#21 SMU hosted Tulane on national television on Thursday night, looking to make a statement about their national ranking. Head coach Sonny Dykes, when asked about his team’s ranking despite a 6-0 record that includes a win over TCU, said that he doesn’t think the AP voters look at SMU’s scores before voting. The Mustangs raced out to a 31-7 lead at the half and then cruised to a 55-26 win, moving to 7-0. SMU is just one of ten unbeaten FBS teams, so they could rise into the top 15 in the next round of polling.
Let’s take a look at the top 25 going into the weekend as you consider your betting for college football.
NCAA News: Top 25 Analysis and Betting Opportunities
AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 7-0 |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 6-0 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 7-0 |
| 4 | Alabama | 6-1 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 5-1 |
| 6 | Michigan | 6-0 |
| 7 | Penn State | 5-1 |
| 8 | Oklahoma State | 6-0 |
| 9 | Michigan State | 7-0 |
| 10 | Oregon | 5-1 |
| 11 | Iowa | 6-1 |
| 12 | Ole Miss | 5-1 |
| 13 | Notre Dame | 5-1 |
| 14 | Coastal Carolina | 6-1* |
| 15 | Kentucky | 6-1 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | 6-0 |
| 17 | Texas A&M | 5-2 |
| 18 | North Carolina State | 5-1 |
| 19 | Auburn | 5-2 |
| 20 | Baylor | 6-1 |
| 21 | SMU | 7-0** |
| 22 | San Diego State | 6-0 |
| 23 | Pitt | 5-1 |
| 24 | UT-San Antonio | 7-0 |
| 25 | Purdue | 4-2 |
*-lost to Appalachian State on Wednesday after the rankings had come out
**-defeated Tulane on Thursday after the rankings had come out
Purdue hosts Wisconsin this weekend. The Badgers come in at 3-3, and their offense has been brutal in Big Ten play, just scoring 17.0 points per game. That edges out Purdue, though, which has scored 16.7 points per game. Purdue’s offense has heated up recently, as the passing game has gained more than 370 yards per game in the past two weeks. Wisconsin’s pass defense got torched by Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan. I don’t see Purdue hanging 40 on Wisconsin, to be sure, but I like the Boilermakers to continue the Badgers’ misery.
San Diego State heads to Air Force in one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend. Air Force leads the nation in rushing yards per game — and San Diego State is #1 in rushing defense. The Aztecs have gone 27 straight games without allowing more than 157 yards on the ground, and in 18 of those games they held the opposition under 100. Air Force runs the triple option, which will challenge that streak, but the Falcons will not be able to run all over the Aztecs. Through the air, San Diego State is somewhat better — and they have won eight straight in this series. I like San Diego State to keep the streak going, but it will be a nail-biter.
Ole Miss hosts LSU — and the biggest question is whether Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral is healthy. He had to leave the Rebels’ win over Tennessee with an injury. The other options are freshman Luke Altmyer and John Rhys Plumlee. Plumlee has more experience in games and can also run the ball. On LSU’s side of the ball, losing wideout Kayshon Boutte for the year pushed them toward the running game — and they stacked up 321 yards against Florida in that upset win. Tyrion Davis-Price also had a big game against Kentucky the week before. Ole Miss is currently ranked #111 in the nation in rushing yards permitted. Rebels coach Lane Kiffin has been quite mum about the injury, but if Corral can play, Ole Miss should be able to win against LSU’s iffy defense. However, if Ole Miss has a backup going, I’ll take LSU, so check the injury report before locking in your wager.
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