Re-ranking the FBS: Our list from 1-124

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly leads the 12-0 Fighting Irish into a date with either Alabama or Georgia in the BCS championship game.(Photo: Matt Cashore, US Presswire)

4:26AM EST November 26. 2012 – There will be only two more weekly re-rankings, one after this coming weekend and the other after the conclusion of postseason play. Much remains up in the air.

Ohio State’s chance of grabbing the top spot took a hit when Notre Dame outlasted USC on Saturday. Notre Dame’s 12-0 season trumps Ohio State’s 12-0 season, though that shouldn’t detract from Urban Meyer’s successful debut with the Buckeyes.

SEC: Playoff comes two years early for Alabama, Georgia^[1]

The most impressive team to come out of the SEC during the 2012 regular season wasn’t Alabama, in my mind, but Florida. Unfortunately, and unlike in 2011, the Gators’ inability to win their own division will block them from an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game.

Long live the WAC: Utah State and San Jose State are in the top 25, with Louisiana Tech a few spots behind. Long live the MAC: No. 17 Kent State and No. 16 Northern Illinois meet for the conference title on Friday. Maybe next year, Big East: Louisville squeezes into the top 25, but only due to a lack of other options.

In all, the conference breakdown of the top 25 features one independent team (Notre Dame), four teams from the Big Ten (Ohio State, Nebraska, Northwestern and Michigan), six from the SEC (Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU and South Carolina), four from the Pac-12 (Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Oregon State), two from the Big 12 (Kansas State and Oklahoma), two from the ACC (Florida State and Clemson), two from the MAC (Northern Illinois and Kent State), two from the WAC (Utah State and San Jose State), one from the Mountain West (Boise State) and one from the Big East (Louisville).

1. Notre Dame (12-0, 0-0)
2. Ohio State (12-0, 8-0)
3. Florida (11-1, 7-1)
4. Alabama (11-1, 7-1)
5. Oregon (11-1, 8-1)
6. Georgia (11-1, 8-1)
7. Kansas State (10-1, 7-1)
8. Stanford (10-2, 8-1)
9. Texas A&M (10-2, 6-2)
10. LSU (10-2, 6-2)
11. Oklahoma (9-2, 7-1)
12. South Carolina (10-2, 6-2)
13. Florida State (10-2, 7-1)
14. Nebraska (10-2, 7-1)
15. Clemson (10-2, 7-1)
16. Northern Illinois (11-1, 8-0)
17. Kent State (11-1, 8-0)
18. Utah State (10-2, 6-0)
19. UCLA (9-3, 6-3)
20. Northwestern (9-3, 5-3) – UP 8
21. Boise State (9-2, 6-1)
22. Oregon State (8-3, 6-3)
23. Michigan (8-4, 6-2)
24. San Jose State (10-2, 5-1) – UP 13
25. Louisville (9-2, 4-2)

FLORIDA: Gators’ title hopes dashed despite 11-1 season^[2]

26. Texas (8-3, 5-3) – DOWN 6
27. San Diego State (9-3, 7-1)
28. Oklahoma State (7-4, 5-3)
29. Rutgers (9-2, 5-1)
30. Penn State (8-4, 6-2)
31. Fresno State (9-3, 7-1)
32. Vanderbilt (8-4, 5-3) – UP 8
33. Ball State (9-3, 6-2)
34. Louisiana Tech (9-3, 4-2)
35. TCU (7-4, 4-4) – UP 8
36. Southern California (7-5, 5-4)
37. Central Florida (9-3, 7-1)
38. Wisconsin (7-5, 4-4)
39. Toledo (9-3, 6-2)
40. Cincinnati (8-3, 4-2)
41. Tulsa (9-3, 7-1)
42. Mississippi State (8-4, 4-4)
43. North Carolina (8-4, 5-3)
44. Texas Tech (7-5, 4-5)
45. Brigham Young (7-5, 0-0)
46. Arkansas State (8-3, 6-1)
47. Syracuse (7-5, 5-2)
48. Arizona State (7-5, 5-4) – UP 11
49. Arizona (7-5, 4-5) – DOWN 17
50. Baylor (6-5, 3-5) – UP 10

TOM O’BRIEN: N.C. State coach fired after 7-5 season^[3]

51. Washington (7-5, 5-4) – DOWN 16
52. West Virginia (6-5, 3-5)
53. East Carolina (8-4, 7-1)
54. Mississippi (6-6, 3-5) – UP 12
55. Navy (7-4, 0-0)
56. Bowling Green (8-4, 6-2)
57. Louisiana-Lafayette (7-4, 5-2)
58. North Carolina State (7-5, 4-4)
59. Iowa State (6-6, 3-6)
60. Michigan State (6-6, 3-5)
61. Ohio (8-4, 4-4) – DOWN 11
62. Miami (Fla.) (7-5, 5-3)
63. Middle Tennessee (8-3, 6-1)
64. Georgia Tech (6-6, 5-3) – DOWN 9
65. Pittsburgh (5-6, 2-4) – UP 9
66. Louisiana-Monroe (8-4, 6-2)
67. Virginia Tech (6-6, 4-4)
68. Nevada (7-4, 4-3)
69. Purdue (6-6, 3-5)
70. Air Force (6-6, 5-3)
71. Western Kentucky (7-5, 4-4)
72. Rice (6-6, 4-4)
73. Missouri (5-7, 2-6)
74. Duke (6-6, 3-5)
75. Utah (5-7, 3-6)

OHIO STATE: Buckeyes savor an undefeated season, but move on to 2013^[4]

76. Southern Methodist (6-6, 5-3) – UP 14
77. Wake Forest (5-7, 3-5)
78. Tennessee (5-7, 1-7)
79. Marshall (5-7, 4-4)
80. Connecticut (5-6, 2-4)
81. Minnesota (6-6, 2-6)
82. Troy (5-7, 3-5)
83. Iowa (4-8, 2-6)
84. Arkansas (4-8, 2-6)
85. Central Michigan (6-6, 4-4)
86. Virginia (4-8, 2-6)
87. Indiana (4-8, 2-6)
88. Maryland (4-8, 2-6)
89. Temple (4-7, 2-5)
90. Washington State (3-9, 1-8) – UP 9
91. Miami (Ohio) (4-8, 3-5)
92. Wyoming (4-8, 3-5)
93. Texas-San Antonio (8-4, 3-3)
94. Buffalo (4-8, 3-5)
95. Houston (5-7, 4-4)
96. Western Michigan (4-8, 2-6)
97. North Texas (4-8, 3-5)
98. California (3-9, 2-7)
99. New Mexico (4-9, 1-7)

PAC-12: Stanford and UCLA prepare for a rematch^[5]

100. South Florida (3-8, 1-5)
101. Colorado State (4-8, 3-5)
102. Memphis (4-8, 4-4) – UP 10
103. UTEP (3-9, 2-6)
104. Florida International (3-9, 2-6)
105. Auburn (3-9, 0-8)
106. Boston College (2-10, 1-7)
107. Texas State (3-8, 1-4) – DOWN 9
108. Kansas (1-10, 0-8)
109. Army (2-9, 0-0)
110. Kentucky (2-10, 0-8)
111. Florida Atlantic (3-8, 2-5)
112. Alabama-Birmingham (3-9, 2-6)
113. Illinois (2-10, 0-8)
114. Colorado (1-11, 1-8)
115. Eastern Michigan (2-10, 1-7)
116. Tulane (2-10, 2-6)
117. Hawaii (2-9, 1-7)
118. UNLV (2-11, 2-6) – DOWN 10
119. South Alabama (2-10, 1-7)
120. Massachusetts (1-11, 1-7)
121. New Mexico State (1-10, 0-5)
122. Akron (1-11, 0-8)
123. Idaho (1-11, 1-5)
124. Southern Mississippi (0-12, 0-8)

Five noteworthy jumps

1. San Jose State, 13 spots (No. 37 to No. 24). The Spartans have moved up 24 spots over the span of two weeks.

2. Mississippi, 12 spots (No. 66 to No. 54). Taking the Egg Bowl gives Mississippi in-state bragging rights for the next 12 months.

3. Baylor, 10 spots (No. 60 to No. 50). The Bears have moved up 20 spots over the span of two weeks.

4. Memphis, 10 spots (No. 112 to No. 102). Clear progress was made during Justin Fuente’s debut season.

5. Vanderbilt, 8 spots (No. 40 to No. 32). After the last two years, there’s nothing James Franklin can do that will surprise me.

Five noteworthy drops

1. Arizona, 17 spots (No. 32 to No. 49). Coughing up a lead is one thing; doing it to rival Arizona State is another.

2. Washington, 16 spots (No. 35 to No. 51). The Huskies ceded the Apple Cup to Washington State.

3. UNLV, 10 spots (No. 108 to No. 118). Another 11-loss season ends in disgraceful fashion with a lopsided loss to Hawaii.

4. Georgia Tech, 9 spots (No. 55 to No. 64). The Yellow Jackets lick their wounds heading into a date with Florida State.

5. Texas, 6 spots (No. 20 to No. 26). Any chance of a BCS berth went out the window with a loss to TCU on Thanksgiving night.

References

1. ^{^} http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2012/11/25/bcs-notre-dame-alabama-georgia-florida/1725679/ (www.usatoday.com)
2. ^{^} http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2012/11/24/florida-gators-florida-state-seminoles-college-football/1724401/ (www.usatoday.com)
3. ^{^} http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/acc/2012/11/25/tom-obrien-fired-north-carolina-state/1725345/ (www.usatoday.com)
4. ^{^} http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2012/11/24/ohio-state-perfect-season-beats-michigan/1724325/ (www.usatoday.com)
5. ^{^} http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2012/11/24/pac-12-conference-football-stanford-ucla/1724403/ (www.usatoday.com)