas, which has now earned its highest ranking of the season.

The Longhorns’ leap comes in response to steamrolling Kansas 40-14. Combined with last week’s 32-point win at Baylor, Texas has made quite a statement in the early weeks of Big 12 play. Texas will take this new top-three status to Dallas on Saturday in one of the biggest games of the week — and annually one of the biggest games of the year — to take on an Oklahoma squad that currently sits at No. 11 in the CBS Sports 133.

Just ahead of Texas and behind Georgia, which maintained its spot at No. 1, we have a Michigan team which finally delivered the form that our voters expected when placing the Wolverines at No. 2 in the preseason. Michigan had dropped two spots down to No. 4 as it moseyed through the opening weeks of home games against inferior competition, but it dominated Nebraska on Saturday in its first true road trip. Ohio State dropped one spot to No. 4 as a result of some of surrounding movement, while Washington dropped from No. 2 to No. 6 after surviving an upset scare in the desert against Arizona.

Outside of the top teams there was a nine-spot drop for Utah after its Friday night loss at Oregon State. The Utes are now at No. 21, just a few spots behind Kentucky, which jumped up six spots into the top 20 after running right through and past Florida at home.

From the Pac-12 ...

• No. 6 … Washington … down four spots
• No. 7 … Oregon … same as last week
• No. 9 … USC … same as last week
• No. 13 … Washington State … up two spots
• No. 19 … Oregon State … up one spot
• No. 21 … Utah … down nine spots
• No. 27 … UCLA … down one spot
• No. 41 … Colorado … down five spots
• No. 44 … TCU … down seven spots
• No. 55 … Cal … up ten spots
• No. 57 … Arizona … up five spots
• No. 64 … Nebraska … down five spots
• No. 94 … Colorado State … up seven spots
• No. 98 … Arizona State … down 11 spots
• No. 111 … Stanford … down six spots

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From The Athletic … It’s been a while since we’ve had a season without a clear-cut No. 1 team this deep into the fall.

Several teams can make a case, and there are still many big games to be played. But at this point, it’s time for a change. Texas is the new No. 1 in this week’s Athletic 133.

There are two reasons for it. The first is Texas itself. The Longhorns went to Alabama and handled the Crimson Tide in what is the most impressive single win of the season. Texas also took care of business with blowouts of Baylor and Kansas in the last two weeks. Yes, Texas had a brief scare against Wyoming, but the other teams in the top four have each had a scare against an inferior team as well. The Longhorns have played like the best team in the country and have a marquee win. That’s good for No. 1.

The second reason is Georgia. We’re almost halfway through the season, and these slow starts can’t be ignored anymore. The Bulldogs trailed South Carolina at halftime and needed a second-half comeback to beat an Auburn team that was pushed around by Texas A&M last week and barely escaped Cal. Georgia hasn’t lost, but the Dawgs don’t have a notable win, unlike Texas (Alabama), Ohio State (Notre Dame) and Florida State (LSU, Clemson). Sagarin ranks Georgia’s schedule strength at 130th nationally. It’s not that bad, but nothing Georgia has done this year is worth a No. 1 ranking at this point compared to other teams.

Now, believing in Texas might be famous last words for one week. The Longhorns play Oklahoma in Dallas this Saturday. If they win, we might see everyone else come around and rank Texas at No. 1. But I’m making the move now. If the Longhorns lose, well, that’s what I get for thinking Texas has turned a corner. These rankings aren’t meant to be predictive. They’re based solely on what has been accomplished, and thus far, Texas deserves that spot.

From the Pac-12 … 

• No. 5 … Washington … same as last week
• No. 8 … Oregon … up two spots
• No. 10 … USC … down one spot
• No. 13 … Washington State … up three spots
• No. 17 … Oregon State … up three spots
• No. 18 … Utah … down 12 spots
• No. 27 … UCLA … same as last week
• No. 32 … Colorado … down eight spots
• No. 40 … TCU … down 15 spots
• No. 49 … Cal … up one spot
• No. 81 … Arizona … down two spots
• No. 84 … Nebraska … down four spots
• No. 95 … Arizona State … down two spots
• No. 100 … Colorado State … up one spot
• No. 102 … Stanford … down six spots

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October 1st

Buffs down to one vote in the AP poll; no votes in USA Today/Coaches poll

From ESPN … Georgia’s hold on No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll loosened Sunday as the Bulldogs received a season-low 35 first-place votes out of a possible 62 while extending their streak atop the rankings to 16 straight weeks.

The Bulldogs needed a late touchdown to escape with a win at Auburn on Saturday, and that sent many in the media panel looking for a new No. 1 team. Georgia had 55 first-place votes and 1,562 points last week but was down to 1,501 points in this week’s AP Top 25.

No. 2 Michigan got 12 first-place votes and 1,436 points but nearly was passed by No. 3 Texas, which received 10 first-place votes and 1,426 points. The Wolverines and Longhorns won big Saturday.

Ohio State kept its spot at No. 4 and received one first-place vote. No. 5 Florida State received the other four first-place votes. Neither the Buckeyes nor Seminoles played this weekend.

No. 6 Penn State and No. 7 Washington also held their spots. Oregon moved up a place to No. 8, and USC dropped one to No. 9.

No. 10 Notre Dame moved back into the top 10 after a dramatic victory at Duke. The Blue Devils dropped two places to No. 19.

Others receiving votes: Maryland 81, Kansas State 44, Texas A&M 31, UCLA 19, Tulane 8, Air Force 7, Wisconsin 6, West Virginia 5, Clemson 5, Kansas 3, James Madison 3, Colorado 1

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September 26th

CU/Oregon television ratings? Better than Ohio State/Notre Dame

… What stands out, as much as the CU game having more viewers than the Ohio State/Notre Dame game (which went down to the final play), was that CU went head-to-head with the SEC matchup of Nick Saban v. Lane Kiffin (Alabama v. Ole Miss), and had four times as many viewers … and had over seven times as many viewers as Utah/UCLA, another matchup of ranked teams airing at the same time.

… Tough day for Washington State and Oregon State. The two orphans of the Pac-12 played each other in prime time on Fox. Despite being a game between two ranked teams, the game between the Cougars and the Beavers had fewer viewers than other games airing at the same time, including Iowa/Penn State, Arkansas/LSU, and NC State/Virginia … Washington State and Oregon State have good teams, but just don’t have the brand or the following which networks (and as a result, conferences, are looking for) … 

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September 25th 

CU remains in the Top 25 in The Athletic’s rankings/Down to No. 36 at CBS Sports 1-133

From CBS Sports … We’ve hit the point in the college football season where preseason projections and expectations are being replaced by reactions to what teams have actually done on the field. So, while Georgia remains the No. 1 team in the new CBS Sports 133 after Week 4, the Bulldogs’ claim as the best team in the sport is very much up for debate.

For the first time all season, Georgia did not receive a majority of the first-place votes among the experts at CBS Sports and 247Sports who contribute ballots to the CBS Sports 133, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team. Those first-place votes have been drifting elsewhere since the Bulldogs were a near-unanimous No. 1 in the preseason. After Week 4, the balloting saw four different teams in the top spot with Ohio State, Michigan and Washington joining Georgia in the debate for No. 1.

The inclusion of Washington is the most notable as the Huskies jumped up three spots to No. 2 in a top-five shake up that reflects voters reacting to on-field results rather than preseason expectations. Washington has won its first four games, all against FBS opponents, by margins of 37, 33, 38 and 27 points while boasting one of the top offenses in the country and a Heisman Trophy contending quarterback in Michael Penix Jr. While the Huskies started the season at No. 10 in our preseason CBS Sports 133, the week-by-week rise has come in the wake of Washington showcasing a top-five caliber squad on the field while other top teams may appear stronger on paper.

From the Pac-12 ...

• No. 2 … Washington
• No. 7 … Oregon
• No. 9 … USC
• No. 12 … Utah
• No. 15 … Washington State
• No. 20 … Oregon State
• No. 26 … UCLA
• No. 36 … Colorado
• No. 37 … TCU
• No. 59 … Nebraska
• No. 62 … Arizona
• No. 65 … Cal
• No. 87 … Arizona State
• No. 101 … Colorado State
• No. 105 … Stanford

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From The Athletic … We entered this much-hyped college football weekend ready to learn about a lot of teams. Some flailed in the spotlight while others came through. But the biggest lesson we learned is that Florida State is truly back to being one of the best teams in the country. After an overtime win at Clemson, the Seminoles move up to No. 2 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 133.

Yes, it was ugly early. Yes, Clemson missed a chip-shot field goal late. But the fact those things happened highlighted how Clemson has fallen and how the Seminoles have risen to take that place, ending a seven-game losing streak in the rivalry. Clemson didn’t have a Keon Coleman-esque player who made a play when the team needed it most. Instead, it missed a field goal with a late-addition kicker and made an ill-advised wide receiver screen throw on third-and-1 in overtime.

Now Florida State sits at 4-0 with a blowout victory against LSU and a win at Clemson. The Seminoles have an argument to be No. 1. They have some of the best wins. They only sit at No. 2 for me because they needed to escape Boston College last week. Georgia doesn’t have the big wins but it also hasn’t been in real danger.

From the Pac-12 … 

• No. 5 … Washington
• No. 6 … Utah
• No. 9 … USC
• No. 10 … Oregon
• No. 16 … Washington State
• No. 20 … Oregon State
• No. 24 … Colorado
• No. 25 … TCU 
• No. 27 … UCLA
• No. 50 … Cal
• No. 79 … Arizona
• No. 80 … Nebraska
• No. 93 … Arizona State
• No. 96 … Stanford
• No. 100 … Colorado State

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September 24th

Buffs fall out of AP and USA Today/Coaches Polls; Four Pac-12 teams in the Top Ten

… Buffs tied for 28th in latest voting in Associated Press poll …

From ESPN … Colorado and Deion Sanders fell out of The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll Sunday after a resounding loss in one of the weekend’s showcase games, and the teams toward the top of the rankings were shuffled and tightened.

A season-high six teams received first-place votes, the most since the 2016 preseason poll. Georgia is still where it started at No. 1 but is down to 55 first-place votes out of a possible 63.

Michigan remained No. 2 and got a first-place vote. Texas stayed at No. 3 with two first-place votes. Ohio State moved up two spots to No. 4 and got a first-place vote after beating Notre Dame with a touchdown on its final offensive play.

USC fell three places to No. 8, while No. 9 Oregon and No. 10 Utah each moved up a spot to give the Pac-12 four teams in the top 10 for the first time in the history of the conference.

After the Buffaloes were dominated at Oregon, USC comes to Boulder next week to give Colorado a chance to either jump back in the rankings or become an afterthought for voters for the rest of the season.

The Associated Press poll … 

Others receiving votes: Kansas State 57, Kentucky 41, Louisville 32, Colorado 32, UCLA 28, Maryland 20, TCU 17, Tulane 11, Syracuse 8, Air Force 6, Wisconsin 6, Texas A&M 5, Clemson 5

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USA Today/Coaches poll from AFCA … Buffs down to No. 35 in voting

Dropped out: No. 19 Colorado (3-1); No. 22 Iowa (3-1); No. 23 Clemson (2-2); No. 25 UCLA (3-1).

Others receiving votes: Fresno State (4-0) 93; Kentucky (4-0) 87; TCU (3-1) 54; Maryland (4-0) 39; Louisville (4-0) 36; Texas A&M  (3-1) 36; UCLA  (3-1) 36;  Clemson (2-2) 35; Syracuse (4-0) 32; Colorado  (3-1) 29; Air Force (4-0) 24; Iowa (3-1) 16; Tulane (3-1) 11; Wyoming (3-1) 8; James Madison (4-0) 2; Marshall (3-0) 2; Georgia State (4-0) 1; Liberty (4-0) 1.

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September 20th

CBS Sports: Shedeur Sanders continues to rise in QB Power Rankings

From CBS Sports … Do these QB Power Rankings have powers that not even I, the creator and sole arbiter of the weekly QB Power Rankings, understand? Probably, yes. It’s a power we should all be aware of and fear because it can do what it wants. For instance, I left Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy out of the top 10 last week and slotted him into the Honorable Mentions section. It was the first time since early last season I left McCarthy out of the rankings, and the reasons for doing so were simple.

Other quarterbacks across the country were displaying more power than McCarthy. He was putting up nice numbers but also doing so against light competition in games that felt more like scrimmages. Honestly, have you watched Michigan games? The Wolverines are moving at a pace slower than service academies. Michigan is averaging 112 snaps per game, by far the fewest in the country. Air Force is next at 115.

Anyway, the point is Michigan fans spent the week yelling at me for removing McCarthy, and lo and behold, after throwing three interceptions during the entirety of the 2022 regular season, McCarthy threw three interceptions last week against Bowling Green. Let this serve as a warning to all who hold their QB in high regard but don’t quite understand the power behind QB Power.

Do not question forces you cannot control.

From the Pac-12 …

• No. 1 … Caleb Williams, USC
• No. 3 … Shedeur Sanders, Colorado … Vince Young once said on the “Pardon My Take” podcast that his philosophy during a game was to simply maintain in the first half. Basically, don’t do anything that will get your team in trouble. Then, in the second half, “go the f— off.” Sanders took a similar approach on Saturday. He didn’t look great for most of the game, but in crunch time, he turned into the greatest QB of all time while leading the Buffs on a comeback victory. Clutch goes a long way at the QB position. (last week: 4)
• No. 4 … Michael Penix, Washington
• No. 6 … Bo Nix, Oregon

Honorable Mention: Jalon Daniels, Kansas; Kyle McCord, Ohio State; Dante Moore, UCLA; Tyler Van Dyke, Miami; Cam Ward, Washington State

… Read full story here …

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September 18th

ESPN ranks the 39 remaining unbeaten teams (Connelly still doesn’t like CU)

From ESPN … Georgia is approaching 2014 Florida State levels of sleepwalking. Michigan is 0-for-3 in the “playing to projections” department. Ohio State has looked like full-on Ohio State once in three games. Alabama’s offense stinks out loud. It’s hard to completely trust Texas or Florida State yet. Oklahoma and Washington have looked great against mostly bad teams. USC hasn’t had a chance to prove that its defense has improved.

Three weeks into the 2023 season, it’s almost impossible to know whom to trust. Some of the most typically reliable teams have yet to shift out of third gear, and per Total QBR, Washington’s, Texas A&M’s, Miami’s and Duke’s quarterbacks rank higher than any of Ohio State’s, Michigan’s, Georgia’s or Alabama’s. Meanwhile, Syracuse has looked awesome, Rutgers has looked good, and Auburn is the only remaining unbeaten Iron Bowl team.

It’s been weird. Weird is good. But on the off chance that normalcy returns soon, let’s both commemorate and rank the 39 remaining unbeaten teams. (What criteria am I using for this? A combination of computer rankings and my own opinions. I tend to adhere mostly to what the numbers say, but I reserve the right to have terrible opinions and overreact. For instance, I’m really overreacting to what Washington has done so far this year.)

From the Pac-12 … 

• No. 1 … Washington
• No. 4 … USC
• No. 11 … Oregon
• No. 14 … Utah
• No. 15 … UCLA
• No. 16 … Oregon State
• No. 24 … Washington State
• No. 26 … ColoradoSP+ and FPI rankings: 76th and 64thSP+ strength of schedule to date: 55thOdds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: <0.1%What they did in Week 3: def. Colorado State 43-35 (2OT)Why they’re ranked here: Legend and reality are in conflict when it comes to Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes at the moment. That they are unbeaten after three games is incredible. They upset TCU in the season opener, they rank 23rd in total offense a year after ranking 128th, and Shedeur Sanders’ ability to come through in virtually every make-or-break drive is incredible. But Sanders is getting hit far too much, the defense ranks 96th in success rate allowed and Saturday’s dramatic comeback and thrilling rivalry win came against the team currently ranked 122nd in SP+.There’s a chance they keep pulling off magic acts in a magical season; there’s also a chance that, with four currently unbeaten opponents over the next six games, a 3-0 start becomes about a 5-4 record in a month and a half.

… Read full story here …

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September 17th

No. 19 Buffs: CU down one spot in AP poll; up two spots in USA Today/Coaches poll

From the Daily Camera …Another win and another week in the rankings for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Following a thrilling, double-overtime comeback victory over in-state rival Colorado State on Saturday night, CU dropped one spot to No. 19 in the Associated Press rankings Sunday, while moving up to No. 19 in the Coaches poll.

Late Saturday night, the Buffs (3-0) rallied from a 28-17 fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime and knock off the Rams, 43-35 in double overtime.

This is the first time since 1998 that CU has been among the AP Top 25 rankings after each of its first three games of the season.

Unranked to start the season, CU jumped into the Top 25 after knocking off then-No. 17 TCU, 45-42, in the opener. Going into last week, the Buffs were at No. 18 in the AP and No. 21 in the Coaches poll.

Associated Press poll … 

1. Georgia (57)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Texas (3)
4. Florida State (1)
5. USC
6. Ohio State
7. Penn State
8. Washington
9. Notre Dame
10. Oregon
11. Utah
12. LSU
13. Alabama
14. Oregon State
15. Ole Miss
16. Oklahoma
17. North Carolina
18. Duke
19. Colorado
20. Miami
21. Washington State
22. UCLA
23. Tennessee
24. Iowa
25. Florida

Others receiving votes: Clemson 76, Missouri 72, Kansas St. 54, TCU 21, Fresno St. 17, Kansas 15, Tulane 13, Kentucky 10, Maryland 4, BYU 3, Wisconsin 2, Syracuse 2, Louisville 1, Auburn 1.   

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ESPN Power Rankings: CU in at No. 18

From ESPN … It could be many of the teams occupying the top 25 slots in college football were looking ahead a week to their conference openers. Or it could be some of those teams aren’t as good as first thought. Or maybe they just needed a wakeup call.

Whatever the reason, several ranked teams — Georgia, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama and Texas, to name a few — got off to slow starts against teams they should (and in some cases did) beat handily.

Not everyone got out of Saturday unscathed. No. 11 Tennessee once again lost in the Swamp and No. 15 Kansas State lost on a 61-yard walk-off field goal by Missouri.

Here’s a look at whether those slow starts and closer-than-expected finishes affect the power rankings after Week 3.

From the Pac-12 … 

• No. 4 … USC
• No. 7 … Washington
• No. 10 … Utah
• No. 11 … Oregon
• No. 12 … Oregon State
• No. 18 … Colorado … The Buffaloes escaped in college football’s most thrilling game of the young season, but despite the double-OT win against Colorado State, the performance raises concerns about how they will fare when the level of competition increases. Still, the character required to put together a comeback without Travis Hunter in the second half was impressive. QB Shedeur Sanders had a slow start, but was incredible down the stretch and completed 38 of 47 passes for for 348 yards with four touchdowns.
• No. 22 … Washington State
• No. 23 … Utah

… Read full story here …

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September 11th

CBS Sports 1-133: CU up seven spots to No. 17

From CBS Sports … Texas’ road win over Alabama may be one of the most impressive results we’ll see in college football all season, and the significance of the victory can be seen in the updated college football rankings. While the Longhorns skyrocketed as a result, the Crimson Tide have fallen from the top three in the CBS Sports 133, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team, opening up a spot for Florida State to make a charge at the top spots currently occupied by Georgia and Michigan.

Florida State followed up its Labor Day weekend win over LSU with a 66-13 trouncing of Southern Miss. So, when the debate came down to Florida State or Texas for that No. 3 spot, the Seminoles at least had an impressive score on the board to justify not getting jumped by the Longhorns. Texas, which entered the weekend a bit higher in our rankings than the AP Top 25 poll at No. 9, is now up five spots to No. 4 as Quinn Ewers and Steve Sarkisian are building out a legitimate College Football Playoff profile following the win in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Elsewhere near the top of the rankings, there was a three-spot jump for Oregon after a tough road win at Texas Tech and a seven-spot leap for Colorado after continuing to win over non-believers with with a 36-14 win against Nebraska. Miami is one of the biggest movers among top teams, up a dozen spots to crash the top 25 after beating Texas A&M, which fell outside of the top 40 after the loss.

From the Pac-12 … 

• No. 6 USC … up two spots from last week
• No. 7 Washington … down one spot
• No. 10 Oregon … up three spots
• No. 13 Utah … down one spot
• No. 16 Oregon State … down one spot
• No. 17 Colorado … up seven spots 
• No. 24 UCLA … up four spots
• No. 26 Washington State … up 28 spots
• No. 28 TCU … up two spots
• No. 59 Cal … up one spot
• No. 62 Arizona … up three spots
• No. 70 Nebraska … down nine spots
• No. 85 Arizona State … down six spots
• No. 93 Stanford … down one spot
• No. 129 Colorado State … down three spots

… Read full story here …

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September 10th 

Colorado moves up four spots in Associated Press poll to No. 18; eight Pac-12 teams in the AP poll

From ESPN … The Texas Longhorns jumped seven spots to No. 4 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday after beating Alabama, and the Pac-12 became just the second conference to place as many as eight teams in an AP Top 25.

Georgia received 55 first-place votes to remain the clear No. 1. Michigan was No. 2, with two first-place votes. No. 3 Florida State moved up a spot and received three first-place votes.

USC moved up a spot to No. 5, giving the top five representation from each Power 5 conference for the first time since Sept. 24, 2017.

No conference has more teams in the Top 25 than the Pac-12, which is in its last season with its current membership before 10 schools depart for other leagues in 2024.

Only the SEC had ever placed as many eight teams in a single Top 25, doing it 21 times with a record 10 in September 2015.

In this week’s poll, Washington is No. 8, Utah is 12th, Oregon is 13th, Oregon State is No. 16, and Colorado has risen to 18th. Moving into the rankings are Washington State at No. 23 and UCLA at No. 24.

The Pac-12’s previous high was six ranked teams, achieved multiple times including last week.

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USA Today Coaches Poll

Others receiving votes

Washington State 80; Kentucky 38; Texas Christian 26; Auburn 23; Texas A&M 21; Fresno State 21; Kansas 17; Tulane 16; Missouri 14; Maryland 14; Wake Forest 13; Oklahoma State 12; Central Florida 11; Arkansas 10; Syracuse 9; Cincinnati 8; Wisconsin 7; Mississippi State 7; Wyoming 6; Minnesota 6; Air Force 5; South Carolina 3; Memphis 3; Louisville 3; James Madison 2; Michigan State 1.

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September 6th

CU makes historic jump in CBS Sports 1-133 rankings: “Yes, we believe now”

From CBS Sports … We spend weeks debating the preseason college football rankings, then in the process of the five-day whirlwind that is Week 1, the entire landscape gets reset. As we update the CBS Sports 133, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team, the adjustments to what we’ve witnessed to this point include one of the most notable in-season jumps in the history of the rankings.

Colorado was No. 85 in our preseason rankings, one spot behind Virginia Tech and one spot ahead of Indiana. The other teams in this stretch include mid-tier Group of Five programs and the Power Five teams that were projected to finish near the bottom of the standings. We were among the outsiders not ready to believe that Colorado’s overhauled roster was prepared to hit the ground running and immediately be on the same level as the best teams in the country.

To answer the question that Deion Sanders has leveled at reporters since Colorado’s 45-42 win at TCU: Yes, we believe now.

The Buffaloes make a jump from No. 85 to No. 24 in our latest CBS Sports 133 rankings, a 61-spot leap that is one of the most significant in-season adjustments since we began these FBS-wide rankings nearly a decade ago. No team has reversed our voters’ opinion for the better based on a single result in this manner. Now, Coach Prime’s squad occupies a spot in the rankings surrounded by Power Five teams expected to win between seven and nine games. For a Buffs team that carried a preseason win total under five, that’s a big adjustment to expectations as well.

There are some notable shifts at the top of the rankings as well. Florida State crashes the top five after its statement win against LSU as the Seminoles moved from No. 8 to No. 4; the Tigers, meanwhile, fell 10 spots to No. 14. There were also smaller shakeups in the top 10 such as Alabama moving ahead of Ohio State, Washington jumping ahead of USC and Notre Dame joining the top 10 with a five-spot move from No. 15.

From the Pac-12 …

• No. 6 – Washington … up four spots from No. 10
• No. 8 – USC … down two from No. 6
• No. 12 – Utah … same as last week
• No. 13 – Oregon … up one from No. 14
• No. 15 – Oregon State … up three from No. 18
• No. 24 – Colorado … up 61 spots from No. 85
• No. 28 – UCLA … down one spot from No. 27
• No. 30 – TCU … down 13 spots from No. 17
• No. 54 – Washington State … up 5 spots from No. 59
• No. 60 – Cal … up one spot from No. 61
• No. 61 – Nebraska … down seven spots from No. 54
• No. 65 – Arizona … down three spots from No. 62
• No. 79 – Arizona State … down six spots from 73
• No. 92 – Stanford … up five spots from 97
• No. 126 – Colorado State … down six spots from No. 120

Biggest movers 

• No. 24 Colorado (+61): It was incredibly difficult to rate a brand-new roster in the wake of a 1-11 season, but our voters are not too proud to admit when we’re wrong. The high-end talent of Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and Dylan Edwards showed up in a big way against TCU, and there are a ton of teams that wish they had that kind of special playmaking at the top of the depth chart. There are questions marks, certainly, but Colorado’s offense will be a problem for every team on its schedule.
• No. 30 TCU (-13): The positive side is that TCU’s offense did put up 42 points against Colorado. Unfortunately, the defense, which does return a ton of production from last year’s 13-2 team, was absolutely shredded by the Buffs’ up-tempo attack. TCU has to tighten up on that side of the ball to avoid falling behind in a competitive Big 12 where most games are going to be toss-ups like Saturday’s loss.

… Read full story here …

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September 5th

CU in at No. 22 in the Associated Press Poll

From ESPN … No. 21 Duke and No. 22 Colorado moved into the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll Tuesday after scoring the biggest upsets of the opening weekend of the season, and No. 4 Florida State jumped into the top five after its resounding victory over LSU in Week 1’s marquee game.

Georgia remained No. 1 with 58 first-place votes and Michigan held steady at No. 2 with two first-place votes.

No. 3 Alabama moved up a spot and Florida State climbed four places and received the remaining three first-place votes after beating LSU 45-24. The Seminoles are in the top five for the first time since the beginning of the 2017 season.

Ohio State rounded out the top five in the AP’s first regular-season poll of the season.

LSU dropped nine spots to No. 15. Clemson, which was upset at Duke, fell 16 places to No. 25. TCU, which lost to Colorado, dropped all the way out of the rankings after being No. 17 in the preseason.

Colorado’s victory as a three-touchdown underdog at TCU in coach Deion Sanders’ debut was the story of the weekend, and now the Buffaloes are ranked for the first time since a brief stay during the 2020 season. The Buffs were also ranked for two weeks in 2018, but have only finished a season in the Top 25 once (2016) in the past 20 seasons.

Sanders, the former NFL star and Florida State All-American, took over a team that went 1-11 last season and did an unprecedented roster makeover, with nearly 90 new players and 58 of them transfers. The new-look Buffs came away with a 45-42 victory on the road against the program that played in the national title game last season.

Others receiving votes: Iowa 73, UCLA 55, Arkansas 28, TCU 27, Kentucky 15, Pittsburgh 8, Mississippi State 5, Miami 4, NC State 4, Wyoming 3, Troy 3, Fresno State 3, Minnesota 3, Auburn 3, Texas State 2, Iowa State 2, Texas Tech 1, UCF 1, Illinois 1, Washington State 1, James Madison 1, Houston 1, Louisville 1

Dropped from rankings: TCU 17, Iowa 25

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CU enters USA Today Coaches Poll at No. 25

From USA Today … The first regular-season US LBM Coaches Poll is out, with a few changes from the preseason poll. Those changes were mainly the product of three high-profile results from the initial weekend of the season.

The top four teams stay put as Georgia easily retains the No. 1 spot. The Bulldogs received 63 of 66 first-place votes, followed by Michigan and Alabama. The Wolverines claim a single first-place nod, with the remaining two going to the Crimson Tide. Ohio State holds at No. 4.

The changes begin at No. 5, where Florida State leapfrogs into the top five on the heels of its convincing victory against then-No. 5 LSU. The Seminoles, which were last in the top five in the 2017 preseason poll, jump ahead of No. 6 Southern California and No. 7 Penn state, while LSU falls to No. 14. Washington gains three positions to No. 8. Tennessee and Texas round out the top 10.

Two teams that produced notable upsets enter the rankings.

Duke moves in at No. 24 following Monday night’s victory against Clemson. It is the first poll appearance for the Blue Devils since Sept. 23, 2018. Clemson tumbles to No. 21 from its preseason No. 8 spot.

Colorado also enters the rankings at No. 25 thanks to its takedown of TCU. The Buffaloes were last made a brief appearance in the poll during the pandemic shortened 2020 season.

TCU falls out of the Top 25 along with fellow Big 12 member Texas Tech, which was upset by Wyoming.

From the Pac-12 … 

• No. 6 …USC
• No. 8 … Washington
• No. 12 … Utah
• No. 13 … Oregon
• No. 18 … Oregon State
• No. 25 … Colorado (161 points) 

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CU No. 21 in ESPN Power Rankings

From ESPN … Coach Deion Sanders said his Colorado Buffaloes were coming in 2023, and now they’ve arrived in our Power Rankings.

The Buffaloes’ 45-42 victory in Week 1 at No. 17 TCU, the national runner-up in the 2022 season, made believers out of ESPN’s writers. Colorado, which had only one win last season, went from unranked to No. 21. Now the Buffaloes get another chance to prove themselves, this time against Big Ten foe — and former Big 12 rival — Nebraska in their home opener.

The most impressive win of the week, though, belonged to Coach Prime’s alma mater. Florida State scored 31 consecutive points against No. 5 LSU on Sunday, and ESPN voters rewarded that effort by moving them from preseason No. 7 in the power rankings all the way up to No. 2.

Five consecutive days of football ended with a stunning upset as Duke took down No. 9 Clemson.

From the Pac-12 … 

• No. 5 … USC
• No. 8 … Washington
• No. 10 … Utah
• No. 12 … Oregon
• No. 15 … Oregon State
• No. 21 … Colorado … The team of the offseason opened its season in record-setting fashion to beat TCU 45-42 on the road. Coach Deion Sanders was the story coming in, but his son Shedeur owned the spotlight by passing for 510 yards — a Colorado single-game record — and four touchdowns, while completing 38 passes. Travis Hunter, the other headliner in Deion Sanders’ massive group of newcomers, had an interception and 119 receiving yards while logging a staggering 129 snaps in his Buffaloes debut. Colorado had four 100-yard receivers for the first time and snapped a streak of 24 consecutive losses as an underdog of 21 points or more. The defense needs work after surrendering 541 yards, but Colorado appears much better than many of the bleak preseason forecasts, of which Sanders and his players have “got receipts.”

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This post, about the Stanford game, from the 2023 Season, is filed under Article.
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