| Rank | +/- | Team | WinPct | SoS | Off Pts | Def Pts | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | -- | Alabama | 0.9497 | 0.6204 | 29.1 | 8.2 | 78.8 |
| 002 | +2 | TCU | 0.9275 | 0.4614 | 26.1 | 8.9 | 82.7 |
| 003 | +2 | Boise St. | 0.9118 | 0.4247 | 28.4 | 10.6 | 83.1 |
| 004 | +4 | Iowa | 0.9072 | 0.5807 | 23.6 | 8.9 | 81.6 |
| 005 | -2 | Ohio St. | 0.9027 | 0.4596 | 25.7 | 10.0 | 81.6 |
| 006 | -4 | Florida | 0.9008 | 0.6256 | 29.3 | 11.6 | 78.2 |
| 007 | -- | Oregon | 0.8866 | 0.6129 | 26.1 | 11.0 | 92.3 |
| 008 | -2 | Virginia Tech | 0.8643 | 0.6046 | 27.4 | 12.5 | 79.3 |
| 009 | +2 | Oklahoma | 0.8499 | 0.6579 | 22.3 | 10.7 | 91.6 |
| 010 | +2 | Nebraska | 0.8480 | 0.4469 | 22.9 | 11.1 | 81.2 |
| 011 | -1 | LSU | 0.8435 | 0.5917 | 22.4 | 11.0 | 79.3 |
| 012 | +1 | Texas | 0.8117 | 0.5462 | 24.4 | 13.3 | 82.9 |
| 013 | +2 | Arizona | 0.8096 | 0.6474 | 22.2 | 12.1 | 82.5 |
| 014 | -5 | Penn State | 0.7964 | 0.6278 | 17.4 | 9.8 | 79.8 |
| 015 | +1 | Utah | 0.7947 | 0.3609 | 23.7 | 13.5 | 82.5 |
| 016 | -2 | Stanford | 0.7944 | 0.6243 | 28.2 | 15.9 | 82.0 |
| 017 | -- | Miami-FL | 0.7897 | 0.6708 | 22.6 | 12.9 | 84.3 |
| 018 | -- | Arkansas | 0.7616 | 0.6358 | 24.9 | 15.2 | 82.8 |
| 019 | +4 | Auburn | 0.7593 | 0.5301 | 22.8 | 14.1 | 85.7 |
| 020 | -1 | USC | 0.7217 | 0.5039 | 21.1 | 14.2 | 83.8 |
| 021 | +1 | California | 0.7138 | 0.6359 | 21.1 | 14.3 | 84.0 |
| 022 | -1 | Clemson | 0.7054 | 0.5743 | 20.4 | 14.0 | 83.3 |
| 023 | +2 | Florida St. | 0.6996 | 0.5954 | 23.3 | 16.4 | 81.3 |
| 024 | -- | Air Force | 0.6974 | 0.4968 | 19.2 | 13.5 | 82.2 |
| 025 | NA | Oklahoma St. | 0.6925 | 0.5098 | 23.5 | 16.7 | 86.7 |
New entries: Oklahoma State.
Dropped out: Texas Tech.
Alabama solidifies its hold on the top spot, while TCU, Boise, and Iowa all leapfrog past Ohio State and Florida. Of those three, though, Iowa is struggling to separate themselves from Ohio State and Florida. Their weak offense is the only thing holding them back (conversely, their tied-for-second-best defense is the only thing keeping them up there). Looking at the expected win percent column, we see some stratifications forming. Alabama is ahead, with TCU their closest competition. Boise, Iowa, Ohio State, and Florida are all bunched together, with Oregon and Virginia Tech in their respective no-man's-land, and Oklahoma, Nebraska, and LSU effectively deadlocked.
Looking down the chart a little ways, we see Arkansas, Auburn, USC and Cal sandwiched between the 0.800 and 0.700 plateaus. USC is struggling under the post-Reggie-Bush sanctions and is ineligible for a bowl game; they are, however, still playing for pride, but that doesn't seem to be getting them much of anywhere these days. They look to be underdogs against at least three other Pac-10 teams, and will be a coin toss against a motivated Cal squad.
The one team that really stands out here, though, is Penn State. The Nittany Lions are in the top 15 solely because of their defense. I know this isn't news to anyone who follows college football, but the degree to which they depend on their defense is staggering. They are one of four teams in I-A with a sub-10.0 PPH defensive efficiency, yet have the worse offensive efficiency in the top 40. They combine a bad offensive outing for Tennessee with an amazing defensive stance by Oklahoma. They went to Alabama and held the Crimson Tide to a mere 24 points, a touchdown less than the Tide hung on Florida. They then went to Iowa and again surrendered only 24 points. In each case, though, State's offense only managed a field goal. If JoePa can start getting UNC-level performance from his offense, the Nittany Lions will be a legitimate top-10 team again.
By this point nearly 45% of the value of these rankings come from the four or five games teams have played in the 2010 season, with the rest coming from 2009 and before. By next week, though, that value will tip past 50% and we'll really get a feel for where teams belong. Will Texas fall out of the top 25? Will USC fall out of the top 50? Will people continue to not care about the ACC? These answers and more, next week.
