The old BCS computer model didn’t just nudge the Week 7 rankings around - it blew a hole right through the top five.
With the AP and Coaches Poll already reflecting a wild Saturday, the BCS formula from BCSKnowHow lined up with the idea that Miami belongs at No. 1. The Hurricanes earned a 0.9570 score after their thrilling, and somewhat controversial, double-overtime win over Florida State, and they also picked up 40 first-place votes from AP pollsters after taking a huge chunk of the support Georgia had the week before.
Miami’s grip on the top spot looks real enough for now, but the schedule won’t let the Hurricanes settle in. They head into back-to-back road games at North Carolina and Notre Dame, a stretch that should sharpen the picture quickly.
The BCS formula made a different call than the AP on BYU. While AP voters pushed the Cougars to No. 2 with 20 first-place votes, the BCS slotted them at No. 3, a five-spot jump after a gritty win over Notre Dame.
Bear Bachmeier was all over that game, with touchdowns through the air, as a receiver, and on the ground, and now BYU sits atop a crowded Big 12. The danger zone starts right away with a trip to 3-3 UCF, followed by a road game at Utah.
Notre Dame stayed in the mix despite the loss, dropping only two spots to No. 4 in the BCS rankings, which matched its fall in the AP poll.
A couple of traditional powers had a rougher week. Alabama and Texas are both dealing with two-game losing streaks, though the damage wasn’t equal.
Alabama’s loss to Georgia is one thing, but the Tide’s 26-10 defeat at Tennessee could matter a lot more. That pushed Alabama down seven places to No. 13, and another stumble would make the upcoming road trip to LSU even more uncomfortable.
Texas took the hardest fall of all, tumbling 12 spots to No. 19 after its second straight loss to an unranked team. The Longhorns’ latest defeat came against Florida in Austin, and that move matched the AP rankings as well.
Florida, meanwhile, used that win to crack the BCS poll at No. 20.
At the Group of Six level, Boise State may no longer have the BCS all to itself. The AP voters and, likely, the playoff committee still see the Broncos as the standard-bearer, but the computers have another name in the conversation: James Madison.
The Dukes are 7-0 after rolling Georgia State 49-22, and that victory extended two impressive streaks - 12 straight Sun Belt regular season wins and 11 straight home wins dating back to last season. AP voters still left James Madison unranked, though the Dukes did receive 52 votes, leaving them to wait for a little more movement lower down the poll.
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For Texas, that uncertainty matters because the programs quarterback plan suddenly feels a little less settled than it did a year ago. Manning could stay and try to grow inside the current setup, stay and do it under a revamped staff, or look elsewhere if he decides another program offers a better path for his development and draft stock. For now, the only clear thing is that his next move will shape more than just his own career. [Read more 🡒]