College Football: Power Ranking All 120 FBS Teams Heading into Week 7
Joe PenkalaCorrespondent IOctober 11, 2011College Football: Power Ranking All 120 FBS Teams Heading into Week 7
Another week of college football has come and gone and the major contenders truly flexed their muscles as everyone who played in the top 10 won by double digits.
Both LSU and Alabama dominated, Oklahoma roughed up Texas, Clemson and Stanford continued to roll and Boise State and Oklahoma State showed some major offensive firepower.
Now that we have completed six weeks of the season, we are approaching the release of the BCS rankings but before those come out, here is a look at how all 120 teams around the nation stack up.
No. 120: New Mexico
Record: 0-5
Next Game: at Nevada
Quick Note: After getting this past week off, the Lobos will head on the road and try to do something to turn things around.
No. 119: UAB
Record: 0-5
Next Game: at Tulsa
Quick Note: After holding a lead against Mississippi State, the Blazers could not hang on for long and finally lost. When they head on the road, they must get a better performance from their offense.
No. 118: Florida Atlantic
Record: 0-5
Next Game: Western Kentucky
Quick Note: The season continues to go poorly for the Owls as their defense has been unable to keep them in any of their games thus far.
No. 117: Miami (Ohio)
Record:1-4
Next Game: at Kent State
Quick Note: After four straight losses, the RedHawks finally earned a victory but head on the road to take on Kent State this week.
No. 116: Western Kentucky
Record: 1-4
Next Game: at Florida Atlantic
Quick Note: This past week the Hilltoppers earned their first win in style by beating Middle Tennessee in double overtime. If they can get more consistent play from their defense, they could turn things around.
No. 115: Middle Tennessee
Record: 1-4
Next Game: at Florida Atlantic
Quick Note: After a rough double overtime loss, Middle Tennessee gets this coming week off and will have more time to prepare for Florida Atlantic.
No. 114: Idaho
Record: 1-5
Next Game: at New Mexico State
Quick Note: Things continue to go poorly for the Vandals and have no appearance of getting better any time soon.
No. 113: Akron
Record: 1-5
Next Game: Ohio
Quick Note: After another tough loss this week, Akron gets a week off to prepare for Ohio and try and figure out a way to get their offense back on track.
No. 112: Minnesota
Record: 1-5
Next Game: Nebraska
Quick Note: In the past two weeks, the Gophers have been outscored 103-17 and appear to be in for a long season.
No. 111: Indiana
Record: 1-5
Next Game: at Wisconsin
Quick Note: After a loss to Illinois, Indiana gets to head on the road and play Wisconsin. Ouch.
No. 110: Boston College
Record: 1-5
Next Game: at Virginia Tech
Quick Note: The best news that Boston College could get is they have a bye week, although it is followed up by a trip to play the Hokies.
No. 109: Arizona
Record: 1-5
Next Game: UCLA
Quick Note: Things have hit rock bottom for Arizona after they lost to a winless Oregon State team. With a bye week upon them, change is in order.
No. 108: Colorado
Record: 1-5
Next Game: at Washington
Quick Note: Like most teams, Colorado got a rude awakening against Stanford and won't have time to recover as they go on the road to take on Washington.
No. 107: Oregon State
Record: 1-4
Next Game: BYU
Quick Note: After a miserable start to the season, the Beavers offense has finally arrived and helped them earn their first win of the year.
No. 106: UNLV
Record: 1-4
Next Game: at Wyoming
Quick Note: After being shutout by Nevada, UNLV has to feel that it cannot go much worse when they head on the road to take on Wyoming.
No. 105: Memphis
Record: 1-5
Next Game: East Carolina
Quick Note: The challenges on offense continue to cost Memphis and it will not get easier as they face East Carolina this week.
No. 104: UL Monroe
Record: 1-4
Next Game: at Troy
Quick Note: After an early season win, UL Monroe has dropped three straight and cannot get things going on offense.
No. 103: East Carolina
Record: 1-4
Next Game: at Memphis
Quick Note: After a rough loss to Houston, East Carolina needs to put together a better game plan and take care of Memphis.
No. 102: Kent State
Record: 1-5
Next Game: Miami of Ohio
Quick Note: In their five losses, Kent State has only managed to score 39 points. If they hope to get things turned around, the offense needs to figure things out.
No. 101: Louisiana Tech
Record: 2-4
Next Game: at Utah State
Quick Note: After a huge win on the road, Louisiana Tech gets a week off and will look to put together back-to-back wins against Utah State.
No. 100: North Texas
Record: 2-4
Next Game: UL Lafayette
Quick Note: North Texas has now earned their second victory in three games and if their defense continues to perform well, they will make it three out of four.
No. 99: Buffalo
Record: 2-4
Next Game: at Temple
Quick Note: This past week Buffalo earned a huge win over Ohio and will look to keep that momentum going this week at Temple.
No. 98: Rice
Record: 2-3
Next Game: at Marshall
Quick Note: Both the offense and defense looked good this past week against Memphis and will have a good chance of getting to .500 against Marshall.
No. 97: Marshall
Record: 2-4
Next Game: Rice
Quick Note: Marshall has not been able to get their offense on track this year and if they hope to win any more games, they will need to give their defense some help.
No. 96: Army
Record: 2-4
Next Game: at Vanderbilt
Quick Note: The key this year has been the Army defense. If the defense can show up against Vanderbilt, they will have a chance at earning a win.
No. 95: Tulane
Record: 2-4
Next Game: UTEP
Quick Note: The Green Wave are currently riding a three game losing streak in which their defense cannot make the stops when they need them most.
No. 94: Connecticut
Record: 2-4
Next Game: South Florida
Quick Note: The Big East schedule did not get off to a great start for the Huskies and a game against South Florida will not be much easier.
No. 93: San Jose State
Record: 2-4
Next Game: Hawaii
Quick Note: After winning two straight, a loss to BYU brought that to an end and a game against Hawaii will make things difficult to turn things around.
No. 92: Central Michigan
Record: 2-4
Next Game: Eastern Michigan
Quick Note: The Chips defense continues to struggle and so does the team. A game against rival Eastern Michigan should bring out the best in them.
No. 91: Kentucky
Record: 2-4
Next Game: Jacksonville State
Quick Note: So far things have not gone well in the SEC for Kentucky with them losing three straight. They will get a bye this week and then have Jacksonville State on the schedule.
No. 90: New Mexico State
Record: 2-3
Next Game: Idaho
Quick Note: New Mexico State got this past week off and now will have a chance to get back to the .500 mark when they take on Idaho.
No. 89: Eastern Michigan
Record: 3-3
Next Game: at Central Michigan
Quick Note: This past week, the Eagles got beat up by Toledo. Eastern Michigan must turn their attention now to in-state rival Central Michigan and hope to get back to winning.
No. 88: Tulsa
Record: 2-3
Next Game: UAB
Quick Note: Tulsa went into their bye week on a win and after getting extra time to prepare for UAB, they will look to take advantage of the Blazers.
No. 87: Kansas
Record: 2-3
Next Game: Oklahoma
Quick Note: As if giving up 70 to Oklahoma State wasn't bad enough, Kansas gets to take on Oklahoma this week.
No. 86: Fresno State
Record: 2-4
Next Game: Utah State
Quick Note: Pat Hill and Fresno State have not had the season they had hoped for and coming off a bad loss to Boise State, the Bulldogs will take on Utah State.
No. 85: UTEP
Record: 2-3
Next Game: at Tulane
Quick Note: After getting over two weeks to prepare for this game, it may take UTEP too long to shake off the rust and give Tulane an opportunity to earn a win.
No. 84: Troy
Record: 2-3
Next Game: UL Monroe
Quick Note: Troy had a two game winning streak broken by UL Lafayette but hopes to get right back on the winning track against UL Monroe.
No. 83: Northwestern
Record: 2-3
Next Game: at Iowa
Quick Note: A 2-0 start has been erased by three straight losses and a road game at Iowa is one of the last things the Wildcats want at this point.
No. 82: Ole Miss
Record: 2-3
Next Game: Alabama
Quick Note: Following a win over Fresno State, Ole Miss had this past week off but that will likely not help them against the Crimson Tide.
No. 81: Louisville
Record: 2-3
Next Game: at Cincinnati
Quick Note: After a 2-1 start to the year, Louisville has dropped two straight and have to head on the road to Cincinnati to bring the slide to an end.
No. 80: Northern Illinois
Record: 3-3
Next Game: Western Michigan
Quick Note: The Huskies have climbed back up to the .500 mark and a home game against Western Michigan provides them with an opportunity to go to 4-3.
No. 79: Utah State
Record: 2-3
Next Game: at Fresno State
Quick Note: After winning big this past week, Utah State will be taking on a Fresno State team that just got hammered by Boise State.
No. 78: Colorado State
Record: 3-2
Next Game: Boise State
Quick Note: Coming off a loss to San Jose State, the Rams had a bye week to prepare for Boise State but with Kellen Moore it may not matter.
No. 77: Bowling Green
Record: 3-3
Next Game: Toledo
Quick Note: After a promising 3-1 start, Bowling Green has slipped to 3-3 and will need both sides of the ball to play better against Toledo.
No. 76: NC State
Record: 3-3
Next Game: at Virginia
Quick Note: The Wolf Pack head into their bye week with a win over Central Michigan and will have time to prepare for a road game against Virginia.
No. 75: Mississippi State
Record: 3-3
Next Game: South Carolina
Quick Note: While the Bulldogs won this past week, it wasn't pretty. The offense must get better if they hope to be a factor in the SEC.
No. 74: Nevada
Record: 2-3
Next Game: New Mexico
Quick Note: This past week the Wolf Pack had their best game on both sides of the ball and should have no issue repeating that effort against New Mexico.
No. 73: Duke
Record: 3-2
Next Game: Florida State
Quick Note: After getting a bye week to enjoy their three game win streak, Duke will take on a Florida State team that is struggling but still bring a lot of talent to the field.
No. 72: Virginia
Record: 3-2
Next Game: Georgia Tech
Quick Note: Virginia had a bye this past week and hopefully have used that time to prepare for a tough to stop Georgia Tech offense.
No. 71: Utah
Record: 2-3
Next Game: at Pitt
Quick Note: Conference play has not treated the Utes well. In the Pac-12, Utah is 0-3, so maybe it is a good thing they are playing Pitt this week.
No. 70: Navy
Record: 2-3
Next Game: at Rutgers
Quick Note: Since a 2-0 start, things have gone wrong for the Midshipmen and they hope to get that turned around against Rutgers this week.
No. 69: Miami
Record: 2-3
Next Game: at North Carolina
Quick Note: The up and down season of the Hurricanes continues. After a tough loss against Virginia Tech, Miami must turn things around against North Carolina.
No. 68: Ball State
Record: 3-3
Next Game: at Ohio
Quick Note: In the past two weeks, Ball State has been outscored 104-6 and must figure something out before their game against Ohio.
No. 67: Maryland
Record: 2-3
Next Game: Clemson
Quick Note: Maryland played well against Georgia Tech this past week but just could not get that score that would put them ahead. Things will get worse as the Terps take on Clemson this week.
No. 66: Toledo
Record: 3-3
Next Game: at Bowling Green
Quick Note: After some tough luck early in the year, Toledo is back to .500 and will head on the road to Bowling Green this week.
No. 65: Purdue
Record: 3-2
Next Game: at Penn State
Quick Note: Purdue is another team that has been up and down and a game at Happy Valley will not help the Boilermakers in their attempt to win back-to-back games.
No. 64: UCLA
Record: 3-3
Next Game: at Arizona
Quick Note: UCLA was able to bounce back after a loss to Stanford by beating Washington State. They will have a little bit more time to prepare for an Arizona team that looks lost and defeated.
No. 63: Pittsburgh
Record: 3-3
Next Game: Utah
Quick Note: After an outstanding win over South Florida, Pitt followed it up with a stinker against Rutgers and will face a tough Utah team this week.
No. 62: Hawaii
Record: 3-2
Next Game: at San Jose State
Quick Note: After two straight wins, the Warriors got this past week off and will resume play with a road game they should win against San Jose State.
No. 61: Missouri
Record: 2-3
Next Game: Iowa State
Quick Note: Two straight losses have dropped the Tigers to 2-3. They must put that behind them and find their offense against Iowa State this week.
No. 60: UCF
Record: 3-2
Next Game: at SMU
Quick Note: Behind a solid defensive performance, UCF beat Marshall and will look to use the same blueprint against SMU.
No. 59: Arkansas State
Record: 4-2
Next Game: FIU
Quick Note: The Red Wolves continue to beat the teams that they should and on a long week, they will have some extra time to get ready for FIU.
No. 58: Western Michigan
Record: 4-2
Next Game: at Northern Illinois
Quick Note: Western Michigan has done well so far this year and has won four out of their past five games and will head on the road to play the Huskies.
No. 57: Ohio
Record: 4-2
Next Game: Ball State
Quick Note: Ohio is coming off of a tough one-point road loss to Buffalo. They need to refocus and play up to their abilities against a Ball State team that is struggling as well.
No. 56: Wyoming
Record: 3-2
Next Game: UNLV
Quick Note: Since a 3-0 start, the Cowboys offense and defense have both struggled but should get back to what was working against UNLV.
No. 55: Air Force
Record: 3-2
Next Game: San Diego State
Quick Note: Air Force got roughed up this past week at Notre Dame and will go against another good offense at home. It will be interesting to see how the Falcons defense responds.
No. 54: Vanderbilt
Record: 3-2
Next Game: Georgia
Quick Note: While Vanderbilt got off to a quick start this year, two games against top talent have dropped them to 3-2 and it does not get easier as they take on Georgia next.
No. 53: Washington State
Record: 3-2
Next Game: Stanford
Quick Note: With a tough road loss behind them, Washington State returns home but they will be going up against Andrew Luck and Stanford.
No. 52: FIU
Record: 4-2
Next Game: at Arkansas State
Quick Note: FIU got themselves back on the winning track as they broke a two game losing streak by winning at Akron. They will need the same kind of performance as they play Arkansas State on the road.
No. 51: UL Lafayette
Record: 5-1
Next Game: North Texas
Quick Note: After a Week 1 loss to Oklahoma State, UL Lafayette has rattled off five straight wins and will look to make it six this week.
No. 50: Ohio State
Record: 3-3
Next Game: at Illinois
Quick Note: Now with back-to-back losses, including blowing a big lead against Nebraska, the Buckeyes stay on the road to face Illinois, a team that has the talent to push Ohio State's losing streak to three.
No. 49: Iowa State
Record: 3-2
Next Game: at Missouri
Quick Note: After a great start to the year, Iowa State has dropped two straight and are in danger of making it three when they head on the road to play Missouri.
No. 48: Cal
Record: 3-2
Next Game: USC
Quick Note: While Cal did keep things close against Oregon for a half, they could not keep up with them in the second half and they will face another high powered offense this week when USC comes to town.
No. 47: Temple
Record: 4-2
Next Game: Buffalo
Quick Note: After a disappointing loss to Toledo, Temple responded well by beating Ball State 42-0 and now have Buffalo in their sights.
No. 46: San Diego State
Record: 3-2
Next Game: at Air Force
Quick Note: In the two straight losses the Aztecs have had, their offense has failed to put up points consistently. They will need them this week as Air Force has had no issues scoring.
No. 45: Tennessee
Record: 3-2
Next Game: LSU
Quick Note: In a pivotal game against Georgia, the Vols came up short and now face games against LSU, Alabama and South Carolina.
No. 44: Syracuse
Record: 4-2
Next Game: West Virginia
Quick Note: While this season has gone well so far, the Orange have shown they are vulnerable on defense and will have their hands full against West Virginia.
No. 43: Iowa
Record: 3-2
Next Game: Northwestern
Quick Note: Both Iowa and Northwestern are coming off of disappointing losses and need this win to keep their seasons moving in the right direction.
No. 42: Cincinnati
Record: 4-1
Next Game: Louisville
Quick Note: Since their loss at Tennessee, the offense and defense have been clicking and the Bearcats are rolling into their game against the Cardinals.
No. 41: Florida State
Record: 2-3
Next Game: at Duke
Quick Note: Things continue to spiral out of control for the Seminoles as they have lost three straight games. This weeks game against Duke should bring that streak to an end.
No. 40: BYU
Record: 4-2
Next Game: Oregon State
Quick Note: After a bad loss to Utah, BYU has gone on to win three straight games, led by some solid defensive performances. A home date against the Beavers is a very winnable game.
No. 39: Rutgers
Record: 4-1
Next Game: Navy
Quick Note: Very quietly and surprisingly, the Scarlet Knights have gone 4-1 and have been extremely competitive. This week they will be challenged by the Navy rushing attack.
No. 38: Wake Forest
Record: 4-1
Next Game: Virginia Tech
Quick Note: Another surprising team is Wake Forest who has gone 4-1 and is fresh off a victory over the Seminoles. A win over the Hokies could really get some peoples attention.
No. 37: TCU
Record: 4-2
Next Game: New Mexico
Quick Note: After a stunning home loss to SMU, TCU rebounded nicely on both offense and defense against San Diego State. They should have no issues against New Mexico this week.
No. 36: Washington
Record: 4-1
Next Game: Colorado
Quick Note: This past week the Huskies enjoyed a week off and get back into action against Colorado. This is a game they should win assuming they don't look past them and to Stanford.
No. 35: SMU
Record: 4-1
Next Game: UCF
Quick Note: With their bye week behind them, SMU must put their win against TCU behind them and make sure they put in that same effort against UCF.
No. 34: Southern Miss
Record: 5-1
Next Game: SMU
Quick Note: As long as this offense is clicking, Southern Miss will keep on rolling. They have this week off and will take time to prepare for SMU next week.
No. 33: North Carolina
Record: 5-1
Next Game: Miami
Quick Note: The schedule will now start to pick up for North Carolina as they take on Miami, Clemson and Wake Forest.
No. 32: Texas Tech
Record: 4-1
Next Game: Kansas State
Quick Note: After a 4-0 start to the year, the Red Raiders suffered their first loss against Texas A&M and will be going up against a surprisingly difficult Wildcat team.
No. 31: Notre Dame
Record: 4-2
Next Game: USC
Quick Note: Since putting their 0-2 start behind them, the Irish have won four straight and will have two weeks to get prepared for the Trojans.
No. 30: Texas A&M
Record: 3-2
Next Game: Baylor
Quick Note: It has been an up-and-down season for the Aggies as they got back on track with a win over Texas Tech this past week. Baylor comes to town this week and the Aggies defense will have their hands full with Robert Griffin.
No. 29: Georgia
Record: 4-2
Next Game: at Vanderbilt
Quick Note: After losing their first two games of the year, Georgia has rebounded with four straight wins and take to the road this week against Vanderbilt.
No. 28: USC
Record: 4-1
Next Game: at Cal
Quick Note: Before heading on the road to take on the Irish, USC has a game at Cal and should be able to get to 5-1 on their way to South Bend.
No. 27: Penn State
Record: 5-1
Next Game: Purdue
Quick Note: While the schedule has not been difficult, Penn State has taken care of business and have had a very impressive first half of the season.
No. 26: South Florida
Record: 4-1
Next Game: at Connecticut
Quick Note: After getting blasted a week ago, South Florida had this past weekend off and will hopefully not be rusty as they stay on the road and play the Huskies.
No. 25: Auburn
Record: 4-2
Next Game: Florida
Quick Note: After a loss to Arkansas, Auburn heads home to take on Florida. This game features both teams at 4-2 and will be a huge win either way it goes.
No. 24: Michigan State
Record: 4-1
Next Game: Michigan
Quick Note: With a week off to prepare, Michigan State takes on rival Michigan in a game that the Spartans have dominated as of late. It will be interesting to watch considering the Wolverines schedule to this point has been extremely light.
No. 23: Houston
Record: 6-0
Next Game: Marshall
Quick Note: With Case Keenum healthy and leading the offense, Houston has been hard to beat and have a week off here at the midway mark of the season.
No. 22: Baylor
Record: 4-1
Next Game: Texas A&M
Quick Note: This will truly be a statement game for the Bears. After a tough loss to Kansas State, they rebounded with a win over Iowa State and have a huge opportunity to prove themselves this week.
No. 21: Kansas State
Record: 5-0
Next Game: at Texas Tech
Quick Note: The surprising roll that Kansas State has been on continues as they took down Missouri and will now head on the road to take on the Red Raiders.
No. 20: Florida
Record: 4-2
Next Game: at Auburn
Quick Note: After a great start to the year, the schedule has picked up in a hurry and Florida has suffered back-to-back losses to Alabama and Florida and get Auburn on the road this week.
No. 19: Texas
Record: 4-1
Next Game: Oklahoma State
Quick Note: Much like Florida, Texas started out great but back-to-back games will likely tell us more about this team. This past week they were blown out by Oklahoma and now face Oklahoma State.
No. 18: Illinois
Record: 6-0
Next Game: Ohio State
Quick Note: Before the season started, not many would have guessed that Illinois would be 6-0 but they have surprised many and have a great shot at beating an Ohio State team that is struggling big time.
No. 17: Arizona State
Record: 5-1
Next Game: at Oregon
Quick Note: After another conference win, they Sun Devils will face their biggest test of the year as they head on the road to take on the Ducks.
No. 16: Virginia Tech
Record: 5-1
Next Game: at Wake Forest
Quick Note: After surviving a close game against Miami, Virginia Tech remains in the hunt in the ACC but will be facing a Wake Forest team that just beat Florida State.
No. 15: Michigan
Record: 6-0
Next Game: at Michigan State
Quick Note: Michigan finally gets an opportunity this week to prove they belong. While they have taken care of business against teams they should beat, Michigan State will challenge them and show us how good the Wolverines are.
No. 14: South Carolina
Record: 5-1
Next Game: at Mississippi State
Quick Note: After a change at quarterback, South Carolina came out and dominated Kentucky this past week. They will look for more of the same this week against the Bulldogs.
No. 13: Nebraska
Record: 5-1
Next Game: at Minnesota
Quick Note: After one half against Ohio State, it was looking like the Huskers wanted to find a way out of the Big 10 but a big comeback should give them confidence, especially against a team like Minnesota.
No. 12: Georgia Tech
Record: 6-0
Next Game: at Virginia
Quick Note: Against Maryland this past week, Georgia Tech struggled on offense but pulled out a win. This coming week the Yellow Jackets head on the road and should go to 7-0 after playing Virginia.
No. 11: West Virginia
Record: 5-1
Next Game: at Syracuse
Quick Note: After dropping a game to LSU, West Virginia has responded with two straight wins and get a bye this week before heading to Syracuse for a conference road game.
No. 10: Arkansas
Record: 5-1
Next Game: at Ole Miss
Quick Note: While they may not be on the same level as LSU or Alabama, Arkansas is playing extremely well and will get a shot at LSU at the end of the year.
No. 9: Oregon
Record: 4-1
Next Game: Arizona State
Quick Note: While Oregon won big over Cal, they did lose LaMichael James to a dislocated elbow. The question now is how long?
Despite the loss, ASU and College Gameday come to town for a huge conference game this week.
No. 8: Boise State
Record: 5-0
Next Game: at Colorado State
Quick Note: While the Broncos keep on winning, the teams they are playing are not quality teams which will once again be the sticking point with Boise State. All they can hope is Georgia keeps on winning.
No. 7: Wisconsin
Record: 5-0
Next Game: Indiana
Quick Note: Wisconsin got this past week off and heads back to the field against Indiana. The Badgers need to remain focused on this game as they have the Spartans in East Lansing next week.
No. 6: Clemson
Record: 6-0
Next Game: at Maryland
Quick Note: Clemson keeps on winning and it appears that they will be 8-0 going into the game at Georgia Tech. Right now, Clemson has the best resume outside of LSU.
No. 5: Oklahoma State
Record: 5-0
Next Game: at Texas
Quick Note: Based on the way that Oklahoma State played this past week, there is no reason this team should not be undefeated when they play the Sooners.
No. 4: Stanford
Record: 5-0
Next Game: at Washington State
Quick Note: As expected, Andrew Luck continues to navigate the Cardinal through the easy part of their schedule, which continues this week against the Cougars.
No. 3: Oklahoma
Record: 5-0
Next Game: at Kansas
Quick Note: Based on what the Sooners did to Texas and what Oklahoma State did to Kansas, this game could get ugly.
No. 2: Alabama
Record: 6-0
Next Game: at Ole Miss
Quick Note: The Crimson Tide keep rolling along and the defense is scary. So far this season, Alabama has only given up 42 total points.
No. 1: LSU
Record: 6-0
Next Game: at Tennessee
Quick Note: With the Gators in town, LSU put together another outstanding performance and all signs point to an amazing matchup between the Tigers and Tide at the start of November.