College Football Poll Week 14
by: Alex Smart Sports
1: Florida Gators (8-2 ATS, 11-1 SU) (LW:1) Florida crushed The Citadel 70-19 in its final game at the Swamp this season. This week, they’re going to be the first double-digit favorite in Tallahassee in over two decades with their national title hopes on the line.
Next Up: Away @ Florida State (-16.5)
2: Oklahoma Sooners (8-2 ATS, 10-1 SU) (LW: 2) For anyone that thought Oklahoma was out of the title picture, its resounding 65-21 victory against the #2 team in the nation should’ve removed those thoughts. The Sooners have scored at least 58 points in four straight games and are arguably the hottest team in the nation since losing in the Red River Shootout in the middle of October.
Next Up: Away @ Oklahoma State (-7)
3: Ball State Cardinals (8-2 ATS, 11-0 SU) (LW: 4) The gang in Muncie has to be disappointed that a 31-24 victory over Central Michigan didn’t propel Ball State into the Top-12 of the BCS to at least give it consideration for a major bowl game. Still, the MAC West title will be on the line Tuesday night against Western Michigan, a team they are 3-1 ATS against since ’04.
Next Up: Home vs. Western Michigan (-10.5)
4: Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-2 ATS, 9-2 SU) (LW: 3) Okie State was off last week in preparation for Bedlam in Stillwater against the Sooners. OU has won five straight in this series and are 4-1 ATS in that stretch, and nothing would be sweeter for the Cowboys than to ruin their rivals’ chances at a national championship.
Next Up: Home vs. Oklahoma (+7)
5: North Carolina State Wolfpack (8-2 ATS, 5-6 SU) (LW: 6) Not only did NC State cover the 11-point spread against its rivals from Chapel Hill, it destroyed the Tar Heels, recording a resounding 41-10 victory. Wolfpack bettors are winners in six straight games, and suddenly NC State can join the ranks of the bowl eligible teams if it beats Miami this weekend.
Next Up: Home vs. Miami (+1)
6: Texas Longhorns (8-3 ATS, 10-1 SU) (LW: 8) HC Mack Brown and the Longhorns have to be a bit weary of the fact that Oklahoma is so close to them in the BCS standings. Odds have it, Texas is going to need some help to go to the BCS title game, but it’ll need to take care of business in a big way against Texas A&M to keep those chances alive.
Next Up: Home vs. Texas A&M (-35.5)
7: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6-2-1 ATS, 8-3 SU) (LW: 7) No one could’ve ever imagined that HC Paul Johnson’s first season would be this successful. With some help, Tech will be playing for the ACC title against either Florida State or Boston College. Though the season is already a tremendous success, a win over Georgia “Between the Hedges” would make the season extra-sweet.
Next Up: Away @ Georgia (-8)
8: Alabama Crimson Tide (8-3 ATS, 11-0 SU) (LW: 10) Alabama is probably on upset alert this weekend with its rivals from Auburn trying to gain bowl eligibility. The Tide have rolled off four straight covers, but have lost six straight Iron Bowls to the Tigers. If HC Nick Saban has any plans on a national championship run, a misstep here would be fatal.
Next Up: Home vs. Auburn (-14)
9: Oregon State Beavers (8-3 ATS, 8-3 SU) (LW: 12) Oregon State is now just one win short of a rematch with Penn State in the Rose Bowl. The Beavers notched their eighth cover in their L/9 games with their 19-17 thrilling victory in Arizona last weekend. They’ve won the L/2 Civil Wars against Oregon, but the stakes are higher now in Corvallis than they ever have been before.
Next Up: Home vs. Oregon (-3)
10: Penn State Nittany Lions (7-3-1 ATS, 11-1 SU) (LW: 11) Joe Pa and the gang are headed back to Pasadena following Penn State’s 49-18 win over Michigan State last weekend. The win snapped the Lions’ two-game losing streak against the spread. They’ll have over a month to prepare for the Rose Bowl against either Oregon State or USC.
Next Up: Bye
11: Florida International Golden Panthers (7-3 ATS, 4-6 SU) (LW: 5) FIU’s chances of winning the Sun Belt went down the drain with its 31-27 loss at home against ULM last weekend. The Golden Panthers don’t have to travel far this weekend, as they take on Florida Atlantic, a team which has covered back-to-back games against them since ’06.
Next Up: Away @ Florida Atlantic (+5)
12: Texas Christian Horned Frogs (8-3 ATS, 10-2 SU) (LW: 14) The Horned Frogs closed out their regular season with a 44-10 win over Air Force last week. They finished the year a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS in Fort Worth, and look forward to a nice bowl bid in December or January.
Next Up: Bye
13: Tulsa Golden Hurricane (7-3 ATS, 9-2 SU) (LW: 16) Tulsa salvaged its hopes of winning CUSA after losing back-to-back games by beating Tulane 56-7. The Golden Hurricane will close out its regular season in Marshall, needing some hope to win the MAC West.
Next Up: Away @ Marshall (-14)
14: California Golden Bears (8-3 ATS, 7-4 SU) (LW: 18) The band wasn’t anywhere near the field this year, as Cal took care of Stanford without incident by the count of 37-16. The Bears are one of just five teams that are bowl eligible in the Pac-10 at the present moment, and finish up the season with a bye and then a virtual bye week against 0-11 Washington.
Next Up: Bye
15: Utah Utes (7-3-1 ATS, 12-0 SU) (LW: 23) After Penn State clinched its spot in the BCS, Utah locked up its 2nd BCS bid in school history with a 48-24 win over its rivals from BYU. The Utes covered their final three games of the season, and will now likely wait for an opponent in the Fiesta Bowl.
Next Up: Bye
16: Buffalo Bulls (8-3 ATS, 7-4 SU) (LW: 24) Buffalo took another step towards a bowl bid by locking up the MAC East title in a 40-34 victory over Bowling Green in overtime last weekend. Though they’ve already reached the six-win plateau to assure bowl eligibility, an eighth win will almost certainly guarantee the Bulls a trip to a bowl game for the first time in the programs history.
Next Up: Home vs. Kent State (-10)
17: Baylor Bears (7-3 ATS, 4-7 SU) (LW: 20) Maybe the saddest team in America to see Texas Tech get destroyed in Norman was Baylor. The Red Raiders probably aren’t going to be in any mood to mess around with the Bears. A victory in Lubbock would be monumental for a Baylor team that is clearly on the rise.
Next Up: Away @ Texas Tech (+20)
18: Mississippi Rebels (7-3 ATS, 7-4 SU) (LW: NR) Ole Miss made a huge statement on Saturday by dominating in Baton Rouge and beating the Bayou Bengals 31-13. HC Houston Nutt clearly has the Rebs going in the right direction, and they’ll try to erase the memory of last season’s 17-14 loss in the Egg Bowl.
Next Up: Home vs. Mississippi State (-14)
19: Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (7-4 ATS, 5-6 SU) (LW: 13) The Cajuns never had a chance LW against Troy, losing 48-3. Their losing streak is now three games long, and they need this bye week to prepare for the regular season finale against MTSU.
Next Up: Bye
20: Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-3-1 ATS, 10-1 SU) (LW: 9) No one’s stock dropped farther than Texas Tech’s last weekend. The Red Raiders got bombed in Oklahoma 65-21, but they’re still in the race for a BCS game if they receive some help. They still have nothing to hang their heads about this season, and wrap up a successful ’08 campaign this week with Senior Night against Baylor.
Next Up: Home vs. Baylor (-20)
21: Air Force Falcons (7-4 ATS, 8-4 SU) (LW: 15) The Falcons got ripped by TCU 44-10 in Fort Worth last weekend, ending their regular season on a sour note. With eight wins, the Falcons will be going bowling, but a win over the Horned Frogs would’ve likely put them in a better bowl game.
Next Up: Bye
22: Boise State Broncos (6-3-1 ATS, 11-0 SU) (LW: NR) Boise State is holding on to faint BCS hopes, but barring an Oregon State loss this week, those chances are probably slim to none. The Broncos did their job against Nevada, beating the Wolfpack 41-34, but they’ll need to be even better against Fresno in their last chance to impress the BCS committee.
Next Up: Home vs. Fresno State (-20.5)
23: Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-4 ATS, 7-5 SU) (LW: 17) Minnesota’s regular season ended in a thud by losing 55-0 against Iowa. The Gophers dropped three of their final four betting decisions and four straight SU. Regardless, they’ll still be bowling next month.
Next Up: Bye
24: Vanderbilt Commodores (7-4 ATS, 6-5 SU) (LW: 19) It’s not often that Vanderbilt is expected to beat Tennessee, but that was the position the ‘Dores found themselves in last week. They couldn’t play the part though, as Vandy dropped a 20-10 decision to the Volunteers. They’ve lost five out of six now, but HC Bobby Johnson has to be thrilled with the fact that Vandy is going bowling.
Next Up: Away @ Wake Forest (+4)
25: Rice Owls (7-4 ATS, 8-3 SU) (LW: NR) The Owls need a win and a lot of help to win the C-USA Western division, but their game this week against Houston will go a long way in determining how the west will be won. They’re 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS at home this season.
Next Up: Home vs. Houston (+3)
Dropped Out: Central Michigan (21), Temple (22), Stanford (25)