2016 e-Systems College Football Pool – Week 6 Results

For years, the Big Ten conference had the not-so-subtle nickname “The Big Two and the Little Eight”.  The “Big Two” were conference heavyweights Ohio State and Michigan.  While the Buckeyes (ranked second in this week’s AP Poll) and Wolverines (fourth) are certainly powerhouses again so far this year, they are not alone.  The Big Ten is also represented in the top ten of the AP Poll by Wisconsin and Nebraska, who are eighth and tenth respectively.  This gives the conference four teams in the top ten in a regular season poll for the first time in 56 years.  It might not last long, though, as the Buckeyes and Badgers play each other this weekend. The Badgers will look to get their first win in five tries against Ohio State.

Another top ten matchup occurs in Knoxville, where Alabama comes to town for the “Third Saturday in October” against Tennessee.  The Volunteers had the somewhat unusual distinction of not dropping any spots in the AP Poll despite losing to Texas A&M, remaining at #9 overall.  This means that both teams will be ranked in this classic rivalry for the first time since 2005, and the first time both are in the top ten coming into the game since 1999. This has been a big game for a long time for both teams.  Alabama has played no other team except Mississippi State more than Tennessee, who has only played Kentucky and Vanderbilt more often than Alabama.   It’s also hard-fought; no one has beaten Alabama more times than Tennessee (38), and no one has beaten the Volunteers more than the Crimson Tide (52).  Alabama has won nine straight in this series, but Tennessee has already snapped one long series streak to Florida this year…

Other poll notes: the Western Michigan Broncos make their first appearance ever in the poll!  They are 6-0 thus far this year, with wins over Northwestern and Illinois.  Navy jumps back into the poll after a 46-40 upset over Houston this past week; the Midshipmen’s only loss is to Air Force.  Houston’s loss is Boise State’s gain.  They are currently ranked 15^th in the poll, and though Houston is 13^th, have the inside track to the automatic New Years’ Six bowl bid for the Group of Five.  Why? You have to be a conference champion to qualify, and with their loss, Houston now needs at least two losses by Navy in conference to even win their division in the American Athletic Conference.   The Pac-12 is down to just two teams in the poll – Washington and Utah (although Arizona State is in the coaches’ poll). Stanford and Oregon, the two teams that have monopolized the Pac-12 championship since 2009, already have a combined five conference losses between them.

In small-school news, a local traditional power is making their way up the Division II rankings.  Tuskegee, the HBCU founded by Booker T. Washington, has a rich history in football.  The Golden Tigers have won the second-most games in Division II history, behind only Pittsburg State, and have won seven Black College National Championships, but have generally not been ranked very high in Division II polls.  That’s not the case this year, though.  After their 28-19 win over rival Morehouse, Tuskegee is ranked 5^th in the latest AFCA poll, their highest ranking ever.  The Golden Tigers have a bye week before facing Kentucky State on October 22.

Congratulations to AllySun, who takes week 6 honors with 114 points!  In second place was maestro, with 113, and JagRag was third with 112.

Standings after six weeks:

This weekend features 21 games, so we’ll have a lot of points up for grabs! The first game is Navy at East Carolina, Thursday, October 13 @ 7:30 ET, so make sure to get your picks in by then!