Fan Pulse Rankings: Bama Remains on Top

National Poll

There is some movement to report in the top 4, as Clemson’s inexplicable slide down the polls continues as they drop to 4th after a 35 point road win that saw the Tigers keep the explosive Louisville offense out of the end zone until deep in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile Ohio State moves up a spot after knocking off Northwestern 52-3. If Clemson keeps putting up 35 point victories, they may slide out of the top 10 all together.

Meanwhile, Alabama struggled at home against Tennessee. The Vols had a chance to pull within a touchdown in the 4th quarter from the 1 yard line, but their back up quarterback decided to call his own number and gave up a 100 yard scoop and score. It appears that everyone is being judged on the “what have you done this season” metric except for the Crimson Tide, who continue to look shaky on defense, but get the benefit of the doubt.

Wisconsin was the big loser last Saturday, dropping from 6th to 12th after getting knocked off by Illinois. Penn State moved up to 6th after jumping out early on the offensively inept Wolverines and then holding on late for a victory. Auburn and Georgia swapped places after the Bulldogs struggled at home against an inferior opponent yet again (granted, the game was played in a monsoon). Notre Dame and Florida also swapped places after the Gators struggled with South Carolina on the road and Notre Dame rested up for their match up against cratering Michigan. I guess beating a bad South Carolina team is better than not playing.

SMU continues to be the surprise of the college football season, jumping from 17th to 13th this week after beating Temple to remain unbeaten. They’re in prime position to be the UCF of 2019. Boise State, on the other hand, was punished severely for losing their first game of the year to BYU, moving from 13th to 22nd. Another move worth mentioning is Texas and Minnesota switching spots, even after the Longhorns needed a last second field goal to survive Kansas in Austin. The Gophers easily dispatched Rutgers, but the sheer act of playing Rutgers in now detrimental to your ranking.

Finally, Michigan, despite losing their 350th big game in a row (that may be an exaggeration, I’ll have to check) holds on to the 25th spot because they have nice helmets and people still recognize their brand.

Hammer and Rails Poll

1. Alabama (7-0)
2. LSU (7-0)
3. Clemson (7-0)
4. Ohio State (7-0)
5. Oklahoma (7-0)
6. Penn State (7-0)
7. Georgia (6-1)
8. Auburn (6-1)
9. Florida (7-1)
10. Notre Dame (5-1)
11. Oregon (6-1)
12. Wisconsin (6-1)
13. SMU (7-0)
14. Texas (5-2)
15. Minnesota (7-0)
16. Utah (6-1)
17. Cincinnati (6-1)
18. Baylor (7-0)
19. App State (6-0)
20. Arizona State (5-2)
21. Wake Forest (6-1)
22. Boise State (6-1)
23. Virginia (5-2)
24. Michigan (5-2)
25. Iowa (5-2)

You guys do a good job with the poll, but for those of you that voted Alabama #1, a quick question. What exactly has Bama done, other than having the script A on their helmet, to deserve the top spot? Their best win is against Texas A&M (same as Clemson) and their defense has been bad against any team with a pulse on offense this year. They needed terrible calls and Tennessee brain farts to hold off the putrid Vols in the 4th quarter at home.

I don’t get it.

Texas, at 14th also makes no sense to me. They have one of the worst defenses in P5 football and needed a last second field goal to hold off Kansas. They’ve give up 30 or more points in 5/7 games and their best win is over a 3 loss Oklahoma State team. Meanwhile, they’re ranked higher than a 7-0 Baylor squad who has a win over Iowa State and Oklahoma State on their resume. This feels like Texas being ranked 14th because Vince Young beat USC in the Rose Bowl.

Other than that, it’s hard to differentiate any of the 2 loss teams.

Confidence in the Program

Purdue has been on a bit of a roller coaster in terms of confidence this season.

Week 1: 84.5%

Week 2: 94.1%

Week 3: 75.8%

Week 4: 83.8%

Week 5: 80.6%

Week 6: 74.4%

Week 7: 100%

Week 8: 93.6%

The loss to Iowa put a small dent in the confidence express, but overall, the Purdue voting public are handling this season about as well as you can expect.

What Games Are You Excited For This Weekend?

Notre Dame at Michigan - 13.7%

North Dakota at South Dakota State - 5.5%

Washington State at Oregon - 4.5%

Penn State at Michigan State - 3.5%

I’m shocked that Wisconsin vs Ohio State and LSU vs Auburn didn’t make the list. Those are the two games I’ll have my on this weekend outside of Purdue, Clemson and Kansas State.