The College Football Blog: 2010 Power Rankings (After Week 11)

Power Rankings after Week 11

1. Oregon 10-0 (1st)
2. Ohio State 9-1 (2nd)
3. Auburn 11-0 (4th)
4. LSU 9-1 (5th)
5. Alabama 8-2 (6th)
6. TCU 11-0 (3rd)
7. Boise State 9-0 (7th)
8. Wisconsin 9-1 (8th)
9. Arkansas 8-2 (9th)
10. Stanford 9-1 (10th)
11. Nebraska 9-1 (11th)
12. Michigan State 9-1 (13th)
13. Oklahoma State 9-1 (14th)
14. South Carolina 7-3 (15th)
15. Texas A&M 7-3 (NR)

Out: Iowa (12th).

Explanation: As unimpressive as Oregon’s win over Cal was, it was the biggest test the Ducks have faced this season. They won a close, low scoring game on the road, and that in its own way was sort of impressive.

I moved TCU down 3 spots from 3rd to 6th after their shockingly unimpressive victory over San Diego State. It was one thing to fall down early; it was another thing to allow the Aztecs back in the game late. They were playing at home, and this was their last real chance to impress everyone, as they could win 100-0 over New Mexico and no one would care.

Auburn, LSU, and Bama all moved ahead of TCU. This is as it should be, as they are the top teams in the SEC. TCU came off a big game against Utah and struggled to beat San Diego State at home. That’s just not comparable to the SEC, where just about every week is a big game. Utah, by the way, got crushed by Notre Dame. They did not represent the Mountain West—or any of the non-BCS conferences—well in any regard.

The only team to fall out of my rankings this week was Iowa, as they lost a heartbreaker to Northwestern. The Hawkeyes are simply not as good as they were last season. They dropped from 12th to out of the top 15.

Texas A&M takes Iowa’s spot in the power rankings at #15. The Aggies are perhaps the hottest team in the country, having beaten Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Baylor in the last 3 weeks. Oklahoma State and Michigan State also moved up a spot this week following Iowa’s loss.