College Football Power Rankings - Week 6
Week:
The return of a certain No. 15 added drama and intrigue to what was already a titanic clash between SEC powers. But it was Florida's defense -- not Tim Tebow -- that sent most of the more than 93,000 in attendance at Tiger Stadium home disappointed.
The Gators turned in an overpowering defensive display in their 13-3 win at LSU, matched only by Alabama's comprehensive win at Ole Miss. So it's fitting the two SEC powers -- who look destined for a meeting in Atlanta -- hog this week's first-place votes among themselves.
Elsewhere in the Top 25, Iowa gained its first entry in the top 10 with a win at home over Michigan, while Notre Dame and Houston returned. Pittsburgh made its debut in the rankings, at No. 25.
Here are this week's rankings:
Overall | Voters 1-5 | Voters 6-10 | Voters 11-15| College Football Power Rankings - Week 6 | |||||
| RK (LW) | TEAM | REC | PTS | COMMENT | |
 | 1 (1) | Florida (10) | 6-0 | 370 | Florida silenced a raucous and record crowd at Tiger Stadium with an overwhelming defensive performance in a 13-3 win. The Gators' D -- so impressive that it managed to overshadow No. 15's return -- held LSU to 162 total yards and 12 first downs. |
 | 2 (2) | Alabama (5) | 7-0 | 364 | It's hard to pinpoint what was most impressive about Alabama's 22-3 win at Ole Miss. The Tide's domination was that complete. The defense was suffocating, the offense efficient -- even kicker Leigh Tiffin was perfect (5-for-5 on FGs). |
 | 3 (3) | Texas | 6-0 | 343 | Texas overcame a sputtering start before turning the tables on a determined Colorado team in the second half in a 38-14 win. Jordan Shipley's 147 receiving yards and two TDs (one on a punt return) helped save the Longhorns from a disastrous upset. |
 | 4 (5) | Virginia Tech | 5-2 | 329 | The final score read 48-14, but Virginia Tech's win over BC easily could have been worse. It certainly looked that way. Consider this: BC had just two first downs and 28 yards ? after three quarters. |
 | 5 (7) | USC | 5-1 | 300 | USC spent its bye week preparing for its visit to Notre Dame. But the Trojans had to be pleased with Stanford's loss to Oregon State, as the Cardinal loss leaves Oregon as the only unbeaten team in the Pac-10. |
 | 6 (6) | Boise State | 6-0 | 294 | There are few remaining challenges on Boise State's schedule. So consecutive games on the road to Tulsa and Hawaii over the next two weeks will have to suffice -- no matter how far a stretch that seems. |
 | 7 (8) | Ohio State | 5-2 | 268 | Ohio State poured in more than 30 points for the fourth consecutive game, but it was defense and special teams that engineered the Buckeyes' assault on the scoreboard in a 31-13 win over Wisconsin -- the Badgers' first loss of the season. |
 | 8 (9) | Cincinnati | 6-0 | 259 | All eyes in the Big East will be focused on Thursday night's battle between the conference's only unbeaten teams as Cincinnati travels to South Florida to battle for league supremacy (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET). |
 | 9 (11) | Miami (FL) | 5-1 | 251 | Miami could spread its wings and enjoy itself a bit in the season's first cupcake against Florida A&M. The Hurricanes' reserves saw plenty of action in a 48-14 win, with none impressing more than Damien Barry, who rushed for 162 yards and a TD. |
 | 10 (12) | Iowa | 7-0 | 250 | Tony Moeaki caught six passes for 105 yards and two scores -- including the game-clinching TD in the fourth quarter -- in Iowa's 30-28 win over Michigan. The Hawkeyes now face consecutive road games against Wisconsin and Michigan State. |
 | 11 (10) | TCU | 6-0 | 229 | TCU will be happy to return to Fort Worth just to escape the cold and ice. But to do so with a 20-17 victory over Air Force in freezing conditions will make the return trip all the more enjoyable. The Horned Frogs have just one week before they visit BYU. |
 | 12 (4) | LSU | 5-1 | 223 | Was Florida's defense that good? Or was LSU's offense that poor? A little bit of both. But that won't assuage Tigers fans after LSU managed only three points in a home loss to Florida. LSU will try to solve its offensive woes as it heads into a bye week. |
 | 13 (13) | Oregon | 5-1 | 206 | Oregon's offense struggled without Jeremiah Masoli, but the Ducks' defense and special teams filled the void in a 24-10 win at UCLA that sent the Ducks to the top of the Pac-10 standings. |
 | 14 (19) | Nebraska | 4-2 | 166 | Nebraska announced its Big 12 North intentions with 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter in a road win over Missouri. Zac Lee threw three TD passes and Ndamukong Suh bossed the Tigers' offensive line almost singlehandedly in a 27-12 win. |
 | 15 (14) | Penn State | 6-1 | 156 | The outcome of Penn State's visit from Eastern Illinois was decided the moment the game was scheduled. The Nittany Lions cruised to a 52-3 win behind Daryll Clark's three TD passes. Penn State gets back to business Saturday with a visit from Minnesota. |
 | 16 (18) | Oklahoma | 3-3 | 120 | If this is what Sam Bradford's rehab start looked like, Texas fans might start feeling a little anxious ahead of Saturday's showdown in Dallas. The QB threw for 389 yards and a TD in his first start back from a shoulder injury in a 33-7 win over Baylor. |
 | 17 (17) | Kansas | 5-1 | 118 | Kansas remained undefeated after a 41-36 win over Iowa State -- but just barely. The Jayhawks needed a 442-yard, 4-TD passing effort from Todd Reesing to hold off a resilient Cyclones team in Lawrence. |
 | 18 (16) | Oklahoma State | 5-1 | 110 | Oklahoma State began life without Dez Bryant -- who was recently ruled ineligible this week -- with a 36-31 win over Texas A&M. The Cowboys were also without RB Kendall Hunter (ankle injury) but were paced by Zac Robinson and Keith Toston. |
 | 19 (20) | Brigham Young | 6-1 | 109 | A BCS bowl may be out of the question, but perfection in the MWC remains very much in BYU's grasp. Harvey Unga rushed for 149 yards and three TDs to power the Cougars to a 59-21 win over UNLV. |
 | 20 (24) | Georgia Tech | 6-1 | 108 | Lightning strikes -- the weather kind -- delayed Georgia Tech's matchup with Florida State. Lightning strikes -- the big-play, touchdown kind -- won the game for the Yellow Jackets as they racked up 401 yards rushing in a 49-44 win. |
 | 21 (23) | South Florida | 5-1 | 90 | South Florida has proved it can win in September. The trouble in recent years has been sustaining that success into October. Thursday night's visit from Cincinnati provides the Bulls the perfect opportunity to buck the trend of recent history. |
 | 22 (27) | South Carolina | 5-2 | 56 | Stephen Garcia threw three touchdowns -- all to freshman WR Alshon Jeffery -- as South Carolina held off Kentucky at home, 28-26. The Gamecocks now sit in second place in the SEC East but face a daunting task Saturday with a visit to Alabama. |
 | 23 (28) | Houston | 5-1 | 54 | An SEC road win would have looked mighty impressive at 5-0. But for Houston, beating Mississippi State to go to 4-1 only gets the Cougars back in the Top 25, leaving them to wonder what might have been had they not lost to UTEP. |
 | 24 (30) | Notre Dame | 4-2 | 47 | Notre Dame returned to the rankings despite being off this week But all eyes in South Bend are focused on USC's visit this Saturday. |
 | 25 (NR) | Pittsburgh | 6-1 | 16 | Pittsburgh made its Top 25 debut this week after its win over UConn. The cream of the Big East crop -- as well as Notre Dame -- still remains on the Panthers' schedule. |
| Others receiving votes: Auburn (14), Utah (14), Wisconsin (5), West Virginia (2), Arkansas (2), Michigan (1), Central Michigan (1) | |||||
