Ridley’s Rankings, Week 9 (Roll Tide Version)

After having some disagreements with the polls for the last few weeks, we’ve finally come together in unison, like a sweater-vest and cheating (too soon Ohio State?). That’s right, Alabama has finally reached the summit of the most prestigious poll there is (on this site). They are week 9’s king of Ridley’s Rankings. The loss by Florida and the statement win by Notre Dame also shook up the rankings. Let’s see how the carnage unfolded. (If you’re wondering how I came to these rankings, click here).

1. Alabama (100.21) – They are a machine, reeling off wins of 30 or more points in six of their eight games. Their closest victory was a 19-point nail biter over a surprising Ole Miss squad. Add in the fact that they have a QB who’s finally as capable as their defense (AJ McCarron leads the nation in passer efficiency) and you may have one of the most complete teams in college football in the last decade.
2. Kansas State (99.85) – Collin Klein continues to run away with the Heisman as K-State dispatched another ranked opponent this week in Texas Tech. Kansas State doesn’t have the week-in/week-out grind that some of the SEC teams have, but they have made the most of what they’ve been given, including two wins on the road against ranked opponents. Just ask Florida how easy that is.
3. Notre Dame (99.71) – Notre Dame made a loud statement Saturday, in their win over Oklahoma in Norman. Brian Kelly has the Fighting Irish playing their best ball of the 21st century, which is good for his career. Of the past five coaches to coach a game at ND (George O’Leary doesn’t qualify), Charlie Weis is the only still coaching in the NCAA. And I use that term loosely, as he repeatedly gets his ass handed to him at Kansas.
4. Florida (92.49) – In my eyes, there are a strong three teams now that Florida has fallen from the ranks of the undefeated. Despite that one loss, their resume to date is still more impressive than that of Oregon’s. That being said, I’d still put Oregon in a National Championship Game over Florida if the season ended today.
5. Ohio State (91.23) – I’m an unabashed loather of “the” Ohio State, so under normal circumstances, it would irk me to no end to see the Buckeyes continually climbing my rankings. The fact that OSU continues to rack up these victories for nothing more than false pride and egos is extremely satisfying.
6. Oregon (90.83) – Oregon, like Alabama, hasn’t really played a close game all year, with their closer margin of victory being 17 points, with an average victory margin of 34 points. Unlike the Crimson Tide, however, Oregon really hasn’t played a worthy adversary yet. The loss by USC this week won’t help the Ducks down the road either.
7. LSU (88.53) – Pollsters have short-term memories. Only a few weeks ago, Florida dominated LSU’s offense and gave LSU their first regular season loss in 2 years, yet LSU is now ahead of the Gators. Make sense? Yeah, I didn’t think so, either. Regardless, LSU is still the second-best one-loss team in the country.
8. Georgia (85.96) – Oh how complicated life is in the SEC. Figure out this equation: South Carolina destroys Georgia, Florida destroys South Carolina, Georgia beats Florida. Luckily for us, South Carolina lost to LSU as well, making them the de facto third team in this love triangle. And although Georgia did pull off the upset Saturday, my gut tells me Florida wins that game 70% of the time in Georgia, 80% of the time on a neutral field and 99.9999% of the time in the Swamp. Even if those numbers or wrong, Florida’s resume is WAY stronger to date.
9. South Carolina (82.20) – They may be a two-loss team, but they shredded the team directly in front of them and their two losses came to teams currently ranked fourth and seventh on my list. This team likely walks through the Big 10, ACC and Big East if they were lucky enough to play there. However, life without Marcus Lattimore may prove to be very difficult for the Gamecocks going forward.
10. Oregon State (81.08) – The loss of Sean Mannion finally caught up to the Beavers as they played the always upset-minded Washington Huskies on Saturday. The loss likely takes away the slim chance the Beavers had of making the BCS Championship, but they still control their destiny for a Rose Bowl berth if they run the table, culminating in a sweet defeat of the Ducks in the Civil War game.
11. Florida State (79.64) – The Seminoles are the cream of the ACC crop. But as far as dubious titles go, that’s like being lone hot girl in the ugly sorority.
12. Louisville (78.82) – The Big East has finally arrived. As much as Louisville can claim they deserve a shot at the BCS Championship, there’s a likely shot they’ll go the whole season without facing a team that was ranked at the time of the matchup.
13. Oklahoma (75.92) – If you thought South Carolina had it bad, the Sooners lost to the teams currently ranked 2 and 3, but those were both at home, where Bob Stoops should’ve taken care of business.
14. Clemson (75.75) – The rest of the season for the Tigers will be mixture of praying FSU losses again and preparing for their big in-state showdown with the Gamecocks.
15. Stanford (74.69) – Like Oregon State, Stanford also controls its own destiny to the Rose Bowl, but will have to go through both OSU and Oregon to get there.
16. Mississippi State (73.93) – The Bulldogs obviously are there yet, but Dan Mullen continues to add credibility to this longtime doormat.
17. Texas Tech (72.65) – Don’t worry Red Raiders, Kansas State has been doing that to just about everyone.
18. Texas A&M (71.42) – Unlike their fellow new SEC-mate, the Aggies are actually enjoying their time in the SEC, thanks to the brilliant play of their frosh QB, Johnny Manziel.
19. Boise State (66.74) – If the Broncos were an NFL team, Joe Southwick would be buying his running backs and defense steak dinners on a weekly basis.
20. West Virginia (66.23) – The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the suddenly slumping Mountaineers. Dana Holgerson and Geno Smith need to regroup quickly. And maybe having their defense know the address of the stadium would be helpful.
21. Nebraska (65.70) – After having some early season woes, Bo “Big Meanie” Pelini seems to have righted the Cornhusker ship, somewhat, three wins in four weeks, including beating a ranked Michigan team.
22. Arizona (64.52) Yes, Arizona has three losses, but they have, and pardon me if there’s any females dogs around, a bitch of a schedule, easily being the worst in the Top 25. In fact, I have it as the third worst in college football to date.
23. USC (63.79) – Don’t you love it when it works out that a team that just lost to another team is directly below them in the rankings?
24. Texas (61.83) – I’d still take them over Toledo, barely.
25. Rutgers (59.64) – Still has a chance to win the Big East. That’s worth something, right? No? Okay…

Honorable mentions: Toledo, Oklahoma State, Washingon, Iowa State, Tulsa

As always, feel free to call me an idiot in the comments.