Due to Toledo’s upset over Cincinnati, we’re now down to 11 undefeated teams. It’s a given that number will shrink by at least one this week, as Alabama plays Mississippi State. At most, there are only four more games possible between unbeaten teams before the bowls: Alabama-Mississippi State this week, Louisville-Rutgers and Oregon-Oregon State on the last weekend of the regular season, and Alabama or Mississippi State versus Florida in the SEC Championship game. Each BCS conference except the ACC has at least one undefeated team, although the Big Ten’s unbeaten (Ohio State) cannot participate in a bowl this year.
What does the ACC have? How about a bowl-eligible Duke team? About this time, Duke fans are usually thinking full-time about basketball. But David Cutcliffe (remember him, SEC fans?) has the Blue Devils eligible for a bowl for the first time since 1994. Duke got there in perhaps the sweetest way possible, beating rival North Carolina for the first time since 2003. Currently, they lead the Coastal Division of the ACC, but tough games against Florida State and Clemson are coming up. If the Blue Devils manage to pull one or both of those upsets, they might get a chance at their first conference championship since a guy named Spurrier was on their sideline.
What’s the most important statistic in college football? One could make a good argument that it’s turnover margin. After all, a team that protects the ball and takes it away from the other team often would seemingly stand a good chance of winning. It’s been a pretty good indicator this year; the top ten teams in turnover margin currently have an overall record of 66-3:
| Rank | Team | Turnovers Gained | Turnovers Lost | Margin | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi St. | 21 | 4 | 2.43 | 7 | 0 |
| 2 | Ohio | 18 | 3 | 2.14 | 7 | 0 |
| 3 | Alabama | 20 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| 3 | Kent St. | 20 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 3 | Louisiana Tech | 21 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 3 | Rutgers | 20 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| 7 | Kansas St. | 16 | 4 | 1.71 | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | Oregon St. | 16 | 6 | 1.67 | 6 | 0 |
| 9 | Boise St. | 22 | 11 | 1.57 | 6 | 1 |
| 9 | Florida | 15 | 4 | 1.57 | 7 | 0 |
| 66 | 3 |
Congratulations to The Tradition, who wins their second week of the season with 226 points. In second was maestro, with 223 points, and BEVO was third with 221 points.
Standings after eight weeks (dropping “two worst” weeks)…
| 1st | maestro | 1309 |
| 2nd | gatorbamalover | 1307 |
| 3rd | AUBrian | 1305 |
| 4th | The Tradition | 1303 |
| 5th | Crimson Gator | 1296 |
| 6th | Bamarock | 1294 |
| 7th | CUtigers | 1293 |
| 8th | Allison | 1292 |
| 9th | jagrag | 1290 |
| 10th | MarylandTwerp | 1287 |
Another big week of games: twenty of them, including four between top-25 teams. The first game this week is Clemson at Wake Forest, Thursday, October 25 @ 7:30 PM ET, so make sure to get your picks in by then!
—
Brandon German
e-Systems.net, Inc.