Outkick's Top Ten For Week 9 2014
All year we've heard from Ole Miss that bad Bo Wallace was a thing of the past. Turns out that was wishful thinking. In a wild ending that saw Hugh Freeze out Les Miles Les Miles, Ole Miss collapsed and joined the masses of top teams with one loss.
Good luck ranking all these one loss football teams.
Here we go:
1. Mississippi State
The Bulldogs weren't perfect, but they got a double digit win on the road at Kentucky. Given all the teams losing, there's no such thing as a bad win this year. I expect State to be undefeated when they go on the road at Alabama. But I expect the Tide to win that game.
2. FSU
The Seminoles were off this week. Come Thursday they head to Louisville. I still believe FSU will be the only undefeated team in the playoff this year. And I also believe that if FSU were in the SEC West, they'd have at least two losses by the end of the year.
3. Alabama
Here's where it gets tough to figure out how to rank all these one loss teams. Ultimately I think Alabama is the best one loss team in the country which is why I have them third in the country. I know, I know, they lost on the road at Ole Miss and I have Ole Miss number five, but you tell me how many other teams in the country could beat Texas A&M 59-0 and then follow that up by scoring 27 unanswered at Tennessee. When Bama is good, I don't think there's anyone in the country that's better.
4. Auburn
Auburn gave up 535 yards and 35 points to South Carolina. Prior to this performance I had Auburn as the best one-loss team in the country and felt very confident in their defense, but now I'm sliding Alabama past them. Next week's game at Ole Miss is a default elimination game in the SEC West and in the national title race.
5. Ole Miss
Put simply, I have no faith in Bo Wallace or the Ole Miss offense. Wallace was 14-33 and threw at least five passes that could have been intercepted by LSU. The final game sequence was downright unfathomable. We'll see how the Rebels handle their first loss of the season because they are still very much alive. I think Auburn will beat the Rebels in Oxford, but if Ole Miss can beat Auburn then the memories of this loss will fade quickly.
6. Oregon
The Ducks scored a ton of points, but they also gave up a ton. I feel like Alabama, Auburn, and probably Georgia -- even though I have them ranked below Oregon -- would beat the Ducks on a neutral site.
7. Georgia
My prediction for Florida this week in the Cocktail Party: pain. Georgia has a very good chance of being 11-1 in the SEC title game.
8. Kansas State
Kansas State dominated Texas. This defense is for real and the offense seems to be making strides. The question is, what's the ceiling for Kansas State? They need Auburn to continue to win -- hopefully the SEC -- to keep this loss from becoming an anchor.
9. TCU
82 points. Holy hell. That game at West Virginia this week should be the second best in the college football. If not for the late collapse against Baylor you can make a very strong argument that TCU would deserve to be ranked number one in the country.
10. Michigan State
The Spartans crushed Michigan, but unfortunately for Sparty just about everyone who watched Ohio State play Penn State is now convinced that the rest of the Big Ten is garbage. So how much credit will Michigan State get for dominating a bad conference?