Below is the WNaBP, but before we get there, a quick moment of reflection on three games.
- The absolutely brutal ending in the Ole Miss-Auburn game last night. I cannot recall a team that lost so very much on one regular season play before. In one play, on that damned Field Turf in Vaught-Hemingway, Ole Miss lost: a fumble for a touchback, the game, the division, the conference, a shot at the CFB playoffs, and, their best offensive player and conference terror, Laquon Treadwell. Like Alabama's Kenyan Drake, Treadwell suffered a serious fracture. Time to go back to grass, Ole Miss. It's been over a decade, and your lawn cooties have had time to heal.
- Will Muschamp, for reasons known only to himself and Kurt Roper, decided to keep Florida's power running game under wraps for 2/3rds of the season, unveiling it only when they needed to smack Georgia in the mouth. And, make no mistake, the WLOCP was not a fluke. The Gators lined up and whipped the hell out of the Dawgs in both trenches, posting a nifty 400+ yards rushing in the process. Easily the best Florida win since its 2012 rout of Florida State. That said, Georgia has some serious cultural issues. It's not talent, and I don't believe it's coaching; there is a deeper malaise - an undercurrent of softness- that has prevented the Dawgs from maximizing their tremendous potential for the better part of the past six years. You have to wonder if 2012 was Richt's last, best chance to make a run at a national title. It is clear this team, as constituted, may always be good but will always be Georgia.
- TCU - West Virginia: It is apparent that Holgo has a team with gifted playmakers on both sides, a great kicking game, and an unfortunate penchant to both give up big leads and out-think himself. The media folks are clamoring for TCU to take the 4-spot, but here's the dirty secret: TCU is essentially West By Damn with a better coach, and they still lost to Baylor, whom everyone forgets is 7-1 with the tie-breaker. I have a sneaky suspicion Baylor-KSU decides the Big Twelve. Also, media bros, FWIW Alabama beat West Virginia by two scores, on a neutral field, in a game it never trailed, with a new QB, a rebuilt offensive line, a makeshift secondary, and a new offensive coordinator - but keep on with your TCU narratives, I suppose.
Rank |
Team |
Last Week |
1 |
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2 |
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3 |
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4 |
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5 |
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6 |
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7 |
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8 |
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9 |
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10 |
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11 |
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12 |
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13 |
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14 |
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15 |
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16 |
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17 |
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18 |
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19 |
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20 |
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21 |
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22 |
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23 |
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24 |
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25 |
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I missed last week while traveling for work. My apologies, and, accordingly, I've omitted the "last week" column of the poll.