HogManInLA’s Top 25 College Football Poll: Week Eleven
By Ryan Wright
November 3, 2012; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Quinton Dial (90) celebrates as quarterback AJ McCarron (10) congratulates kicker Jeremy Shelley (5) after a successful extra point during the fourth quarter against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Alabama defeated LSU, 21-17. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-US PRESSWIRE
The 2012 college football season has been as exciting of a regular season as there has been in a long time and week ten did not disappoint with action throughout the Top 25.
Alabama hung on for a last minute 28-yard touchdown reception from A.J. McCarron to T.J. Yeldon for a 21-17 win over LSU.
The proverbial light seemed to go on for Tigers quarterback Zach Mettenberger in the second half against Bama. He made plays with his arm against the Tide’s defense something few teams have done throughout the season. Is this a sign of things to come for LSU fans or a one time occurrence?
Oregon laid it on USC and did not let up. The Ducks jumped out to a 21-3 lead then allowed the Trojans to get within three before ramping up the offense again for a 62-51 final score.
Running back Kenjon Barner tore the Trojans defense apart for 321 yards with five touchdowns. The USC defense has been more bad than good since Montee Kiffin rolled into Los Angeles with son Lane. Will son fire dad once the season is over?
Kansas State continues to dominate teams on their schedule but bad news might be around the corner. Collin Klein left the game against Oklahoma State in the third quarter and did not return.
KSU has TCU, Baylor, and Texas left on the schedule. Their defense is strong enough to keep the team in those games but the offense goes as Klein goes. Without him BCS title hopes could be dashed quickly.
Notre Dame squeaked out a triple overtime win against Pittsburgh at home 29-26. The Irish survived the scare and live to fight for another day.
ND should roll through their next two games against Boston College and Wake Forest before traveling to USC to face the Trojans in Los Angeles. USC will need that win to prove they are a legitimate Top 25 team nearly as bad as Notre Dame will need the win to stay in the BCS national championship conversation; should be a great game.
Week eleven games provide some interesting match-ups that will influence bowl invitations. Some questions that will be answered come Saturday…
Can Iowa State beat Texas in Austin… again?
Arkansas takes on a banged up South Carolina team in Columbia. How will the Gamecocks respond without Marcus Lattimore?
Stanford hosts Oregon State in a Pac-12 battle that could be for second place or for an eventual share of the Pac-12 North Division.
OSU has more to lose than Stanford. A win over the Cardinal will put the Beavers in sole possession of second place with an end of season match-up against in-state rival Oregon on the horizon.
If OSU can win the battle of the Civil War, Oregon State, not Oregon would represent the north division in the Pac-12 title game leaving the Ducks out of the national championship game.
Penn State’s incredible year in the face of the adversity the team was presented gets a tough challenge on the road against the Cornhuskers. A win over Nebraska would be as sweet as a bowl win for PSU fans.
How much gas does Alabama have left in their tank?
Texas A&M comes to town ready to show the SEC just how good of a team they really are. The two losses the Aggies suffered were by three to Florida and five to LSU, both games in College Station and both considered quality losses.
A&M has not been as strong on the road but they could catch an Alabama team suffering from an emotional hangover over their win against LSU.
Mississippi State started the year 7-0 and is now in the midst of a two-game losing streak. Now the Bulldogs have to travel to Death Valley to play an angry LSU team that came within 51 seconds of possibly being back in the national championship hunt.
Will LSU look to make a point against MSU or can Dan Mullen and company pull out an upset win against a Tigers team that has lost motivation?
Best games of the upcoming week include:
Texas A&M at Alabama
Kansas State at TCU
Oregon State at Stanford
HogManInLA Top 25 College Football Poll
1. Alabama 9-0
2. Oregon 9-0
3. Kansas State 9-0
4. Notre Dame 9-0
5. Georgia 8-1
6. Florida 8-1
7. LSU 7-2
8. Florida State 8-1
9. Ohio State 10-0
10. Clemson 8-1
11. Louisville 9-0
12. Texas A&M 7-2
13. South Carolina 7-2
14. Oregon State 7-1
15. Oklahoma 6-2
16. Louisiana Tech 8-1
17. Rutgers 7-1
18. Stanford 6-2
19. Mississippi State 7-2
20. UCLA 6-2
21. Nebraska 7-2
22. USC 6-3
23. Texas Tech 6-3
24. Utah State 8-2
25. Boise State 7-2
New to the Poll:
No. 21 Nebraska
No. 24 Utah State
Dropped Out of Poll:
No. 20 West Virginia
No. 23 Tulsa