Blue Football Through and Through

Indiana Retains #1 Spot With Win Over #2 Ohio State

2025-12-07T07:39:00.003-07:00

Our rankings, unlike the AP and Coaches polls, are based on actual results and logic. A bad loss counts much more than a big win, but other than than, we evaluate the teams based on the number and quality of good wins and the number and quality of their losses. A bad loss is defined as losing to a team not under consideration, while a quality win is defined as a win over any other team being considered.

We start with each team being equal, then move them up or down based on their season performance vs. that of the teams around them. We separate them by record and then evaluate them against each other, starting with undefeated teams and moving down. When we compare teams with the same record, the ones with any Bad Losses* are always going to be ranked lower, and those with Quality Wins* are going to be ranked ahead of those without. A team with a worse record can be ranked ahead of another if they have less bad losses and/or more quality wins.

Often, especially late in the year, we have situations where a trio of teams have 2-1 records against each other, so the head-to-head matchup is essentially tied between those three. In those cases, we break the tie with the evaluation of their best wins and losses and season records.

As the only games played this week were for conference championships, there was once again very little movement. With the exception of Virginia, the only ranked teams to lose played teams ranked ahead of them and thus didn't fall much.

One has to take pity on most of the nation's coaches and media, who mistakenly had Ohio State ranked ahead of Indiana all year long, even though Indiana had far more impressive wins. Blue Football Through and Through has ranked the Hoosiers ahead of the Buckeyes all season long for that reason and last week ranked Indiana #1. Perhaps the coaches and media will do the same now.

Most Important: If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record. In other words, we rank them logically. We're looking at you, coaches and media, who have Notre Dame ahead of Miami of Florida even though Miami beat Notre Dame. On the field.

Here are the Top 25*:

2-2-2-2-2-1-1 Indiana (13-0) shocked everyone but us in beating #2 Ohio State 13-10, (Quality Wins: #3 Ohio State, #5 Oregon, #26 Illinois and #33 Old Dominion)

3-3-3-3-3-2-2 Ohio State (12-1) went down to #1 Indiana 13-10, (Quality Wins: #19 Michigan, #20 Texas, #25 Washington and #26 Illinois, Lost to #1 Indiana)

12-6-4-4-4-3-3 Texas Tech (12-1) blitzed #12 BYU 34-7, (Quality Wins: #7 BYU (twice), #10 Utah and #27 Houston, Lost to #30 Arizona State)

1-1-1-1-1-4-4 Texas A&M (11-1) , (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, #12 Notre Dame and #23 Missouri, Lost to #20 Texas)

7-5-6-6-5-5-5 Oregon (11-1) , (Quality Wins: #18 USC and #25 Washington, Lost to #1 Indiana)

9-9-8-7-6-6-6 Georgia (12-1) easily took care of #16 Alabama 28-7, ( Quality Wins: #8 Mississippi, #16 Alabama, #20 Texas, #24 Tennessee and #30 Georgia Tech, Lost to #14 Alabama)

5-4-5-5-7-7-7 BYU (11-2) lost to #4 Texas Tech 34-7, (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, #28 Arizona and #33 TCU, Lost to #3 Texas Tech (twice))

11-10-9-8-7-8-8 Mississippi (11-1) , (Quality Wins: #9 Oklahoma and #21 Tulane, Lost to #6 Georgia)

30-24-20-10-9-9=9 Oklahoma (10-2) , (Quality Wins: #14 Alabama, #19 Michigan, #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #8 Mississippi and #20 Texas

14-8-10-9-10-10-10 Utah (10-2) , Quality Win: #30 Arizona State, Lost to #3 Texas Tech and #7 BYU)

17-16-15-12-11-11-11 Miami of Florida (10-2) , (Quality Win: #12 Notre Dame, Lost to #35 SMU and Louisville, Bad Loss: Louisville)

18-17-16-13-12-12-12 Notre Dame (10-2) , (Quality Wins: #16 Navy, #19 USC and #35 Pittsburgh, Lost to #4 Texas A&M and #11 Miami of Florida)

10-21-19-19-17-13-15-15-13 Vanderbilt (10-2) , (Quality Wins: #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #14 Alabama and #20 Texas)

6-14-23-18-16-15-16-14 Navy (10-2) , (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: South Florida, Lost to #12 Notre Dame and #13 North Texas)

8-7-7-16-14-14-15 Alabama (9-3) lost to #6 Georgia 28-7, (Quality Wins: #6 Georgia, #15 Vanderbilt, #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #6 Georgia, #9 Oklahoma and Florida State), Bad Loss: Florida State)

22-19-21-21-18-17-16 James Madison (12-1) turned back Troy 31-14, (Quality Win: #33 Old Dominion, Lost to Louisville, Bad Loss: Louisville)

23-18-17-14-19-18-17 USC (9-3) , (Quality Win: #19 Michigan, Lost to #5 Oregon, #12 Notre Dame and #26 Illinois)

31-25-22-17-15-19-18 Michigan (9-3) , (Quality Win: #25 Washington, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #9 Oklahoma and #18 USC)

21-37-32-28-25-21-19 Tulane (10-2) downed #20 North Texas 34-21, (Quality Win: #20 North Texas, Biggest Win: Memphis Lost to #8 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss: UTSA)

24-13-11-11-13-13-15-20 North Texas (11-2) lost to #19 Tulane 34-21, (Quality Win: #16 Navy, Lost to #19 Tulane and #29 South Florida)

29-20-18-23-20-20-21 Texas (9-3), (Quality Wins: #4 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma and #15 Vanderbilt, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #6 Georgia and Florida, Bad Loss: Florida)

20-22-24-22-26-23-23 Missouri (8-4) , (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #4 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #15 Vanderbilt)

19-30-27-25-21-21-24-24 Tennessee (8-4) , (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Mississippi State, Lost to #6 Georgia, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #15 Vanderbilt)

32-26-30-27-23-25-25 Washington (8-3) , (Quality Win: #26 Illinois, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #5 Oregon, #19 Michigan and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)

Dropped from Top 25*:

#25 Virginia

Also Considered:

33-31-31-28-27-27-26-26 Illinois (8-4) , (Quality Win: #18 USC, Lost to #1 Indiana, #2 Ohio State, #25 Washington and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)

13-29-26-24-28-27-27 Houston (9-3) , (Quality Wins: #28 Arizona and #30 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech, #32 TCU and West Virginia, Bad Loss: West Virginia)

-------------29-30-28-28 Arizona (9-3) , (Quality Win: #30 Arizona State, Lost to #8 BYU, #27 Houston and Iowa State, Bad Loss: Iowa State)

29-29 South Florida (9-3) , (Quality Win: #13 North Texas, Lost to #11 Miami of Florida, #16 Navy and Memphis, Bad Loss: Memphis

----35-29-26-29-30-30 Arizona State (8-4), (Quality Win: #4 Texas Tech, Lost to #10 Utah, #27 Houston, #28 Arizona and Mississippi State, Bad Loss: Mississippi State)

4-15-12-15-22-31-31 Georgia Tech (9-3) , (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to #6 Georgia, Pittsburgh and North Carolina State, Bad Losses: Pittsburgh and North Carolina State)

--------------32-32 TCU (8-4) (Quality Win: #27 Houston, Lost to #7 BYU, #30 Arizona State, Iowa State and Kansas State, Bad Losses: Iowa State and Kansas State

---------33-32-33-33 Old Dominion (9-3) , (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Virginia Tech, Lost to #1 Indiana, #17 James Madison and Marshall, Bad Loss: Marshall)

Dropped from Consideration: #25 Virginia

Indiana Moves to #1 in Blue Football Through and Through Top 25

2025-11-30T10:02:00.002-07:00

For the third consecutive week, there was little movement among the Top 25, indicating that our rankings from three weeks ago were pretty spot on.

Indiana moved into the #1 spot thanks to an upset of Texas A&M by Texas. #1 Indiana and #2 Ohio State will meet for the Big 10 Championship next week to decide which will be the lone unbeaten team of the 2025 regular season.

Most Important: If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record. In other words, we rank them logically.

Here are the Top 25*:

2-2-2-2-2-1 Indiana (12-0) ran it up on hapless Purdue 56-3, (Quality Wins: #5 Oregon, #26 Illinois and #33 Old Dominion)

3-3-3-3-3-2 Ohio State (12-0) ran away from #19 Michigan 27-9, (Quality Wins: #19 Michigan, #20 Texas, #25 Washington and #26 Illinois)

12-6-4-4-4-3 Texas Tech (11-1) whitewashed West Virginia 49-0, (Quality Wins: #7 BYU, #10 Utah and #27 Houston, Lost to #30 Arizona State)

1-1-1-1-1-4 Texas A&M (11-1) fell to #20 Texas 27-17, (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, #12 Notre Dame and #23 Missouri, Lost to #20 Texas)

7-5-6-6-5-5 Oregon (11-1) took care of #25 Washington 26-14, (Quality Wins: #18 USC and #25 Washington, Lost to #1 Indiana)

9-9-8-7-6-6 Georgia (11-1) got by #25 Georgia Tech 16-9, ( Quality Wins: #8 Mississippi, #20 Texas, #24 Tennessee and #30 Georgia Tech, Lost to #14 Alabama)

5-4-5-5-7-7 BYU (11-1) blasted UCF 41-21, (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, #28 Arizona and #33 TCU, Lost to #3 Texas Tech)

11-10-9-8-7-8 Mississippi (11-1) mashed Mississippi State 38-19, (Quality Wins: #9 Oklahoma and #21 Tulane, Lost to #6 Georgia)

30-24-20-10-9-9 Oklahoma (10-2) nipped LSU 17-13, (Quality Wins: #14 Alabama, #19 Michigan, #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #8 Mississippi and #20 Texas

14-8-10-9-10-10 Utah (10-2) upended Kansas 31-21, Quality Win: #30 Arizona State, Lost to #3 Texas Tech and #7 BYU)

17-16-15-12-11-11 Miami of Florida (10-2) made mincemeat of Pittsburgh 38-7, (Quality Win: #12 Notre Dame, Lost to #35 SMU and Louisville, Bad Loss: Louisville)

18-17-16-13-12-12 Notre Dame (10-2) smothered Stanford 49-20, (Quality Wins: #16 Navy, #19 USC and #35 Pittsburgh, Lost to #4 Texas A&M and #11 Miami of Florida)

24-13-11-11-13-13 North Texas (11-1) trounced Temple 52-25, (Quality Win: #16 Navy, Lost to #29 South Florida)

8-7-7-16-14-14 Alabama (10-2) got by Auburn 27-20, (Quality Wins: #6 Georgia, #15 Vanderbilt, #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #9 Oklahoma and Florida State), Bad Loss: Florida State)

10-21-19-19-17-13-15-15 Vanderbilt (10-2) tumbled #24 Tennessee 45-24, (Quality Wins: #23 Missouri and #24 Tennessee, Lost to #14 Alabama and #20 Texas)

6-14-23-18-16-15-16 Navy (10-2) navigated its way to a 28-17 win over Memphis, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: South Florida, Lost to #12 Notre Dame and #13 North Texas)

22-19-21-21-18-17 James Madison (11-1) routed Coastal Carolina 59-10, (Quality Win: #33 Old Dominion, Lost to Louisville, Bad Loss: Louisville)

23-18-17-14-19-18 USC (9-3) came from behind to beat UCLA 29-10, (Quality Win: #19 Michigan, Lost to #5 Oregon, #12 Notre Dame and #26 Illinois)

31-25-22-17-15-19 Michigan (9-3) lost 27-9 to #1 Ohio State, (Quality Win: #25 Washington, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #9 Oklahoma and #18 USC)

29-20-18-23-20-20 Texas (9-3) knocked off previously unbeaten #4 Texas A&M 27-17, (Quality Wins: #4 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma and #15 Vanderbilt, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #6 Georgia and Florida, Bad Loss: Florida)

21-37-32-28-25-21 Tulane (10-2) blanked Charlotte 27-0, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Memphis Lost to #8 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss: UTSA)

15-11-13--20-24-22 Virginia (9-2) Virginia Tech, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Louisville, Lost to Wake Forest and North Carolina State, Bad Losses: Wake Forest and North Carolina State)

20-22-24-22-26-23 Missouri (8-4) defeated Arkansas 31-17, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #4 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #15 Vanderbilt)

19-30-27-25-21-21-24 Tennessee (8-4) lost to #15 Vanderbilt 45-24, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Mississippi State, Lost to #6 Georgia, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #15 Vanderbilt)

32-26-30-27-23-25 Washington (8-4) lost to #5 Oregon 26-14, (Quality Win: #26 Illinois, Lost to #1 Ohio State, #5 Oregon, #19 Michigan and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)

Dropped from Top 25*:

#22 Georgia Tech

Also Considered:

33-31-31-28-27-27-26 Illinois (8-4) tripped Northwestern 20-13, (Quality Win: #18 USC, Lost to #1 Indiana, #2 Ohio State, #25 Washington and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)

13-29-26-24-28-27 Houston (9-3) nudged Baylor 31-24, (Quality Wins: #28 Arizona and #30 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech, #32 TCU and West Virginia, Bad Loss: West Virginia)

-------------29-30-28 Arizona (9-3) downed #30 Arizona State 23-7, (Quality Win: #30 Arizona State, Lost to #8 BYU, #27 Houston and Iowa State, Bad Loss: Iowa State)

29 South Florida (9-3) smothered Rice 52-3, (Quality Win: #13 North Texas, Lost to #11 Miami of Florida, #16 Navy and Memphis, Bad Loss: Memphis

----35-29-26-29-30 Arizona State (8-4) lost to #28 Arizona 23-7, (Quality Win: #4 Texas Tech, Lost to #10 Utah, #27 Houston, #28 Arizona and Mississippi State, Bad Loss: Mississippi State)

4-15-12-15-22-31 Georgia Tech (9-3) fell to #6 Georgia 16-9, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to #6 Georgia, Pittsburgh and North Carolina State, Bad Losses: Pittsburgh and North Carolina State)

32 TCU (8-4) trounced Cincinnati 45-23 (Quality Win: #27 Houston, Lost to #7 BYU, #30 Arizona State, Iowa State and Kansas State, Bad Losses: Iowa State and Kansas State

---------33-32-33 Old Dominion (9-3) routed Georgia State 27-10, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Virginia Tech, Lost to #1 Indiana, #17 James Madison and Marshall, Bad Loss: Marshall)

Dropped from Consideration:

#29 SMU, #31 LSU, #33 Pittsburgh and #34 Wake Forest

Oregon Registers Quality Win To Move Up To #5 in Blue Football Through and Through Top 25*

2025-11-23T09:15:00.004-07:00

This weekend was once again characterized by little movement, as there have been enough results to correctly rank the Top 25*. Several teams were dropped from consideration, as their Quality Wins have disappeared and their Bad Losses look worse than before.

Oregon scored their first Quality Win* with a victory over #19 USC and moved up a spot. As one would expect, there are no Bad Losses* to teams ranked in the Top 10*. Miami of Florida had its Bad Loss* to SMU erased when the Mustangs entered the list at #35, but its loss to Louisville is now realized as a Bad Loss* after the Cardinals' fourth loss of the season dropped them out of consideration.

With South Florida dropping out of the rankings, North Texas now has a Bad Loss* and thus dropped a couple of spots.

Most Important: If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record. In other words, we rank them logically.

Here are the Top 25*:

1-1-1-1-1 Texas A&M (11-0) ran away from Samford 48-0, (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, #12 Notre Dame and #26 Missouri)

2-2-2-2-2 Indiana (11-0) did not play, (Quality Wins: #5 Oregon and #27 Illinois)

3-3-3-3-3 Ohio State (11-0) obliterated Rutgers 42-9, (Quality Wins: #21 Texas, #23 Washington and #27 Illinois)

12-6-4-4-4 Texas Tech (10-1) took the weekend off, (Quality Wins: #7 BYU, #10 Utah and #28 Houston, Lost to #29 Arizona State)

7-5-6-6-5 Oregon (10-1) overcame #19 USC 42-27, (Quality Win: #19 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana)

9-9-8-7-6 Georgia (10-1) clipped Charlotte 35-3, ( Quality Wins: #7 Mississippi, #21 Texas and #21 Tennessee, Lost to #14 Alabama)

11-10-9-8-7 Mississippi (10-1) was idle, (Quality Wins: #9 Oklahoma and #25 Tulane, Lost to #6 Georgia)

5-4-5-5-8 BYU (10-1) bumped Cincinnati 26-14, (Quality Win: #10 Utah, Lost to #4 Texas Tech)

30-24-20-10-9 Oklahoma (8-2) stymied #26 Missouri 17-6, Lost to #8 Mississippi 34-26, (Quality Wins: #14 Alabama, #15 Michigan, #21 Tennessee and #26 Missouri, Lost to #8 Mississippi and #20 Texas

14-8-10-9-10 Utah (9-2) won a wild 51-47 game over Kansas State, Quality Win: #29 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech and #7 BYU)

17-16-15-12-11 Miami of Florida (9-2) downed Virginia Tech 34-17, (Quality Win: #12 Notre Dame, Lost to #35 SMU and Louisville, Bad Loss: Louisville)

18-17-16-13-12 Notre Dame (9-2) ran it up on Syracuse 70-7, (Quality Wins: #16 Navy, #19 USC and #35 Pittsburgh, Lost to #1 Texas A&M and #11 Miami of Florida)

24-13-11-11-13 North Texas (10-1) rambled over Rice 56-24, (Quality Win: #16 Navy, Lost to South Florida, Bad Loss: South Florida)

8-7-7-16-14 Alabama (8-2) ran it up on Eastern Illinois 56-0, (Quality Wins: #6 Georgia, #17 Vanderbilt, #21 Tennessee and #26 Missouri, Lost to #9 Oklahoma and Florida State), Bad Loss: Florida State)

31-25-22-17-15 Michigan (9-2) manhandled Maryland 49-20, (Quality Win: #23 Washington, Lost to #9 Oklahoma and #19 USC)

6-14-23-18-16 Navy (8-2) did not play, (Quality Win: #34 South Florida, Lost to #12 Notre Dame and #13 North Texas)

10-21-19-19-17 Vanderbilt (9-2) demolished Kentucky 45-17, (Quality Win: #26 Missouri, Lost to #14 Alabama and #20 Texas)

22-19-21-21-18 James Madison (10-1) edged Washington State 24-20, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Old Dominion, Lost to Louisville, Bad Loss: Louisville)

23-18-17-14-19 USC (8-3) lost to #5 Oregon 42-27, (Quality Win: #15 Michigan, Lost to #5 Oregon, #12 Notre Dame and #27 Illinois)

29-20-18-23-20 Texas (8-3) turned back Arkansas 52-37, (Quality Wins: #9 Oklahoma and #17 Vanderbilt, Lost to #3 Ohio State, #7 Georgia and Florida, Bad Loss: Florida)

19-30-27-25-21 Tennessee (8-3) scored a 31-11 victory over Florida, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Mississippi State, Lost to #6 Georgia, #9 Oklahoma and #14 Alabama)

4-15-12-15-22 Georgia Tech (9-2) lost to #32 Pittsburgh 42-28, (Quality Win: #34 Wake Forest, Lost to #32 Pittsburgh and North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

32-26-30-27-23 Washington (8-3) whipped UCLA 48-14, (Quality Win: #27 Illinois, Lost to #3 Ohio State, #17 Michigan and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)

15-11-13--20-24 Virginia (9-2) was idle this week, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Louisville, Lost to #37 Wake Forest and North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

21-37-32-28-25 Tulane (9-2) tumbled Temple 37-13, (Quality Win: #33 Memphis, Lost to #7 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss: UTSA)

Dropped from Top 25*:

#22 Missouri, #24 Houston

Also Considered:

20-22-24-22-26 Missouri (7-4) fell to #9 Oklahoma 17-6, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #17 Vanderbilt)

33-31-31-28-27 Illinois (7-4) Lost to Wisconsin 27-10, (Quality Win: #19 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana, #3 Ohio State and #23 Washington and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)

13-29-26-24-28 Houston (8-3) lost to TCU 17-14, (Quality Wins: #29 Arizona State and #30 Arizona, Lost to #4 Texas Tech, TCU and West Virginia, Bad Losses: TCU and West Virginia)

----35-29-26-29 Arizona State (8-3) annihilated Colorado 42-17, (Quality Win: #4 Texas Tech, Lost to #10 Utah, #28 Houston and Mississippi State, Bad Loss: Mississippi State)

-------------29-30 Arizona (8-3) blitzed Baylor 41-17, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Cincinnati, Lost to #7 BYU, #28 Houston and Iowa State, Bad Loss: Iowa State)

27-23----32-31 LSU (7-4) nudged Western Kentucky 17-14, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Clemson and Florida, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #7 Mississippi, #14 Alabama and #17 Vanderbilt)

---------33-32 Old Dominion (7-3) routed Georgia Southern 45-10, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Virginia Tech, Lost to #2 Indiana, #18 James Madison and Marshall, Bad Loss: Marshall)

----36-28-37-33 Pittsburgh (8-3) gummed up #22 Georgia Tech's hopes in a 42-28 win, (Quality Win: #22 Georgia Tech, Lost to #12 Notre Dame, Louisville and West Virginia, Bad Losses: Louisville and West Virginia)

---------38-34 Wake Forest (8-3) demolished Delaware 52-14, Quality Win: #20 Virginia, Lost to #15 Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and Florida State, Bad Losses: North Carolina State and Florida State)

--------------35 SMU (8-3) smothered Louisville 38-6 (Quality Win: #11 Miami of Florida, Lost to #34 Wake Forest, TCU and Baylor, Bad Losses: TCU and Baylor)

Dropped from Consideration:

#30 East Carolina, #31 Cincinnati, #34 Memphis, #36 Louisville and #37 South Florida

Georgia, Oklahoma Win Big Games to Advance, A&M Rallies From 27 Points Down To Hold On To #1

2025-11-15T23:36:00.001-07:00

We start with each team being equal, then move them up or down based on their season performance vs. that of the teams around them. We separate them by record and then evaluate them against each other, starting with undefeated teams and moving down. When we compare teams with the same record, the ones with any bad losses are always going to be ranked lower, and those with quality wins are going to be ranked ahead of those without. A team with a worse record can be ranked ahead of another if they have less bad losses and/or more quality wins.

Texas A&M held on to #1 despite their close win against a losing team at home. The Aggies have no losses and three Top 25* wins, including two wins over Top 15* teams. Ohio State still hasn't played a team in the Top 20, but does have three nice wins.

Oklahoma scored a huge win over Alabama, and Texas's loss cleared the way for the Sooners to make a nice move. They have been held back because the two teams had the same record and Texas defeated Oklahoma. Texas cannot be ranked too high because of its really Bad Loss to Florida, by far the Worst Loss of any team ranked in the Top 20 last week.

Meanwhile, Alabama took a big tumble as their Bad Loss to Florida State has hampered their position all year. Alabama has to be ranked behind Oklahoma with the on-the-field loss at home, and Georgia (which lost to Alabama) which has been held back by that on-the-field loss is now free to move up.

Miami of Florida has been held down all season by a loss to Louisville and their Bad Loss to SMU. But with the Cardinals' third loss of the season and SMU's improved lot, that allowed both Miami (and by extension Notre Dame, which lost to Miami), to move up a bit. A loss to North Carolina State (which is the case for Georgia Tech and Virginia) now looks worse than Miami's loss to SMU. Why did both Miami and Notre Dame pass Georgia Tech? That Bad Loss now looks better than Tech's loss to NC State and both Miami and Notre Dame have two Quality Wins while Tech has zero.

Note that Notre Dame cannot be ranked ahead of Miami as they lost on the field to the Hurricanes and the two teams have the same record. So Notre Dame will continue to be held down by Miami until the Hurricanes lose.

The coaches and media mistakenly had Alabama #4, apparently forgetting that the Crimson Tide lost to a 4-5 team, Florida State. Even Boise State has not lost to a losing team.

All year, the coaches and media have insisted that South Florida was better than Navy, and they've never ranked Navy, preferring to put teams like South Florida, Tulane and North Texas ahead of the Midshipmen. They are shocked that Navy beat South Florida, but they shouldn't be. Had they checked the Blue Football Through and Through Top 25*, they would have seen that Navy was ranked #23, even after last week's loss, and South Florida was ranked #34. As the game was at Navy, that's an easy call...for us. #23 Navy 41, #34 South Florida 38.

Most Important: If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record. In other words, we rank them logically.

Here are the Top 25*:

1-1-1-1 Texas A&M (10-0) came back from a 30-3 halftime deficit to survive South Carolina 31-30, (Quality Wins: #9 Utah, #13 Notre Dame and #22 Missouri)

2-2-2-2 Indiana (11-0) whipped Wisconsin 31-7, (Quality Wins: #6 Oregon and #28 Illinois)

3-3-3-3 Ohio State (10-0) cruised to a 48-10 win over UCLA, (Quality Wins: #23 Texas, #27 Washington and #28 Illinois)

12-6-4-4 Texas Tech (10-1) upended UCF 48-9, (Quality Wins: #5 BYU, #9 Utah and #24 Houston, Lost to #26 Arizona State)

5-4-5-5 BYU (9-1) bumped TCU 44-13, (Quality Wins: #9 Utah, Lost to #4 Texas Tech)

7-5-6-6 Oregon (9-1) blasted Minnesota 42-13, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Iowa, Lost to #2 Indiana)

9-9-8-7 Georgia (9-1) took care of #23 Texas 35-10, ( Quality Wins: #8 Mississippi, #23 Texas and #25 Tennessee, Lost to #16 Alabama)

11-10-9-8 Mississippi (10-1) came from behind to beat Florida 34-24, (Quality Wins: #10 Oklahoma and #28 Tulane, Lost to #7 Georgia)

14-8-10-9 Utah (8-2) blitzed Baylor 55-28, Quality Wins: #26 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech and #5 BYU)

30-24-20-10 Oklahoma (8-2) humbled #16 Alabama 23-21, Lost to #8 Mississippi 34-26, (Quality Wins: #16 Alabama, #17 Michigan and #25 Tennessee, Lost to #8 Mississippi and #23 Texas

24-13-11-11 North Texas (9-1) defeated UAB 53-24, (Quality Wins: #18 Navy, Lost to #35 South Florida,)

17-16-15-12 Miami of Florida (8-2) mashed North Carolina State 41-7, (Quality Wins: #13 Notre Dame, Lost to #36 Louisville and SMU, Bad Loss: SMU)

18-17-16-13 Notre Dame (8-2) pounded #37 Pittsburgh 37-15, (Quality Wins: #14 USC, #18 Navy and #37 Pittsburgh, Lost to #1 Texas A&M and #12 Miami of Florida)

23-18-17-14 USC (8-2) scored a 26-21 win over Iowa, (Quality Win: #19 Michigan, Lost to #15 Notre Dame and #28 Illinois)

4-15-12-15 Georgia Tech (9-1) survived a scare from 1-10 Boston College, 36-34, (Quality Win: none; Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

8-7-7-16 Alabama (7-2) lost at home to #10 Oklahoma 23-21, (Quality Wins: #7 Georgia, #19 Vanderbilt, #22 Missouri and #25 Tennessee, Lost to #10 Oklahoma and Florida State), Bad Loss: Florida State)

31-25-22-17 Michigan (8-2) nudged Northwestern 24-22, (Quality Win: #27 Washington, Lost to #10 Oklahoma and #13 USC)

6-14-23-18 Navy (8-2) nipped #35 South Florida 41-38, (Quality Win: #35 South Florida; Best Wins: Air Force and UAB, Lost to #11 North Texas and #13 Notre Dame)

10-21-19-19 Vanderbilt (8-2) did not play, (Quality Wins: #22 Missouri, Lost to #16 Alabama and #23 Texas)

15-11-13--20 Virginia (9-2) dumped Duke 34-17, (Quality Win: #36 Louisville, Lost to #38 Wake Forest and North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

22-19-21-21 James Madison (9-1) jumped all over Appalachian State 58-10, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Old Dominion, Lost to #36 Louisville)

20-22-24-22 Missouri (7-3) downed Mississippi State 49-27, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #16 Alabama and #19 Vanderbilt)

29-20-18-23 Texas (7-3) lost to #8 Georgia 35-10, (Quality Wins: #10 Oklahoma and #19 Vanderbilt, Lost to #3 Ohio State, #7 Georgia and Florida, Bad Loss: Florida)

13-29-26-24 Houston (8-2) was idle this week, (Quality Win: #26 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech and West Virginia, Bad Loss: West Virginia)

19-30-27-25 Tennessee (7-3) trounced New Mexico State 42-9, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Mississippi State, Lost to #7 Georgia, #10 Oklahoma and #16 Alabama)

Dropped from Top 25*: #14 Louisville and #25 Cincinnati

Also Considered:

----35-29-26 Arizona State 7-3 held off West Virginia 25-23, (Quality Win: #4 Texas Tech, Lost to #9 Utah, #24 Houston and Mississippi State, Bad Loss: Mississippi State)

32-26-30-27 Washington (7-3) whipped Purdue 49-13, (Quality Win: #28 Illinois, Lost to #3 Ohio State, #17 Michigan and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)

33-31-31-28 Illinois (7-3) turned back Maryland 24-6, (Quality Win: #18 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana, #3 Ohio State and #27 Washington)

21-37-32-28 Tulane (8-2) toppled Florida Atlantic 35-24, (Quality Wins: #34 Memphis; Biggest Wins: Duke and East Carolina, Lost to #8 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss: UTSA)

-------------29 Arizona (7-3) closed out a 30-24 win over #31 Cincinnati, (Quality Win: #31 Cincinnati, Lost to #5 BYU, #24 Houston and Iowa State, Bad Loss: Iowa State)

26-27-25-31 Cincinnati (7-3) lost to #29 Arizona 30-24, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Iowa State, Lost to #9 Utah, #29 Arizona and Nebraska, Bad Loss: Nebraska)

---------30 East Carolina (7-3) tripped up #34 Memphis 31-27, (Quality Win: #34 Memphis, lost to #5 BYU, #28 Tulane and North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

27-23----32 LSU (6-4) edged Arkansas 23-22, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Clemson and Florida, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #8 Mississippi, #16 Alabama and #17 Vanderbilt)

---------33 Old Dominion (7-3) blanked Troy 33-0, Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Virginia Tech, Lost to #2 Indiana, #21 James Madison and Marshall, Bad Loss: Marshall

35-33-33-34 Memphis (8-3) lost again, this time to #30 East Carolina, 31-27, (Quality Win: #35 South Florida, Lost to #30 East Carolina and UAB, Bad Loss: UAB)

36-34-35 South Florida (7-3) lost to #18 Navy 41-38, (Quality Win: #11 North Texas, Lost to #12 Miami of Florida, #17 Navy and #34 Memphis)

16-12-14-36 Louisville (7-3) lost again, this time to Clemson 20-19, (Quality Wins: #12 Miami of Florida, #21 James Madison and #37 Pittsburgh, Lost to #20 Virginia, California and Clemson, Bad Losses: California and Clemson)

----36-28-37 Pittsburgh (7-3) was outclassed by #13 Notre Dame 37-15, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: North Carolina State, Lost to #13 Notre Dame, #36 Louisville and West Virginia, Bad Loss: West Virginia

---------38 Wake Forest (7-3) walloped North Carolina 28-12, Quality Win: #20 Virginia, Lost to #15 Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and Florida State, Bad Losses: North Carolina State and Florida State)

A & M Holds Down #1 in The Top 25* With Little Movement in the Field

2025-11-09T05:05:00.005-07:00

We start with each team being equal, then move them up or down based on their season performance vs. that of the teams around them. We separate them by record and then evaluate them against each other, starting with undefeated teams and moving down. When we compare teams with the same record, the ones with any bad losses are always going to be ranked lower, and those with quality wins are going to be ranked ahead of those without. A team with a worse record can be ranked ahead of another if they have less bad losses and/or more quality wins.

This week was characterized by very little movement, which tells us the teams we have ranked and under consideration are generally the teams that belong here.

Texas Tech is by far the best one-loss team with three Top 25* wins and no Bad Losses.

At this point in the season, two bad losses disqualifies a team from consideration. They could get back in later in the year.

Most Important: If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record. In other words, we rank them logically.

On-the-field results matter, and this fact really hurts Georgia and Mississippi, having lost to Alabama, which has the really Bad Loss to Florida State. Those two have no Bad Losses and would otherwise be ranked higher.

Here are the Top 25*:

1-1-1 Texas A&M (9-0) trounced #24 Missouri 38-17, (Quality Wins: #9 Utah, #16 Notre Dame and #24 Missouri)

2-2-2 Indiana (10-0) had its prayer answered in the final minutes against Penn State to win 27-24, (Quality Wins: #6 Oregon and #31 Illinois)

3-3-3 Ohio State (9-0) pummeled Purdue 34-10, (Quality Wins: #18 Texas, #30 Washington and #31 Illinois)

12-6-4 Texas Tech (9-1) trounced #5 BYU 29-7, (Quality Wins: #5 BYU, #10 Utah and #26 Houston, Lost to #30 Arizona State)

5-4-5 BYU (8-1) saw its unbeaten streak end 29-7 at the hands of #4 Texas Tech, (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, Lost to #4 Texas Tech)

7-5-6 Oregon (8-1) outlasted Iowa 18-16, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Iowa, Lost to #2 Indiana)

8-7-7 Alabama (7-1) scored a 20-9 win over #28 LSU, (Quality Wins: #8 Georgia, #19 Vanderbilt, #24 Missouri and #27 Tennessee, Lost to Florida State), Bad Loss: Florida State)

9-9-8 Georgia (8-1) mashed Mississippi State 41-21, ( Quality Wins: #9 Mississippi and #27 Tennessee, Lost to #7 Alabama)

11-10-9 Mississippi (9-1) blanked the Citadel 49-0, (Quality Wins: #20 Oklahoma and #32 Tulane, Lost to #8 Georgia)

14-8-10 Utah (7-2) was off this week, Quality Wins: #25 Cincinnati and #29 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech and #5 BYU)

24-13-11 North Texas (8-1) did not play, (Quality Wins: #23 Navy, Lost to #36 South Florida)

4-15-12 Georgia Tech (8-1) was idle this week, (Quality Win: none; Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

15-11-13 Virginia (8-2) lost to Wake Forest 16-9, (Quality Win: #14 Louisville, Lost to North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

16-12-14 Louisville (7-2) lost to California 29-26, (Quality Wins: #15 Miami of Florida, #21 James Madison and #28 Pittsburgh, Lost to #11 Virginia and California, Bad Loss: California)

17-16-15 Miami of Florida (7-2) destroyed Syracuse 38-16, (Quality Wins: #16 Notre Dame and #34 South Florida, Lost to #14 Louisville and SMU, Bad Loss: SMU)

18-17-16 Notre Dame (7-2) blitzed #23 Navy 49-10, (Quality Wins: #18 USC and #23 Navy, Lost to #1 Texas A&M and #15 Miami of Florida)

23-18-17 USC (7-2) pulled away from Northwestern 38-17, (Quality Win: #22 Michigan, Lost to #16 Notre Dame and #27 Illinois)

29-20-18 Texas (7-2) did not play, (Quality Wins: #19 Vanderbilt and #20 Oklahoma, Lost to #3 Ohio State and Florida, Bad Loss: Florida)

10-21-19 Vanderbilt (8-2) held on against hapless Auburn 45-38 in overtime, (Quality Wins: #24 Missouri and #23 LSU, Lost to #7 Alabama and #18 Texas)

30-24-20 Oklahoma (7-2) did not play, Lost to #10 Mississippi 34-26, (Quality Wins: #22 Michigan and #27 Tennessee, Lost to #10 Mississippi and #18 Texas

22-19-21 James Madison (8-1) danced over Marshall 35-23, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Old Dominion, Lost to #12 Louisville)

31-25-22 Michigan (7-2) was idle, (Quality Win: #30 Washington, Lost to #17 USC and #20 Oklahoma)

6-14-23 Navy (7-2) was outclassed by #16 Notre Dame 49-10, (Quality Wins: None; Best Wins: Air Force and UAB, Lost to #12 North Texas and #16 Notre Dame)

20-22-24 Missouri (6-3) lost to #1 Texas A&M 38-17, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #7 Alabama and #19 Vanderbilt)

26-27-25 Cincinnati (7-2) did not play, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Iowa State, Lost to #9 Utah and #37 Nebraska, Bad Loss: Nebraska)

Dropped out of the Top 25*: #25 LSU

Also Considered:

13-29-26 Houston (8-2) upended UCF 30-27, (Quality Win: #29 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech and West Virginia, Bad Loss: West Virginia)

19-30-27 Tennessee (6-3) did not play, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Mississippi State, Lost to #7 Alabama, #9 Georgia and #20 Oklahoma)

-----36-28 Pittsburgh (7-2) was idle, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: North Carolina State, Lost to #14 Louisville and West Virginia, Bad Loss: West Virginia

----35-29 Arizona State 6-3 did not play, (Quality Win: #4 Texas Tech, Lost to #8 Utah, #26 Houston and Mississippi State, Bad Loss: Mississippi State)

32-26-30 Washington (6-3) lost to Wisconsin 13-10, (Quality Win: #31 Illinois, Lost to #3 Ohio State, #22 Michigan and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)

33-31-31 Illinois (5-3) was idle this week, (Quality Win: #18 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana, #3 Ohio State and #30 Washington)

21-37-32 Tulane (7-2) held off #33 Memphis 38-32, (Quality Wins: #33 Memphis; Biggest Wins: Duke and East Carolina, Lost to #10 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss: UTSA)

35-33-33 Memphis (8-2) lost to #32 Tulane 38-32, (Quality Win: #34 South Florida, Lost to UAB, Bad Loss: UAB)

36-34-34 South Florida (7-2) sailed past UTSA 55-23, (Quality Win: #11 North Texas, Lost to #15 Miami of Florida and #34 Memphis)

Dropped from Consideration: #25 LSU, #27 San Diego State, #28 Iowa

The New Blue Football Through and Through Top 25!

2025-11-02T13:38:00.002-07:00

We start with each team being equal, then move them up or down based on their season performance vs. that of the teams around them. We separate them by record and then evaluate them against each other, starting with undefeated teams and moving down. When we compare teams with the same record, the ones with any bad losses are always going to be ranked lower, and those with quality wins are going to be ranked ahead of those without. A team with a worse record can be ranked ahead of another if they have less bad losses and/or more quality wins.

The coaches and media were shocked when Utah manhandled Cincinnati. They shouldn't have been--had they used logic and/or seen the Blue Football Through and Through Top 25* last week, they would have known that Utah was by far the superior team. By taking a quick check of our Top 25*, they would have seen that Utah was logically the #14 team in the nation and Cincinnati #26. The 45-14 beating Utah administered was a lot more what one would expect looking at these ratings and not what the coaches or media produced.

Although idle this week, Texas A&M continues to hold on to the #1 spot with the most impressive resume--0 losses and wins over now #8 Utah, #17 Notre Dame and #23 LSU. Ohio State's biggest win is over #20 Texas.

"Giant-killer" North Carolina State struck again, making mincemeat of previously unbeaten Georgia Tech. This had two consequences, calling Tech to fall precipitously and making Louisville's Bad Loss to the Wolfpack just a little more plausible. With four losses, NC State cannot be ranked or even considered, but it's obvious they have talent and are a pretty good 5-4 team.

Miami of Florida's loss to SMU also affected Notre Dame--since Miami beat Notre Dame and the two have the same losses, there is no logical way Notre Dame can be ahead of Miami.

Miami didn't fall because several teams ahead of them lost,

Remember from last week, the proper ranking of these teams is (from using head-to-head results): Virginia (which beat Louisville), Louisville (which beat Miami of Florida), Miami of Florida (which beat Notre Dame), Notre Dame (which beat USC), and USC. Again, the coaches and media were surprised when Miami lost to SMU--although it was an upset, we're not that surprised as we had Miami far lower than the illogical polls.

Notre Dame and South Florida both lost strength as their wins over Boise State are no longer regarded as Quality Wins.

Vanderbilt had to take a big tumble after losing to Texas. The two now have the same number of losses and Texas cannot be ranked higher because of their Bad Loss to Florida. Vandy's loss meant a fall for Missouri, as the Commodores beat the Tigers earlier this year.

UNLV fell out of consideration not only because of its Bad Loss to New Mexico, but the loss to Boise State gives the Rebels two Bad Losses.

At this point in the season, two bad losses disqualifies a team from consideration. They could get back in later in the year.

Most Important: If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record. In other words, we rank them logically.

Here are the Top 25*:

1-1 Texas A&M (8-0) did not play, (Quality Wins: #7 Utah, #18 Notre Dame and #23 LSU)

2-2 Indiana (9-0) mashed Maryland 55-10, (Quality Wins: #5 Oregon, #28 Iowa and #31 Illinois)

3-3 Ohio State (8-0) routed Penn State 38-14, (Quality Wins: #22 Texas and #27 Washington)

5-4 BYU (8-0) did not play, (Quality Win: #8 Utah)

7-5 Oregon (7-1) was idle this week, (Quality Wins: None; Best Win: Northwestern, Lost to #2 Indiana)

12-6 Texas Tech (8-1) trounced Kansas State 43-20, (Quality Wins: #8 Utah and #29 Houston, Lost to #35 Arizona State)

8-7 Alabama (7-1) did not play, (Quality Wins: #9 Georgia, #21 Vanderbilt, #22 Missouri and #30 Tennessee, Lost to Florida State), Bad Loss: Florida State)

14-8 Utah (7-2) creamed #27 Cincinnati 45-14, Quality Wins: #27 Cincinnati and #35 Arizona State, Lost to #4 BYU and #6 Texas Tech)

9-9 Georgia (7-1) managed a 24-20 win over Florida, ( Quality Wins: #10 Mississippi and #30 Tennessee, Lost to #7 Alabama)

11-10 Mississippi (8-1) sailed past South Carolina 30-14, (Quality Wins: #23 LSU and #24 Oklahoma, Lost to #9 Georgia)

15-11 Virginia (8-1) took care of California 31-21, (Quality Win: #12 Louisville, Lost to North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

16-12 Louisville (7-1) was victorious at Virginia Tech, 28-16, (Quality Wins: #16 Miami of Florida and #19 James Madison, Lost to #11 Virginia)

24-13 North Texas (7-1) upended #14 Navy 31-17, (Quality Wins: #14 Navy, Lost to #34 South Florida)

6-14 Navy (7-1) was outclassed by #13 North Texas 31-17, (Quality Wins: None; Best Wins: Air Force and UAB, Lost to #13 North Texas)

4-15 Georgia Tech (8-1) fell from the unbeaten ranks with a 48-36 loss at North Carolina State, (Quality Win: none; Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

17-16 Miami of Florida (6-2) was upset by SMU 23-20 in overtime, (Quality Wins: #17 Notre Dame and #34 South Florida, Lost to #12 Louisville and SMU, Bad Loss: SMU)

18-17 Notre Dame (6-2) bounced Boston College 25-10, (Quality Win: #18 USC, Lost to #1 Texas A&M and #16 Miami of Florida)

23-18 USC (6-2) nudged Nebraska 21-17, (Quality Win: #26 Michigan, Lost to #17 Notre Dame and #31 Illinois)

22-19 James Madison (7-1) downed Texas State 52-20, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Old Dominion, Lost to #12 Louisville)

29-20 Texas (7-2) held Off #21 Vanderbilt 41-31, (Quality Wins: #21 Vanderbilt and #24 Oklahoma, Lost to #3 Ohio State and Florida, Bad Loss: Florida)

10-21 Vanderbilt (7-2) fell to #22 Texas 34-31, (Quality Wins: #22 Missouri and #23 LSU, Lost to #7 Alabama and #20 Texas)

20-22 Missouri (6-2) was idle, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #7 Alabama and #21 Vanderbilt)

27-23 LSU (5-3) did not play, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins, Florida and South Carolina, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #10 Mississippi and #21 Vanderbilt )

30-24 Oklahoma (7-2) overtook #30 Tennessee 33-27, Lost to #10 Mississippi 34-26, (Quality Wins: #25 Michigan and #30 Tennessee, Lost to #10 Mississippi and #20 Texas

31-25 Michigan (7-2) prevailed over Purdue 21-16, (Quality Win: #26 Washington, Lost to #18 USC and #24 Oklahoma)

Dropped out of the Top 25*: #13 Houston, #19 Tennessee, #21 Tulane and #25 UNLV

Also Considered:

32-26 Washington (6-2) did not play, (Quality Win: #31 Illinois, Lost to #3 Ohio State and #25 Michigan)

26-27 Cincinnati (7-2) was annihilated by #8 Utah 45-14, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Iowa State, Lost to #8 Utah and Nebraska, Bad Loss: Nebraska)

28-28 Iowa (6-2) was idle this week, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Minnesota, Lost to #2 Indiana and Iowa State; Bad Loss: Iowa State)

13-29 Houston (7-2) lost to West Virginia 45-35, (Quality Win: #35 Arizona State, Lost to #6 Texas Tech and West Virginia, Bad Loss: West Virginia)

19-30 Tennessee (6-3) lost to #24 Oklahoma 33-27, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Mississippi State, Lost to #7 Alabama, #9 Georgia and #24 Oklahoma)

33-31 Illinois (5-3) beat Rutgers 35-13, (Quality Win: #18 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana, #3 Ohio State and #26 Washington)

34-32 San Diego State (6-1) smothered Wyoming 30-7, (Quality Wins: None; Best Win: California, Lost to Washington State, Bad Loss: Washington State)

35-33 Memphis (8-1) blasted Rice 38-14, (Quality Win: #34 South Florida, Lost to UAB, Bad Loss: UAB)

36-34 South Florida (6-2) did not play, (Quality Win: #13 North Texas, Lost to #16 Miami of Florida and #33 Memphis)

----35 Arizona State 6-3 beat Iowa State 24-19 (Quality Win: Texas Tech, Lost to #8 Utah, #29 Houston and Mississippi State, Bad Loss: Mississippi State)

-----36 Pittsburgh (7-2) rolled over Stanford 35-20, Lost to #12 Louisville and West Virginia, Bad Loss: West Virginia

21-37 Tulane (6-2) lost to UTSA 48-26, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Duke and East Carolina, Lost to #11 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss: UTSA)

Dropped Out of Consideration:

#25 UNLV, #37 Boise State, #38 Wake Forest and #39 Nebraska

Blue Football Through and Through Top 25

2025-10-26T10:35:00.002-06:00

Here are our initial college football rankings. Ranking services should generally wait until the sixth or seventh game--rankings released before that are a crapshoot because no one knows who the best teams are until we see patterns. Our rankings, unlike the AP and Coaches polls, are based on actual results and logic. A bad loss counts much more than a big win, but other than than, we evaluate the teams based on the number and quality of good wins and the number and quality of their losses. A bad loss is defined as losing to a team not under consideration, while a quality win is defined as a win over any other team being considered.

We start with each team being equal, then move them up or down based on their season performance vs. that of the teams around them. We separate them by record and then evaluate them against each other, starting with undefeated teams and moving down. When we compare teams with the same record, the ones with any bad losses are always going to be ranked lower, and those with quality wins are going to be ranked ahead of those without. A team with a worse record can be ranked ahead of another if they have less bad losses and/or more quality wins.

Texas A&M has the most impressive resume, with wins over #14 Utah, #18 Notre Dame and #30 LSU. Indiana owns wins over #7 Oregon, #28 Iowa and #33 Illinois and is thus second.

The polls mistakenly have several SEC teams ranked high and ahead of Alabama, including Georgia and Vanderbilt. Both these teams lost to #8 Alabama, and since the Tide had a horrible loss to Florida State and all three have the same record, Georgia and Vanderbilt cannot be ranked ahead of Alabama, nor higher in the rankings given Alabama's bad loss. Mississippi does not have a bad loss, but they lost to #9 Georgia and thus must be ranked behind the Bulldogs. All of these are brought down by Alabama's bad loss to an out-of-conference team.

Miami of Florida cannot be ranked high either. The Hurricanes lost to Louisville, which lost to Virginia and Virginia has that bad loss to North Carolina State. So the correct order of those three ACC teams is: Virginia, Louisville and Miami of Florida. It also follows logically that Notre Dame and USC, two teams that otherwise would be in the Top 10, have to be behind Miami, as Notre Dame lost to Miami and USC lost to Notre Dame.

Michigan suffers a similar fate, as they otherwise would be ranked much higher, but lost to USC, which lost to Notre Dame, which lost to Miami of Florida, which lost to Louisville, which lost to Virginia. Virginia has to be the highest-ranked of those teams by virtue of head-to-head matchups, but have a bad loss to North Carolina State, one which dooms Louisville to be ranked below them. Washington also suffers a hit with their loss to Michigan and thus must be ranked below Michigan.

Boise State also suffers from a bad loss by Memphis to UAB. The Broncos beat #25 UNLV, but must be ranked below Memphis, which beat South Florida, and South Florida, whom the Broncos lost to. Memphis has the worst loss among these 39 teams and should not be ranked, as the human polls suggest.

At this point in the season, two bad losses disqualifies a team from consideration. They could get back in later in the year.

Most Important: If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record. In other words, we rank them logically.

Please write in the comments if you have a question why we ranked teams the way we did.

Here are the Top 25:

#1 Texas A&M (8-0) Destroyed #27 LSU 41-25, (Quality Wins: #14 Utah, #18 Notre Dame and #30 LSU)

#2 Indiana (8-0) Pounded UCLA 56-6, (Quality Wins: #7 Oregon, #28 Iowa and #33 Illinois)

#3 Ohio State (7-0) Did not play, (Quality Wins: #29 Texas and #33 Washington)

#4 Georgia Tech (8-0) Destroyed Syracuse 41-16, (Quality Win: #38 Wake Forest; Biggest Wins: Clemson and Duke)

#5 BYU (8-0) Staged a wild comeback to beat Iowa State 41-27, (Quality Wins: None; Best Win: Iowa State)

#6 Navy (7-0) Ran over Florida Atlantic 42-32, (Quality Wins: None; Best Wins: Air Force and UAB)

#7 Oregon (7-1) Got by Wisconsin 21-7, (Quality Wins: None; Best Win: Northwestern, Lost to #2 Indiana)

#8 Alabama (7-1) Had to struggle from behind to beat South Carolina 29-22, (Quality Wins: #9 Georgia, #10 Vanderbilt and #19 Tennessee, Lost to Florida State), Bad Loss: Florida State)

#9 Georgia (6-1) Did not play, ( Quality Wins: #11 Mississippi and #19 Tennessee, Lost to #8 Alabama)

#10 Vanderbilt (7-1) Prevailed over #20 Missouri 17-10, (Quality Wins: #20 Missouri and #27 LSU, Lost to #8 Alabama)

#11 Mississippi (7-1) Topped #30 Oklahoma 34-26, (Quality Wins: #27 LSU and #30 Oklahoma, Lost to #9 Georgia)

#12 Texas Tech (7-1) Overwhelmed Oklahoma State 42-0, (Quality Wins: #13 Houston and #14 Utah, Lost to Arizona State, Bad Loss: Arizona State)

#13 Houston (7-1) Upended Arizona State 24-16, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Arizona State, Lost to #12 Texas Tech)

#14 Utah (6-2) Creamed Colorado 53-7, Quality Win: None, Biggest Win: Arizona State, Lost to #5 BYU and #12 Texas Tech)

#15 Virginia (7-1) Outlasted North Carolina 17-16, (Quality Win: #16 Louisville, Lost to North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

#16 Louisville (6-1) Bumped Boston College 38-24, (Quality Wins: #17 Miami of Florida and #22 James Madison, Lost to #15 Virginia)

#17 Miami of Florida (6-1) Smothered Stanford 42-7, (Quality Wins: #18 Notre Dame and #37 South Florida, Lost to #16 Louisville)

#18 Notre Dame (5-2) Did not play, (Quality Wins: #23 USC and #37 Boise State, Lost to #1 Texas A&M and #17 Miami of Florida)

#19 Tennessee (6-2) Toppled Kentucky 56-34, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Mississippi State, Lost to #8 Alabama and #9 Georgia)

#20 Missouri (6-2) Fell to #10 Vanderbilt 17-10, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #8 Alabama and #10 Vanderbilt)

#21 Tulane (6-1) Did not play, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Duke and East Carolina, Lost to #11 Mississippi)

#22 James Madison (6-1) Did not play, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Old Dominion, Lost to #16 Louisville)

#23 USC (5-2) Did not play, (Quality Win: #31 Michigan, Lost to #18 Notre Dame and #33 Illinois)

#24 North Texas (7-1) Put away Charlotte 54-20, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Army, Lost to #36 South Florida)

#25 UNLV (6-1) Did not play, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: UCLA, Lost to #37 Boise State)

Also Considered:

#26 Cincinnati (7-1) beat Baylor 41-20, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Iowa State, Lost to #39 Nebraska)

#27 LSU (5-3) Lost to #1 Texas A&M 41-25, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins, Florida and South Carolina, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #10 Vanderbilt and #11 Mississippi )

#28 Iowa (6-2) Blasted Minnesota 41-3, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Minnesota, Lost to #2 Indiana and Iowa State; Bad Loss: Iowa State)

#29 Texas (5-2) Came from behind to beat Mississippi State 45-38, (Quality Win: #30 Oklahoma, Lost to #3 Ohio State and Florida, Bad Loss: Florida)

#30 Oklahoma (6-2) Lost to #11 Mississippi 34-26, (Quality Win: #31 Michigan, Lost to #11 Mississippi and #29 Texas

#31 Michigan (6-2)Turned Back Michigan State 31-20 (Quality Wins: #32 Washington and #39 Nebraska, Lost to #23 USC and #30 Oklahoma)

#32 Washington (6-2) Beat #29 Illinois 42-25, (Quality Win: #33 Illinois, Lost to #3 Ohio State and #31 Michigan)

#33 Illinois (5-3) lost to #32 Washington 42-25, (Quality Win: #23 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana, #3 Ohio State and #32 Washington)

#34 San Diego State (6-1) Blanked Fresno State 23-0, (Quality Wins: None; Best Win: California, Lost to Washington State, Bad Loss: Washington State)

#35 Memphis (7-1) Beat #36 South Florida 34-31, (Quality Win: #36 South Florida, Lost to UAB, Bad Loss: UAB)

#36 South Florida (6-2) Lost to #35 Memphis 34-31, (Quality Wins: #24 North Texas and #37 Boise State, Lost to #17 Miami of Florida and #35 Memphis)

#37 Boise State (6-2) beat Nevada 24-3 (Quality Win: #25 UNLV, Losses to #18 Notre Dame and #36 South Florida)

#38 Wake Forest (5-2) Nudged SMU 13-12, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: SMU, Lost to #4 Georgia Tech and North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)

#39 Nebraska (6-2) Got by Northwestern 28-21, (Quality Win: #26 Cincinnati, Lost to #31 Michigan and Minnesota, Bad Loss: Minnesota)

Only 30 Schools Have More Players in the NFL Wild Card Games Than Boise State

2025-01-10T14:10:00.005-07:00

Only 30 schools in the nation have more NFL players in the 5 Wild Card games this week than Boise State. The Broncos have no players in the Packers-Eagles game nor the Steelers-Ravens matchup, but former Boise State great Kellen Moore is the offensive coordinator of the Eagles. Former great offensive line coach Chris Strausser is now the offensive line coach for the Houston Texans.

Boise State is tied with BYU, North Carolina, UCLA, USC and Virginia in the #31 spot with five players each.

Here is the representation of the top football teams in the country with at least 5 players in the 5 games:

1. Alabama 29
2. Georgia 23
3. Notre Dame 15
3. Ohio State 15
5. Washington 14
6. Penn State 13
7. Florida 12
7. Oklahoma 12
9. Iowa 10
9. LSU 10
9. Mississippi 10
9. Wisconsin 10
9. Texas 10
14. Oregon 9
14. Texas A&M 9
16. Auburn 8
16. Clemson 8
16. Illinois 8
16. Michigan 8
20. Boston College 7
20. Nebraska 7
20. Pittsburgh 7
20. Utah 7
24. Florida State 6
24. Kentucky 6
24. Maryland 6
24. Memphis 6
24. Mississippi State 6
24. Stanford 6
24. TCU 6
31. Boise State 5
31. BYU 5
31. North Carolina 5
31. UCLA 5
31. USC 5
31. Virginia 5

Boise State Represented By Five Players in NFL Wild Card Games

2025-01-10T14:08:00.007-07:00

Five former Boise State stars will play in the five NFL Wild Card games this weekend:

BOISE, Idaho – Five former Boise State players will represent the Blue and Orange and NFL Wild Card Weekend kicks off. The action begins Saturday when Scott Matlock and the Los Angeles Chargers travel to Houston for a 2:30 p.m. game against the Texans. Sunday features an 11 a.m. battle between former teammates Khalil Shakir (Buffalo Bills) and JL Skinner (Denver Broncos). John Bates and Jeremy McNichols cap the weekend with the Washington Commanders, playing in a Sunday night showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

SATURDAY

Los Angeles Chargers (Scott Matlock) at Houston Texans – CBS/Paramount+, 2:30 p.m.

Last Week: Matlock played in all three phases of the Chargers’ 34-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He started at fullback, earning a season-high Pro Football Focus pass blocking grade of 78.7. He also played on defense, making one tackle. The victory gave Los Angeles an 11-6 record and the AFC’s top wild card spot. Matlock concluded the regular season with 730 snaps, including 362 on offense, 137 on defense and 231 on special teams.

SUNDAY

Buffalo Bills (Khalil Shakir) vs. Denver Broncos (JL Skinner) – CBS/Paramount+, 11 a.m.

Last Week: Shakir was one of several Buffalo players to rest during a 23-16 loss to the New England Patriots. The Bills finished the year with a 13-4 record, tying the franchise record for most wins in a season. Buffalo won the AFC East for the fifth-straight season, clinching the AFC’s No. 2 seed and the team’s sixth-straight postseason appearance. The Boise State product finished the season with a team-high 76 catches for 821 yards and four touchdowns. Skinner played 21 total snaps in Denver’s 38-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, which clinched the Broncos’ first playoff berth since 2015. The Boise State product ranked second on the team with 310 special teams snaps, making significant contributions to a unit that finished third in the league with a PFF grade of 90.1.

Washington Commanders (John Bates, Jeremy McNichols) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – NBC/Peacock, 6 p.m.

Last Week: Bates played 29 total snaps and McNichols played 12 in Washington’s 23-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The victory clinched the NFC’s No. 6 seed and a 12-5 record for the Commanders, the team’s best record since 1991. Bates finished the year with eight receptions for 84 yards while McNichols totaled career-highs in rushes (55), yards (261) and touchdowns (4).

Oregon, Boise State Are 1-2 in the Final Top 25 Before the Playoffs

2024-12-08T15:07:00.002-07:00

Oregon and Boise State have plowed through their schedules undefeated except for #2 Boise State's 37-34 loss to #1 Oregon as a field goal sailed through the uprights as time expired to give the Ducks the win on their home field. That instant classic is what a football aficionado would expect in a battle between the nation's top two teams. But the battle for #2 tightened this week with Texas's win over Georgia, avenging a loss earlier in the season to the Bulldogs.

There were some exciting games in the conference championships, with Boise State's defense putting on its best show of the year in stopping a potent UNLV offense, 21-7. Oregon had a solid 28-10 lead in the second quarter and double-digit leads several times in the second half only to see Penn State storm back to make it interesting before the Ducks took it, 45-37.

Georgia's starting quarterback suffered a bad injury to his elbow when he was sacked and had to go to the sidelines in the second half as his relatively inexperienced backup sparked his team to a comeback. Texas was able to tie the game 16-16 on a field goal in the final seconds, sending it into overtime, and took a 19-16 lead on another field goal in the extra period. On the ensuing possession, the substitute Bulldog quarterback had to leave the field for one play when his helmet came off, and who should enter the game but the banged-up starter. He approached the line of scrimmage with a noticeably-limp left arm and even when handing it off, had to do it ever so slowly because of the injury. But his running back grabbed the ball and went into the end zone for the win.

But the most exciting of the championship games was in the ACC, as Clemson controlled the first half and owned a 31-14 lead in the fourth quarter only to see SMU storm back to tie it at 31 with just 16 seconds left. But Clemson got an excellent kickoff return and then hit a pass over the middle to the SMU 38 with 3 seconds left. Their best chance was to let their kicker try a 55-yard field goal, and he nailed it with room to spare for the dramatic win.

Here is the Blue Football Through and Through Top 25 heading into the playoffs!

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1. Oregon 13-0, prevailed over #6 Penn State 45-37, (Impressive Wins: Beat #2 Boise State, #6 Penn State, #7 Ohio State and #25 Illinois, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

7-7-7-7-4-4-3-2-2. Boise State 12-1, throttled #14 UNLV 21-7, (Impressive Wins: Beat #14 UNLV (2), Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

23-12-11-11-20-15-7-6-3. Georgia 10-2, defeated #4 Texas 22-19 in overtime, (Impressive Wins: Beat #4 Texas (2), #11 Tennessee and #19 Clemson, Lost to #16 Alabama and #17 Mississippi, Bad Losses: None)

6-18-17-14-10-8-6-3-4. Texas 11-2, lost to #3 Georgia 22-19 in overtime, (Impressive Wins: Beat #23 Texas A&M 17-7, Lost to #3 Georgia (2), Bad Losses: None)

4-5-4-4-5-3-5-5-5. Indiana 11-1, did not play (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Nebraska, Lost to #7 Ohio State, Bad Losses: None)

3-3-3-9-7-5-4-4-6. Penn State 11-2, lost to #1 Oregon 45-37, (Impressive Wins: #25 Illinois, Lost to #1 Oregon and #7 Ohio State, Bad Losses: None)

10-13-9-6-3-2-2-8-7. Ohio State 10-2, did not play, (Impressive Wins: Beat #3 Penn State and #5 Indiana, Lost to #1 Oregon and Michigan, Bad Losses: Michigan)

32-25-19-16-14-12-10-9-8. Notre Dame 11-1, was idle, (Impressive Wins: Beat #9 Army, #23 Texas A&M, #28 Louisville and #30 Navy, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses: Lost to Northern Illinois)

17-19-16-13-8-6-11-10-9. Army 11-1, annihilated #26 Tulane 35-14, (Impressive Wins: Beat #26 Tulane, Lost to #8 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

11-14-12-5-6-10-8-7-10. SMU 11-2, lost a heartbreaker to #19 Clemson 34-31 on a 55-yard field goal as time expired, (Impressive Wins: Beat #28 Louisville, Lost to #13 BYU and #19 Clemson, Bad Losses: None)

21-17-14-12-11-17-13-11-11. Tennessee 10-2, did not play, (Impressive Wins: Beat #16 Alabama, Lost to #3 Georgia and Arkansas, Bad Losses: Arkansas)

19-35-32-27-32-24-16-13-12. Arizona State 11-2, clipped #22 Iowa State 35-19, (Impressive Wins: Beat #14 BYU, #22 Iowa State and #27 Kansas State, Lost to Cincinnati and Texas Tech, Bad Losses: Cincinnati and Texas Tech)

2-2-2-2-2-9-17-14-13. BYU 10-2, was idle this week, (Impressive Wins: Beat #6 SMU and #27 Kansas State, Lost to #12 Arizona State and Kansas, Bad Losses: Kansas)

31-28-30-26-18-19-14-12-14. UNLV 10-3, fell to #2 Boise State 21-7 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: San Jose State, Lost to #2 Boise State (2) and Syracuse, Bad Losses: Syracuse)

14-6-6-3-13-11-9-15-15. Miami of Florida 10-2, did not play, (Impressive Wins: Beat #28 Louisville, Losses: Lost to Syracuse and Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Syracuse and Georgia Tech)

22-32-21-17-12-7-19-17-16. Alabama 9-3, did not play, (Impressive Wins: Beat #3 Georgia, #18 South Carolina, #19 Missouri and #29 LSU, Lost to #11 Tennessee, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, Bad Losses: Oklahoma and Vanderbilt)

37-36-33-28-19-14-18-18-17. Mississippi 8-3, was idle, (Impressive Wins: Beat #3 Georgia 28-10 and #18 South Carolina, Lost to #29 LSU, Florida and Kentucky, Bad Losses: Florida and Kentucky)

_-37-34-29-29-18-20-19-18. South Carolina 9-3, did not play, (Impressive Wins: Beat #19 Missouri, #19 Clemson and #23 Texas A&M, Lost to #16 Alabama, #17 Mississippi and #29 LSU, Bad Losses: None)

24-21-18-19-21-16-12-21-19. Clemson 10-3, Stole a 34-31 win from #11 SMU in the final seconds, (Impressive Wins: Beat #11 SMU, Lost to #3 Georgia, #18 South Carolina and #28 Louisville, Bad Losses: None)

34-29-26-21-26-25-22-20-19. Missouri 9-3, did not play, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Arkansas, Lost to #16 Alabama, #18 South Carolina and #23 Texas A&M, Bad Losses: None)

24-28-_-_-_-_-24-22-21. Duke (8-3) was idle, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Connecticut, Lost to #6 SMU, #15 Miami of Florida and Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Georgia Tech)

11-8-15-_-_-_-27-16-22. Iowa State (10-3), lost to #12 Arizona State 45-19, (Impressive Wins: Beat #27 Kansas State, Lost to #12 Arizona State, Texas Tech and Kansas, Bad Losses: Texas Tech and Kansas)

33-26-20-18-16-13-21-23-23. Texas A&M 8-4, did not play, (Impressive Wins: Beat #19 Missouri and #29 LSU, Lost to #4 Texas, #9 Notre Dame, #18 South Carolina and Auburn, Bad Losses: Auburn)

_-16-23-_-31-_-24-24. Memphis (10-2), was idle, (Impressive Wins: Beat #26 Tulane, Lost to #30 Navy and Texas-San Antonio, Bad Losses: Texas-San Antonio)

12-8-15-34-30-27-25-26-25. Illinois 9-3, did not play, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Beat Nebraska, Lost to #1 Oregon, #3 Penn State and Minnesota, Bad Losses: Minnesota)

Dropped Out of Top 25:

Louisiana

Also Considered:

_-_-_-32-26-20-15-27-26. Tulane (9-3), lost to #10 Army, (Impressive Wins: Beat #30 Navy, Lost to #10 Army, #24 Memphis, #27 Kansas State and Oklahoma, Bad Losses: Oklahoma

18-15-13-23-24-28-28-27. Kansas State 8-4, did not play, (Impressive Wins: Beat #26 Tulane, Lost to #12 Arizona State, #13 BYU, #22 Iowa State and Houston, Bad Losses: Houston)

35-38-31-22-22-_-29-28. Louisville (8-4), was idle, (Impressive Wins: Beat #19 Clemson, Lost to #6 SMU, #9 Notre Dame, #15 Miami of Florida and Stanford, Bad Losses: Stanford)

25-22-24-20-28-_-_-30-29. LSU (8-4), did not play, (Impressive Wins: Beat #17 Mississippi and #18 South Carolina, Lost to #16 Alabama, #23 Texas A&M, USC and Florida, Bad Losses: USC and Florida)

13-4-22-30-27-_-31-30. Navy (9-3), was idle, (Impressive Wins: Beat #24 Memphis, Lost to #9 Notre Dame, #27 Tulane and Rice, Bad Losses: Rice)

Dropped Out of Consideration:

Louisiana

The Scramble for the Playoffs as Teams Jockey For Position in the Top 25

2024-12-01T09:25:00.002-07:00

The Oregon Ducks have gone wire-to-wire as the #1 team, taking care of every team on their schedule--they'll play #4 Penn State for the Big 10 Championship next week.

Boise State has scored the biggest win of the one-loss teams that have no bad losses with a narrow victory over #12 UNLV. The Broncos will need to repeat that win in the Mountain West Championship Friday night if they are to hold their position.

Texas finally scored a win over a ranked team when they outpointed #23 Texas A&M. Since that win tops Penn State's win over #26 Illinois, Texas's loss (to #6 Georgia) is not as bad as Penn State's loss to #8 Ohio State and neither team has a bad loss, the Longhorns vaulted to #3 over the Nittany Lions.

Miami of Florida and Ohio State each suffered losses to unranked teams, with the Hurricanes going down to Syracuse and the Buckeyes losing to Michigan. Syracuse couldn't crack the Being Considered list because of three bad losses--Stanford, Boston College and Pittsburgh. Michigan is 7-5, with one of those losses being to unranked Washington.

Iowa State was the biggest climber, as the Cyclones finally got the big win (over #28 Kansas State) they've been lacking.

Alabama is tied for the most wins over ranked teams (4) with Notre Dame, even more than #1 Oregon (3), but the Tide have two bad losses (to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt) and thus are yet unable to pass teams ranked ahead of them which have better records.

Notre Dame has the worst loss of teams in the Top 10 (to Northern Illinois) and as bad losses are the most important factor, has a low ceiling. The Fighting Irish are ahead of Army, which has no impressive wins on its resume.

Mississippi and South Carolina benefitted from LSU's return to Teams Considered (at #30), taking away a bad loss from each. LSU also gave Alabama and Texas A&M another impressive win.

Note that #19 South Carolina, #20 Missouri and #21 Clemson each have no bad losses as compared to three-loss Alabama ahead of them. South Carolina, with three impressive wins, would be ahead of even two-loss Miami of Florida and Iowa State with that resume, but are limited in their position because of losses to #17 Alabama and #18 Mississippi and thus must be ranked behind both, each of which have two bad losses and thus have to be behind both Miami and Iowa State. Missouri and Clemson both lost to South Carolina on the field and by logic have to be ranked behind the Gamecocks.

Memphis re-entered the Top 25 by virtue of their upset win over #27 Tulane, even though they have a very bad loss to Texas-San Antonio. #29 Louisville, #30 LSU and #31 Navy squeaked into the Being Considered list because of their impressive wins.

The humans made a big mistake last week by ranking Colorado, completely forgetting that the Buffaloes have no wins over ranked teams and have bad losses to 6-6 Nebraska and 5-7 Kansas. Note that even this week, all the teams Being Considered ahead of Colorado have impressive wins over ranked teams and Colorado's losses to Nebraska and Kansas are worse than all of them, including LSU's losses to 6-6 Florida and 7-5 USC.

Here is the Blue Football Through and Through Top 25 heading into Championship Week!

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1. Oregon 12-0, walloped Washington 49-21, (Impressive Wins: Beat #2 Boise State, #8 Ohio State and #26 Illinois, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

7-7-7-7-4-4-3-2. Boise State 11-1, turned back Oregon State 34-18, (Impressive Wins: Beat #12 UNLV, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

6-18-17-14-10-8-6-3. Texas 11-1, tumbled #23 Texas A&M 17-7, (Impressive Wins: Beat #23 Texas A&M 17-7, Lost to #6 Georgia, Bad Losses: None)

3-3-3-9-7-5-4-4. Penn State 11-1, mashed Maryland 41-7, (Impressive Wins: #26 Illinois, Lost to #8 Ohio State, Bad Losses: None)

4-5-4-4-5-3-5-5. Indiana 11-1, ran it up on Purdue 66-0, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Nebraska, Lost to #8 Ohio State, Bad Losses: None)

23-12-11-11-20-15-7-6. Georgia 10-2, outlasted Georgia Tech 44-42 in 8 overtimes, (Impressive Wins: Beat #3 Texas, #11 Tennessee and #21 Clemson, Lost to #17 Alabama and #18 Mississippi, Bad Losses: None)

11-14-12-5-6-10-8-7. SMU 11-1, smothered California 38-6, (Impressive Wins: Beat #29 Louisville, Lost to #14 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

10-13-9-6-3-2-2-8. Ohio State 10-2, Lost to Michigan 13-10, (Impressive Wins: Beat #3 Penn State and #5 Indiana, Lost to #1 Oregon and Michigan, Bad Losses: Michigan)

32-25-19-16-14-12-10-9. Notre Dame 11-1, put away USC 49-35, (Impressive Wins: Beat #10 Army, #23 Texas A&M, #29 Louisville and #31 Navy, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses: Lost to Northern Illinois)

17-19-16-13-8-6-11-10. Army 11-1, prevailed over UTSA 29-24, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat North Texas, Lost to #9 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

21-17-14-12-11-17-13-11. Tennessee 10-2, ran by Vanderbilt 36-23, (Impressive Wins: Beat #17 Alabama, Lost to #6 Georgia and Arkansas, Bad Losses: Arkansas)

31-28-30-26-18-19-14-12. UNLV 10-2, humiliated Nevada 38-14 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: San Jose State, Lost to #2 Boise State and Syracuse, Bad Losses: Syracuse)

19-35-32-27-32-24-16-13. Arizona State 10-2, blitzed Arizona 49-7, (Impressive Wins: Beat #14 BYU and #28 Kansas State, Lost to Cincinnati and Texas Tech, Bad Losses: Cincinnati and Texas Tech)

2-2-2-2-2-9-17-14. BYU 10-2, humbled Houston 30-14, (Impressive Wins: Beat #7 SMU and #28 Kansas State, Lost to #13 Arizona State and Kansas, Bad Losses: Kansas)

14-6-6-3-13-11-9-15. Miami of Florida 10-2, fell to Syracuse 42-38, (Impressive Wins: Beat #29 Louisville, Losses: Lost to Syracuse and Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Syracuse and Georgia Tech)

11-8-15-_-_-_-27-16. Iowa State (10-2), scored a 29-21 win over #28 Kansas State, (Impressive Wins: Beat #28 Kansas State, Biggest Win: Iowa, Bad Losses: Texas Tech and Kansas)

22-32-21-17-12-7-19-17. Alabama 9-3, squeaked by Auburn 28-24, (Impressive Wins: Beat #6 Georgia, #17 South Carolina, #20 Missouri and #30 LSU, Lost to #11 Tennessee, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, Bad Losses: Oklahoma and Vanderbilt)

37-36-33-28-19-14-18-18. Mississippi 8-3, downed Mississippi State 26-14, (Impressive Wins: Beat #6 Georgia 28-10 and #19 South Carolina, Lost to #30 LSU, Florida and Kentucky, Bad Losses: Florida and Kentucky)

_-37-34-29-29-18-20-19. South Carolina 9-3, edged #21 Clemson 17-14, (Impressive Wins: Beat #20 Missouri, #21 Clemson and #23 Texas A&M, Lost to #17 Alabama, #18 Mississippi and #30 LSU, Bad Losses: None)

34-29-26-21-26-25-22-20. Missouri 9-3, outpointed Arkansas 28-21, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Arkansas, Lost to #17 Alabama, #19 South Carolina and #23 Texas A&M, Bad Losses: None)

24-21-18-19-21-16-12-21. Clemson 9-3, Lost to #19 South Carolina 17-14, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Pittsburgh, Lost to #6 Georgia, #19 South Carolina and #29 Louisville, Bad Losses: None)

24-28-_-_-_-_-24-22. Duke (8-3) nudged Virginia Tech 31-28, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Connecticut, Lost to #7 SMU, #15 Miami of Florida and Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Georgia Tech)

33-26-20-18-16-13-21-23. Texas A&M 8-4, lost to #3 Texas, (Impressive Wins: Beat #20 Missouri and #30 LSU, Lost to #3 Texas, #9 Notre Dame, #19 South Carolina and Auburn, Bad Losses: Auburn)

_-16-23-_-31-_-24. Memphis (10-2) upset #27 Tulane 34-24, (Impressive Wins: Beat #27 Tulane, Lost to #31 Navy and Texas-San Antonio, Bad Losses: Texas-San Antonio)

_-_-_-31-15-26-23-25. Louisiana (10-2), took care of Louisiana-Monroe 37-23, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to #28 Tulane and South Alabama, Bad Losses: South Alabama)

Dropped Out of Top 25:

Illinois and Tulane

Also Considered:

12-8-15-34-30-27-25-26. Illinois 9-3, turned back Northwestern 38-26, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Beat Nebraska, Lost to #1 Oregon, #4 Penn State and Minnesota, Bad Losses: Minnesota)

_-_-_-32-26-20-15-27. Tulane (9-3) lost to #26 Memphis 34-24, (Impressive Wins: Beat #25 Louisiana and #31 Navy, Lost to #25 Memphis, #28 Kansas State and Oklahoma, Bad Losses: Oklahoma

18-15-13-23-24-28-28. Kansas State 8-4, lost to #16 Iowa State, (Impressive Wins: Beat #27 Tulane, Lost to #13 Arizona State, #14 BYU, #16 Iowa State and Houston, Bad Losses: Houston)

35-38-31-22-22-_-29. Louisville (8-4) clipped Kentucky 41-14, (Impressive Wins: Beat #21 Clemson, Lost to #7 SMU, #9 Notre Dame, #15 Miami of Florida and Stanford, Bad Losses: Stanford)

25-22-24-20-28-_-_-30. LSU (8-4) pasted Oklahoma 37-17 (Impressive Wins: Beat #18 Mississippi and #19 South Carolina, Lost to #17 Alabama, #23 Texas A&M, USC and Florida, Bad Losses: USC and Florida)

13-4-22-30-27-_-31. Navy (9-3) got by East Carolina 34-20, (Impressive Wins: Beat #24 Memphis, Lost to #9 Notre Dame, #28 Tulane and Rice, Bad Losses: Rice)

Dropped Out of Consideration:

None

The Cream of the Crop Heading Into The Last Week of the Regular Season

2024-11-24T08:28:00.008-07:00

If ratings were based purely on show, Boise State would be ranked way down in the Top 25. That is never a proper justification of rankings, so the Broncos' third consecutive less-than-impressive victory enabled them to stay in the upper echelon, though Washington State's second straight loss diminished the luster of that win. Boise State was able to advance to #3 since their win over #14 UNLV tops Penn State's biggest win (#25 Illinois). Also, the Broncos' loss was to the #1 team while Penn State's loss was to the #2 team.

Georgia scored the biggest climb of the week. The Bulldogs show no bad losses and three impressive wins, and benefitted by many teams that were ranked above them losing.

With its third bad loss of the season, Mississippi tumbled after falling to Florida. By virtue of its loss to Mississippi, South Carolina had to fall as well, with that loss looking worse now.

Even though Missouri won, they had to be ranked behind both Texas A&M and South Carolina, each of which the Tigers lost to, because all three teams now have the same record.

They aren't under consideration, but Kansas became the first team in history with a losing record to defeat three Top 25 teams in a row, as they've bounced Iowa State, BYU and Colorado out of the Big 12 title race.

1-1-1-1-1-1-1. Oregon 11-0, did not play, (Impressive Wins: Beat #2 Ohio State, #3 Boise State and #25 Illinois, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

10-13-9-6-3-2-2. Ohio State 10-1, throttled previously unbeaten Indiana 38-15, (Impressive Wins: Beat #4 Penn State and #5 Indiana, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

7-7-7-7-4-4-3. Boise State 10-1, held off Wyoming 17-13, (Impressive Wins: Beat #14 UNLV, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

3-3-3-9-7-5-4. Penn State 10-1, outlasted Minnesota 26-25, (Impressive Wins: #25 Illinois, Lost to #2 Ohio State, Bad Losses: None)

4-5-4-4-5-3-5. Indiana 10-1, fell to #2 Ohio State 38-15, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Nebraska, Lost to #2 Ohio State, Bad Losses: None)

6-18-17-14-10-8-6. Texas 10-1, topped Kentucky 31-14, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Oklahoma, Lost to #7 Georgia, Bad Losses: None)

23-12-11-11-20-15-7. Georgia 9-2, ran the score up on Massachusetts 59-28, (Impressive Wins: Beat #6 Texas, #12 Clemson and #13 Tennessee, Lost to #18 Mississippi and #19 Alabama, Bad Losses: None)

11-14-12-5-6-10-8. SMU 10-1, blasted Virginia 33-7, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Pittsburgh and Louisville, Lost to #17 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

14-6-6-3-13-11-9. Miami of Florida 10-1, mashed Wake Forest 42-14, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Louisville, Losses: Lost to Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Georgia Tech)

32-25-19-16-14-12-10. Notre Dame 10-1, ran over Army 49-14 (Impressive Wins: Beat #11 Army and Beat #21 Texas A&M, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses: Lost to Northern Illinois)

17-19-16-13-8-6-11. Army 10-1, lost 49-14 to #10 Notre Dame, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat North Texas, Lost to #10 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

24-21-18-19-21-16-12. Clemson 9-2, clobbered The Citadel 51-14, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Pittsburgh, Lost to #7 Georgia and Louisville, Bad Losses: Louisville)

21-17-14-12-11-17-13. Tennessee 9-2, blanked UTEP 59-0, (Impressive Wins: Beat #19 Alabama, Lost to #7 Georgia and Arkansas, Bad Losses: Arkansas)

31-28-30-26-18-19-14. UNLV 9-2, downed San Jose State 27-16, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: San Jose State, Lost to #3 Boise State and Syracuse, Bad Losses: Syracuse)

_-_-_-32-26-20-15. Tulane (9-2) blanked Navy 35-0, (Impressive Wins: #23 Louisiana, Lost to #26 Kansas State and Oklahoma, Bad Losses: Oklahoma

19-35-32-27-32-24-16. Arizona State 9-2, knocked off #17 BYU 28-23, (Impressive Wins: Beat #17 BYU and #26 Kansas State, Lost to Cincinnati and Texas Tech, Bad Losses: Cincinnati and Texas Tech)

2-2-2-2-2-9-17. BYU 9-2, lost to #16 Arizona State 28-23, (Impressive Wins: Beat #8 SMU and #26 Kansas State, Lost to #16 Arizona State and Kansas, Bad Losses: Kansas)

37-36-33-28-19-14-18. Mississippi 8-3, lost to Florida 24-17, (Impressive Wins: Beat #7 Georgia 28-10 and #20 South Carolina, Lost to LSU, Florida and Kentucky, Bad Losses: LSU, Florida and Kentucky)

22-32-21-17-12-7-19. Alabama 8-3, was shocked by Oklahoma 24-3, (Impressive Wins: Beat #7 Georgia, #20 South Carolina and #22 Missouri, Lost to #13 Tennessee, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, Bad Losses: Oklahoma and Vanderbilt)

_-37-34-29-29-18-20. South Carolina 8-3, whipped Wofford 56-12, (Impressive Wins: #21 Texas A&M and #22 Missouri, Lost to #18 Mississippi, #19 Alabama and LSU, Bad Losses: LSU)

33-26-20-18-16-13-21. Texas A&M 8-3, was defeated 43-41 by Auburn in four overtimes, (Impressive Wins: Beat #22 Missouri, Lost to #10 Notre Dame, #20 South Carolina and Auburn, Bad Losses: Auburn)

34-29-26-21-26-25-22. Missouri 8-3, Downed Mississippi State 39-20, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Vanderbilt, Lost to #19 Alabama, #20 South Carolina and #21 Texas A&M, Bad Losses: None)

_-_-_-31-15-26-23. Louisiana (9-2), blitzed Troy 51-30, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to #15 Tulane and South Alabama, Bad Losses: South Alabama)

24-28-_-_-_-_-24. Duke (8-3) nudged Virginia Tech 31-28, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Connecticut, Lost to #7 SMU, #8 Miami of Florida and Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Georgia Tech)

12-8-15-34-30-27-25. Illinois 8-3, survived Rutgers 38-31, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Beat Nebraska, Lost to #1 Oregon, #4 Penn State and Minnesota, Bad Losses: Minnesota)

Dropped Out of Top 25:

Colorado

Also Considered:

18-15-13-23-24-28-26. Kansas State 8-3, clipped Cincinnati 41-15, (Impressive Wins: Beat #15 Tulane, Lost to #16 Arizona State, #17 BYU and Houston, Bad Losses: Houston)

11-8-15-_-_-_-27. Iowa State (9-2), held on for a 31-28 win over Utah, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Iowa, Bad Losses: Texas Tech and Kansas)

Dropped Out of Consideration:

Colorado and Washington State

2024-11-17T15:11:00.005-07:00

Blue Through and Through is the only rating service that has had Oregon ranked #1 in each of our released Top 25's. The Ducks weathered a storm on the road at Wisconsin, pulling out a 16-13 victory.

BYU dropped from the list of the unbeatens with a stinging 17-13 loss at the hands of Kansas. That bad loss forces the Cougars to take a pretty harsh tumble in the rankings. That loss is as bad as any one-loss team except for Notre Dame, which lost to Northern Illinois. SMU, because they lost to BYU, must also fall with the Cougars' loss and be ranked behind them (SMU's loss was worse than originally factored in.)

Washington State found out something Boise State has known for a long time, that the Mountain West is a pretty good conference, one in which any team can beat you in any given week. The Cougars tumbled from #10 to #22 with their loss to New Mexico and Boise State would have fallen as a result if not for the BYU loss. Logic tells us that the Broncos should not be ranked as high now that their biggest win lost some of its luster. Still, Boise State owns two wins over Top 25 teams without any bad losses.

Georgia's victory over Tennessee also did something very interesting in the rankings, requiring us as well as any person voting in a national poll to take another look at which order they rank the teams. You remember that logically, teams with the same record have to be ranked below any team they lost to. However, sometimes the results show mixed results within a triangle--in other words, Team A beat Team B and Team B beat Team C, but Team C beat Team A.

Logic would tell us that Team A should be ahead of Team B and Team B should be ahead of Team C, however Team C threw a monkey wrench into making things too easy with it's win over Team A. That is what we have with Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. Tennessee beat Alabama and Alabama beat Georgia. But Georgia beat Tennessee.

The head-to-head results don't resolve the tie among those three teams. So logic would tell us that in ranking those three teams, one has to evaluate them the way one would any other three teams with the same record--not their head-to-head results but the quality of their overall resumes. Namely, that means looking at how good their impressive wins are and how bad their bad losses are, if any. Georgia's win over Clemson does require ranking the Bulldogs ahead of the Tigers, however.

The regular tie-breaker of head-to-head results applies to all others except Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.

Alabama is the team that benefits most from this, as their loss to Tennessee necessitated being ranked below the Volunteers, who are kept down by their loss to Arkansas. The circular reasoning of the three teams' results now frees up Alabama to be ranked much higher, as the Tide has two impressive wins and no bad losses, even allowing them to pass up one-loss teams Texas (without any impressive wins) and Miami of Florida (with a bad loss).

LSU's fourth loss drops them out of consideration and thus takes away impressive wins from anyone who beat them and penalizes anyone who lost to them.

The nation's coaches and media were surprised that Kansas State lost to Arizona State, not realizing that the Wildcats had a bad loss to Houston this year and should not have been ranked all the way up at #16.We had them at the more logical #21.

It's a sign of accurate rankings when #26 Missouri loses and yet moves up to #25 as six teams around them lost as well and no one behind the Tigers was strong enough to pass them.

Pittsburgh, LSU, Navy and Louisville all dropped out of consideration--wise pollsters will now go back and diminish wins over all four and penalize teams that lost to them. Affected teams in the rankings are Alabama, Miami of Florida, SMU, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tulane and Memphis.

1-1-1-1-1-1. Oregon 10-0, held off Wisconsin 16-13, (Impressive Wins: Beat #2 Ohio State, #4 Boise State, and #27 Illinois, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

10-13-9-6-3-2. Ohio State 9-1, pounded Northwestern 31-7, (Impressive Wins: Beat #5 Penn State, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

4-5-4-4-5-3. Indiana 10-0, was idle this week, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Nebraska, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

7-7-7-7-4-4. Boise State 9-1, impressively came from behind for a 42-21 win over San Jose State, (Impressive Wins: Beat #19 UNLV and #22 Washington State, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

3-3-3-9-7-5. Penn State 9-1, ripped Purdie 49-10, (Impressive Wins: #27 Illinois, Lost to #3 Ohio State, Bad Losses: None)

17-19-16-13-8-6. Army 9-0, did not play, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat North Texas, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

22-32-21-17-12-7. Alabama 8-2, beat up on Mercer 52-7, (Impressive Wins: Beat #15 Georgia and #25 Missouri, Lost to #17 Tennessee and #18 South Carolina, Bad Losses: None)

6-18-17-14-10-8. Texas 9-1,downed Arkansas 20-10, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Oklahoma, Lost to #15 Georgia, Bad Losses: None)

2-2-2-2-2-9. BYU 9-1, lost a heartbreaker to Kansas, 17-13, (Impressive Wins: Beat #10 SMU and #28 Kansas State, Lost to Kansas, Bad Losses: Kansas)

11-14-12-5-6-10. SMU 9-1, prevailed over Boston College 38-28, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Pittsburgh and Louisville, Lost to #9 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

14-6-6-3-13-11. Miami of Florida 8-1, did not play,, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Louisville, Losses: Lost to Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Georgia Tech)

32-25-19-16-14-12. Notre Dame 9-1, took care of Virginia 35-14 (Impressive Wins: Beat #13 Texas A&M, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses: Lost to Northern Illinois)

33-26-20-18-16-13. Texas A&M 8-2, throttled New Mexico State 38-3, (Impressive Wins: Beat #25 Missouri, Lost to #12 Notre Dame and #18 South Carolina, Bad Losses: None)

37-36-33-28-19-14. Mississippi 8-2, did not play, (Impressive Wins: Beat #15 Georgia 28-10 and #18 South Carolina, Lost to LSU and Kentucky, Bad Losses: LSU and Kentucky)

23-12-11-11-20-15. Georgia 7-2, beat #17 Tennessee, (Impressive Wins: Beat #8 Texas, #16 Clemson and #18 Tennessee, Lost to #7 Alabama and #14 Mississippi, Bad Losses: None)

24-21-18-19-21-16. Clemson 8-2, beat Pittsburgh 24-20, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat #31 Pittsburgh, Lost to #15 Georgia and Louisville, Bad Losses: Louisville)

21-17-14-12-11-17. Tennessee 8-2, lost to #15 Georgia, (Impressive Wins: Beat #7 Alabama, Lost to Arkansas, Bad Losses: Arkansas)

_-37-34-29-29-18. South Carolina 7-3, outlasted #25 Missouri 34-30, (Impressive Wins: #13 Texas A&M and #25 Missouri, Lost to #7 Alabama, #14 Mississippi and LSU, Bad Losses: LSU)

31-28-30-26-18-19. UNLV 7-2, ripped San Diego State 41-20, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Kansas, Lost to #4 Boise State and Syracuse, Bad Losses: Syracuse)

_-_-_-32-26-20. Tulane (9-2) blanked Navy 35-0, (Impressive Wins: #26 Louisiana, Lost to #28 Kansas State and Oklahoma, Bad Losses: Oklahoma

_-31-25-24-25-21 Colorado 8-2, blasted Utah 49-24, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Beat Cincinnati and Texas Tech, Lost to #28 Kansas State and Nebraska, Bad Losses: Nebraska)

8-10-10-10-9-22. Washington State 8-2, was shocked by New Mexico 38-35, (Impressive Wins: None: Biggest Win: Beat Texas Tech, Lost to #4 Boise State and New Mexico, Bad Losses: New Mexico)

19-35-32-27-32-24. Arizona State 8-2, surprised #28 Kansas State 24-14, (Impressive Wins: Beat #28 Kansas State, Lost to Cincinnati and Texas Tech, Bad Losses: Cincinnati and Texas Tech)

34-29-26-21-26-25. Missouri 7-3, fell to #19 South Carolina 34-30 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Vanderbilt, Lost to #7 Alabama, #13 Texas A&M and #18 South Carolina, Bad Losses: None)

Dropped Out of Top 25:

Louisiana, Kansas State, Pittsburgh, Louisville

Also Considered:

_-_-_-31-15-26. Louisiana (8-2) lost to South Alabama 24-22 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to #20 Tulane and South Alabama, Bad Losses: South Alabama)

12-8-15-34-30-27. Illinois 7-3, beat Michigan State 38-16, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Beat Nebraska, Lost to #1 Oregon, #5 Penn State and Minnesota, Bad Losses: Minnesota)

18-15-13-23-24-28. Kansas State 7-3, lost to #24 Arizona State 24-14, (Impressive Wins: Beat #20 Tulane and #21 Colorado, Lost to #10 BYU, #24 Arizona State and Houston, Bad Losses: Houston)

Dropped Out of Consideration:

Pittsburgh, LSU, Navy and Louisville

The Nation's Best Are Beginning To Take Shape

2024-11-10T10:52:00.005-07:00

The upsets which characterized last week crept up again as # 3 Miami of Florida and #16 Texas A&M fell. #2 BYU had to rally in the last seconds to defeat Utah and #4 Boise State had to recover an onside kick to defeat hapless Nevada.

There are now just four unbeatens, and #1 Oregon and #2 BYU continue to have the most impressive resumes among them. #5 Indiana slipped because #18 UNLV is now in the Top 25, giving Boise State two wins over Top 25 teams, while the Hoosiers have none. Indiana is ranked ahead of the final unbeaten, Army, by virtue of Indiana's biggest win (Texas Tech) while the Cadets' biggest win is over North Texas. One-loss teams #6 SMU and #7 Penn State are ranked ahead of Army because they own impressive wins (marked in bold).

Georgia had to take a tumble after losing to Mississippi. The Rebels are prevented from rising too much because of their loss to Kentucky, one of the worst losses in that range. Clemson had to fall right with Georgia even though the Tigers beat Virginia Tech yesterday. Georgia owns a win over Clemson and must be ranked ahead of them.

Pittsburgh's dream season has fallen on tough times. The Panthers reached as high as #5 two weeks ago before consecutive losses to #6 SMU and Virginia.

Of the two-loss teams, #12 Alabama has the best resume with three impressive wins (#17 Missouri, #20 Georgia and #28 LSU) and no bad losses. Note that the Crimson Tide are ahead of #13 Miami of Florida and #14 Notre Dame because the latter two have bad losses. Logic demands it.

Texas A&M is the next-best two-loss team. They are ranked behind Notre Dame because they lost on the field to them, and as a result must always be ranked behind the Fighting Irish as long as Notre Dame has the same or better record. A&M gained ground despite a loss as several teams ahead of them also lost and they have a very impressive resume with no bad losses. The Aggies have always been held back because of the loss to Notre Dame.

Georgia and Clemson also do not have any bad losses, but must always be ranked in the order of Mississippi-Georgia-Clemson as long as they have the same records, because Mississippi beat Georgia and Georgia beat Clemson. Georgia and Clemson will be held back by Mississippi unless or until the Rebels lose another game. The Rebels had a bad loss to Kentucky.

Missouri and UNLV are thus ranked ahead of that trio, and ranked by their bad losses. Missouri has neither no bad losses nor any impressive wins, while UNLV has a bad loss to Syracuse and no impressive wins. Colorado has a bad loss to Nebraska and no impressive wins. Nebraska is a slightly-worse loss than Syracuse, and a better loss than Mississippi's loss to Kentucky. Pittsburgh, Kansas State are the next-best two-loss teams, with losses to Virginia and Houston, respectively. Colorado has a bad loss to Nebraska and no impressive wins, and would be ranked ahead of both Pitt and K-State, but because of a loss to Kansas State must logically be ranked behind them.

As you can see, other than Georgia and Clemson, which have to logically fall behind Mississippi, and Colorado, which logically must be behind Kansas State, the two-loss teams are appropriately ranked. Alabama (no bad losses)-Texas A&M (no bad losses)-Missouri (no bad losses)-UNLV (loss to Syracuse, which is better than), -Mississippi (loss to Kentucky, which is better than)-Pittsburgh (loss to Virginia, which is better than-Kansas State (Houston).

One-loss Louisiana has to be ranked where it is because they have no impressive wins and a loss to #28 Tulane. Even though it isn't a bad loss in retrospect, it still is an anchor on them which is not offset by impressive wins.

Arizona State had to fall despite a win because Cincinnati (because they fell out of consideration) is now a second bad loss for the Sun Devils.

Here is the new Top 25!

1-1-1-1-1. Oregon 10-0, mashed Maryland 39-18 (Impressive Wins: Beat #3 Ohio State, #4 Boise State, and #30 Illinois, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

2-2-2-2-2 BYU 10-0, came from behind in the final seconds to beat rival Utah 22-21 (Impressive Wins: Beat #6 SMU and #19 Kansas State, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

10-13-9-6-3. Ohio State 8-1, blanked Purdue 45-0 (Impressive Wins: Beat #7 Penn State, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

7-7-7-7-4 Boise State 8-1, prevailed over Nevada 28-21, (Impressive Wins: Beat #9 Washington State & #18 UNLV, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

4-5-4-4-5. Indiana 10-0, squeezed by Michigan 20-15 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Nebraska, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

11-14-12-5-6. SMU 8-1, did not play (Impressive Wins: Beat #22 Louisville and #23 Pittsburgh, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

3-3-3-9-7. Penn State 8-1, whipped Washington 35-6 (Impressive Wins: #30 Illinois, Lost to #3 Ohio State, Bad Losses: None)

17-19-16-13-8. Army 9-0, grounded out a 14-3 win over North Texas (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat North Texas, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

8-10-10-10-9. Washington State 8-1, waltzed past Utah State 49-28 (Impressive Wins: None: Biggest Win: Beat Texas Tech, Lost to #4 Boise State, Bad Losses: None)

6-18-17-14-10 Texas 8-1, throttled Florida 49-17 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Oklahoma, Lost to #21 Georgia, Bad Losses: None)

21-17-14-12-11. Tennessee 8-1, put away Mississippi State 33-14 (Impressive Wins: Beat #12 Alabama, Lost to Arkansas, Bad Losses: Arkansas)

22-32-21-17-12. Alabama 7-2, scored a lopsided 42-13 win over #30 LSU (Impressive Wins: Beat #17 Missouri, #20 Georgia and #28 LSU, Lost to #11 Tennessee and #28 South Carolina, Bad Losses: None)

14-6-6-3-13. Miami of Florida 8-1, lost to Georgia Tech 28-23 (Impressive Wins: Beat #22 Louisville, Losses: Lost to Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Georgia Tech)

32-25-19-16-14. Notre Dame 8-1, ran it up on Florida State 52-3 (Impressive Wins: Beat #16 Texas A&M, #22 Louisville and #27 Navy, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses: Lost to Northern Illinois)

_-_-_-31-15. Louisiana (8-1) walloped Arkansas State 55-19 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to #28 Tulane, Bad Losses: None)

33-26-20-18-16. Texas A&M 7-2, lost to #28 South Carolina 44-20 (Impressive Wins: Beat #17 Missouri and #28 LSU, Lost to #14 Notre Dame and #29 South Carolina, Bad Losses: None)

34-29-26-21-17 Missouri 7-2, topped Oklahoma 30-23 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Vanderbilt, Lost to #12 Alabama and #16 Texas A&M , Bad Losses: None)

31-28-30-26-18. UNLV 7-2, prevailed over Hawai'i 29-27 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Oregon State, Lost to #4 Boise State and Syracuse, Bad Losses: Syracuse)

37-36-33-28-19. Mississippi 8-2, humbled #20 Georgia 28-10 (Impressive Wins: Beat #20 Georgia 28-10 and #29 South Carolina, Lost to #28 LSU and Kentucky, Bad Losses: Kentucky)

23-12-11-11-20. Georgia 7-2, lost to #19 Mississippi 28-10 (Impressive Wins: Beat #10 Texas and #21 Clemson, Lost to #12 Alabama and #20 Mississippi, Bad Losses: None)

24-21-18-19-21. Clemson 7-2, got by Virginia Tech 24-14 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat North Carolina State, Lost to #20 Georgia and #22 Louisville, Bad Losses: None)

35-38-31-22-22. Louisville 6-3, shocked #27 Clemson 33-21 (Impressive Wins: Beat #22 Clemson, Lost to #6 SMU, #13 Miami of Florida, and #14 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

15-9-5-8-23. Pittsburgh 7-2, lost to Virginia 24-19 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Beat Syracuse and Cincinnati, Lost to #6 SMU, Bad Losses: Virginia)

18-15-13-23-24. Kansas State 7-2, was upset by Houston 24-19 (Impressive Wins: Beat #21 Colorado and #26 Tulane, Lost to #2 BYU and Houston, Bad Losses: Houston)

_-31-25-24-25 Colorado 7-2, came from behind to beat Texas Tech 41-27 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Beat Cincinnati and Texas Tech, Lost to #24 Kansas State and Nebraska, Bad Losses: Nebraska)

Dropped Out of Top 25:

Iowa State, LSU and Syracuse

Also Considered:

_-_-_-32-26 Tulane (8-2) ripped Temple 52-6 (Impressive Wins: #15 Louisiana, Lost to #24 Kansas State and Oklahoma, Bad Losses: Oklahoma

13-4-22-30-27. Navy 7-2, turned back South Florida 28-7 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Memphis, Losses: Lost to #14 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: Rice)

25-22-24-20-28. LSU 6-3, lost at home to #12 Alabama 42-13 (Impressive Wins: Beat #19 Mississippi and #29 South Carolina, Lost to #12 Alabama, #16 Texas A&M, and USC Bad Losses: Lost to USC)

_-37-34-29-29. South Carolina 6-3, took care of Vanderbilt 28-7, (Impressive Wins: #16 Texas A&M, Lost to #12 Alabama, #19 Mississippi and #28 LSU, Bad Losses: None)

12-8-15-34-30. Illinois 6-3, lost to Minnesota 25-17 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Beat Nebraska, Lost to #1 Oregon, #7 Penn State and Minnesota, Bad Losses: Minnesota)

_-16-23-_-31. Memphis (8-2), beat Rice 27-20 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: North Texas, Lost to #27 Navy and Texas-San Antonio, Bad Losses: Texas-San Antonio

19-35-32-27-32. Arizona State 7-2, eked out a 35-31 win over UCF (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Utah, Lost to Cincinnati and Texas Tech, Bad Losses: Cincinnati and Texas Tech)

Dropped Out of Consideration: Iowa State and Syracuse

Those That Survived Upset Saturday!

2024-11-03T14:23:00.003-07:00

There's always at least one week like this in every college football season--it's known as "Upset Saturday". This week, there were nine--count 'em--nine losses by Top 25 teams!

Oregon and BYU continue to be 1-2 in the Blue Through and Through rankings. Look at their resumes of impressive wins and no bad losses and you can see why they are the top two teams.

Miami of Florida was against the ropes at the hands of Duke, but used a spectacular second half to escape with a victory, Duke fell from consideration, but the Hurricanes were boosted when Louisville scored a win over Clemson to give Miami an impressive win over the #22 team in the country. That win is more impressive now than Indiana's, as Hoosier victim Nebraska fell from consideration.

SMU is looking strong after their surprisingly easy win over Pittsburgh. The Mustangs now own wins over the #8 and #22 teams in the nation, with their only loss being to the #2 team in the country, BYU.

Illinois dropping out of consideration also hurt Penn State, as now the Nittany Lions do not possess an impressive win.

Arkansas dropped out of consideration with its fourth loss of the season and as a result, it pulled other SEC teams down with them. The reality is that this season, the SEC teams do not have a lot of impressive wins and several have some pretty bad losses. The highest-ranked of the lot is Georgia, which does own two impressive wins and no bad losses but they did lose to #17 Alabama, so their ceiling is limited to how well Alabama does. With Arkansas out of consideration, Tennessee now has a bad loss because they fell to the Razorbacks. Texas only has one loss but their biggest win was against Oklahoma, which isn't among the teams considered either. And LSU has the bad loss to USC.

Here is this week's Top 25!

1-1-1-1. Oregon 9-0, thumped Michigan 38-17 (Impressive Wins: Beat #3 Ohio State, #7 Boise State, and #34 Illinois, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

2-2-2-2. BYU 8-0, did not play (Impressive Wins: Beat #6 SMU and #20 Kansas State, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

6-6-3. Miami of Florida 8-0, came from behind to beat Duke 53-31 (Impressive Wins: Beat #22 Louisville, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

5-4-4. Indiana 9-0, blasted Michigan State 47-10 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Nebraska, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

14-12-5. SMU 8-1, outclassed #8 Pittsburgh (Impressive Wins: Beat #8 Pittsburgh and #22 Louisville, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

13-9-6. Ohio State 7-1, outlasted #9 Penn State 20-13 (Impressive Wins: Beat #9 Penn State and #35 Iowa, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

7-7-7 Boise State 7-1, whipped San Diego State 56-17, (Impressive Wins: Beat #10 Washington State & #26 UNLV, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

9-5-8. Pittsburgh 7-1, was destroyed by #5 SMU (Impressive Wins: Beat #26 Syracuse and #33 Cincinnati, Lost to #5 SMU, Bad Losses: None)

3-3-9. Penn State 7-1 was upset by #6 Ohio State 20-13 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Lost to #6 Ohio State, Bad Losses: None)

10-10-10. Washington State 6-1, did not play (Impressive Wins: None: Biggest Win: Beat Texas Tech, Lost to #7 Boise State, Bad Losses: None)

12-11-11. Georgia 7-1, outpointed Florida 34-20 (Impressive Wins: Beat #14 Texas and #19 Clemson, Lost to #17 Alabama, Bad Losses: None)

17-14-12. Tennessee 7-1, got by Kentucky 28-18 (Impressive Wins: Beat #17 Alabama, Lost to Arkansas, Bad Losses: Arkansas)

19-16-13. Army 8-0, grounded Air Force 20-3 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Temple, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

18-17-14. Texas 7-1, was idle (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Oklahoma, Lost to #11 Georgia, Bad Losses: None)

11-8-15. Iowa State 7-1, lost to Texas Tech 23-22 (Impressive Wins: Beat #35 Iowa, Losses: Lost to Texas Tech, Bad Losses: Texas Tech)

25-19-16. Notre Dame 7-1, did not play this week (Impressive Wins: Beat #18 Texas A&M, #22 Louisville and #30 Navy, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses: Lost to Northern Illinois)

32-21-17. Alabama 6-2, did not play (Impressive Wins: Beat #11 Georgia and #22 Missouri, Lost to #12 Tennessee and #29 South Carolina, Bad Losses: None)

26-20-18. Texas A&M 7-2, lost to #29 South Carolina 44-20 (Impressive Wins: Beat #20 LSU and #22 Missouri, Lost to #16 Notre Dame and #29 South Carolina, Bad Losses: None)

21-18-19. Clemson 6-2, lost to #22 Louisville 33-21 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat North Carolina State, Lost to #11 Georgia and #22 Louisville, Bad Losses: None)

22-24-20. LSU 6-2, was idle (Impressive Wins: Beat #28 Mississippi and #29 South Carolina, Lost to #18 Texas A&M and USC Bad Losses: Lost to USC)

29-26-21 Missouri 6-2, was idle (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Vanderbilt, Lost to #17 Alabama and #18 Texas A&M , Bad Losses: None)

38-31-22. Louisville 6-3, shocked #19 Clemson 33-21 (Impressive Wins: Beat #19 Clemson, Lost to #5 Miami of Florida, #6 SMU, and #16 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

15-13-23. Kansas State 7-2, was upset by Houston 24-19 (Impressive Wins: Beat #24 Colorado and #32 Tulane, Lost to #2 BYU and Houston, Bad Losses: Houston)

31-25-24 Colorado 6-2, did not play this week (Impressive Wins: Beat #33 Cincinnati, Lost to #23 Kansas State and Nebraska, Bad Losses: Nebraska)

27-29-25. Syracuse 6-2, survived against Virginia Tech 38-31 in overtime (Impressive Wins: Beat #26 UNLV, Lost to #8 Pittsburgh and Stanford, Bad Losses: Lost to Stanford)

Dropped Out of Top 25:

Navy, Illinois, Memphis

Also Considered:

28-30-26. UNLV 6-2, was idle this week (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Oregon State, Lost to #7 Boise State and #25 Syracuse, Bad Losses: None)

19-35-32-27. Arizona State 5-2, beat Oklahoma State 42-21 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Utah, Lost to #33 Cincinnati and Texas Tech, Bad Losses: Texas Tech)

36-33-28. Mississippi 7-2, beat Arkansas 63-31 (Impressive Wins: Beat #34 South Carolina, Lost to #20 LSU and Kentucky, Bad Losses: Kentucky)

37-34-29 South Carolina 5-3, whipped #19 Texas A&M 44-20 , (Impressive Wins: #18 Texas A&M, Lost to #17 Alabama, #20 LSU, and #28 Mississippi, Bad Losses: None)

4-22-30. Navy 6-2, reeled in a 24-10 loss to Rice (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Memphis, Losses: Lost to #16 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: Rice)

--------31 Louisiana (7-1) beat Texas State 23-17 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to #32 Tulane, Bad Losses: None)

-----32 Tulane (7-2) beat Charlotte 34-3 Biggest Win: North Texas, Lost to #23 Kansas State and Oklahoma, Bad Losses: Oklahoma

30-35-33 Cincinnati 5-3, did not play (Impressive Wins: Beat #27 Arizona State, Lost to #8 Pittsburgh, #24 Colorado and Texas Tech, Bad Losses: Texas Tech)

8-15-34. Illinois 6-3, lost to Minnesota 25-17 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Beat Nebraska, Lost to #1 Oregon, #8 Penn State and Minnesota, Bad Losses: Minnesota)

41-38-35. Iowa 5-3, ripped Wisconsin 42-10 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Washington, Lost to #6 Ohio State, #15 Iowa State, and Michigan State, Bad Losses: Michigan State)

Dropped from Consideration:

Arkansas, Duke, Memphis, Nebraska

Oregon Still Atop The Blue Through and Through Top 25

2024-10-27T09:00:00.003-06:00

Oregon continues to roll with their third win over a Top 25 team, defeating #15 Illinois, and this one was more decisive than their wins over #7 Boise State and #9 Ohio State. The Broncos collected their second impressive win with a road victory over #31 UNLV.

Notre Dame and Texas A&M both own three impressive wins and Alabama two. The Aggies are held back because they lost to Notre Dame and thus must be ranked behind them, and Notre Dame is going to be ranked low because of their horrible loss to Northern Illinois, which is going to do well to have a winning season.

The Irish will not advance very far unless the teams ahead of them also suffer a loss similar to Notre Dame's loss to Northern Illinois, as is logical. The teams ahead of the Irish have all beaten quality teams and/or have only lost to high-ranked teams. As we've mentioned before, a bad loss is devastating and will hurt a team more than scoring an impressive win will help them.

Navy fell hard after losing to Notre Dame, which used the win to make their first appearance in the Top 25 this year. Navy had to be ranked behind the Irish with the head-to-head loss and the same record, but Notre Dame has a low ceiling with their loss to Northern Illinois. Memphis had to drop substantially as a result as they lost to Navy. The ratings must be constantly be adjusted due to logic.

You will notice that Colorado debuts in the Top 25 after beating Cincinnati and is ahead of #27 Nebraska. The Cornhuskers did defeat Colorado, but because they have three losses to Colorado's two are now ranked behind them. The head-to-head matchup only breaks ties if the two teams have the same number of losses.

Missouri was able to advance despite a loss as several teams ranked ahead of them lost and the Tigers' two losses are to Top 25 teams, much more impressive than the losses suffered by the teams ranked below them.

1-1. Oregon 8-0, ran way from #15 Illinois 38-9 (Impressive Wins: Beat #7 Boise State, #9 Ohio State and #15 Illinois, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

2-2. BYU 8-0, ripped UCF 37-18 (Impressive Wins: Beat #12 SMU and #13 Kansas State, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

3-3. Penn State 7-0 raced past Wisconsin 28-13 (Impressive Wins: Beat #15 Illinois, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

5-4. Indiana 8-0, took care of Washington 31-17 (Impressive Wins: Beat #27 Nebraska, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

9-5. Pittsburgh 7-0, blasted #29 Syracuse 41-13 (Impressive Wins: Beat #29 Syracuse and #33 Cincinnati, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

6-6. Miami of Florida 7-0, vs. Florida State (Impressive Wins: Beat #31 Louisville, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

7-7. Boise State 6-1, beat back #31 UNLV 29-24, (Impressive Wins: Beat #10 Washington State & #31 UNLV, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

11-8. Iowa State 6-0, was idle this week (Impressive Wins: Beat #38 Iowa, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

13-9. Ohio State 6-1, squeaked by #27 Nebraska 21-17 (Impressive Wins: Beat #27 Nebraska and #38 Iowa, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

10-10. Washington State 6-1, survived San Diego State 29-26 (Impressive Wins: None: Biggest Win: Beat Texas Tech, Lost to #7 Boise State, Bad Losses: None)

12-11. Georgia 6-1, did not play (Impressive Wins: Beat #17 Texas and #18 Clemson, Lost to #32 Alabama, Bad Losses: None)

14-12. SMU 7-1, survived #28 Duke 28-27 in overtime (Impressive Wins: Beat #28 Duke and #31 Louisville, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

15-13. Kansas State 7-1,eeked out a 29-27 win over Kansas (Impressive Wins: Beat #25 Colorado, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

17-14. Tennessee 6-1, did not play (Impressive Wins: Beat #21 Alabama, Lost to #40 Arkansas, Bad Losses: None)

8-15. Illinois 6-2, lost to #1 Oregon 38-9 (Impressive Wins: Beat #27 Nebraska and #36 Michigan, Lost to #1 Oregon and 3 Penn State, Bad Losses: None)

19-16. Army 7-0, was idle this week (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Temple, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

18-17. Texas 7-1 turned back Vanderbilt 27-24 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Oklahoma, Lost to #11 Georgia, Bad Losses: None)

21-18. Clemson 6-1, did not play (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat North Carolina State, Lost to #11 Georgia, Bad Losses: None)

25-19. Notre Dame 7-1, whipped #22 Navy 51-14 (Impressive Wins: Beat #20 Texas A&M, #22 Navy, and #31 Louisville, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses: Lost to Northern Illinois)

26-20. Texas A&M 7-1, took it to #24 LSU 38-23 (Impressive Wins: Beat #24 LSU, #26 Missouri and #37 Arkansas, Lost to #19 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

32-21. Alabama 6-2, blanked #26 Missouri 34-0 (Impressive Wins: Beat #11 Georgia and #26 Missouri, Lost to #14 Tennessee and #34 South Carolina, Bad Losses: None)

4-22. Navy 6-1, fell to #19 Notre Dame 51-14 (Impressive Wins: Beat #23 Memphis, Losses: Lost to #19 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

16-23 Memphis 7-1, prevailed over Charlotte 33-28 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat North Texas), Lost to #22 Navy, Bad Losses: None)

22-24. LSU 6-2, lost to #20 Texas A&M 38-23 (Impressive Wins: Beat #32 Mississippi, #34 South Carolina and #37 Arkansas, Lost to #20 Texas A&M and USC Bad Losses: Lost to USC)

31-25 Colorado 6-2, downed #35 Cincinnati 34-23, (Impressive Wins: Beat #35 Cincinnati, Lost to #13 Kansas State and #27 Nebraska, Bad Losses: None)

Dropped Out of Top 25: Liberty, Duke

Also Considered:

29-26 Missouri 6-2, lost to #21 Alabama 34-0 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Vanderbilt, Lost to #20 Texas A&M and #21 Alabama, Bad Losses: None)

23-27. Nebraska 5-3, lost to #9 Ohio State 21-17 (Impressive Wins: Beat #25 Colorado, Lost to #4 Indiana, #8 Iowa State and #15 Illinois, Bad Losses: None)

24-28. Duke 5-2, lost a 28-27 heartbreaker to #12 SMU in overtime (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: North Carolina, Lost to #12 SMU and Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Lost to Georgia Tech)

27-29. Syracuse 5-2, lost to #5 Pittsburgh 41-13 (Impressive Wins: Beat #30 UNLV, Lost to Stanford, Bad Losses: Lost to Stanford)

28-30. UNLV 6-2, lost to #7 Boise State 29-24 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Oregon State, Lost to #7 Boise State and #29 Syracuse, Bad Losses: None)

38-31. Louisville 5-3, came from behind to beat Boston College 31-27 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Virginia, Lost to #6 Miami of Florida, #12 SMU, and #19 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

35-32. Arizona State 5-2, was idle (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Utah, Lost to #34 Cincinnati and Texas Tech, Bad Losses: Texas Tech)

36-33. Mississippi 6-2, downed Oklahoma 26-14 (Impressive Wins: Beat #34 South Carolina, Lost to #24 LSU and Kentucky, Bad Losses: Kentucky)

37-34 South Carolina 4-3, did not play , (Impressive Wins: None, Lost to #21 Alabama, #24 LSU, and #33 Mississippi, Bad Losses: None)

30-35 Cincinnati 5-3, lost to #25 Colorado 34-23, (Impressive Wins: Beat #32 Arizona State, Lost to #5 Pittsburgh, #25 Colorado and Texas Tech, Bad Losses: Texas Tech)

40-36. Michigan 4-3, vs. Michigan State (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat USC, Lost To #15 Illinois, #17 Texas and Washington, Bad Losses: Washington)

42-37. Arkansas 5-3 blew away Mississippi State 58-25 (Impressive Wins: Beat #14 Tennessee, Lost to #20 Texas A&M, #24 LSU, and Oklahoma State, Bad Losses: Oklahoma State)

41-38. Iowa 5-3, routed Northwestern 40-14 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Washington, Lost to #8 Iowa State, #9 Ohio State and Michigan State, Bad Losses: Michigan State)

Dropped from Consideration:

Texas Tech, Liberty, Oklahoma, North Texas

Oregon Remains at the Top in Blue Through and Through Top 25

2024-10-20T09:14:00.002-06:00

Many voters in the AP and Coaches polls were shocked, simply shocked, that Texas and Alabama lost, but readers of this blog would not be, because, through the use of logic, they knew that Texas was not #1 but ranked sixth, and even that turned out to be too high. And they knew that Alabama was not ranked much higher than Tennessee (as they were in the "famous" polls), but below Tennessee.

Oregon and BYU continue to have the most impressive wins without a loss and remain at the top. Georgia also has two very impressive wins but have a loss to a team that is way down at #32 (Alabama), which lost to #37 South Carolina and that loss (both for Georgia as well as Alabama) is far worse than others in their range.

Navy jumped all the way to #4 as their win over Memphis looks great after the Tigers knocked off North Texas. The Mean Green had not been considered in the Top 25, but now it's two losses (to Memphis and Texas Tech) look better than other teams previously considered. All games are interrelated and every result matters.

Even though Iowa State won, they fell hard because the one previously impressive win that was propping them up (Iowa) fell all the way to #41 after a loss, making the Cyclones' win over Iowa no longer as impressive. A team can fall that far despite a win as teams on their schedule are analyzed each week.

For those seeing our Top 25 for the first time, teams are analyzed based on their respective schedules, looking specifically at their biggest wins and worst losses. The worst losses are the most important--losing to an unranked team is the most devastating, as it should be. The #1 consideration for teams with equal records is head-to-head play; if they didn't meet, the next factor is which has the worst loss or losses. If those are fairly even, the next factor is the most impressive win, and finally if neither has an impressive win, they are ranked based on the quality of their biggest win.

Clemson is behind undefeated Army and Liberty because the Tigers don't have an impressive win yet, so an undefeated team is always going to be ranked ahead of a one-loss team unless that one-loss team has an impressive win and no bad losses.

The worst losses by teams being considered are to Baylor and Kentucky, and as a result, Texas Tech and Mississippi are two of the lowest-ranked teams with two losses. The Red Raiders fell precipitously from #9 to #33 as a result. Note that Texas Tech could not fall below North Texas nor Arizona State because they own wins over both and all three have two losses.

As Stanford continues to lose, that makes Notre Dame's loss to Northern Illinois better than Syracuse's loss to Stanford, so the Fighting Irish debut in the Top 25. Texas A &M, held back only because they lost to Notre Dame and therefore must be behind them, also advanced past Syracuse.

No teams fell from consideration--Arkansas was the closest but they do own a win over #17 Tennessee.

1-1. Oregon 7-0, blanked Purdue 35-0 (Impressive Wins: Beat #7 Boise State and #13 Ohio State, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

2-2. BYU 7-0, survived Oklahoma State 38-35 (Impressive Wins: Beat #14 SMU and #15 Kansas State, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

3-3. Penn State 6-0 was idle this week (Impressive Wins: Beat #9 Illinois, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

13-4. Navy 6-0, rolled it up on Charlotte 51-17 (Impressive Wins: #16 Memphis, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

5-5. Indiana 7-0, clobbered #23 Nebraska 56-7 (Impressive Wins: Beat #23 Nebraska, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

14-6. Miami of Florida 7-0, held off #37 Louisville 52-45 (Impressive Wins: #38 Louisville, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

7-7. Boise State 5-1 was off this week (Impressive Wins: Beat #10 Washington State, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

12-8. Illinois 6-1, knocked Off #40 Michigan 21-7 (Impressive Wins: #23 Nebraska and #40 Michigan, Lost to #3 Penn State, Bad Losses: None)

15-9. Pittsburgh 6-0, did not play (Impressive Wins: #30 Cincinnati, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

8-10. Washington State 6-1, ripped Hawai'i 42-10 (Impressive Wins: Beat #33 Texas Tech, Lost to #7 Boise State, Bad Losses: None)

4-11. Iowa State 6-0, outlasted UCF 38-35 (Impressive Wins: #41 Iowa, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

23-12. Georgia 6-1 beat #18 Texas 30-15 (Impressive Wins: Beat #18 Texas and #20 Clemson, Lost to #32 Alabama, Bad Losses: None)

10-13. Ohio State 5-1, was off this week (Impressive Wins: #41 Iowa, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

11-14. SMU 6-1 blasted Stanford 40-10 (Impressive Wins: Beat #38 Louisville, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

18-15. Kansas State 6-1 blew away West Virginia 45-18 (Impressive Wins: #31 Colorado, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

---16 Memphis 5-1, toppled #34 North Texas 52-44 (Impressive Wins: #34 North Texas), Lost to #4 Navy, Bad Losses: None)

21-17. Tennessee 6-1, defeated #32 Alabama 24-17 (Impressive Wins: Beat #32 Alabama, Lost to #42 Arkansas, Bad Losses: None)

6-18. Texas 6-1 was upset by #12 Georgia 30-15 (Impressive Wins: #38 Oklahoma, Lost to #12 Georgia, Bad Losses: None)

17-19. Army 7-0, held off East Carolina 45-28 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Temple, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

16-20. Liberty 5-0, was off this week (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Temple, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

24-21. Clemson 6-1, rolled over Virginia 38-31 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat North Carolina State, Lost to #12 Georgia, Bad Losses: None)

25-22. LSU 6-1 beat #39 Arkansas 34-10 (Impressive Wins: Beat #36 Mississippi, #37 South Carolina and #42 Arkansas, Lost to USC Bad Losses: Lost to USC)

20-23. Nebraska 5-2, lost to #5 Indiana 56-7 (Impressive Wins: #31 Colorado, Lost to #5 Indiana and #8 Illinois, Bad Losses: None)

27-24. Duke 5-1, did not play (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: North Carolina, Lost to Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Lost to Georgia Tech)

32-25. Notre Dame 6-1, turned back Georgia Tech 31-13 (Impressive Wins: Beat #26 Texas A&M and #38 Louisville, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses: Lost to Northern Illinois)

Also Considered:

33-26. Texas A&M 6-1, nudged Mississippi State 34-24 (Impressive Wins: Beat #29 Missouri and #42 Arkansas, Lost to #25 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

28-27. Syracuse 5-1, was idle this week (Impressive Wins: Beat #28 UNLV, Lost to Stanford, Bad Losses: Lost to Stanford)

31-28. UNLV 6-1 upended Oregon State 33-25 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Oregon State, Lost to #27 Syracuse, Bad Losses: None)

34-29 Missouri 6-1, nipped Auburn 21-17 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Vanderbilt, Lost to #26 Texas A&M, Bad Losses: None)

---30 Cincinnati 5-2, downed #35 Arizona State 24-14, (Impressive Wins: Beat #35 Arizona State, Lost to #9 Pittsburgh and #33 Texas Tech, Bad Losses: None)

---31 Colorado 5-2, drubbed Arizona 34-7, (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Arizona, Lost to #15 Kansas State and #23 Nebraska, Bad Losses: None)

22-32. Alabama 5-2, fell to #17 Tennessee 24-17 (Impressive Wins: Beat #12 Georgia, Lost to #17 Tennessee and #37 South Carolina, Bad Losses: None)

9-33. Texas Tech 5-2, lost to Baylor 59-35 (Impressive Wins: #30 Cincinnati, #34 North Texas and #35 Arizona State, Lost to #10 Washington State and Baylor, Bad Losses: Baylor)

---34. North Texas 5-2, fell to #16 Memphis 52-44 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Tulsa, Lost to #16 Memphis and #33 Texas Tech, Bad Losses: None)

19-35. Arizona State 5-2, lost to #30 Cincinnati 24-14 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Utah, Lost to #30 Cincinnati and #33 Texas Tech, Bad Losses: None)

37-36. Mississippi 5-2, did not play (Impressive Wins: Beat #37 South Carolina, Lost to #22 LSU and Kentucky, Bad Losses: Kentucky)

---37 South Carolina 4-3 beat #39 Oklahoma 35-9, (Impressive Wins: #39 Oklahoma, Lost to #22 LSU, #32 Alabama and #36 Mississippi, Bad Losses: None)

35-38. Louisville 4-3, lost to #6 Miami of Florida 52-45 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Virginia, Lost to #6 Miami of Florida, #14 SMU, and #25 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

30-39. Oklahoma 4-3, lost to #37 South Carolina 35-9 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Houston and Auburn, Lost to #17 Tennessee, #18 Texas, and #37 South Carolina, Bad Losses: None)

38-40. Michigan 4-3, Lost to #8 Illinois 21-7 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat USC, Lost To #8 Illinois, #18 Texas and Washington, Bad Losses: Washington)

29-41. Iowa 4-3 lost to Michigan State 32-20 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Washington, Lost to #11 Iowa State, #13 Ohio State and Michigan State, Bad Losses: Michigan State)

36-42. Arkansas 4-3 lost to #22 LSU 34-10 (Impressive Wins: Beat #17 Tennessee, Lost to #22 LSU, #28 Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, Bad Losses: Oklahoma State)

Oregon Debuts at #1 in First 2024 Blue Through and Through Top 25 of 2024!

2024-10-13T15:13:00.011-06:00

The eagerly-anticipated Blue Through and Through initial Top 25 college football rankings are out, and by virtue of their heartstopping win over Ohio State, the Oregon Ducks sit atop the throne. Unlike the AP and Coaches polls, this ranking thoroughly examines each team's body of work and never loses track of important wins and bad losses. And also unlike the aforementioned polls, a team will never be ranked behind one they beat on the field if their records are the same. A bad loss is much worse than a team not having an impressive win, though each game is carefully analyzed and tougher schedules are considered.

Oregon has the most impressive wins of the contenders, exciting wins over both #7 Boise State and #10 Ohio State so is the easy choice for #1. Penn State has a nice win over #12 Illinois, but has to take a back seat to #2 BYU, who has defeated both #11 SMU and #18 Kansas State for the second-best body of work among the unbeatens. There is no other way to logically rank the Top Two other than #1 Oregon and #2 BYU.

Several polls have Texas #1, but their biggest win is over #30 Oklahoma--impressive wins will always top wins over non-Top 25 teams among teams with the same record, and as one can plainly see, wins over two Top 25 teams is always going to be more impressive than a single win over the #30 team. On the flip side, several polls have Notre Dame ranked high, but they lost to Northern Illinois, a very damaging loss at this point in the season.

And, pollsters are not using logic when they have Georgia ranked ahead of Alabama. The two have identical 5-1 records and similar losses (Alabama to South Carolina and Georgia to Kentucky) and Alabama defeated Georgia earlier this year.

Logic also tells us that Ohio State and Iowa State should be near each other and that the Cyclones should be ahead. The biggest win for both teams was over Iowa, and Ohio State had the loss to Oregon. Until the Buckeyes own a more-impressive win than Iowa State or until the Cyclones lose, Ohio State is and should always be ranked behind them.

Of the one-loss teams, Boise State and Ohio State logically have to be at the top, since the only loss by either was to the #1 team in the land. The Broncos get the nod this week as their biggest win was over a team also being considered (Washington State) while Ohio State's biggest win is over Iowa. The next-best one-loss team is SMU, whose only loss is to #2 BYU. A loss to a team ranked that high is not going to hurt you, and the Mustangs also own a win over #35 Louisville, another team considered for the Top 25.

Miami of Florida is not ranked higher because, although they are unbeaten, their biggest win is over Florida, a team not even considered. Army, Navy, and Liberty also have the same story--they just haven't beaten anyone of note yet. However, all are ranked ahead of teams like Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee, as those four SEC teams all have bad losses, but behind Missouri, Clemson, Kansas State and Texas A&M, who don't have impressive wins either yet, and whose only losses were to ranked teams. Again, a loss to a ranked team doesn't hurt as much as a bad loss. And all of those unbeatens: Army, Navy, and Liberty--will be ranked ahead of those four one-loss teams until they suffer a worse loss, or unless the one-loss teams pile up 2 or 3 wins over ranked teams.

Further, one-loss teams Washington State and Nebraska also have to be ranked ahead of those four mentioned above (Missouri, Clemson, Kansas State and A&M) as their only loss was to a ranked team, not the bad losses of the four behind them.

The overriding problem with today's polls is that they excuse losses by some teams and not others. A loss is a loss and it is never as good as a win. Teams with losses should never be ranked ahead of undefeated teams unless the unbeaten team has no impressive wins, and even then, only after considering each of the games on the respective teams' schedules.

One-loss teams such as Boise State, Washington State and Texas Tech are going to be ranked ahead of unbeaten teams that don't own wins over teams that are considered for the Top 25--that's logic. Of the unbeatens, Oregon, BYU, Penn State, Indiana and Texas all have impressive wins, while Iowa State, Navy, Miami of Florida, Pittsburgh, Army, and Liberty do not and, using logic, should always be ranked ahead of them. And among unbeatens, the teams are going to be ranked based on the quality wins and the number of those quality wins, as you can clearly see.

Iowa and Oklahoma are the best of the two-loss teams--both lost to two Top 25 ranked teams.

Texas A&M has a nice win over Missouri, but the Aggies are held back because they lost to Notre Dame.

Without further ado, here is the Top 25!

1. Oregon 6-0 (Impressive Wins: Beat #7 Boise State and #10 Ohio State, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

2. BYU 6-0 (Impressive Wins: Beat #11 SMU and #18 Kansas State, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

3. Penn State 6-0 (Impressive Wins: Beat #12 Illinois, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

4. Indiana 6-0 (Impressive Wins: Beat #13 Navy, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

5. Iowa State 6-0 (Impressive Wins: #29 Iowa, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

6. Texas 6-0 (Impressive Wins: Beat #30 Oklahoma, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

7. Boise State 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #8 Washington State, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

8. Washington State 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #9 Texas Tech, Lost to #7 Boise State, Bad Losses: None)

9. Texas Tech 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #19 Arizona State, Lost to #8 Washington State, Bad Losses: None)

10. Ohio State 5-1 (Impressive Wins: #29 Iowa, Lost to #1 Oregon, Bad Losses: None)

11. SMU 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #35 Louisville, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

12. Illinois 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #20 Nebraska, Lost to #3 Penn State, Bad Losses: None)

13. Navy 5-0 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Memphis, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

14. Miami of Florida 6-0 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Florida, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

15. Pittsburgh 6-0 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Cincinnati, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

16. Liberty 5-0 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: East Carolina, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

17. Army 6-0 (Impressive Wins: None, Beat Temple, Losses: None, Bad Losses: None)

18.. Kansas State 5-1 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Beat Oklahoma State and Arizona, Lost to #2 BYU, Bad Losses: None)

19. Arizona State 5-1 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Utah, Lost to #9 Texas Tech, Bad Losses: None)

20. Nebraska 5-1 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Rutgers, Lost to #12 Illinois, Bad Losses: None)

21. Tennessee 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #30 Oklahoma, Lost to #36 Arkansas, Bad Losses: None)

22. Alabama 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #23 Georgia, Lost to South Carolina, Bad Losses: Lost to South Carolina)

23. Georgia 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #24 Clemson, Lost to #22 Alabama, Bad Losses: None)

24. Clemson 5-1 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat North Carolina State, Lost to #23 Georgia, Bad Losses: None)

25. LSU 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #37 Mississippi, Lost to USC Bad Losses: Lost to USC)

Also Considered:

27. Duke 5-1 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: North Carolina, Lost to Georgia Tech, Bad Losses: Lost to Georgia Tech)

28. Syracuse 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #31 UNLV, Lost to Stanford, Bad Losses: Lost to Stanford)

29. Iowa 4-2 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Washington, Lost to #5 Iowa State and #10 Ohio State, Bad Losses: None)

30. Oklahoma 4-2 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Wins: Houston and Auburn, Lost to #6 Texas and #21 Tennessee)

31. UNLV 5-1 Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Kansas, Lost to #28 Syracuse, Bad Losses: None)

32. Notre Dame 5-1 (Impressive Wins: Beat #33 Texas A&M and #35 Louisville, Lost to Northern Illinois, Bad Losses: Lost to Northern Illinois)

33. Texas A&M 5-1 (Beat #34 Missouri, Lost to #32 Notre Dame)

34. Missouri 5-1 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Vanderbilt, Lost to #33 Texas A&M, Bad Losses: None)

35. Louisville 4-2 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat Virginia, Lost to #11 SMU and #32 Notre Dame, Bad Losses: None)

36. Arkansas 4-2 (Impressive Wins: Beat #21 Tennessee, Lost to #33 Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, Bad Losses Oklahoma State)

37. Mississippi 5-2 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat South Carolina, Lost to #25 LSU and Kentucky, Bad Losses: Kentucky)

38. Michigan 4-2 (Impressive Wins: None, Biggest Win: Beat USC, Lost To #6 Texas and Washington, Bad Losses: Washington)

The History of the 55-Yard Field Goal

2023-09-14T08:16:00.003-06:00

Blue Football Through and Through broke the news on Monday that Boise State's game with UCF was the third time in NCAA history (154 years) that opposing players kicked field goals of 55+ yards in the same game. This information has come directly from the 133 Media Relations departments of the current FBS schools. Out of the tens of thousands of college football games, Saturday's game was the third which featured such historic results.

(Russell Erxlerben of Texas, left, Steve Little of Arkansas, right)

Prior to the Bronco game, in which both Jonah Dalmas of Boise State (56 yards) and Colton Boomer of UCF (55 yards) there were only two times in which the feat was achieved. This article not only gives the background for the first such time in NCAA history (Texas's Russell Erxlerben's 58-yarder followed by Arkansas's Steve Little's 67-yarder on October 15, 1977), but shows the prowess and determination that field kickers from Texas had to be distance-dominant.

(Lucas Havrisik of Arizona and WSU's Erik Powell, above)

The Washington State-Arizona game in 2017, which featured a 57-yard field goal by Lucas Havrisik of Arizona and a 56-yarder from WSU's Erik Powell, was the second time in which opposing kickers booted field goals of 55 yards or longer in the same game.

An astounding 67 of the 363 field goals of 55+ (18.5%) have been made by kickers from Texas colleges. There are also several oddities unearthed by our research. This includes 18 by kickers from the University of Texas,14 by kickers from Texas A&M, 10 by UTEP placekickers and 6 by Texas Tech.

So difficult is a 55-yard field goal that Erxlerben (9), Tony Franklin of Texas A&M (6) Colorado's Mason Crosby (6) and Jason Hanson of Washington State (4) are the only players in NCAA history to accomplish the feat more than three times in a major college football game.

Here are the all-time longest collegiate including all divisions:

Johansson's 69-yard field goal

1. 69 yards--Ove Johansson (Abilene Christian) vs. East Texas State, 1976

2. 67 yards--Russell Erxlerben (Texas) vs. Rice, 1977

2. 67 yards--Steve Little (Arkansas) vs. Texas, 1977

2. 67 yards--Joe Williams (Wichita State) vs. Southern Illinois, 1978

2. 67 yards--Tom Odle (Fort Hays State) vs. Washburn, 1988

6. 65 yards--John Haxall (Princeton) vs. Yale, 1882

6. 65 yards--Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) vs. Baylor, 1976

6. 65 yards--Martin Gramatica (Kansas State) vs. Northern Illinois, 1998

9. 64 yards--Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) vs. Baylor, 1976

9. 64 yards--Russell Erxlerben (Texas) vs. Oklahoma, 1977

9. 64 yards--Jose Martinez (UTEP) vs. UCF, 2008

12. 63 yards--Joe Duren (Arkansas State) vs. McNeese State, 1974

12. 63 yards--Clark Kemble (Colorado State) vs. Arizona, 1975

12. 63 yards--Morten Anderson (Michigan State) vs. Ohio State, 1981

12. 63 yards--Tim Foley (Georgia Southern) vs. James Madison, 1987

12. 63 yards--Scott Roper (Arkansas State) vs. North Texas, 1987

12. 63 yards--Bill Gramatica (South Florida) vs. Austin Peay, 2000

In the 136-year history of Notre Dame football, its longest field goal is 54 yards. In the 133-year history of Army football, its longest field goal is 53 yards. In the 144-year history of football at Navy, its longest field goal is 54 yards. Louisville and Northwestern of the Big Ten Conference also do not have any field goals of 55 yards or longer.

Powerhouse USC, in its 135 years of playing football, has one field goal of 55 yards+ (Don Shafer's 60-yarder in 1986), compared to Boise State's two total and one in 27 years as a major college football team. Boston College and North Carolina of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Rutgers of the Big Ten (which has been playing football for 154 years, longer than any other college), Arkansas of the SEC and BYU and UCF of the Big 12 all are represented once on this list, the same as Boise State.

We have organized the list first chronologically to show the history of the 55-yard field goal and highlight the three instances of opposing 55-yard field goals in the same game in NCAA history, then also reveal the list to show the kicks in order of distance. Finally, we show the list organized by school, which brings home the point made in the above paragraph. All of this information is brought to you exclusively by Blue Football Through and Through--you won't see it anywhere else.

The chronological list shows us that very few 55-yard field goals were made in college football's early days. John Haxall of Princeton, after discovering the football traveled farther when kicked on its end than in the middle, sailed one through the uprights from 65 yards, a record which stood for 77 years. According to The Daily Princetonian in December of 1915, "Later in the game Haxall tried another goal from 90 yards but the ball fell barely two feet short of the mark."

Some kickers drop-kicked the ball, meaning they kicked it right as the ball hit the ground. You will note that Pat O'Dea's kick in 1898 specifically states that it was a drop kick. Others from that era may or may not have been.

Following those five early kicks, 62 years passed (1904-1966) before another college football player was able to make the distance.

There have been a total of 363 recorded field goals of 55 yards or longer in major college football games, or an average of a little over two per year. Field goal kickers were greatest in the 80's, when 82 of the 363 in the list were made (average of 8.2) and the 70's, when 81 of the 363 were made (average of 8.1).

Field goals 55 yards and over dropped to just 51 in the 90's and 47 in the 00's before increasing to 56 in the 2010's and numbering 35 in the 2020's.

More field goals of 55+ were made in 1977 than any other year (23), during the heyday of the long-distance field goal. There were 17 in 1975 while1982 featured 13 from 55 or beyond.

In addition to the three games in NCAA history in which opposing players kicked field goals of 55 yards+ in the same game, we also note the eight instances in which the same player kicked two 55-yard+ field goals. There were also a few select instances in which a player kicked a 55-yarder or longer against an opponent whose roster included another player who kicked one that same year but not in the same game.

Although our list is only made up of kickers who achieved the feat in a major college football game, we also show those players below major college level who have achieved the feat, including Ove Johansson of Abilene Christian (pictured above), whose 69-yard field goal is the longest ever kicked in a college football game. Coincidentally, Tony Franklin of Texas A&M made his 65-yard field goal (one of two kicked against Baylor) on the same day as Johansson.

Here are the complete lists of major college football games in which a 55-yard field goal was made, organized in the manner described above.

55-Yard Field Goals in Chronological Order:

1882: John Haxall (Princeton) 65 yards vs. Yale

1891: J.E. Duffy (Michigan) 55 yards vs. Cornell

1898: Pat O'Dea (Wisconsin) 62 yards vs. Northwestern (drop kick)

1899: Pat O'Dea (Wisconsin) 57 yards vs. Illinois

1904: Fred Bennion (Utah) 55 yards vs. Utah State

1966: Gary Cairns (Ohio State) 55 yards vs. Illinois

Kenny Vinyard (Texas Tech) 55 vs. TCU

1967: Don Martin (Washington) 56 vs. Air Force

(Hinton shown in the Sugar Bowl of 1970)

Hinton hits from 59

1969: Cloyce Hinton (Mississippi) 59 vs. Georgia

Paul Rogers (Nebraska) 55 vs. Kansas

Jack Simcsak (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. Kentucky

1970: Cloyce Hinton (Mississippi) 58 vs. Houston

Happy Feller (Texas) 55 vs. UCLA

1971: Marv Bateman (Utah) 59 vs. Utah State

Jeff Ireland (Baylor) 58 vs. Rice

Steve Buettner (Oregon) 56 vs. Air Force

1972: Dave Strock (Virginia Tech) 59 and 55 yards vs. Southern Mississippi.

The New York Times article on Strock's performance

(Lima shown kicking his 55-yard field goal with 1:21 remaining vs. California)

Fred Lima (Colorado) 57 vs. Iowa State

Fred Lima (Colorado) 55 vs. California

1973: Tony DiRienzo (Oklahoma) 60 vs. Kansas

Rod Genova (Stanford) 59 vs. USC

Gary Homer (Ohio) 57 vs. Penn State

E.O. Wheeler (Georgia Tech) 55 vs. VMI

Bronko Belichesky (UTEP) 55 vs. Arizona State

Hawkins Golden (Vanderbilt) 55 vs. Tampa

Wayne Latimer (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. Virginia

1974: Don Bockhorn (Baylor) 59 vs. SMU

Clark Kemble (Colorado State) 59 vs. BYU

Randy Maddox (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Arkansas

Mike Dean (Texas) 56 vs. TCU

Fred Steinfort (Boston College) 55 vs. Tulane

Joe Danelo (Washington State) 55 vs. Stanford

1975: Clark Kemble (Colorado State) 63 vs. Arizona

Dave Lawson (Air Force) 62 vs. Iowa State

Wayne Latimer (Virginia Tech) 61 vs. Florida State

Latimer's 61-yarder

Bubba Hicks (Baylor) 60 vs. Rice

Tom Skladamy (Ohio State) 59 vs. Illinois*

Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 59 vs. Rice

Dave Lawson (Air Force) 58 vs. UCLA

Dave Jacobs (Syracuse) 58 vs. Boston College

Rade Savich (Central Michigan) 57 vs. Ball State

Dan Beaver (Illinois) 57 vs. Purdue

Tony DiRienzo (Oklahoma) 56 vs. Oklahoma State

Don Bitterlick (Temple) 56 vs. Akron

Chris Bahr (Penn State) 55 vs. Ohio State

Chris Bahr (Penn State) 55 vs. Temple*

Chris Bahr (Penn State) 55 vs. Syracuse*

Mike Langford (Stanford) 55 vs. USC

Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 55 vs. Colorado

David Mellot (Texas Tech) 55 vs. New Mexico

1976: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) Two Field Goals of 65 yards vs. Baylor

Franklin explains how he does it

Article recalling Franklin's heroics

Allan Leavitt (Georgia) 58 vs. Vanderbilt

Neil O'Donoghue (Auburn) 57 vs. Tennessee

Vince Fusco (Duke) 57 vs. Clemson

Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 57 vs. SMU

Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Texas*

Kieron Walford (Oregon State) 55 vs. Stanford

Dave Jacobs (Syracuse) 55 vs. Pittsburgh

Frank Corral (UCLA) 55 vs. Oregon

Miguel Alvarez (UTEP) 55 vs. Texas-Arlington

October 15,1977: Steve Little (Arkansas) 67 vs. Texas and Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 58 vs. Arkansas

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 67 vs. Rice

Russell Erxlerben (Texas) Field Goals of 64 and 58 vs. Oklahoma*

Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 62 vs. Florida

Dan Christopoulos (Wyoming) 62 vs. Colorado State

Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 60 vs. Texas Tech

Uwe von Schamann (Oklahoma) 58 vs. Oklahoma State

Lee Pistor (Arizona) 57 vs. Iowa

Obed Ariri (Clemson) 57 vs. Wake Forest

Iseed Khony (North Texas) 57 vs. UTEP

Rex Gerger (Oregon) 57 vs. Washington State*

Jimmy Gaylor (Tennessee) 57 vs. Kentucky

Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 57 vs. Boston College

Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Houston

Bill Adams (Texas Tech) 57 vs. Texas A&M*

Steve Cox (Tulsa) 57 vs. Arkansas

Paul Watson (Washington State) 57 vs. Idaho

Dave Jacobs (Syracuse) 56 vs. Illinois

Steve Mormon (TCU) 56 vs. Oregon*

Paul Engle (Virginia Tech) 56 vs. Virginia

Billy Todd (Nebraska) 55 vs. Kansas

1978: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 59 vs. Texas A&M

1979: Alex Giffords (Iowa State) 58 vs. Oklahoma

Paul Rogind (Minnesota) 57 vs. Illinois

Ken Maber (Stanford) 56 vs. UCLA

1980: Stu Crum (Tulsa) 58 vs. Southern Illinois

Rex Robinson (Georgia) 57 vs. South Carolina

Rex Robinson (Georgia) 57 vs. Georgia Tech

Morten Anderson (Michigan State) 57 vs. Michigan

Alan Duncan (Tennessee) 55 vs. Georgia Tech

1981: Morten Anderson (Michigan State) 63 vs. Ohio State

Mark Harmon (Stanford) 59 vs. Purdue

Jerry Hamilton (Colorado) 58 vs. Iowa State

Scott Wedell (UTEP) 58 vs. Wyoming

Danny Miller (Miami of Florida) 57 vs. Florida State

Jim Gallery (Minnesota) 57 vs. Indiana

Larry Roach (Oklahoma State) 56 vs. Kansas

Brian Clark (Florida) 55 vs. Kentucky

Danny Miller (Miami of Florida) 55 vs. Florida*

1982: Ralf Mojsiejenko (Michigan State) 61 vs. Illinois

Fuad Reveiz (Tennessee) 60 vs. Georgia Tech*

Reveiz's 60-yard boot

Kevin Butler (Georgia) 59 vs. Mississippi

Chris Mangold (Oregon State) 58 vs. San Jose State

Mark Fleetwood (South Carolina) 58 vs. Georgia*

David Hardy (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Texas-Arlington

Stu Crum (Tulsa) 57 vs. Oklahoma State

Scott Wedell (UTEP) 57 vs. BYU

Luis Zendejas (Arizona State) 55 vs. Oregon State*

Donald Igwebuike (Clemson) 55 vs. North Carolina State

Ron Rice (Georgia Tech) 55 vs. The Citadel

Alex Giffords (Iowa State) 55 vs. Kent State

Fuad Reveiz (Tennessee) 55 vs. Kentucky

1983: Ralf Mojsiejenko (Michigan State) 59 vs. Purdue

Alan Smith (Texas A&M) 59 vs. Arkansas State

Alan Smith (Texas A&M) 58 vs. Oklahoma State

Bruce Kallmeyer (Kansas) 57 vs. Iowa State

Gehad Youssef (Bowling Green) 56 vs. Western Michigan

Tom Nicholl (Iowa) 56 vs. Michigan

Donald Igwebuike (Clemson) 55 vs. Boston College

James Hamrick (Rice) 55 vs. SMU

Jason Staurovsky (Tulsa) 55 vs. NW Louisiana

1984: Chris Perkins (Florida) 60 vs. Tulane

Kevin Butler (Georgia) 60 vs. Clemson game-winning FG to beat #2 Clemson

Kevin Butler (Georgia) 57 vs. Georgia Tech

Mark Harmon (Stanford) 57 vs. Illinois

Jason Staurovsky (Tulsa) 56 vs. Southern Illinois

Ken Stadlin (Virginia) 56 vs. Virginia Tech

Mike Prindle (Western Michigan) 56 vs. Northern Illinois

Ricky Gann (Texas Tech) 55 vs. Houston

Paul Woodside (West Virginia) 55 vs. Louisville

1985: Steve DeLine (Colorado State) 60 vs. Air Force

Dene Garner (Utah State) 58 vs. San Jose State

Van Tiffin (Alabama) 57 vs. Texas A&M

Max Zendejas (Arizona) 57 vs. Arizona State

James Hamrick (Rice) 57 vs. Texas Tech

Brandy Bramlee (SMU) 57 vs. Texas Tech

Jeff Ward (Texas) 57 vs. Texas A&M

Carlos Reveiz (Tennessee) 55 vs. Georgia Tech

Jeff Ward (Texas) 55 vs. Arkansas

Andre Guardi (Utah) 55 vs. New Mexico

Andre Guardi (Utah) 55 vs. Colorado State*

1986: John Diettrich (Ball State) 62 vs. Ohio

Article on Diettrich's kick

Tom Whelihan (Missouri) 62 vs. Colorado

Article on Whelihan

Chip Lohmiller (Minnesota) 62 vs. Iowa

Don Shafer (USC) 60 vs. Notre Dame

Dene Garner (Utah State) 59 vs. New Mexico State

Steve DeLine (Colorado State) 58 vs. Wyoming

Dave DeLine (Colorado) 57 vs. Nebraska

David Bell (Georgia Tech) 55 vs. Georgia

Chip Lohmiller (Minnesota) 55 vs. Indiana

1987: Matt Stover (Louisiana Tech) 57 vs. Texas A&M

Article on Stover

Mark Mahler (Baylor) 55 vs. Rice

Doug Peterson (Duke) 55 vs. North Carolina

Rob Houghtlin (Iowa) 55 vs. Iowa State

Hugo Castellanos (UTEP) 55 vs. Lamar

1988: Mark Porter (Kansas State) 61 vs. Nebraska

Bryan Owen (Mississippi) 57 vs. Tulane

Video of Owen's field goal

Mike Gillette (Michigan State) 56 vs. Ohio State

Rick Walsh (New Mexico) 56 vs. San Diego State

Ryan Pflugner (Alabama) 55 vs. Arkansas

Robbie Keen (California) 55 vs. Washington

Jeff Shudak (Iowa State) 55 vs. Northern Iowa

Keith Chapman (North Texas) 55 vs. Texas Tech

1989: Jason Hanson (Washington State) 58 vs. BYU

Scott Bonnell (Indiana) 55 vs. Michigan

Chris Drennan (Nebraska) 55 vs. Northern Illinois

1990: Dan Eichloff (Kansas) 58 vs. Kansas State

Jason Hanson (Washington State) 58 vs. Arizona State

Chris Gardocki (Clemson) 57 vs. Appalachian State

Damon Hartman (North Carolina State) 56 vs. North Carolina

Michael Pollak (Texas) 56 vs. Baylor

Doug Higgins (Illinois) 55 vs. Michigan State

Chris Boniel (Louisiana Tech) 55 vs. McNeese State

John Benestad (Rutgers) 55 vs. West Virginia

Jason Hanson (Washington State) 55 vs. California

1991: Jason Hanson (Washington State) 62 vs. UNLV

Dan Eichloff (Kansas) Field Goals of 61 and 55 Yards vs. Ball State

Article on Eichloff's Feat

Joe Nedney (San Jose State) 60 vs. Wyoming game-winning kick

Facebook Post Commemorating Nedney's kick

Damon Alcom (Akron) 56 vs. Toledo

Jason Elam (Hawai'i) 56 vs. BYU

Tommy Thompson (Oregon) 56 vs. Washington

Peter Rantzau (Colorado State) 55 vs. Air Force

Ty Stewart (Iowa State) 58 vs. Oklahoma State

Ty Stewart (Iowa State) 58 vs. Missouri

Scott Szeredy (Texas) 56 vs. Houston

John Stewart (SMU) 55 vs. Baylor

Chris Yergensen (Utah) 55 vs. BYU

1994: Kyle Bryant (Texas A&M) 61 vs. Southern Mississippi

Jon Bacon (Cincinnati) 58 vs. Miami of Ohio

Mark Schulitis (Texas) 55 vs. Texas Tech

1995: John Hall (Wisconsin) 60 vs. Minnesota

Article on Hall's 60-yard FG

Jon Prasuhn (Arizona) 57 vs. Pacific

Micah Knorr (Utah State) 56 vs. Northern Illinois

Rafael Garcia (Virginia) 56 vs. Texas

Steve Yenner (Vanderbilt) 55 vs. Louisiana Tech

1996: Michael Reader (TCU) 57 vs. UTEP

Tim Sydnes (Oklahoma State) 55 vs. Colorado

Jaret Greaser (Texas Tech) 55 vs. Texas

1997: Rian Lindell (Washington State) 57 vs. Boise State

Sebastian Janikowski (Florida State) 56 vs. Wake Forest

Brian Huston (Ohio) 56 vs. Bowling Green

Chris Sailer (UCLA) 56 vs. Oregon

Dan Stultz (Ohio State) 55 vs. Indiana

1998: Martin Gramatica (Kansas State) 65 vs. Northern Illinois

Garrett Courtney (North Texas) 61 vs. Idaho

Tim Douglas (Iowa) 58 vs. Illinois

Brad Selent (Western Michigan) 56 vs. Central Michigan

Jose Cortez (Oregon State) 55 vs. California

Wayne Clements (Texas) 55 vs. BYU

1999: Terence Kitchens (Texas A&M) 62 vs. Southern Mississippi

Chris Chambers (Georgia Southern) 57 vs. Oregon State

Hayden Epstein (Michigan) 56 vs. Michigan State*

John Anderson (Washington) 56 vs. UCLA

Paul Edinger (Michigan State) 55 vs. Wisconsin

Kevin Kerr (Ohio) 55 vs. Miami of Ohio

Brad Bohn (Utah State) 55 vs. BYU

(Pochman, #27 above)

2000: Owen Pochman (BYU) 56 vs. New Mexico

Golden Whetman (Utah) 55 vs. Wyoming

2001: Johnny Beck (Kansas) 59 vs. Colorado

Damon Fine (Nevada) 58 vs. UNLV

Hayden Epstein (Michigan) 57 vs. Michigan State

Jason Ball (North Texas) 57 vs. Arkansas State

Kevin Kerr (Ohio) 55 vs. Toledo*

Todd France (Toledo) 55 vs. Western Michigan

2002: Jared Siegal (Oregon) 59 vs. UCLA

Keith Robinson (UTEP) 59 vs. Rice

Brent Garber (Duke) 56 vs. East Carolina

Nate Kaeding (Iowa) 55 vs. Penn State

Dan Orner (North Carolina) 55 vs. Syracuse

2003: Philip Yost (Auburn) 57 vs. Western Kentucky

Nate Kaeding (Iowa) 55 vs. Minnesota

2004: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 60 vs. Iowa State

Justin Ayat (Hawai'i) 56 vs. Tulsa

Mason Crosby (Colorado) 55 vs. Colorado State

Mike Nugent (Ohio State) 55 vs. Marshall

Mike Nugent (Ohio State) 55 vs. Wisconsin

Jason Ricks (Oklahoma State) 55 vs. Texas Tech

Alexis Serna (Oregon State) 55 vs. Washington

2005: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 58 vs. Miami of Florida

Brandon Coutu (Georgia) 58 vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Mason Crosby (Colorado) 57 vs. Iowa State

Mason Crosby (Colorado) 56 vs. Missouri

Brandon Couto (Georgia) 56 vs. Kentucky

2006: Alexis Serna (Oregon State) 58 vs. California*

Mason Crosby (Colorado) 56 vs. Texas Tech

Delibert Alvarado (South Florida) 56 vs. Syracuse

Reagan Schneider (UTEP) 56 vs. Memphis

Tom Schneider (California) 55 vs. Stanford

Jon Peattie (Miami of Florida) 55 vs. Virginia Tech

Ryan Soccop (South Carolina) 55 vs. Vanderbilt

2007: Gary Cismesia (Florida State) 60 vs. Florida

Jose Martinez (UTEP) 57 vs. Houston

Jake Rogers (Cincinnati) 55 vs. Oregon State

2008: Jose Martinez (UTEP) 64 vs. UCF

Kevin Goessling (Fresno State) 58 vs. Utah State*

Alex Henery (Nebraska) 57 vs. Colorado

Chris Ulinski (Utah State) 56 vs. New Mexico State

Joe Surgon (Duke) 55 vs. North Carolina

Felipe Macias (Eastern Washington) 55 vs. Texas Tech

2009: Carson Wiggs (Purdue) 59 vs. Toledo

Jacob Branstetter (Kansas) 57 vs. Oklahoma

Philip Welch (Wisconsin) 57 vs. Fresno State

Caleb Sturgis (Florida) 56 vs. Georgia

Trevor Cook (Miami of Ohio) 55 vs. Toledo

Carson Wiggs (Purdue) 55 vs. Ohio State

2010: Matt Szymaniski (SMU) 61 vs. Texas Tech

Grant Mahoney (Iowa State) 57 vs. Nebraska

Dakota Warren (UTEP) 57 vs. Memphis

Nico Grasu (Washington State) 56 vs. Oklahoma State

Dustin Hopkins (Florida State) 55 vs. Clemson

Alan Gendreau (Middle Tennessee) 55 vs. Louisiana

2011: Michael Barbour (East Carolina) Field Goals of 57 and 58 vs. Marshall

Bobby Zalud (Arkansas State) 56 vs. Memphis

Blair Walsh (Georgia) 56 vs. Coastal Carolina

Caleb Sturgis (Florida) 55 vs. Vanderbilt

Caleb Sturgis (Florida) 55 vs. Furman

2012: Spencer Benton (Clemson) 61 vs. Ball State

Video of Benton's 61-yarder

Andrew Furney (Washington State) 60 vs. Eastern Washington

Aaron Jones (Baylor) 58 vs. Oklahoma

Cairo Santos (Tulane) 57 vs. Rice

Dustin Hopkins (Florida State) 56 vs. Duke

2013: Marshall Morgan (Georgia) 56 vs. Tennessee

Jake Elliott (Memphis) 56 vs. UCF

Cody Journell (Virginia Tech) 56 vs. Boston College

2014: Griffin Oakes (Indiana) 58 vs. Maryland*

Brad Craddock (Maryland) 57 vs. Ohio State

Scott Secor (Ball State) 55 vs. Central Michigan

Josh Lambert (West Virginia) 55 vs. Texas Tech

2015: Ka'imi Fairbairn (UCLA) 60 vs. California

Marshall Koehn (Iowa) 57 vs. Pittsburgh*

Michael Badgley (Miami of Florida) 57 vs. Georgia Tech

Jaden Oberkrom (TCU) 57 vs. West Virginia

Blake Brower (Charlotte) 56 vs. FIU

Chris Blewitt (Pittsburgh) 56 vs. Georgia Tech

Adam Griffith (Alabama) 55 vs. LSU

Dylan Mulder (Eastern Michigan) 55 vs. Miami of Ohio

Taylor Bertolet (Texas A&M) 55 vs. Mississippi State

2016: Zane Gonzalez (Arizona State) 59 vs. Colorado

Elliott Fry (South Carolina) 55 vs. Vanderbilt

October 28, 2017: Lucas Havrisik (Arizona) 57 vs. Washington State and Erik Powell (Washington State) 56 vs. Arizona

2017: Alex Kessman (Pittsburgh) 56 vs. Syracuse

Matt Gay (Utah) 56 vs. San Jose State

Matt Gay (Utah) 56 vs. Washington State*

Quinn Nordin (Michigan) 55 vs. Florida

2018: Tucker McCann (Missouri) 57 vs. South Carolina

Jonathan Cruz (Charlotte) 56 vs. FAU

Damon Hartman (North Carolina State) 56 vs. North Carolina

Lucas Havrisiki (Arizona) 55 vs. Colorado

Wyatt Bryan (Colorado State) 55 vs. Arkansas

(Blankenship's bomb appears :54 seconds into the video)

Rodrigo Blankenship (Georgia) 55 vs. Oklahoma, a Rose Bowl record

Alex Kessman (Pittsburgh) 55 vs. Syracuse

Matt Gay (Utah) 55 vs. Oregon

2019: Zach Hintze (Wisconsin) 62 vs. Purdue

James McCourt (Illinois) 57 vs. Eastern Michigan

Jordan Stout (Penn State) 57 vs. Pittsburgh

Cameron Dicker (Texas) 57 vs. Rice

Brandon Talton (Nevada) 56 vs. Purdue, game-winning kick

Ryan Tice (Central Michigan) 55 vs. Miami of Florida

Blake Haubell (Ohio State) 55 vs. Northwestern

2020: Alex Kessman (Pittsburgh) 58 vs. Boston College

Cade York (LSU) 57 vs. Florida

Jose Borregales (Miami of Florida) 57 vs. Louisville

Quinn Nordin (Michigan) 57 vs. Alabama in Citrus Bowl

Riley Patterson (Memphis) 56 vs. SMU

Evan McPherson (Florida) 55 vs. Mississippi

Brian Johnson (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. North Carolina

2021: Cade York (LSU) Field Goals of 55 and 56 Yards vs. McNeese State

Gabe Brkic (Oklahoma) Field Goals of 55 and 56 vs. Tulane

Jonathan Garibay (Texas Tech) 62 vs. Iowa State game-winning kick

Everett Hayes (Oregon State) 60 vs. Colorado

Lucas Havrisik (Arizona) 57 vs. Utah

Jonathan Cruz (Charlotte) 56 vs. Western Kentucky

Cole Becker (Colorado) 56 vs. Utah

Harrison Mevis (Missouri) 56 vs. Boston College

Gabe Brkic (Oklahoma) 56 vs. Western Carolina

Chad Ryland (Eastern Michigan) 55 vs. Ohio

Andres Borregales (Miami of Florida) 55 vs. Michigan State

Rory Bell (Temple) 55 vs. Cincinnati

2022: Joshua Karty (Stanford) 61 vs. California

Video of Karty's field goal

Jake Moody (Michigan) 59 vs. TCU in FBS Playoffs

Dominic Zvada (Arkansas State) 56 vs. Texas State

Harrison Mevis (Missouri) 56 vs. Georgia

Jesus Gomez (Eastern Michigan) 55 vs. Ball State

Nathania Vakos (Ohio) 55 vs. Western Michigan

John Hoyland (Wyoming) 55 vs. Tulsa

September 9, 2023: Jonah Dalmas (Boise State) 56 vs. UCF and Colton Boomer (UCF) 55 vs. Boise State

Griffin Kell (TCU) 57 vs. Nicholls State

Chase Contreraz (Iowa State) 56 vs. Northern Iowa

Caden Davis (Mississippi) 56 vs. Tulane

John Hoyland (Wyoming) 56 vs. Portland State

Dean Janikowski (Washington State) 55 vs. Colorado State

*******************************************************

Others from Outside FBS:

1915: Mark Payne (Dakota Wesleyan University) 63 drop-kick vs. Northern Normal

1971: Dick Herron (Western Kentucky) 57 vs. Middle Tennessee

1974: Joe Duren (Arkansas State) Field Goals of 63 and 56 Yards vs. McNeese State

Rafael Septien (Louisiana) 57 vs. Lamar

1976: Ove Johansson (Abilene Christian) 69 vs. East Texas State

1977: Iseed Khony (North Texas) 62 vs. Richmond

1978: Joe Williams (Wichita State) 67 vs. Southern Illinois

1980: Barry Childers (Marshall) 59 vs. Western Carolina

1981: Mark French (Appalachian State) 55 vs. Western Carolina

Barry Childers (Marshall) 55 vs. Western Michigan

Tony Zendejas (Nevada) 55 vs. Central Arkansas (1981)

1982: Jeff Heath (East Carolina) 58 vs. Texas-Arlington

Jesse Garcia (Louisiana Monroe) 56 vs. McNeese State

Kelly Potter (Middle Tennessee) 57 vs. Tennessee Tech

1983: Tony Zendejas (Nevada) 58 vs. Boise State

Tony Zendejas (Nevada) 55 vs. Cal State Fullerton

Jesse Garcia (Louisiana Monroe) 57 vs. Nicholls State

1984: Andy Weiler (New Mexico State) 57 vs. UNLV

1985: Roberto Moran (Boise State) 56 vs. UC-Davis

Ed O'Brien (UCF) 55 vs. Bethune-Cookman

1987: Scott Roper (Arkansas State) 63 vs. North Texas

Tim Foley (Georgia Southern) 63 vs. James Madison

Tim Foley (Georgia Southern) 57 vs. Western Kentucky

Teddy Garcia (NE Lousiana, now Louisiana Monroe) 55 vs. Northwestern State

Chris Seroka (Southern Mississippi) 55 vs. Louisiana-Monroe

1988: Tom Odle (Fort Hays State) 67 vs. Washburn

David Cool (Georgia Southern) 60 vs. James Madison

David Cool (Georgia Southern) 55 vs. Furman in I-AA Playoffs

2000: Mark Wright (Appalachian State) 57 vs. Troy

Bill Gramatica (South Florida) 63 vs. Austin Peay

2014: John Lunsford (Liberty) 60 vs. Richmond

John Lunsford (Liberty) 57 vs. Bryant

John Lunsford (Liberty) 56 vs. James Madison

Ryan Adams (SE Louisiana) 55 vs. Northwestern State

2015: John Lunsford (Liberty) 57 vs. Southern Illinoi

John Lunsford (Liberty) 57 vs. Tennessee Tech

John Lunsford (Liberty) 56 vs. Georgia State

______________________________________________________

*Skladamy of Ohio State kicked his 59-yard field goal against Illinois. On the opposing sideline was Dan Beaver, who didn't kick a 55-yarder in that game but did (a 57-yarder) against Purdue that same year.

*Chris Bahr of Penn State kicked a 55-yarder against Temple while Don Bitterlick of the Owls was on the other sideline. While Bitterlick didn't kick any field goals 55 yards or longer in that game, he did boot a 56-yarder against Akron that same year.

*Bahr booted another 55-yarder vs. Syracuse. Dave Jacobs was on the opposing sideline. Jacobs didn't kick any field goals of 55 or longer in that game, but he hit a 58-yarder against Boston College that same year.

*Franklin's 57-yard field goal against Texas was made with elite kicker Russell Erxlerben on the opposing sideline. Erxlerben didn't boot one 55 yards or longer on that day, but he did of course kick many others on different days, including a 57-yarder against SMU that same year.

*Erxlerben's field goals of 58 and 64 yards against Oklahoma were made with Oklahoma's Uwe von Schamann on the opposing sideline. Von Schamann's only field goal of 55 yards or longer was made not on that day but against Oklahoma State that season.

*Gerger's kick of 57 yards for Oregon was against Paul Watson and Washington State. Though Watson didn't kick any field goals of 55 yards on that day, he did hit a 57-yarder against Idaho that same year.

*Bill Adams' field goal of 57 yards for Texas Tech in 1977 was made in front of Russell Exlerben of Texas who of course nailed numerous kicks of 55 yards and longer, including 6 that season, but not in the Texas Tech game.

*Steve Mormon's 56-yard field goal for TCU in 1977 was against Oregon. Rex Gerger of Oregon kicked a 57-yarder against Washington State that same year, but none of 55+ against TCU.

*Miller's kick of 55 yards for Miami of Florida against Florida was while Brian Clark was on the opposing sideline. Clark booted his 55-yarder against Kentucky that same year, but none of that distance in the Miami game.

*Fuad Reveiz of Tennessee hit a 60-yard field goal against Georgia Tech in 1982 with Ron Rice on the opposing sideline. Rice didn't hit his 55-yarder on that day, but rather against The Citadel that same season.

*Mark Fleetwood's 58-yard kick for South Carolina was made with Georgia's Kevin Butler on the sidelines. Butler obviously had ample leg but did not attempt any 55+ field goals on that day. Butler made his 59-yarder vs. Mississippi that same year.

*Luis Zendejas of Arizona State kicked his 55-yarder against Oregon State with Chris Mangold of the Beavers watching from the other sideline. Mangold connected on his 58-yarder not against Zendejas and Arizona State but versus San Jose State that same year.

*Andre Guardi's field goal of 55 yards against Colorado State in 1985 came while Steve DeLine of the Rams was looking on. DeLine didn't get any 55+ field goals that day, but his 60-yarder against Air Force led all kickers that year.

*The Missouri-Colorado matchup in 1986 was a great opportunity for the nation to see two 55+ field goals from opposing players for a second time. Both Tom Whelihan of Missouri and Colorado's Dave DeLine had the ability. Whelihan hit a 62-yarder on that day, but DeLine had to wait until the Nebraska game to make his from 56 yards.

*When Michigan faced off against Michigan State in 1999, two long distance phenoms were on opposing sidelines. Hayden Epstein of Michigan was successful on a 56-yard attempt that day, but Paul Edinger of Michigan State booted his 55-yarder not versus Michigan but against Wisconsin that same year.

*When Kevin Kerr of Ohio connected on a 55-yard field goal try against Toledo, there was another opportunity for history. But Todd France of Toledo didn't make a field goal of 55+ that afternoon. France kicked his 55-yarder against Western Michigan.

*In 2006, Alexis Serna of Oregon State booted a 58-yarder vs. California. Reagan Schneider didn't kick a 55+ field goal that night, but he did hit a 55-yarder against Stanford that same season.

*Goessling's national best kick of 58 yards for Fresno State in 2008 came against Chris Ulinski of Utah State. Ulinski hit his 56-yard try against New Mexico State that season, not in the game vs. Fresno State.

*Marshall Koehn of Iowa hit a 57-yarder against Pittsburgh in 2015. Chris Blewitt of Pittsburgh did not hit a field goal of 55+ that afternoon but did connect on a 56-yard attempt vs. Georgia Tech that season.

*Matt Gay's field goal of 56 yards in 2017 came against Washington State, which also featured a long distance phenom, Erik Powell. Powell didn't hit on 55+ that evening, but saved his best (56 yards) for the Arizona game, one of only three in NCAA history to include field goals of 55+ from opposing players in the same game.

55-Yard Field Goals By Distance (All Divisions)

1976: Ove Johansson (Abilene Christian) 69 vs. East Texas State

1977: Steve Little (Arkansas) 67 vs. Texas

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 67 vs. Rice

1978: Joe Williams (Wichita State) 67 vs. Southern Illinois

1988: Tom Odle (Fort Hays State) 67 vs. Washburn

1882: John Haxall (Princeton) 65 yards vs. Yale

1976: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 65 yards vs. Baylor

1976: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 65 yards vs. Baylor (2 in same day)

1998: Martin Gramatica (Kansas State) 65 vs. Northern Illinois

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 64 vs. Oklahoma

2008: Jose Martinez (UTEP) 64 vs. UCF

1974: Joe Duren (Arkansas State) 63 vs. McNeese State

1975: Clark Kemble (Colorado State) 63 vs. Arizona

1981: Morten Anderson (Michigan State) 63 vs. Ohio State

1987: Scott Roper (Arkansas State) 63 vs. North Texas

1987: Tim Foley (Georgia Southern) 63 vs. James Madison

2000: Bill Gramatica (South Florida) 63 vs. Austin Peay

1898: Pat O'Dea (Wisconsin) 62 yards vs. Northwestern (drop kick)

1975: Dave Lawson (Air Force) 62 vs. Iowa State

1977: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 62 vs. Florida

1977: Dan Christopoulos (Wyoming) 62 vs. Colorado State

1977: Iseed Khony (North Texas) 62 vs. Richmond

1986: Tom Whelihan (Missouri) 62 vs. Colorado

1986: John Diettrich (Ball State) 62 vs. Ohio

1986: Chip Lohmiller (Minnesota) 62 vs. Iowa

1991: Jason Hanson (Washington State) 62 vs. UNLV

1999: Terence Kitchens (Texas A&M) 62 vs. Southern Mississippi

2019: Zach Hintze (Wisconsin) 62 vs. Purdue

2021: Jonathan Garibay (Texas Tech) 62 vs. Iowa State

1975: Wayne Latimer (Virginia Tech) 61 vs. Florida State

1982: Ralf Mojsiejenko (Michigan State) 61 vs. Illinois

1988: Mark Porter (Kansas State) 61 vs. Nebraska

1991: Dan Eichloff (Kansas) 61 vs. Ball State

1994: Kyle Bryant (Texas A&M) 61 vs. Southern Mississippi

1998: Garrett Courtney (North Texas) 61 vs. Idaho

2010: Matt Szymaniski (SMU) 61 vs. Texas Tech

2012: Spencer Benton (Clemson) 61 vs. Ball State

2022: Joshua Karty (Stanford) 61 vs. California

1973: Tony DiRienzo (Oklahoma) 60 vs. Kansas

1975: Bubba Hicks (Baylor) 60 vs. Rice

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 60 vs. Texas Tech

1982: Fuad Reveiz (Tennessee) 60 vs. Georgia Tech

1984: Chris Perkins (Florida) 60 vs. Tulane

1984: Kevin Butler (Georgia) 60 vs. Clemson

1985: Steve DeLine (Colorado State) 60 vs. Air Force

1986: Don Shafer (USC) 60 vs. Notre Dame

1988: David Cool (Georgia Southern) 60 vs. James Madison

1991: Joe Nedney (San Jose State) 60 vs. Wyoming

1995: John Hall (Wisconsin) 60 vs. Minnesota

2004: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 60 vs. Iowa State

2007: Gary Cismesia (Florida State) 60 vs. Florida

2012: Andrew Furney (Washington State) 60 vs. Eastern Washington

2014: John Lunsford (Liberty) 60 vs. Richmond

2015: Ka'imi Fairbairn (UCLA) 60 vs. California

2021: Everett Hayes (Oregon State) 60 vs. Colorado

1969: Cloyce Hinton (Mississippi) 59 vs. Georgia

1971: Marv Bateman (Utah) 59 vs. Utah State

1972: Dave Strock (Virginia Tech) 59 vs. Southern Mississippi.

1973: Rod Genova (Stanford) 59 vs. USC

1974: Don Bockhorn (Baylor) 59 vs. SMU

1974: Clark Kemble (Colorado State) 59 vs. BYU

1975: Tom Skladamy (Ohio State) 59 vs. Illinois

1975: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 59 vs. Rice

1978: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 59 vs. Texas A&M

1980: Barry Childers (Marshall) 59 vs. Western Carolina

1981: Mark Harmon (Stanford) 59 vs. Purdue

1982: Kevin Butler (Georgia) 59 vs. Mississippi

1983: Ralf Mojsiejenko (Michigan State) 59 vs. Purdue

1983: Alan Smith (Texas A&M) 59 vs. Arkansas State

1986: Dene Garner (Utah State) 59 vs. New Mexico State

2001: Johnny Beck (Kansas) 59 vs. Colorado

2002: Jared Siegal (Oregon) 59 vs. UCLA

2002: Keith Robinson (UTEP) 59 vs. Rice

2009: Carson Wiggs (Purdue) 59 vs. Toledo

2016: Zane Gonzalez (Arizona State) 59 vs. Colorado

2022: Jake Moody (Michigan) 59 vs. TCU in FBS Playoffs

1970: Cloyce Hinton (Mississippi) 58 vs. Houston

1971: Jeff Ireland (Baylor) 58 vs. Rice

1975: Dave Lawson (Air Force) 58 vs. UCLA

1975: Dave Jacobs (Syracuse) 58 vs. Boston College

1976: Allan Leavitt (Georgia) 58 vs. Vanderbilt

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 58 vs. Arkansas

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 58 vs. Oklahoma

1977: Uwe von Schamann (Oklahoma) 58 vs. Oklahoma State

1979: Alex Giffords (Iowa State) 58 vs. Oklahoma

1980: Stu Crum (Tulsa) 58 vs. Southern Illinois

1981: Jerry Hamilton (Colorado) 58 vs. Iowa State

1981: Scott Wedell (UTEP) 58 vs. Wyoming

1982: Chris Mangold (Oregon State) 58 vs. San Jose State

1982: Mark Fleetwood (South Carolina) 58 vs. Georgia

1982: Jeff Heath (East Carolina) 58 vs. Texas-Arlington

1983: Alan Smith (Texas A&M) 58 vs. Oklahoma State

1983: Tony Zendejas (Nevada) 58 vs. Boise State

1985: Dene Garner (Utah State) 58 vs. San Jose State

1986: Steve DeLine (Colorado State) 58 vs. Wyoming

1989: Jason Hanson (Washington State) 58 vs. BYU

1990: Dan Eichloff (Kansas) 58 vs. Kansas State

1990: Jason Hanson (Washington State) 58 vs. Arizona State

1991: Ty Stewart (Iowa State) 58 vs. Oklahoma State

1991: Ty Stewart (Iowa State) 58 vs. Missouri

1994: Jon Bacon (Cincinnati) 58 vs. Miami of Ohio

1998: Tim Douglas (Iowa) 58 vs. Illinois

2001: Damon Fine (Nevada) 58 vs. UNLV

2005: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 58 vs. Miami of Florida

2005: Brandon Coutu (Georgia) 58 vs. Louisiana-Monroe

2006: Alexis Serna (Oregon State) 58 vs. California

2008: Kevin Goessling (Fresno State) 58 vs. Utah State

2011: Michael Barbour (East Carolina) 58 vs. Marshall

2012: Aaron Jones (Baylor) 58 vs. Oklahoma

2014: Griffin Oakes (Indiana) 58 vs. Maryland

2020: Alex Kessman (Pittsburgh) 58 vs. Boston College

1899: Pat O'Dea (Wisconsin) 57 yards vs. Illinois

1971: Dick Herron (Western Kentucky) 57 vs. Middle Tennessee

1972: Fred Lima (Colorado) 57 vs. Iowa State

1973: Gary Homer (Ohio) 57 vs. Penn State

1974: Randy Maddox (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Arkansas

1974: Rafael Septien (Louisiana) 57 vs. Lamar

1975: Rade Savich (Central Michigan) 57 vs. Ball State

1975: Dan Beaver (Illinois) 57 vs. Purdue

1976: Neil O'Donoghue (Auburn) 57 vs. Tennessee

1976: Vince Fusco (Duke) 57 vs. Clemson

1976: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 57 vs. SMU

1976: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Texas

1977: Lee Pistor (Arizona) 57 vs. Iowa

1977: Obed Ariri (Clemson) 57 vs. Wake Forest

1977: Iseed Khony (North Texas) 57 vs. UTEP

1977: Rex Gerger (Oregon) 57 vs. Washington State

1977: Jimmy Gaylor (Tennessee) 57 vs. Kentucky

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 57 vs. Boston College

1977: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Houston

1977: Bill Adams (Texas Tech) 57 vs. Texas A&M

1977: Steve Cox (Tulsa) 57 vs. Arkansas

1977: Paul Watson (Washington State) 57 vs. Idaho

1979: Paul Rogind (Minnesota) 57 vs. Illinois

1980: Rex Robinson (Georgia) 57 vs. South Carolina

1980: Rex Robinson (Georgia) 57 vs. Georgia Tech

1980: Morten Anderson (Michigan State) 57 vs. Michigan

1981: Danny Miller (Miami of Florida) 57 vs. Florida State

1981: Jim Gallery (Minnesota) 57 vs. Indiana

1982: David Hardy (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Texas-Arlington

1982: Stu Crum (Tulsa) 57 vs. Oklahoma State

1982: Scott Wedell (UTEP) 57 vs. BYU

1982: Kelly Potter (Middle Tennessee) 57 vs. Tennessee Tech

1983: Bruce Kallmeyer (Kansas) 57 vs. Iowa State

1983: Jesse Garcia (Louisiana Monroe) 57 vs. Nicholls State

1984: Kevin Butler (Georgia) 57 vs. Georgia Tech

1984: Mark Harmon (Stanford) 57 vs. Illinois

1984: Andy Weiler (New Mexico State) 57 vs. UNLV

1985: Van Tiffin (Alabama) 57 vs. Texas A&M

1985: Max Zendejas (Arizona) 57 vs. Arizona State

1985: James Hamrick (Rice) 57 vs. Texas Tech

1985: Brandy Bramlee (SMU) 57 vs. Texas Tech

1985: Jeff Ward (Texas) 57 vs. Texas A&M

1986: Dave DeLine (Colorado) 57 vs. Nebraska

1987: Matt Stover (Louisiana Tech) 57 vs. Texas A&M

1988: Bryan Owen (Mississippi) 57 vs. Tulane

1987: Tim Foley (Georgia Southern) 57 vs. Western Kentucky

1990: Chris Gardocki (Clemson) 57 vs. Appalachian State

1995: Jon Prasuhn (Arizona) 57 vs. Pacific

1996: Michael Reader (TCU) 57 vs. UTEP

1997: Rian Lindell (Washington State) 57 vs. Boise State

1999: Chris Chambers (Georgia Southern) 57 vs. Oregon State

2000: Mark Wright (Appalachian State) 57 vs. Troy

2001: Hayden Epstein (Michigan) 57 vs. Michigan State

2001: Jason Ball (North Texas) 57 vs. Arkansas State

2003: Philip Yost (Auburn) 57 vs. Western Kentucky

2005: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 57 vs. Iowa State

2007: Jose Martinez (UTEP) 57 vs. Houston

2008: Alex Henery (Nebraska) 57 vs. Colorado

2009: Jacob Branstetter (Kansas) 57 vs. Oklahoma

2009: Philip Welch (Wisconsin) 57 vs. Fresno State

2010: Grant Mahoney (Iowa State) 57 vs. Nebraska

2010: Dakota Warren (UTEP) 57 vs. Memphis

2011: Michael Barbour (East Carolina) 57 vs. Marshall

2012: Cairo Santos (Tulane) 57 vs. Rice

2014: Brad Craddock (Maryland) 57 vs. Ohio State

2014: John Lunsford (Liberty) 57 vs. Bryant

2015: Marshall Koehn (Iowa) 57 vs. Pittsburgh

2015: Michael Badgley (Miami of Florida) 57 vs. Georgia Tech

2015: Jaden Oberkrom (TCU) 57 vs. West Virginia

2015: John Lunsford (Liberty) 57 vs. Southern Illinoi

2015: John Lunsford (Liberty) 57 vs. Tennessee Tech

2017: Lucas Havrisik (Arizona) 57 vs. Washington State

2018: Tucker McCann (Missouri) 57 vs. South Carolina

2019: James McCourt (Illinois) 57 vs. Eastern Michigan

2019: Jordan Stout (Penn State) 57 vs. Pittsburgh

2019: Cameron Dicker (Texas) 57 vs. Rice

2020: Cade York (LSU) 57 vs. Florida

2020: Jose Borregales (Miami of Florida) 57 vs. Louisville

2020: Quinn Nordin (Michigan) 57 vs. Alabama in Citrus Bowl

2021: Lucas Havrisik (Arizona) 57 vs. Utah

2023: Griffin Kell (TCU) 57 vs. Nicholls State

1967: Don Martin (Washington) 56 vs. Air Force

1971: Steve Buettner (Oregon) 56 vs. Air Force

1974: Mike Dean (Texas) 56 vs. TCU

1974: Joe Duren (Arkansas State) 56 vs. McNeese State

1975: Tony DiRienzo (Oklahoma) 56 vs. Oklahoma State

1975: Don Bitterlick (Temple) 56 vs. Akron

1977: Dave Jacobs (Syracuse) 56 vs. Illinois

1977: Steve Mormon (TCU) 56 vs. Oregon

1977: Paul Engle (Virginia Tech) 56 vs. Virginia

1979: Ken Maber (Stanford) 56 vs. UCLA

1981: Larry Roach (Oklahoma State) 56 vs. Kansas

1982: Jesse Garcia (Louisiana Monroe) 56 vs. McNeese State

1983: Gehad Youssef (Bowling Green) 56 vs. Western Michigan

1983: Tom Nicholl (Iowa) 56 vs. Michigan

1984: Jason Staurovsky (Tulsa) 56 vs. Southern Illinois

1984: Ken Stadlin (Virginia) 56 vs. Virginia Tech

1984: Mike Prindle (Western Michigan) 56 vs. Northern Illinois

1985: Roberto Moran (Boise State) 56 vs. UC-Davis (Note: Division I-AA)

1988: Mike Gillette (Michigan State) 56 vs. Ohio State

1988: Rick Walsh (New Mexico) 56 vs. San Diego State

1990: Damon Hartman (North Carolina State) 56 vs. North Carolina

1990: Michael Pollak (Texas) 56 vs. Baylor

1991: Damon Alcom (Akron) 56 vs. Toledo

1991: Jason Elam (Hawai'i) 56 vs. BYU

1991: Tommy Thompson (Oregon) 56 vs. Washington

1991: Scott Szeredy (Texas) 56 vs. Houston

1995: Micah Knorr (Utah State) 56 vs. Northern Illinois

1995: Rafael Garcia (Virginia) 56 vs. Texas

1997: Sebastian Janikowski (Florida State) 56 vs. Wake Forest

1997: Brian Huston (Ohio) 56 vs. Bowling Green

1997: Chris Sailer (UCLA) 56 vs. Oregon

1998: Brad Selent (Western Michigan) 56 vs. Central Michigan

1999: Hayden Epstein (Michigan) 56 vs. Michigan State

1999: John Anderson (Washington) 56 vs. UCLA

2000: Owen Pochman (BYU) 56 vs. New Mexico

2002: Brent Garber (Duke) 56 vs. East Carolina

2004: Justin Ayat (Hawai'i) 56 vs. Tulsa

2005: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 56 vs. Missouri

2005: Brandon Couto (Georgia) 56 vs. Kentucky

2006: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 56 vs. Texas Tech

2006: Delibert Alvarado (South Florida) 56 vs. Syracuse

2006: Reagan Schneider (UTEP) 56 vs. Memphis

2008: Chris Ulinski (Utah State) 56 vs. New Mexico State

2009: Caleb Sturgis (Florida) 56 vs. Georgia

2010: Nico Grasu (Washington State) 56 vs. Oklahoma State

2011: Bobby Zalud (Arkansas State) 56 vs. Memphis

2011: Blair Walsh (Georgia) 56 vs. Coastal Carolina

2012: Dustin Hopkins (Florida State) 56 vs. Duke

2013: Marshall Morgan (Georgia) 56 vs. Tennessee

2013: Jake Elliott (Memphis) 56 vs. UCF

2013: Cody Journell (Virginia Tech) 56 vs. Boston College

2014: John Lunsford (Liberty) 56 vs. James Madison

2015: Blake Brower (Charlotte) 56 vs. FIU

2015: Chris Blewitt (Pittsburgh) 56 vs. Georgia Tech

2015: John Lunsford (Liberty) 56 vs. Georgia State

2017: Erik Powell (Washington State) 56 vs. Arizona

2017: Alex Kessman (Pittsburgh) 56 vs. Syracuse

2017: Matt Gay (Utah) 56 vs. San Jose State

2017: Matt Gay (Utah) 56 vs. Washington State

2018: Jonathan Cruz (Charlotte) 56 vs. FAU

2018: Damon Hartman (North Carolina State) 56 vs. North Carolina

2019: Brandon Talton (Nevada) 56 vs. Purdue, game-winning kick

2020: Riley Patterson (Memphis) 56 vs. SMU

2021: Cade York (LSU) 56 Yards vs. McNeese State

2021: Gabe Brkic (Oklahoma) 56 vs. Tulane

2021: Gabe Brkic (Oklahoma) 56 vs. Western Carolina

2021: Jonathan Cruz (Charlotte) 56 vs. Western Kentucky

2021: Cole Becker (Colorado) 56 vs. Utah

2021: Harrison Mevis (Missouri) 56 vs. Boston College

2022: Dominic Zvada (Arkansas State) 56 vs. Texas State

2022: Harrison Mevis (Missouri) 56 vs. Georgia

2023: Jonah Dalmas (Boise State) 56 vs. UCF

2023: Chase Contreraz (Iowa State) 56 vs. Northern Iowa

2023: Caden Davis (Mississippi) 56 vs. Tulane

2023: John Hoyland (Wyoming) 56 vs. Portland State

1891: J.E. Duffy (Michigan) 55 yards vs. Cornell

1904: Fred Bennion (Utah) 55 yards vs. Utah State

1966: Gary Cairns (Ohio State) 55 yards vs. Illinois

1966: Kenny Vinyard (Texas Tech) 55 vs. TCU

1969: Paul Rogers (Nebraska) 55 vs. Kansas

1969: Jack Simcsak (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. Kentucky

1970: Happy Feller (Texas) 55 vs. UCLA

1972: Dave Strock (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. Southern Mississippi

1972: Fred Lima (Colorado) 55 vs. California

1973: E.O. Wheeler (Georgia Tech) 55 vs. VMI

1973: Bronko Belichesky (UTEP) 55 vs. Arizona State

1973: Hawkins Golden (Vanderbilt) 55 vs. Tampa

1973: Wayne Latimer (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. Virginia

1974: Fred Steinfort (Boston College) 55 vs. Tulane

1974: Joe Danelo (Washington State) 55 vs. Stanford

1975: Chris Bahr (Penn State) 55 vs. Ohio State

1975: Chris Bahr (Penn State) 55 vs. Temple

1975: Chris Bahr (Penn State) 55 vs. Syracuse

1975: Mike Langford (Stanford) 55 vs. USC

1975: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 55 vs. Colorado

1975: David Mellot (Texas Tech) 55 vs. New Mexico

1976: Kieron Walford (Oregon State) 55 vs. Stanford

1976: Dave Jacobs (Syracuse) 55 vs. Pittsburgh

1976: Frank Corral (UCLA) 55 vs. Oregon

1976: Miguel Alvarez (UTEP) 55 vs. Texas-Arlington

1977: Billy Todd (Nebraska) 55 vs. Kansas

1980: Alan Duncan (Tennessee) 55 vs. Georgia Tech

1981: Brian Clark (Florida) 55 vs. Kentucky

1981: Danny Miller (Miami of Florida) 55 vs. Florida

1981: Mark French (Appalachian State) 55 vs. Western Carolina

1981: Barry Childers (Marshall) 55 vs. Western Michigan

1981: Tony Zendejas (Nevada) 55 vs. Central Arkansas

1982: Luis Zendejas (Arizona State) 55 vs. Oregon State

1982: Donald Igwebuike (Clemson) 55 vs. North Carolina State

1982: Ron Rice (Georgia Tech) 55 vs. The Citadel

1982: Alex Giffords (Iowa State) 55 vs. Kent State

1982: Fuad Reveiz (Tennessee) 55 vs. Kentucky

1983: Donald Igwebuike (Clemson) 55 vs. Boston College

1983: James Hamrick (Rice) 55 vs. SMU

1983: Jason Staurovsky (Tulsa) 55 vs. NW Louisiana

1983: Tony Zendejas (Nevada) 55 vs. Cal State Fullerton

1984: Ricky Gann (Texas Tech) 55 vs. Houston

1984: Paul Woodside (West Virginia) 55 vs. Louisville

1985: Carlos Reveiz (Tennessee) 55 vs. Georgia Tech

1985: Jeff Ward (Texas) 55 vs. Arkansas

1985: Andre Guardi (Utah) 55 vs. New Mexico

1985: Andre Guardi (Utah) 55 vs. Colorado State

1985: Ed O'Brien (UCF) 55 vs. Bethune-Cookman

1986: David Bell (Georgia Tech) 55 vs. Georgia

1986: Chip Lohmiller (Minnesota) 55 vs. Indiana

1987: Mark Mahler (Baylor) 55 vs. Rice

1987: Doug Peterson (Duke) 55 vs. North Carolina

1987: Rob Houghtlin (Iowa) 55 vs. Iowa State

1987: Hugo Castellanos (UTEP) 55 vs. Lamar

1987: Teddy Garcia (NE Lousiana, now Louisiana Monroe) 55 vs. Northwestern State

1987: Chris Seroka (Southern Mississippi) 55 vs. Louisiana-Monroe

1988: Ryan Pflugner (Alabama) 55 vs. Arkansas

1988: Robbie Keen (California) 55 vs. Washington

1988: Jeff Shudak (Iowa State) 55 vs. Northern Iowa

1988: Keith Chapman (North Texas) 55 vs. Texas Tech

1988: David Cool (Georgia Southern) 55 vs. Furman in I-AA Playoffs

1989: Scott Bonnell (Indiana) 55 vs. Michigan

1989: Chris Drennan (Nebraska) 55 vs. Northern Illinois

1990: Doug Higgins (Illinois) 55 vs. Michigan State

1990: Chris Boniel (Louisiana Tech) 55 vs. McNeese State

1990: John Benestad (Rutgers) 55 vs. West Virginia

1990: Jason Hanson (Washington State) 55 vs. California

1991: Dan Eichloff (Kansas) 55 vs. Ball State

1991: Peter Rantzau (Colorado State) 55 vs. Air Force

1991: John Stewart (SMU) 55 vs. Baylor

1991: Chris Yergensen (Utah) 55 vs. BYU

1994: Mark Schulitis (Texas) 55 vs. Texas Tech

1995: Steve Yenner (Vanderbilt) 55 vs. Louisiana Tech

1996: Tim Sydnes (Oklahoma State) 55 vs. Colorado

1996: Jaret Greaser (Texas Tech) 55 vs. Texas

1997: Dan Stultz (Ohio State) 55 vs. Indiana

1998: Jose Cortez (Oregon State) 55 vs. California

1998: Wayne Clements (Texas) 55 vs. BYU

1999: Paul Edinger (Michigan State) 55 vs. Wisconsin

1999: Kevin Kerr (Ohio) 55 vs. Miami of Ohio

1999: Brad Bohn (Utah State) 55 vs. BYU

2000: Golden Whetman (Utah) 55 vs. Wyoming

2001: Kevin Kerr (Ohio) 55 vs. Toledo

2001: Todd France (Toledo) 55 vs. Western Michigan

2002: Nate Kaeding (Iowa) 55 vs. Penn State

2002: Dan Orner (North Carolina) 55 vs. Syracuse

2003: Nate Kaeding (Iowa) 55 vs. Minnesota

2004: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 55 vs. Colorado State

2004: Mike Nugent (Ohio State) 55 vs. Marshall

2004: Mike Nugent (Ohio State) 55 vs. Wisconsin

2004: Jason Ricks (Oklahoma State) 55 vs. Texas Tech

2004: Alexis Serna (Oregon State) 55 vs. Washington

2006: Tom Schneider (California) 55 vs. Stanford

2006: Jon Peattie (Miami of Florida) 55 vs. Virginia Tech

2006: Ryan Soccop (South Carolina) 55 vs. Vanderbilt

2007: Jake Rogers (Cincinnati) 55 vs. Oregon State

2008: Joe Surgon (Duke) 55 vs. North Carolina

2008: Felipe Macias (Eastern Washington) 55 vs. Texas Tech

2009: Trevor Cook (Miami of Ohio) 55 vs. Toledo

2009: Carson Wiggs (Purdue) 55 vs. Ohio State

2010: Dustin Hopkins (Florida State) 55 vs. Clemson

2010: Alan Gendreau (Middle Tennessee) 55 vs. Louisiana

2011: Caleb Sturgis (Florida) 55 vs. Vanderbilt

2011: Caleb Sturgis (Florida) 55 vs. Furman

2014: Scott Secor (Ball State) 55 vs. Central Michigan

2014: Josh Lambert (West Virginia) 55 vs. Texas Tech

2014: Ryan Adams (SE Louisiana) 55 vs. Northwestern State

2015: Adam Griffith (Alabama) 55 vs. LSU

2015: Dylan Mulder (Eastern Michigan) 55 vs. Miami of Ohio

2015: Taylor Bertolet (Texas A&M) 55 vs. Mississippi State

2016: Elliott Fry (South Carolina) 55 vs. Vanderbilt

2017: Quinn Nordin (Michigan) 55 vs. Florida

2018: Lucas Havrisiki (Arizona) 55 vs. Colorado

2018: Wyatt Bryan (Colorado State) 55 vs. Arkansas

2018: Rodrigo Blankenship (Georgia) 55 vs. Oklahoma, a Rose Bowl record

2018: Alex Kessman (Pittsburgh) 55 vs. Syracuse

2018: Matt Gay (Utah) 55 vs. Oregon

2019: Ryan Tice (Central Michigan) 55 vs. Miami of Florida

2019: Blake Haubell (Ohio State) 55 vs. Northwestern

2020: Evan McPherson (Florida) 55 vs. Mississippi

2020: Brian Johnson (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. North Carolina

2021: Cade York (LSU) 55 vs. McNeese State

2021: Gabe Brkic (Oklahoma) 55 vs. Tulane

2021: Chad Ryland (Eastern Michigan) 55 vs. Ohio

2021: Andres Borregales (Miami of Florida) 55 vs. Michigan State

2021: Rory Bell (Temple) 55 vs. Cincinnati

2022: Jesus Gomez (Eastern Michigan) 55 vs. Ball State

2022: Nathania Vakos (Ohio) 55 vs. Western Michigan

2022: John Hoyland (Wyoming) 55 vs. Tulsa

2023: Colton Boomer (UCF) 55 vs. Boise State

2023: Dean Janikowski (Washington State) 55 vs. Colorado State

**************************************************************

55-Yard Field Goals By School (FBS Only)

1975: Dave Lawson (Air Force) 62 vs. Iowa State

1975: Dave Lawson (Air Force) 58 vs. UCLA

1991: Damon Alcom (Akron) 56 vs. Toledo

1982: Luis Zendejas (Arizona State) 55 vs. Oregon State

1985: Van Tiffin (Alabama) 57 vs. Texas A&M

1988: Ryan Pflugner (Alabama) 55 vs. Arkansas

2015: Adam Griffith (Alabama) 55 vs. LSU

2000: Mark Wright (Appalachian State) 57 vs. Troy

1977: Lee Pistor (Arizona) 57 vs. Iowa

1985: Max Zendejas (Arizona) 57 vs. Arizona State

1995: Jon Prasuhn (Arizona) 57 vs. Pacific

2017: Lucas Havrisik (Arizona) 57 vs. Washington State

2018: Lucas Havrisiki (Arizona) 55 vs. Colorado

2021: Lucas Havrisik (Arizona) 57 vs. Utah

2016: Zane Gonzalez (Arizona State) 59 vs. Colorado

1977: Steve Little (Arkansas) 67 vs. Texas

1974: Joe Duren (Arkansas State) 63 vs. McNeese State

1974: Joe Duren (Arkansas State) 56 vs. McNeese State

1987: Scott Roper (Arkansas State) 63 vs. North Texas

2011: Bobby Zalud (Arkansas State) 56 vs. Memphis

2022: Dominic Zvada (Arkansas State) 56 vs. Texas State

1976: Neil O'Donoghue (Auburn) 57 vs. Tennessee

2003: Philip Yost (Auburn) 57 vs. Western Kentucky

1986: John Diettrich (Ball State) 62 vs. Ohio

2014: Scott Secor (Ball State) 55 vs. Central Michigan

1971: Jeff Ireland (Baylor) 58 vs. Rice

1974: Don Bockhorn (Baylor) 59 vs. SMU

1975: Bubba Hicks (Baylor) 60 vs. Rice

1987: Mark Mahler (Baylor) 55 vs. Rice

2012: Aaron Jones (Baylor) 58 vs. Oklahoma

1985: Roberto Moran (Boise State) 56 vs. UC-Davis (Note: Division I-AA)

2023: Jonah Dalmas (Boise State) 56 vs. UCF

1974: Fred Steinfort (Boston College) 55 vs. Tulane

1983: Gehad Youssef (Bowling Green) 56 vs. Western Michigan

2000: Owen Pochman (BYU) 56 vs. New Mexico

1988: Robbie Keen (California) 55 vs. Washington

2006: Tom Schneider (California) 55 vs. Stanford

1975: Rade Savich (Central Michigan) 57 vs. Ball State

2019: Ryan Tice (Central Michigan) 55 vs. Miami of Florida

2015: Blake Brower (Charlotte) 56 vs. FIU

2018: Jonathan Cruz (Charlotte) 56 vs. FAU

2021: Jonathan Cruz (Charlotte) 56 vs. Western Kentucky

1994: Jon Bacon (Cincinnati) 58 vs. Miami of Ohio

2007: Jake Rogers (Cincinnati) 55 vs. Oregon State

1977: Obed Ariri (Clemson) 57 vs. Wake Forest

1982: Donald Igwebuike (Clemson) 55 vs. North Carolina State

1983: Donald Igwebuike (Clemson) 55 vs. Boston College

1990: Chris Gardocki (Clemson) 57 vs. Appalachian State

2012: Spencer Benton (Clemson) 61 vs. Ball State

1972: Fred Lima (Colorado) 55 vs. California

1981: Jerry Hamilton (Colorado) 58 vs. Iowa State

1986: Dave DeLine (Colorado) 57 vs. Nebraska

2004: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 60 vs. Iowa State

2004: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 55 vs. Colorado State

2005: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 58 vs. Miami of Florida

2005: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 57 vs. Iowa State

2005: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 56 vs. Missouri

2006: Mason Crosby (Colorado) 56 vs. Texas Tech

2021: Cole Becker (Colorado) 56 vs. Utah

1974: Clark Kemble (Colorado State) 59 vs. BYU

1975: Clark Kemble (Colorado State) 63 vs. Arizona

1985: Steve DeLine (Colorado State) 60 vs. Air Force

1986: Steve DeLine (Colorado State) 58 vs. Wyoming

1991: Peter Rantzau (Colorado State) 55 vs. Air Force

2018: Wyatt Bryan (Colorado State) 55 vs. Arkansas

1976: Vince Fusco (Duke) 57 vs. Clemson

1987: Doug Peterson (Duke) 55 vs. North Carolina

2002: Brent Garber (Duke) 56 vs. East Carolina

2008: Joe Surgon (Duke) 55 vs. North Carolina

1982: Jeff Heath (East Carolina) 58 vs. Texas-Arlington

2011: Michael Barbour (East Carolina) 58 vs. Marshall

2011: Michael Barbour (East Carolina) 57 vs. Marshall

2015: Dylan Mulder (Eastern Michigan) 55 vs. Miami of Ohio

2021: Chad Ryland (Eastern Michigan) 55 vs. Ohio

2022: Jesus Gomez (Eastern Michigan) 55 vs. Ball State

1981: Brian Clark (Florida) 55 vs. Kentucky

1984: Chris Perkins (Florida) 60 vs. Tulane

2009: Caleb Sturgis (Florida) 56 vs. Georgia

2011: Caleb Sturgis (Florida) 55 vs. Vanderbilt

2011: Caleb Sturgis (Florida) 55 vs. Furman

2020: Evan McPherson (Florida) 55 vs. Mississippi

1997: Sebastian Janikowski (Florida State) 56 vs. Wake Forest

2007: Gary Cismesia (Florida State) 60 vs. Florida

2010: Dustin Hopkins (Florida State) 55 vs. Clemson

2012: Dustin Hopkins (Florida State) 56 vs. Duke

2008: Kevin Goessling (Fresno State) 58 vs. Utah State

1976: Allan Leavitt (Georgia) 58 vs. Vanderbilt

1980: Rex Robinson (Georgia) 57 vs. South Carolina

1980: Rex Robinson (Georgia) 57 vs. Georgia Tech

1982: Kevin Butler (Georgia) 59 vs. Mississippi

1984: Kevin Butler (Georgia) 60 vs. Clemson

1984: Kevin Butler (Georgia) 57 vs. Georgia Tech

2005: Brandon Coutu (Georgia) 58 vs. Louisiana-Monroe

2005: Brandon Couto (Georgia) 56 vs. Kentucky

2011: Blair Walsh (Georgia) 56 vs. Coastal Carolina

2013: Marshall Morgan (Georgia) 56 vs. Tennessee

2018: Rodrigo Blankenship (Georgia) 55 vs. Oklahoma, a Rose Bowl record

1987: Tim Foley (Georgia Southern) 63 vs. James Madison

1987: Tim Foley (Georgia Southern) 57 vs. Western Kentucky

1988: David Cool (Georgia Southern) 60 vs. James Madison

1988: David Cool (Georgia Southern) 55 vs. Furman in I-AA Playoffs

1999: Chris Chambers (Georgia Southern) 57 vs. Oregon State

1973: E.O. Wheeler (Georgia Tech) 55 vs. VMI

1982: Ron Rice (Georgia Tech) 55 vs. The Citadel

1986: David Bell (Georgia Tech) 55 vs. Georgia

1991: Jason Elam (Hawai'i) 56 vs. BYU

2004: Justin Ayat (Hawai'i) 56 vs. Tulsa

1975: Dan Beaver (Illinois) 57 vs. Purdue

1990: Doug Higgins (Illinois) 55 vs. Michigan State

2019: James McCourt (Illinois) 57 vs. Eastern Michigan

1989: Scott Bonnell (Indiana) 55 vs. Michigan

2014: Griffin Oakes (Indiana) 58 vs. Maryland

1983: Tom Nicholl (Iowa) 56 vs. Michigan

1987: Rob Houghtlin (Iowa) 55 vs. Iowa State

1998: Tim Douglas (Iowa) 58 vs. Illinois

2002: Nate Kaeding (Iowa) 55 vs. Penn State

2003: Nate Kaeding (Iowa) 55 vs. Minnesota

2015: Marshall Koehn (Iowa) 57 vs. Pittsburgh

1979: Alex Giffords (Iowa State) 58 vs. Oklahoma

1982: Alex Giffords (Iowa State) 55 vs. Kent State

1988: Jeff Shudak (Iowa State) 55 vs. Northern Iowa

1991: Ty Stewart (Iowa State) 58 vs. Oklahoma State

1991: Ty Stewart (Iowa State) 58 vs. Missouri

2010: Grant Mahoney (Iowa State) 57 vs. Nebraska

2023: Chase Contreraz (Iowa State) 56 vs. Northern Iowa

1983: Bruce Kallmeyer (Kansas) 57 vs. Iowa State

1990: Dan Eichloff (Kansas) 58 vs. Kansas State

1991: Dan Eichloff (Kansas) 61 vs. Ball State

1991: Dan Eichloff (Kansas) 55 vs. Ball State

2001: Johnny Beck (Kansas) 59 vs. Colorado

2009: Jacob Branstetter (Kansas) 57 vs. Oklahoma

1988: Mark Porter (Kansas State) 61 vs. Nebraska

1998: Martin Gramatica (Kansas State) 65 vs. Northern Illinois

2014: John Lunsford (Liberty) 60 vs. Richmond

2014: John Lunsford (Liberty) 57 vs. Bryant

2014: John Lunsford (Liberty) 56 vs. James Madison

2015: John Lunsford (Liberty) 57 vs. Tennessee Tech

2015: John Lunsford (Liberty) 57 vs. Southern Illinois

2015: John Lunsford (Liberty) 56 vs. Georgia State

1974: Rafael Septien (Louisiana) 57 vs. Lamar

1982: Jesse Garcia (Louisiana Monroe) 56 vs. McNeese State

1983: Jesse Garcia (Louisiana Monroe) 57 vs. Nicholls State

1987: Matt Stover (Louisiana Tech) 57 vs. Texas A&M

1990: Chris Boniel (Louisiana Tech) 55 vs. McNeese State

2020: Cade York (LSU) 57 vs. Florida

2021: Cade York (LSU) 56 Yards vs. McNeese State

2021: Cade York (LSU) 55 vs. McNeese State

1980: Barry Childers (Marshall) 59 vs. Western Carolina

2014: Brad Craddock (Maryland) 57 vs. Ohio State

2013: Jake Elliott (Memphis) 56 vs. UCF

2020: Riley Patterson (Memphis) 56 vs. SMU

1981: Danny Miller (Miami of Florida) 57 vs. Florida State

1981: Danny Miller (Miami of Florida) 55 vs. Florida

2006: Jon Peattie (Miami of Florida) 55 vs. Virginia Tech

2015: Michael Badgley (Miami of Florida) 57 vs. Georgia Tech

2020: Jose Borregales (Miami of Florida) 57 vs. Louisville

2021: Andres Borregales (Miami of Florida) 55 vs. Michigan State

2009: Trevor Cook (Miami of Ohio) 55 vs. Toledo

1891: J.E. Duffy (Michigan) 55 yards vs. Cornell

1999: Hayden Epstein (Michigan) 56 vs. Michigan State

2001: Hayden Epstein (Michigan) 57 vs. Michigan State

2017: Quinn Nordin (Michigan) 55 vs. Florida

2020: Quinn Nordin (Michigan) 57 vs. Alabama in Citrus Bowl

2022: Jake Moody (Michigan) 59 vs. TCU in FBS Playoffs

1980: Morten Anderson (Michigan State) 57 vs. Michigan

1981: Morten Anderson (Michigan State) 63 vs. Ohio State

1982: Ralf Mojsiejenko (Michigan State) 61 vs. Illinois

1983: Ralf Mojsiejenko (Michigan State) 59 vs. Purdue

1988: Mike Gillette (Michigan State) 56 vs. Ohio State

1999: Paul Edinger (Michigan State) 55 vs. Wisconsin

1982: Kelly Potter (Middle Tennessee) 57 vs. Tennessee Tech

2010: Alan Gendreau (Middle Tennessee) 55 vs. Louisiana

1979: Paul Rogind (Minnesota) 57 vs. Illinois

1981: Jim Gallery (Minnesota) 57 vs. Indiana

1986: Chip Lohmiller (Minnesota) 62 vs. Iowa

1986: Chip Lohmiller (Minnesota) 55 vs. Indiana

1969: Cloyce Hinton (Mississippi) 59 vs. Georgia

1970: Cloyce Hinton (Mississippi) 58 vs. Houston

1988: Bryan Owen (Mississippi) 57 vs. Tulane

2023: Caden Davis (Mississippi) 56 vs. Tulane

1986: Tom Whelihan (Missouri) 62 vs. Colorado

2018: Tucker McCann (Missouri) 57 vs. South Carolina

2021: Harrison Mevis (Missouri) 56 vs. Boston College

2022: Harrison Mevis (Missouri) 56 vs. Georgia

1969: Paul Rogers (Nebraska) 55 vs. Kansas

1977: Billy Todd (Nebraska) 55 vs. Kansas

2008: Alex Henery (Nebraska) 57 vs. Colorado

1981: Tony Zendejas (Nevada) 55 vs. Central Arkansas

Tony Zendejas (Nevada) 55 vs. Cal State Fullerton

1983: Tony Zendejas (Nevada) 58 vs. Boise State (Division I-AA)

2001: Damon Fine (Nevada) 58 vs. UNLV

2019: Brandon Talton (Nevada) 56 vs. Purdue, game-winning kick

1988: Rick Walsh (New Mexico) 56 vs. San Diego State

1984: Andy Weiler (New Mexico State) 57 vs. UNLV

2002: Dan Orner (North Carolina) 55 vs. Syracuse

1990: Damon Hartman (North Carolina State) 56 vs. North Carolina

2018: Damon Hartman (North Carolina State) 56 vs. North Carolina

1977: Iseed Khony (North Texas) 62 vs. Richmond

1977: Iseed Khony (North Texas) 57 vs. UTEP

1998: Garrett Courtney (North Texas) 61 vs. Idaho

2001: Jason Ball (North Texas) 57 vs. Arkansas State

1973: Gary Homer (Ohio) 57 vs. Penn State

1997: Brian Huston (Ohio) 56 vs. Bowling Green

1999: Kevin Kerr (Ohio) 55 vs. Miami of Ohio

2001: Kevin Kerr (Ohio) 55 vs. Toledo

2022: Nathania Vakos (Ohio) 55 vs. Western Michigan

1966: Gary Cairns (Ohio State) 55 yards vs. Illinois

1975: Tom Skladamy (Ohio State) 59 vs. Illinois

1997: Dan Stultz (Ohio State) 55 vs. Indiana

2004: Mike Nugent (Ohio State) 55 vs. Marshall

2004: Mike Nugent (Ohio State) 55 vs. Wisconsin

2019: Blake Haubell (Ohio State) 55 vs. Northwestern

1973: Tony DiRienzo (Oklahoma) 60 vs. Kansas

1975: Tony DiRienzo (Oklahoma) 56 vs. Oklahoma State

1977: Uwe von Schamann (Oklahoma) 58 vs. Oklahoma State

2021: Gabe Brkic (Oklahoma) 56 vs. Tulane

2021: Gabe Brkic (Oklahoma) 56 vs. Western Carolina

2021: Gabe Brkic (Oklahoma) 55 vs. Tulane

1981: Larry Roach (Oklahoma State) 56 vs. Kansas

1996: Tim Sydnes (Oklahoma State) 55 vs. Colorado

2004: Jason Ricks (Oklahoma State) 55 vs. Texas Tech

1971: Steve Buettner (Oregon) 56 vs. Air Force

1977: Rex Gerger (Oregon) 57 vs. Washington State

1991: Tommy Thompson (Oregon) 56 vs. Washington

2002: Jared Siegal (Oregon) 59 vs. UCLA

1976: Kieron Walford (Oregon State) 55 vs. Stanford

1982: Chris Mangold (Oregon State) 58 vs. San Jose State

1998: Jose Cortez (Oregon State) 55 vs. California

2004: Alexis Serna (Oregon State) 55 vs. Washington

2006: Alexis Serna (Oregon State) 58 vs. California

2021: Everett Hayes (Oregon State) 60 vs. Colorado

1975: Chris Bahr (Penn State) 55 vs. Ohio State

1975: Chris Bahr (Penn State) 55 vs. Temple

1975: Chris Bahr (Penn State) 55 vs. Syracuse

2019: Jordan Stout (Penn State) 57 vs. Pittsburgh

2015: Chris Blewitt (Pittsburgh) 56 vs. Georgia Tech

2017: Alex Kessman (Pittsburgh) 56 vs. Syracuse

2018: Alex Kessman (Pittsburgh) 55 vs. Syracuse

2020: Alex Kessman (Pittsburgh) 58 vs. Boston College

2009: Carson Wiggs (Purdue) 59 vs. Toledo

2009: Carson Wiggs (Purdue) 55 vs. Ohio State

1983: James Hamrick (Rice) 55 vs. SMU

1985: James Hamrick (Rice) 57 vs. Texas Tech

1990: John Benestad (Rutgers) 55 vs. West Virginia

1991: Joe Nedney (San Jose State) 60 vs. Wyoming

2014: Ryan Adams (SE Louisiana) 55 vs. Northwestern State

1985: Brandy Bramlee (SMU) 57 vs. Texas Tech

1991: John Stewart (SMU) 55 vs. Baylor

2010: Matt Szymaniski (SMU) 61 vs. Texas Tech

2000: Bill Gramatica (South Florida) 63 vs. Austin Peay

1982: Mark Fleetwood (South Carolina) 58 vs. Georgia

2006: Ryan Soccop (South Carolina) 55 vs. Vanderbilt

2016: Elliott Fry (South Carolina) 55 vs. Vanderbilt

2006: Delibert Alvarado (South Florida) 56 vs. Syracuse

1987: Chris Seroka (Southern Mississippi) 55 vs. Louisiana-Monroe

1973: Rod Genova (Stanford) 59 vs. USC

1975: Mike Langford (Stanford) 55 vs. USC

1979: Ken Maber (Stanford) 56 vs. UCLA

1981: Mark Harmon (Stanford) 59 vs. Purdue

1984: Mark Harmon (Stanford) 57 vs. Illinois

2022: Joshua Karty (Stanford) 61 vs. California

1975: Dave Jacobs (Syracuse) 58 vs. Boston College

1976: Dave Jacobs (Syracuse) 55 vs. Pittsburgh

1977: Dave Jacobs (Syracuse) 56 vs. Illinois

1977: Steve Mormon (TCU) 56 vs. Oregon

1996: Michael Reader (TCU) 57 vs. UTEP

2015: Jaden Oberkrom (TCU) 57 vs. West Virginia

2023: Griffin Kell (TCU) 57 vs. Nicholls State

1975: Don Bitterlick (Temple) 56 vs. Akron

2021: Rory Bell (Temple) 55 vs. Cincinnati

1977: Jimmy Gaylor (Tennessee) 57 vs. Kentucky

1980: Alan Duncan (Tennessee) 55 vs. Georgia Tech

1982: Fuad Reveiz (Tennessee) 60 vs. Georgia Tech

1982: Fuad Reveiz (Tennessee) 55 vs. Kentucky

1985: Carlos Reveiz (Tennessee) 55 vs. Georgia Tech

1970: Happy Feller (Texas) 55 vs. UCLA

1974: Mike Dean (Texas) 56 vs. TCU

1975: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 55 vs. Colorado

1976: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 57 vs. SMU

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 67 vs. Rice

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 64 vs. Oklahoma

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 60 vs. Texas Tech

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 58 vs. Arkansas

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 58 vs. Oklahoma

1977: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 57 vs. Boston College

1978: Russell Erxlerben (Texas) 59 vs. Texas A&M

1985: Jeff Ward (Texas) 57 vs. Texas A&M

1985: Jeff Ward (Texas) 55 vs. Arkansas

1990: Michael Pollak (Texas) 56 vs. Baylor

1991: Scott Szeredy (Texas) 56 vs. Houston

1994: Mark Schulitis (Texas) 55 vs. Texas Tech

1998: Wayne Clements (Texas) 55 vs. BYU

2019: Cameron Dicker (Texas) 57 vs. Rice

1974: Randy Maddox (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Arkansas

1975: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 59 vs. Rice

1976: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 65 yards vs. Baylor

1976: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 65 yards vs. Baylor (2 in same day)

1976: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Texas

1977: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 62 vs. Florida

1977: Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Houston

1982: David Hardy (Texas A&M) 57 vs. Texas-Arlington

1983: Alan Smith (Texas A&M) 59 vs. Arkansas State

1983: Alan Smith (Texas A&M) 58 vs. Oklahoma State

1994: Kyle Bryant (Texas A&M) 61 vs. Southern Mississippi

1999: Terence Kitchens (Texas A&M) 62 vs. Southern Mississippi

2015: Taylor Bertolet (Texas A&M) 55 vs. Mississippi State

1966: Kenny Vinyard (Texas Tech) 55 vs. TCU

1975: David Mellot (Texas Tech) 55 vs. New Mexico

1977: Bill Adams (Texas Tech) 57 vs. Texas A&M

1984: Ricky Gann (Texas Tech) 55 vs. Houston

1996: Jaret Greaser (Texas Tech) 55 vs. Texas

2021: Jonathan Garibay (Texas Tech) 62 vs. Iowa State

2001: Todd France (Toledo) 55 vs. Western Michigan

2012: Cairo Santos (Tulane) 57 vs. Rice

1977: Steve Cox (Tulsa) 57 vs. Arkansas

1980: Stu Crum (Tulsa) 58 vs. Southern Illinois

1982: Stu Crum (Tulsa) 57 vs. Oklahoma State

1983: Jason Staurovsky (Tulsa) 55 vs. NW Louisiana

1984: Jason Staurovsky (Tulsa) 56 vs. Southern Illinois

1985: Ed O'Brien (UCF) 55 vs. Bethune-Cookman (Division)

2023: Colton Boomer (UCF) 55 vs. Boise State

1976: Frank Corral (UCLA) 55 vs. Oregon

1997: Chris Sailer (UCLA) 56 vs. Oregon

2015: Ka'imi Fairbairn (UCLA) 60 vs. California

1986: Don Shafer (USC) 60 vs. Notre Dame

1904: Fred Bennion (Utah) 55 yards vs. Utah State

1971: Marv Bateman (Utah) 59 vs. Utah State

1985: Andre Guardi (Utah) 55 vs. New Mexico

1985: Andre Guardi (Utah) 55 vs. Colorado State

1991: Chris Yergensen (Utah) 55 vs. BYU

2017: Matt Gay (Utah) 56 vs. San Jose State

2017: Matt Gay (Utah) 56 vs. Washington State

2018: Matt Gay (Utah) 55 vs. Oregon

2000: Golden Whetman (Utah) 55 vs. Wyoming

1985: Dene Garner (Utah State) 58 vs. San Jose State

1986: Dene Garner (Utah State) 59 vs. New Mexico State

1995: Micah Knorr (Utah State) 56 vs. Northern Illinois

2008: Chris Ulinski (Utah State) 56 vs. New Mexico State

1999: Brad Bohn (Utah State) 55 vs. BYU

1973: Bronko Belichesky (UTEP) 55 vs. Arizona State

1976: Miguel Alvarez (UTEP) 55 vs. Texas-Arlington

1981: Scott Wedell (UTEP) 58 vs. Wyoming

1982: Scott Wedell (UTEP) 57 vs. BYU

1987: Hugo Castellanos (UTEP) 55 vs. Lamar

2002: Keith Robinson (UTEP) 59 vs. Rice

2006: Reagan Schneider (UTEP) 56 vs. Memphis

2007: Jose Martinez (UTEP) 57 vs. Houston

2010: Dakota Warren (UTEP) 57 vs. Memphis

1973: Hawkins Golden (Vanderbilt) 55 vs. Tampa

1995: Steve Yenner (Vanderbilt) 55 vs. Louisiana Tech

1984: Ken Stadlin (Virginia) 56 vs. Virginia Tech

1995: Rafael Garcia (Virginia) 56 vs. Texas

1969: Jack Simcsak (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. Kentucky

1972: Dave Strock (Virginia Tech) 59 vs. Southern Mississippi.

1972: Dave Strock (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. Southern Mississippi

1973: Wayne Latimer (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. Virginia

1975: Wayne Latimer (Virginia Tech) 61 vs. Florida State

1977: Paul Engle (Virginia Tech) 56 vs. Virginia

2013: Cody Journell (Virginia Tech) 56 vs. Boston College

2020: Brian Johnson (Virginia Tech) 55 vs. North Carolina

1967: Don Martin (Washington) 56 vs. Air Force

1999: John Anderson (Washington) 56 vs. UCLA

1974: Joe Danelo (Washington State) 55 vs. Stanford

1977: Paul Watson (Washington State) 57 vs. Idaho

1989: Jason Hanson (Washington State) 58 vs. BYU

1990: Jason Hanson (Washington State) 58 vs. Arizona State

1990: Jason Hanson (Washington State) 55 vs. California

1991: Jason Hanson (Washington State) 62 vs. UNLV

1997: Rian Lindell (Washington State) 57 vs. Boise State

2010: Nico Grasu (Washington State) 56 vs. Oklahoma State

2012: Andrew Furney (Washington State) 60 vs. Eastern Washington

2017: Erik Powell (Washington State) 56 vs. Arizona

2023: Dean Janikowski (Washington State) 55 vs. Colorado State

1984: Paul Woodside (West Virginia) 55 vs. Louisville

2014: Josh Lambert (West Virginia) 55 vs. Texas Tech

1971: Dick Herron (Western Kentucky) 57 vs. Middle Tennessee

1984: Mike Prindle (Western Michigan) 56 vs. Northern Illinois

1998: Brad Selent (Western Michigan) 56 vs. Central Michigan

1898: Pat O'Dea (Wisconsin) 62 yards vs. Northwestern (drop kick)

1899: Pat O'Dea (Wisconsin) 57 yards vs. Illinois

1995: John Hall (Wisconsin) 60 vs. Minnesota

2009: Philip Welch (Wisconsin) 57 vs. Fresno State

2019: Zach Hintze (Wisconsin) 62 vs. Purdue

1977: Dan Christopoulos (Wyoming) 62 vs. Colorado State

2022: John Hoyland (Wyoming) 55 vs. Tulsa

2023: John Hoyland (Wyoming) 56 vs. Portland State

Boise State-UCF Game The Third Time in NCAA History That Opposing Kickers Have Hit Field Goals of 55+ in the Same Game

2023-09-12T12:26:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday's Boise State game vs. UCF is one of only three times in NCAA history (154 years) that opposing kickers hit field goals of 55 or longer in the same game. Boise State's Jonah Dalmas connected on a school record-tying 56-yard field goal, answered by a 55-yarder Colton Boomer of UCF in the Broncos' 18-16 loss.

There are only two other occurrences in which opposing field kickers hit field goals of 55 or longer in the same game. The first featured long-distance legends who happened to play in the same game when Russell Erxleben of Texas played Steve Little of Arkansas. Erxleben hit a 58-yarder only to be outdone by Little's 67-yarder.

The other is Washington State vs. Arizona in 2017, when Lucas Havrisik of Arizona booted a 57-yarder, followed by Erik Powell's field goal of 56 yards for Washington State.

In addition to the three times in NCAA history in which opposing players have kicked field goals of 55+ in the same game, here are also eight instances in which the same player hit two field goals of 55+.

Dave Strock of Virginia Tech booted field goals of 59 and 55 vs. Southern Mississippi in 1972, Joe Duren of Arkansas State kicked 56 and 63-yard field goals against McNeese State in 1974 (Arkansas State is a current FBS member but wasn't at the time), Tony Franklin of Texas A&M booted field goals of 65 and 64 yards vs. Baylor in 1976, Russell Erxleben of Texas kicked field goals of 58 and 64 against Oklahoma in 1977, Dan Eichloff of Kansas kicked field goals of 61 and 55 yards vs. Ball State in 1992, Michael Barbour of East Carolina kicked field goals of 58 and 57 vs. Marshall in 2011 and Gabe Brkic of Oklahoma kicked 55 and 56-yard field goals against Tulane and Cade York of LSU nailed kicks of 55 and 56 yards against McNeese in 2021.

That is what makes this unique. It is seldom that one kicker can kick a field goal of 55 yards or more. But to have two amazing kickers on opposite sidelines do it in the same game is rare indeed. Three times in the 154-year history of NCAA college football.

Heartbreaking News

2022-11-17T09:41:00.003-07:00

Confirming our worst suspicions, fascists have succeeded in taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Therefore, we must again suspend our normal operations and weekly college football poll. Entertainment and sports games will only serve as a distraction and appear like everything is normal when it isn't. This is the most dangerous time in our nation's history, and all freedom-loving people must do everything in their power to defeat the ugly disease of fascism.

Georgia Holds On To #1 in Blue Through and Through Top 25

2022-11-13T12:47:00.002-07:00

Unlike the AP and Coaches' polls, we base our rankings on logic. Undefeated teams are ranked by the highest impressive win and number of impressive wins. Generally, a big win places a team over another with a loss to a ranked team, unless there are other big wins and losses to look at. A bad loss will hurt a team much more than a big win will help it. On the other hand, a loss to a Top 25 team will not hurt a team, other than its comparison to other teams' losses to Top 25 teams and in the number of total losses.

A team that beat another head-to-head will generally be ranked ahead of that team as long as they have the same or better record. If there are conflicting head-to-head contests (Team A beat Team B and C but lost to D and Team D beat Team A but lost to B), the ties are broken by whether the loss was at home or on the road and quality of losses.

The mistake that voters in most polls (both AP and Coaches) is that they are swept up in emotion and forget logic.

2022 is proving to be a year in which there are not a lot of really good teams but a lot of parity. The SEC, Big 12 and ACC in particular, are down. It is difficult this week to find 25 teams that are truly worthy of that lofty recognition. Three losses is now "good".

As we predicted last week, the coaches and media fell for "the latest thing", Notre Dame, by ranking them, overlooking that the Irish have bad losses to Stanford and Marshall. Has any other Top 25 team lost to teams as bad as those? No.

Washington, meanwhile, which was only ranked 25th in the "playoff committee rankings", proved that the Blue Through and Through rankings (which had UW #19) were more reliable by defeating previously-highly regarded Oregon. The Huskies (8-2) would be ahead of Oregon by virtue of the head-to-head win, were it not for a bad loss to Arizona State. The "polls" won't have Washington high enough because they blew it last week by not ranking them higher.

The Top 25:

1-1 Georgia (10-0) edged closer to an undefeated season with a 45-19 win over Mississippi State; Beat #4 Tennessee 27-13, #12 Oregon 49-3, Mississippi State 45-19 and South Carolina 48-7

2-2 Michigan (10-0) whipped Nebraska 34-3; Beat #10 Penn State 41-17 and Maryland 34-27

3-3 TCU (10-0) prevailed over Texas 17-10; Beat #25 Kansas State 38-28, Texas 17-10 and Oklahoma State 43-40

4-4 Tennessee (9-1) ripped Missouri 66-24; Beat #8 LSU 40-13, #9 Alabama 52-49, Kentucky 44-6 and Pittsburgh 34-27 in overtime; Lost to #1 Georgia 27-13

5-5 Ohio State (10-0) ran up the score on hapless Indiana 56-14; Beat #10 Penn State 44-31

9-6 USC (9-1) thumped Colorado 55-17; Beat #17 Oregon State 17-14 and Washington State 30-14; Lost to #15 Utah 43-42

10-7 Clemson (9-1) beat back Louisville 31-16; Beat #21 Florida State 34-28, North Carolina State 30-20, Wake Forest 51-45 and Syracuse 27-21; Lost to Notre Dame 35-14

11-8 LSU (8-2) squeaked by Arkansas 13-10; Beat #9 Alabama 32-31, #11 Mississippi 45-20 and Mississippi State 31-14; Lost to #4 Tennessee 40-13 and #21 Florida State 24-23

12-9 Alabama (8-2) came from behind to beat #11 Mississippi 30-24; Beat #11 Mississippi, Mississippi State 30-6 and Texas 20-19; Lost to #4 Tennessee 52-49 and #8 LSU 32-31

13-10 Penn State (8-2) blanked Maryland 30-0; Beat Maryland 30-0 and Purdue 35-31; Lost to #2 Michigan 41-17 and #5 Ohio State 44-31

8-11 Mississippi (8-2) fell to #9 Alabama 30-24; beat #20 Troy 28-10 and Kentucky 22-19; Lost to #8 LSU 45-20 and #9 Alabama 30-24

6-12 Oregon (8-2) lost to #13 Washington 37-34 at home; Beat #14 UCLA 45-30 at home and Washington State 44-41; Lost to #1 Georgia 49-3 and #13 Washington 37-34 at home

19-13 Washington (8-2) knocked off #12 Oregon 37-34 on the road; Beat #12 Oregon 37-34 on the road and #17 Oregon State 24-21 at home; Lost to #14 UCLA 40-32 on the road and Arizona State 45-30

7-14 UCLA (8-2) lost to Arizona 34-28; Beat #13 Washington 40-32 at home, #15 Utah 42-32 at home and #24 South Alabama 32-31; Lost to #12 Oregon 45-30 on the road and Arizona 34-28

14-15 Utah (8-2) bombed Stanford 42-7 (which beat Notre Dame this year); Beat #6 USC 43-42 at home, #17 Oregon State 42-16 at home and Washington State 21-7, lost to #14 UCLA 42-32 on the road and Florida 29-26

17-16 North Carolina (9-1) downed Wake Forest 36-34; Beat Wake Forest 36-34 and Pittsburgh 42-24; Lost to Notre Dame 45-32

23-17 Oregon State (7-3) beat up on California 38-10; Beat Washington State 24-10 and Boise State 34-17; Lost to #6 USC 17-14, #13 Washington 24-21 and #15 Utah 42-16

16-18 Liberty (8-2) toppled Arkansas 21-19; No significant wins; Lost to Wake Forest 37-36

21-19 Coastal Carolina (9-1) got by Southern Mississippi 26-23 at home; No significant wins; Lost to Old Dominion 49-21

22-20 Troy (8-2) turned back Army 10-9; Beat #24 South Alabama 10-6; Lost to #11 Mississippi 28-10 and Appalachian State 32-28

25-21 Florida State (7-3) blitzed Syracuse 38-3; Beat #8 LSU 24-23 and Syracuse 38-3; Lost to #7 Clemson 34-28, North Carolina State 19-17 and Wake Forest 31-21

---22 UCF (8-2) upset #23 Tulane 38-31; Beat Tulane 38-31 and Cincinnati 25-21; Lost to Louisville 20-14 and East Carolina 34-13

18-23 Tulane (8-2) lost at home to #22 UCF 38-31; Beat #25 Kansas State 17-10; Lost to #22 UCF 38-31 and Southern Mississippi 27-24

---24 South Alabama (7-2) rallied past Georgia Southern 38-31; No significant wins; Lost to #14 UCLA 32-31 and #20 Troy 10-6

---25 Kansas State (7-3) got back on track by beating Baylor 31-3; Beat Oklahoma State 48-0; Lost to #3 TCU 38-28, #23 Tulane 17-10 and Texas 34-27

Dropped Out: Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Illinois

Also Considered:

Oklahoma State (7-3) survived Iowa State 20-14; Beat Texas 41-34; Lost to #3 TCU 43-40, #25 Kansas State 48-0 and Kansas 37-16

Washington State (6-4) No significant wins; Lost to #6 USC 30-14, #12 Oregon 44-41, #15 Utah 21-17 and #17 Oregon State 24-10

Cincinnati (8-2) edged East Carolina 27-25; No significant wins; Lost to #22 UCF 25-21 and Arkansas 31-24

15---North Carolina State (7-3) lost to lowly Boston College 21-20; Beat #21 Florida State 19-17 and Wake Forest 30-21; Lost to #7 Clemson 30-20, Syracuse 24-9 and Boston College 21-20

Louisville (6-4) lost to #7 Clemson 31-16; Beat #22 UCF 20-14, Wake Forest 48-21 and Pittsburgh 24-10; Lost to #21 Florida State 35-31, Syracuse 31-7 and Boston College 34-31

Notre Dame (7-3) edged 3-7 Navy 35-32; Beat #7 Clemson 35-14, #16 North Carolina 45-32 and Syracuse 41-24; Lost to #5 Ohio State 21-10, Stanford 16-14 and Marshall 26-21

Texas (6-4) lost to #3 TCU 17-10; Beat #25 Kansas State 34-27 and Texas-San Antonio 41-20; Lost to #3 TCU 17-10, #9 Alabama 20-19, Oklahoma State 41-34 and Texas Tech 37-34

20---Illinois (7-3) lost to Purdue 31-24; No significant wins; Beat Minnesota 26-14; Lost to Purdue 31-24, Michigan State 23-15 and Indiana 23-20

Florida (6-4) ran over South Carolina 38-6; Beat #15 Utah 29-26 and South Carolina 38-6; Lost to #1 Georgia 42-20, #4 Tennessee 38-33, #8 LSU 45-35 and Kentucky at home 26-16

South Carolina (6-4) lost to Florida 38-6; Beat Kentucky 24-14 on the road; Lost to #1 Georgia 48-7, Florida 38-6 on the road, Missouri 23-10 and Arkansas 44-30

Kentucky (6-4) lost to Vanderbilt 24-21; Beat Mississippi State 27-17 at home; Lost to #4 Tennessee 44-6, #11 Mississippi 22-19, South Carolina 24-14 at home and Vanderbilt 24-21

Mississippi State (6-4) lost again to #1 Georgia 45-19; No significant wins; Lost to #1 Georgia 45-19, #8 LSU 31-14, #9 Alabama 30-6 and Kentucky 27-17

Minnesota (6-3) beat Nebraska 20-13; No significant wins; Lost to #10 Penn State 45-17, Illinois 26-14 and Purdue 20-10

24--- Wake Forest (6-4) fell apart in losing to #16 North Carolina 36-34; Beat #18 Liberty 37-36 and #21 Florida State 31-20; Lost to #7 Clemson 51-45, #16 North Carolina 36-34, North Carolina State 30-21 and Louisville 48-21

Pittsburgh (6-4) upended Virginia 37-7; Beat Syracuse 19-9; Lost to #4 Tennessee 34-27 in overtime, #16 North Carolina 42-24, Louisville 24-10 and Georgia Tech 26-21

Syracuse (6-4) lost again to #21 Florida State 38-3; Beat North Carolina State 24-9; Lost to #7 Clemson 27-21, #21 Florida State 38-3, Notre Dame 41-24 and Pittsburgh 19-9

Texas-San Antonio (8-2) blasted Louisiana Tech 51-7; No significant wins; Lost to Texas 41-20 and Houston 37-35

Boise State (7-3) rebounded to top Nevada 41-3; No significant wins; Lost to #17 Oregon State 34-17, UTEP 27-10 and BYU 31-28

Purdue (6-4) beat Illinois 31-24 on the road; Beat Illinois 31-24, Minnesota 20-10 and Maryland 31-29; Lost to #10 Penn State 35-31, Syracuse 32-29, Wisconsin 35-24 and Iowa 21-3

Maryland (6-4) was whitewashed by Penn State 30-0; No significant wins; Lost to #5 Michigan 34-27, #10 Penn State 30-0, Purdue 31-29 and Wisconsin 23-10

Baylor (6-4) lost to Kansas State 31-3; No significant wins; Lost to Kansas State 31-3, Oklahoma State 36-25, BYU 26-20 and West Virginia 43-40

Blue Through and Through Top 25

2022-11-06T13:08:00.001-07:00

Michigan and TCU were in line for #1 with Tennessee's loss but their top wins are looking less and less impressive.

Washington was the top team outside of the Top 25 in last week's rankings and proved that position with a win over Oregon State. Neither the Coaches' Poll nor the AP believed the Huskies were that close to being Top 25. We did.

You will probably see Notre Dame ranked in the "polls" after its win over Clemson. The press and coaches will be swept up in emotion, while forgetting that the Irish lost to both Stanford and Marshall. Not one but two very bad losses. The win over Clemson is more a sign that the ACC is weak than the Irish are strong.

The playoff committee is also not without flaw--they had 6-3 Texas ranked in the Top 25 last week. There were three unranked teams better than Texas.

They also rank UCF, which, despite a fine 7-2 record, lost to both Louisville and East Carolina. Plus, the committee had Wake Forest ranked ahead of North Carolina State last week. The two teams had the same record and the Wolfpack's two losses were to Top 25 teams while one of Wake Forest's losses was to Louisville. It was illogical for the committee to rank the Demon Deacons ahead of NC State, as the Pack proved on the field Saturday with a 30-21 win over Wake Forest.

Clemson fell from 1-10 this week. Remember that a bad loss affects the ratings (as it should) more than big wins, everything else being equal. Clemson is the only Top 10 team that has lost to another outside of the Top 10.

Even Boise State, with a lackluster showing against a team with a four-game losing streak, stayed on the "Also considered" list, as there just aren't enough good teams to consider.

The Top 25:

3-1 Georgia (9-0) proved themselves with a 27-13 win over #4 Tennessee; Beat #4 Tennessee 27-13, #6 Oregon 49-3 and South Carolina 48-7

5-2 Michigan (9-0) destroyed Rutgers 52-17 ; Beat #13 Penn State 41-17 and Maryland 34-27

4-3 TCU (9-0) came from behind to beat Texas Tech 34-24; Beat Kansas State 38-28 and Oklahoma State 43-40

2-4 Tennessee (8-1) was no match for #1 Georgia, losing 27-13; Beat #11 LSU 40-13, #12 Alabama 52-49 and Kentucky 44-6; Lost to #1 Georgia 27-13

7-5 Ohio State (9-0) got by Northwestern 21-7; Beat #13 Penn State 44-31

8-6 Oregon (8-1) blasted Colorado 49-19; Beat #7 UCLA 45-30; Lost to #1 Georgia 49-3

11-7 UCLA (8-1) ran away from Arizona State 50-36; Beat #14 Utah 42-32; Lost to #6 Oregon 45-30

12-8 Mississippi (8-1) nudged Texas A&M 31-28; beat #22 Troy 28-10 and Kentucky 22-19; Lost to #11 LSU 45-20

13-9 USC (8-1) survived California 41-35; Beat #24 Oregon State 17-14; Lost to #14 Utah 43-42

1-10 Clemson (8-1) ran into suddenly hot Notre Dame 35-14; Beat #17 North Carolina State 30-20, #23 Wake Forest 51-45, #25 Florida State 34-28 and Syracuse 27-21; Lost to Notre Dame 35-14

17-11 LSU (7-2) notched a 32-31 win over #12 Alabama in overtime; Beat #8 Mississippi 45-20, #12 Alabama 32-31, and Mississippi State 31-14; Lost to #4 Tennessee 40-13 and #25 Florida State 24-23

6-12 Alabama (7-2) lost a 32-31 heartbreaker to #11 LSU in overtime; Beat Mississippi State 30-6 and Texas 20-19; Lost to #4 Tennessee 52-49 and #11 LSU 32-31

15-13 Penn State (7-2) rebounded to pummel Indiana 45-14; No significant wins; Lost to #2 Michigan 41-17 and #5 Ohio State 44-31

16-14 Utah (7-2) whipped Arizona 45-20; Beat #9 USC 43-42 and #24 Oregon State 42-16, lost to #7 UCLA 42-32 and Florida 29-26

17-15 North Carolina State (7-2) scored a 30-21 victory over #24 Wake Forest; Beat #24 Wake Forest 30-21 and #25 Florida State 19-17; Lost to #10 Clemson 30-20 and Syracuse 24-9

22-16 Liberty (8-1) toppled Arkansas 21-19; No significant wins; Lost to #24 Wake Forest 37-36

#24-17 North Carolina (8-1) survived a scare at Virginia, 31-28; No significant wins; Lost to Notre Dame 45-32

21-18 Tulane (8-1) upended Tulsa 27-13; Beat Kansas State 17-10; Lost to Southern Mississippi 27-24

----19 Washington (7-2) edged #24 Oregon State 24-21; Beat #24 Oregon State 24-21; Lost to #7 UCLA 40-32 and Arizona State 45-30

24-20 Illinois (7-1) did not play; No significant wins; Lost to Indiana 23-20

---21 Coastal Carolina (8-1) was able to defeat Appalachian State 35-28; No significant wins; Lost to Old Dominion 49-21

---22 Troy (7-2) defeated Louisiana 23-17; No significant wins; Lost to #8 Mississippi 28-10 and Appalachian State 32-28

15-23 Oregon State (6-3) lost to #19 Washington 24-21; Beat Boise State 34-17; Lost to #9 USC 17-14, #14 Utah 42-16 and #19 Washington 24-21

19-24 Wake Forest (6-3) lost again to #15 North Carolina State 30-21; Beat #16 Liberty 37-36 and #25 Florida State 31-20; Lost to #10 Clemson 51-45, #15 North Carolina State 30-21 and Louisville 48-21

---25 Florida State (6-3) routed Miami of Florida 45-3; Beat #12 LSU 24-23; Lost to #10 Clemson 34-28, #15 North Carolina State 19-17 and #24 Wake Forest 31-21

Dropped Out: Kansas State, Syracuse, Maryland and Oklahoma State

Also Considered:

Texas (6-3) prevailed over Kansas State 34-27; Beat Kansas State 34-27 and Texas-San Antonio 41-20; Lost to #12 Alabama 20-19, Oklahoma State 41-34 and Texas Tech 37-34

22--- Kansas State (6-3) saw its hopes dashed by Texas 34-27; Beat Oklahoma State 48-0; Lost to #3 TCU 38-28, #18 Tulane 17-10 and Texas 34-27

South Carolina (6-3) defeated Vanderbilt 38-27; Beat Kentucky 24-14; Lost to #5 Georgia 48-7, Missouri 23-10 and Arkansas 44-30

Kentucky (6-3) squeaked by Missouri 21-17; Beat Mississippi State 27-17; Lost to #5 Tennessee 44-6, #9 Mississippi 22-19 and South Carolina 24-14

Mississippi State (6-3) nudged Auburn 39-33 in overtime; Beat Arkansas 40-17; Lost to #11 LSU 31-14, #12 Alabama 30-6, and Kentucky 27-17

16--- Syracuse (6-3) was outclassed by Pittsburgh 19-9; Beat #15 North Carolina State 24-9; Lost to #10 Clemson 27-21, Notre Dame 41-24 and Pittsburgh 19-9

23--- Oklahoma State (6-3) lost again to Kansas 37-16; Beat Texas 41-34; Lost to #4 TCU 43-40, #24 Kansas State 48-0 and Kansas 37-16

Notre Dame (6-3) ripped #5 Clemson 35-14; Beat #10 Clemson 35-14, #23 Syracuse 41-24 and #22 North Carolina 45-32; Lost to #5 Ohio State 21-10, Stanford 16-14 and Marshall 26-21

25---Maryland (6-3) lost to Wisconsin 23-10; No significant wins; Lost to #5 Michigan 34-27, Wisconsin 23-10 and Purdue 31-29

Louisville (6-3) ran over James Madison 34-10; Beat #24 Wake Forest 48-21 and UCF 20-14; Lost to #23 Syracuse 31-7, Florida State 35-31 and Boston College 34-31

UCF (7-2) edged Memphis 35-28; Beat Cincinnati 25-21; Lost to Louisville 20-14 and East Carolina 34-13

Cincinnati (7-2) got by Navy 20-10; No significant wins; Lost to Arkansas 31-24 and UCF 25-21

South Alabama (7-2) rallied past Georgia Southern 38-31; No significant wins; Lost to #8 UCLA 32-31 and #23 Troy 10-6

Minnesota (6-3) beat Nebraska 20-13; No significant wins; Lost to #14 Penn State 45-17, #20 Illinois 26-14, Purdue 20-10

Texas-San Antonio (7-2) escaped with a 44-38 win over UAB in double overtime; No significant wins; Lost to Houston 37-35 and Texas 41-20

Baylor (6-3) beat Oklahoma 38-35; Lost to Oklahoma State 36-25, BYU 26-20 and West Virginia 43-40

Boise State (6-3) lost to BYU 31-28; No significant wins; Lost to #24 Oregon State 34-17, UTEP 27-10 and BYU 31-28

San Jose State (6-2) turned back Colorado State 28-16; No significant wins; Lost to Fresno State 17-10 and Auburn 24-16

Brand New Blue Through and Through Top 25

2022-10-30T11:01:00.000-06:00

Unlike the AP and Coaches' polls, we base our rankings on logic. Undefeated teams are ranked by the highest impressive win and number of impressive wins. Generally, a big win places a team over another with a big loss, unless there are other big wins and losses to look at. A bad loss will hurt a team much more than a big win will help it. On the other hand, a loss to a Top 25 team will not hurt a team, other than its comparison to other teams' losses to Top 25 teams and in the number of total losses.

A team that beat another head-to-head will always be ranked ahead of that team as long as they have the same or better record. The mistake that voters in most polls (both AP and Coaches) is that they are swept up in emotion and forget logic. These voters will no doubt be highly impressed by Kansas State's 49-0 win over previously well-thought of Oklahoma State. But K-State cannot be ranked ahead of Tulane, which has a better record and defeated them on the football field.

The principal of head-to-head matchups is well evident this week. Liberty is ranked ahead of Wake Forest, Tulane is ahead of Kansas State, K State is ranked ahead of Oklahoma State because of wins on the field--as would any poll that can be taken seriously. Kentucky is ranked above Mississippi State and Mississippi State is ahead of Arkansas, all by virtue of the same number of losses decided by head-to-head records.

Tennessee gained the top spot not only with another impressive win but largely due to the collapse of ranked ACC teams that were the big feathers in Clemson's cap up to this week. Clemson still has more impressive wins, but two of Tennessee's biggest wins are both more impressive than the top win by the Tigers as of now.

There was an oddity when Penn State, which lost to Ohio State, moved up in the rankings, only because so many teams ahead of the Nittany Lions lost and there are only two teams behind them (LSU and Utah) with the resume to pass them.

The Top 25:

2-1 Tennessee (8-0) Beat Kentucky 44-6; Beat #7 Alabama 52-49, #12 LSU 40-13 and Kentucky 44-6

1-2 Clemson (8-0) had a bye week; Beat #16 Syracuse 27-21, #17 North Carolina State 30-20, #19 Wake Forest 51-45 and Florida State 34-28

5-3 Michigan (8-0) ripped rival Michigan State 29-7; Beat #14 Penn State 41-17 and #25 Maryland 34-27

4-4 TCU (8-0) downed West Virginia 41-31; Beat #22 Kansas State 38-28 and #23 Oklahoma State 43-40

3-5 Georgia (8-0) ran over Florida 42-20; Beat #8 Oregon 49-3 and South Carolina 48-7

7-6 Ohio State (8-0) rallied to top #14 Penn State 44-31; Beat #14 Penn State 44-31

6-7 Alabama (7-1) did not play; Beat Mississippi State 30-6 and Texas 20-19; Lost to #1 Tennessee 52-49

8-8 Oregon (7-1) toppled Cal 42-24; Beat #9 UCLA 45-30; Lost to #5 Georgia 49-3

11-9 UCLA (6-1) whipped Stanford 38-13; Beat #13 Utah 42-32; Lost to #8 Oregon 45-30

13-10 USC (7-1) beat Arizona 45-37; Beat #15 Oregon State 17-14; Lost to #13 Utah 43-42

12-11 Mississippi (7-1) nudged Texas A&M 31-28; beat Kentucky 22-19 and Troy 28-10; Lost to #12 LSU 45-20

17-12 LSU (6-2) did not play; Beat #11 Mississippi 45-20 and Mississippi State 31-14; Lost to #2 Tennessee 40-13 and Florida State 24-23

16-13 Utah (6-2) survived a scare from Washington State 21-17; Beat #10 USC 43-42 and #15 Oregon State 42-16, lost to #9 UCLA 42-32 and Florida 29-26

15-14 Penn State (6-2) lost a lead and the game to #6 Ohio State 44-31; No significant wins; Lost to #3 Michigan 41-17 and #6 Ohio State 44-31

21-15 Oregon State (6-2) was idle this week; Beat Boise State 34-17; Lost to #14 USC 17-14 and #16 Utah 42-16

9-16 Syracuse (6-2) lost to Notre Dame 41-24; Beat #17 North Carolina State 24-9 and Purdue 32-29; Lost to #2 Clemson 27-21 and Notre Dame 41-24

19-17 North Carolina State (6-2) edged Virginia Tech 22-21; Beat Florida State 19-17; Lost to #2 Clemson 30-20 and #16 Syracuse 24-9

22-18 Liberty (7-1) did not play this week; No significant wins; Lost to #19 Wake Forest 37-36

13-19 Wake Forest (6-2) fell victim to Louisville 48-21; Beat #18 Liberty 37-36 and Florida State 31-20; Lost to #2 Clemson 51-45 and Louisville 48-21

#24-20 North Carolina (6-1) destroyed Pittsburgh 42-24; No significant wins; Lost to Notre Dame 45-32

25-21 Tulane (7-1) did not play; Beat #22 Kansas State 17-10; Lost to Southern Mississippi 27-24

----22 Kansas State (6-2) mashed Oklahoma State 48-0; Beat Oklahoma State 48-0 and Oklahoma 41-34; Lost to #4 TCU 38-28 and #21 Tulane 17-10

10-23 Oklahoma State (6-2) was whitewashed by #22 Kansas State 48-0; Beat Texas 41-34; Lost to #4 TCU 43-40 and #24 Kansas State 48-0

---24 Illinois (7-1) turned back Nebraska 26-9; No significant wins; Lost to Indiana 23-20

24-25 Maryland (6-2) was idle; No significant wins; Lost to #5 Michigan 34-27 and Purdue 31-29

Dropped Out: Kentucky

Also Considered:

Washington (6-2) did not play; No significant wins; Lost to #9 UCLA 40-32 and Arizona State 45-30

Coastal Carolina (7-1) beat Marshall 24-13; No significant wins; Lost to Old Dominion 49-21

Troy (6-2) did not play; No significant wins; Lost to #12 Mississippi 28-10 and App State 32-28

Boise State (6-2) motored to a 49-10 win over Colorado State; No significant wins; Lost to #15 Oregon State 34-17 and UTEP 27-10

Florida State (5-3) routed Georgia Tech 41-16; Beat #12 LSU 24-23; Lost to #2 Clemson 34-28, #17 North Carolina State 19-17 and #19 Wake Forest 31-21

20--- Kentucky (5-3) lost to #1 Tennessee 44-6; Beat Mississippi State 27-17; Lost to #1 Tennessee 44-6, #11 Mississippi 22-19 and South Carolina 24-14

Mississippi State (5-3) was idle this week; Beat Arkansas 40-17; Lost to #7 Alabama 30-6, #12 LSU 31-14 and Kentucky 27-17

Purdue (5-3) had the week off; Beat #25 Maryland 31-29; Lost to #14 Penn State 35-31, #16 Syracuse 32-29 and Wisconsin 35-24

Texas (5-3) was idle this week; Beat Texas-San Antonio 41-20; Lost to #7 Alabama 20-19, #25 Oklahoma State 41-34 and Texas Tech 37-34

Oklahoma (6-3) got by Iowa State 27-13; Lost to #4 TCU 55-24, #22 Kansas State 41-34 and Texas 49-0

Notre Dame (5-3) beat #16 Syracuse 41-24; Beat #16 Syracuse 41-24 and #22 North Carolina 45-32; Lost to #6 Ohio State 21-10, Stanford 16-14 and Marshall 26-21

Louisville (5-3) beat #19 Wake Forest 48-21; Beat #19 Wake Forest 48-21 and UCF 20-14; Lost to #15 Syracuse 31-7, Florida State 35-31 and Boston College 34-31

UCF (7-2) beat Cincinnati 25-21; Lost to Louisville 20-14 and East Carolina 34-13

Cincinnati (6-2) fell to UCF 25-21; No significant wins; Lost to Arkansas 31-24 and UCF 25-21

Arkansas (5-3) upended Auburn 41-27; Beat South Carolina 44-30 and Cincinnati 31-24; Lost to #7 Alabama 49-26, Mississippi State 40-17 and Texas A&M 23-21

18--- South Carolina (5-3) fell to Missouri 23-10; Beat Kentucky 24-14; Lost to #5 Georgia 48-7, Missouri 23-10 and Arkansas 44-30

Texas-San Antonio (6-2) did not play; No significant wins; Lost to Houston 37-35 and Texas 41-20

Blue Football Through and Through Top 25

2022-10-23T21:31:00.008-06:00

We will debut our popular Top 25 teams this week while watching the precarious position of the United States. If fascists win either the House of Representatives or the Senate, we will obviously have to discontinue the ranking.

Unlike the AP and Coaches' polls, we base our rankings on logic. Undefeated teams are ranked by the highest impressive win and number of impressive wins. Generally, a big win places a team over another with a big loss, unless there are other big wins and losses to look at. A bad loss will hurt a team much more than a big win will help it. A team that beat another head-to-head will always be ranked ahead of that team as long as they have the same record.

Clemson earns the top spot on the basis of four significant wins, including three over Top 25 teams. They have proven the most this season, and it is inarguable that until they lose (or another team matches its impressive wins), they are the #1 team.

Tennessee is the easy choice for #2, with a win over #6 Alabama and two other impressive wins, including a W over #21 LSU. Georgia also has two wins over Top 25 teams, one short of Tennessee. Plus, the Volunteers have three significant wins to two for Georgia. TCU and Michigan are very close--TCU gets the nod because of a win over #10 Oklahoma State while Michigan's biggest win is over #15 Penn State.

The Top 25:

#1 Clemson (8-0) Beat #9 Syracuse 27-21, #13 Wake Forest 51-45, #19 North Carolina State 30-20 and Florida State 34-28

#2 Tennessee (7-0) Beat #6 Alabama 52-49 #21 LSU 40-13 and Florida 39-33

#3 Georgia (7-0) Beat #8 Oregon 49-3 and #18 South Carolina 48-7

#4 TCU (7-0) Beat #10 Oklahoma State 43-40 and Kansas State 38-28

#5 Michigan (7-0) Beat #15 Penn State 41-17 and #24 Maryland 34-27

#6 Alabama (7-1) Beat Mississippi State 30-6 and Texas 20-19; Lost to #2 Tennessee 52-49

#7 Ohio State (7-0)—No significant wins

#8 Oregon (6-1) Beat #11 UCLA 45-30; Lost to #3 Georgia 49-3

#9 Syracuse (6-1) Beat #19 North Carolina State 24-9 and Purdue 32-29; Lost to #1 Clemson 27-21

#10 Oklahoma State (6-1) Beat Texas 41-34; Lost to #4 TCU 43-40

#11 UCLA (6-1) Beat #17 Utah 42-32; Lost to #8 Oregon 45-30

#12 Mississippi (7-1) beat #20 Kentucky 22-19 and Troy 28-10; Lost to #17 LSU 45-20

#13 Wake Forest (6-1) Beat #22 Liberty 37-36 and Florida State 31-20; Lost to #1 Clemson 51-45

#14 USC (6-1) Beat #21 Oregon State 17-14; Lost to #16 Utah 43-42

#15 Penn State (6-1) Lost to #5 Michigan 41-17

#16 Utah (5-2) beat #14 USC 43-42 and #21 Oregon State 42-16, lost to #11 UCLA 42-32 and Florida 29-26

#17 LSU (6-2) beat #12 Mississippi 45-20, Mississippi State 31-14 and Florida 43-35; Lost to #2 Tennessee 40-13 and Florida State 24-23

#18 South Carolina (5-2) Beat #20 Kentucky 24-14; Lost to #4 Georgia 48-7 and Arkansas 44-30

#19 North Carolina State (5-2) Beat Florida State 19-17; Lost to #1 Clemson 30-20 and #9 Syracuse 24-9

#20 Kentucky (5-2) Beat Mississippi State 27-17 and Florida 26-16; Lost to #12 Mississippi 22-19 and #18 South Carolina 24-14

#21 Oregon State (6-2) Beat Boise State 34-17; Lost to #14 USC 17-14 and #16 Utah 42-16

#22 Liberty (7-1) No significant wins; Lost to #13 Wake Forest 37-36

#23 North Carolina (6-1) Beat App State 63-61; Lost to Notre Dame 45-32

#24 Maryland (6-2) Beat Illinois 38-33; Lost to #5 Michigan 34-27 and Purdue 31-29

#25 Tulane (7-1) Beat Kansas State 17-10; Lost to Southern Mississippi 27-24

Also Considered:

Kansas State (5-2) Beat Oklahoma 41-34; Lost to #4 TCU 38-28 and #25 Tulane 17-10

Cincinnati (6-1) No significant wins; Lost to Arkansas 31-24

Illinois (6-1) No significant wins; Lost to Indiana 23-20

Washington (6-2) No significant wins; Lost to #12 UCLA 40-32 and Arizona State 45-30

Florida State (4-3) Beat #21 LSU 24-23; Lost to #1 Clemson 34-28, #13 Wake Forest 31-21 and #19 North Carolina State 19-17

Coastal Carolina (6-1) No significant wins; Lost to Old Dominion 49-21

Florida (4-3) Beat Utah #16 29-26; Lost to #2 Tennessee 38-33, #20 Kentucky 26-16 and #17 LSU 45-35

Mississippi State (5-3) Beat Arkansas 40-17; Lost to #6 Alabama 30-6, #20 Kentucky 27-17 and #17 LSU 31-14

Troy (6-2) No significant wins; Lost to #12 Mississippi 28-10 and App State 32-28

Arkansas Beat #18 South Carolina 44-30, Cincinnati 31-24 and BYU 52-35; Lost to #7 Alabama 49-26, #24 Mississippi State 40-17 and Texas A&M 23-21

Purdue (5-3) Beat #24 Maryland 31-29; Lost to #9 Syracuse 32-29, #16 Penn State 35-31 and Wisconsin 35-24

Boise State (5-2) No significant wins; Lost to #21 Oregon State 34-17 and UTEP 27-10

Texas (5-3) Beat Texas-San Antonio 41-20; Lost to #6 Alabama 20-19, #10 Oklahoma State 41-34 and Texas Tech 37-34

Texas-San Antonio (6-2) No significant wins; Lost to Houston 37-35 and Texas 41-20