Before getting into this week's blogpoll ballot there is some new on the media polls. Purdue received five votes this week in the AP poll and four votes in the ESPN/USAToday coaches poll. It is not much, of course, but it is a very positive sign for the program. To my knowledge this is the first time Purdue has received any consideration since 2007 win it started 5-0.
I recognize that at most of this comes from Purdue being the only team that has seriously challenged Notre Dame to date. It's better than nothing, and if Purdue continues to do well it will likely be in the top 25 before too long.
Now, onto the blogpoll, which is sure to raise a stink:
Hammer & Rails Ballot - Week 4
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 2 | Oregon Ducks | -- |
| 3 | Florida St. Seminoles |
 1 |
| 4 | Georgia Bulldogs |
1 |
| 5 | LSU Tigers |
 -2 |
| 6 | Kansas St. Wildcats |
6 |
| 7 | West Virginia Mountaineers |
-1 |
| 8 | South Carolina Gamecocks |
2 |
| 9 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
4 |
| 10 | Florida Gators |
5 |
| 11 | Stanford Cardinal |
-4 |
| 12 | Texas Longhorns |
2 |
| 13 | TCU Horned Frogs |
3 |
| 14 | Louisville Cardinals |
5 |
| 15 | Oregon St. Beavers | -- |
| 16 | Mississippi St. Bulldogs | -- |
| 17 | Ohio Bobcats |
1 |
| 18 | Northwestern Wildcats |
4 |
| 19 | Baylor Bears | -- |
| 20 | Iowa St. Cyclones | -- |
| 21 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | -- |
| 22 | Cincinnati Bearcats | -- |
| 23 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | -- |
| 24 | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | -- |
| 25 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | -- |
| Dropouts: USC Trojans, Oklahoma Sooners, Clemson Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Arizona Wildcats, Michigan St. Spartans, UCLA Bruins, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Purdue Boilermakers | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings "
Explanation after the Jump:
There is a common theme here among the 25 teams chosen: They are all undefeated. So far there are 27 undefeated teams left in FBS. Ohio State, as explained before, is ineligible due to the bowl ban. The lone excluded team is Texas-San Antonio, which is transitioning to FBS and is 4-0 without playing an FBS opponent yet. I don't think they are yet bowl-eligible, either.
That leaves 25 teams, so I am invoking the Rule of Undefeateds early this year. It is a simple rule. Until there are only two undefeated teams left no one-loss team can be ranked ahead of another undefeated team. By this point in the season almost everyone has played at least one solid opponent and/or one true road game. These teams have been challenged. Even Minnesota, arguably the weakest 4-0 team in the country, has faced adversity but has not stumbled like much of the rest of the Big Ten.
You'll find this odd now, but it really plays out over time and pairs down to a more regular top 25. It also uses THIS season and its results more than preseason polls and the like. USC, Oklahoma, Clemson, and other good teams will soon return to the poll as unbeaten teams fall by the wayside.
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