
We've combined the two big human polls and two computer ratings into one big ranking.
Saturday may not have seen quite the mayhem of the previous two weeks, but there was still a shakeup near the top of the polls. Florida State beat previously undefeated Notre Dame, keeping the Seminoles firmly in the second spot and sending the Irish further down the top ten. Baylor was walloped by West Virginia and slide pretty far down the rankings, leaving an if-the-season-ended-early Playoff spot open for the taking.
And if you think the human polls like the SEC and Big 12, just wait til you see the computer ratings. Here's the full picture heading into Week 9:
Composite | Average | AP | Coaches | F/+ | Massey | ||
1 | Ole Miss | 2 | 1 | Mississippi State | Mississippi State | Ole Miss | Ole Miss |
2 | Mississippi State | 3 | 2 | Florida State | Florida State | Oklahoma | Alabama |
3 | Alabama | 3.25 | 3 | Ole Miss | Ole Miss | Alabama | Auburn |
4 | Auburn | 4.75 | 4 | Alabama | Alabama | TCU | Mississippi State |
4 | Florida State | 4.75 | 5 | Auburn | Michigan State | Auburn | Florida State |
6 | Oregon | 6.75 | 6 | Oregon | Auburn | Mississippi State | Georgia |
7 | TCU | 8 | 7 | Notre Dame | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon |
8 | Georgia | 8.25 | 8 | Michigan State | Notre Dame | Ohio State | TCU |
9 | Michigan State | 10 | 9 | Georgia | Georgia | Georgia | Michigan State |
10 | Notre Dame | 11.25 | 10 | TCU | TCU | Florida State | Kansas State |
11 | Oklahoma | 12.25 | 11 | Kansas State | Kansas State | Clemson | Notre Dame |
12 | Ohio State | 12.75 | 12 | Baylor | Ohio State | UCLA | Oklahoma |
13 | Baylor | 13 | 13 | Ohio State | Baylor | Arizona State | Baylor |
14 | Kansas State | 13.75 | 14 | Arizona State | Arizona State | Baylor | Clemson |
15 | Arizona State | 14.25 | 15 | Arizona | Arizona | Louisville | LSU |
16 | Clemson | 16.5 | 16 | Nebraska | Nebraska | Marshall | Arizona State |
17 | Nebraska | 17.25 | 17 | Oklahoma | East Carolina | Nebraska | Texas A&M |
18 | Arizona | 20.5 | 18 | East Carolina | Oklahoma | Michigan State | Ohio State |
19 | Utah | 20.75 | 19 | Utah | Utah | Notre Dame | UCLA |
20 | UCLA | 21 | 20 | USC | Clemson | Virginia Tech | Nebraska |
20 | USC | 21 | 21 | Clemson | USC | USC | Missouri |
22 | Marshall | 22 | 22 | West Virginia | Marshall | West Virginia | USC |
23 | LSU | 22.25 | 23 | Marshall | LSU | Kansas State | Arizona |
24 | West Virginia | 23.25 | 24 | LSU | Minnesota | Duke | West Virginia |
25 | East Carolina | 26.5 | 25 | UCLA | West Virginia | Georgia Tech | Utah |
The four rankings we use:
The Associated Press Top 25: The longest-running and best-respected human poll. Didn't have any official bearing on the latter years of the BCS, and won't have any official bearing on the Playoff. Expect it to set the course for the committee, however, as most outlets (including SB Nation) will use the AP's rankings as the standard until the committee takes over in late October. Usually comes out Sundays around 2 p.m. ET.
The USA Today Coaches Poll: Formerly part of the BCS, and now just a poll. It tends to be more conservative than the AP's. Though polling athletic departments in order to rank other athletic departments is dubious, we still want multiple human polls in here, and it's the other big one. Releases early Sunday afternoons.
The Massey Rating: An early-Sunday computer ranking. This is not the Massey formula the BCS used, which excluded margin of victory.
Football Outsiders' F/+ rating: A synthesis of ratings by smart persons Bill Connelly and Brian Fremeau and our personal go-to overall team stat. It tends to come out later than the others.
Last week's composite Top 25:
Composite | Average | AP | Coaches | F/+ | Sagarin | ||
1 | Mississippi State | 1.75 | 1 | Mississippi State | Mississippi State | Ole Miss | Auburn |
2 | Ole Miss | 2.25 | 2 | Florida State | Florida State | Mississippi State | Ole Miss |
3 | Auburn | 4.5 | 3 | Ole Miss | Ole Miss | Auburn | Mississippi State |
4 | Baylor | 5 | 4 | Baylor | Baylor | Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
5 | Florida State | 7.25 | 5 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | TCU | Baylor |
6 | Alabama | 7.5 | 6 | Auburn | Michigan State | Oregon | Alabama |
6 | Oklahoma | 7.5 | 7 | Alabama | Alabama | Baylor | Georgia |
8 | Oregon | 8.5 | 8 | Michigan State | Auburn | Stanford | TCU |
9 | Georgia | 9 | 9 | Oregon | Oregon | Georgia | Texas A&M |
9 | Notre Dame | 9 | 10 | Georgia | Georgia | Alabama | Oregon |
11 | TCU | 9.25 | 11 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Clemson | Florida State |
12 | Michigan State | 11.75 | 12 | TCU | TCU | Louisville | LSU |
13 | Ohio State | 14.25 | 13 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
14 | Stanford | 16.75 | 14 | Kansas State | Kansas State | Florida State | Michigan State |
15 | Kansas State | 18.5 | 15 | Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State | UCLA | Ohio State |
16 | Clemson | 18.75 | 16 | Arizona | East Carolina | Ohio State | Stanford |
17 | Nebraska | 21 | 17 | Arizona State | Arizona | USC | Kansas State |
18 | USC | 21.25 | 18 | East Carolina | Arizona State | Virginia Tech | Clemson |
19 | Texas A&M | 21.75 | 19 | Nebraska | Nebraska | Michigan State | Florida |
19 | UCLA | 21.75 | 20 | Utah | Stanford | Marshall | UCLA |
21 | Oklahoma State | 22.25 | 21 | Texas A&M | Texas A&M | Georgia Tech | USC |
22 | Arizona State | 22.5 | 22 | USC | Clemson | Nebraska | Tennessee |
22 | Arizona | 22.75 | 23 | Stanford | Utah | Virginia | Utah |
24 | Utah | 23.5 | 24 | Clemson | Marshall | Rutgers | Nebraska |
25 | LSU | 25.25 | 25 | Marshall | USC | Miami | Arkansas |