TEC's College Football Top 10, Week 13

A quick story...
 

Your humble purveyor was questioned rather passionately (via e-mail) by a number of know-it-all fans about why South Carolina was not included in TEC's rankings after the Gamecocks defeated then #1 Alabama seven weeks ago.  I responded with a gut feeling, as Spurrier's upset victory over the Crimson Tide "...felt more like an anomaly than an exhibition of team superiority."  My rebuttal wasn't well-received, but it was soon legitimized: Kentucky, a perennial also-ran, defeated SC the following Saturday.
 

South Carolina (9-3, AP #18) recently clinched it's first division title, and thus, a spot in the SEC championship game, since joining the conference 18 years ago.  While this accomplishment is notable, it also speaks of a surprisingly weak division in which no other team -- including Florida, Georgia and Tennessee -- won more than half of their in-conference games.  As a result, South Carolina's worth has been proven.  The Gamecocks are competitive, but they're not national contenders.

Based on a comparable process of reasoning, TEC has opted to keep Boise State in the top 10 despite the Broncos' one-point loss at Nevada (11-1, AP #14).  Why?  Because the last two paragraphs wouldn't be necessary had BSU's senior kicker made a 34-yard field goal that he makes 97% of the time.  Thus if Alabama didn't fall out of the rankings after their first loss, then neither will the Broncos.  But God help them if the lose next week to Utah State.
 

In the end, last Saturday gave us all the more reason to love college football.  Aside from Boise State, LSU & Oklahoma State also lost.  They are replaced by Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Rankings as of November 29, 2010

#1  Oregon (11-0), 660 pts.
#2  Texas Christian (12-0), 645 pts.
#3  Auburn (12-0), 635 pts.
#4  Wisconsin (11-1), 580 pts.
#5  Stanford (11-1), 555 pts.
#6  Ohio State (11-1), 520 pts.
#7  Michigan State (11-1), 480 pts.
#8  Boise State (10-1), 315 pts.
#9  Oklahoma (10-2), 310 pts.
#10  Arkansas (10-2), 300 pts.

Adding insult to injury after LSU's tough loss to Arkansas, here's another shot of Cheerleader Man.