SB Nation Bay Area - College Football Rankings 2011, Week Six: Stanford Looks To Build With UCLA Winhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48817/bayrea-fave.png2011-10-04T06:00:55-07:00http://bayarea.sbnation.com/rss/stream/22278212011-10-04T06:00:55-07:002011-10-04T06:00:55-07:00College Football Rankings 2011: Stanford Could Climb If LSU, Oklahoma Stumble
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/stanford-cardinal">Stanford Cardinal</a> are stuck at <a target="_blank" href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/stanford-cardinal/2011/10/2/2464076/college-football-rankings-2011-stanford-7th-ap-poll-lsu-alabama-oklahoma/in/2227821">seventh in the AP Poll </a>and <a target="_blank" href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/stanford-cardinal/2011/10/2/2463961/college-football-rankings-2011-week-6-usa-today-coaches-poll-leave-stanford/in/2227821">fourth in the USA/Coaches rankings</a> this week, but they could move up this week if they get the right upsets to go their way and they take care of business against Colorado. There's two potential games that could roll their way and give Stanford the opening they need.</p>
<p><b>Friday, October 7</b></p>
<p><b>6 PM PT/9 PM ET: #5 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/boise-st-broncos">Boise St. Broncos</a> at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/fresno-st-bulldogs">Fresno St. Bulldogs</a>, ESPN. </b>Fresno State has been plucky this season, showing their mettle against opponents like Cal, Nebraska and Ole Miss, but they went 0-3 in those contests. Can they score an upset at home against what figures to be their fiercest opponent this season?</p>
<p><b>Saturday, October 8</b></p>
<p><b>9 AM PT/12 PM ET: #3 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/oklahoma-sooners">Oklahoma Sooners</a> vs. #11 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/texas-longhorns">Texas Longhorns</a> in Dallas, ABC. </b>Oklahoma will face probably their fiercest test before their season finale against Oklahoma State in their regular battle in the Cotton Bowl. Can the Longhorns score a huge upset and move into top position for the Big 12 title, and knock off the projected top dogs in the conference?</p>
<p><b>12:30 PM PT/3:30 PM ET</b>: <b>#17 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/florida-gators">Florida Gators</a> at #1 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/lsu-tigers">LSU Tigers</a>, CBS. </b>Florida got smoked by Alabama last week, and now could be going into Baton Rouge with two battered quarterbacks.</p>
<p><b>12:30 PM PT/3:30 PM ET: <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/kansas-jayhawks">Kansas Jayhawks</a> at #6 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/oklahoma-st-cowboys">Oklahoma St. Cowboys</a>, TV TBA.</b> Pretty sure there are even odds that Kansas scores as many points the entire game as Okie State puts up in the first quarter.</p>
<p><b>4 PM PT/7 PM ET: <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/vanderbilt-commodores">Vanderbilt Commodores</a> at #2 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/alabama-crimson-tide">Alabama Crimson Tide</a>, ESPNU. </b>This would be the upset of the year right here. So don't hold your breath.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/stanford-cardinal/2011/10/4/2465553/college-football-rankings-2011-schedule-stanford-cardinal-lsu-florida-oklahoma-texasAvinash Kunnath2011-10-03T05:01:37-07:002011-10-03T05:01:37-07:00College Football Rankings 2011: BCS Rankings Coming Into Shape Via Computer Polls
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<p>The 2011 BCS rankings will not be released until week eight of the college football season, but in the meantime we can start to make some inferences about where the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/stanford-cardinal">Stanford Cardinal</a> and others will likely land on those early rankings. The BCS rankings are made up of the USA Today/Coaches Poll, the Harris interactive Poll, and an average of six computer ratings with the best and worst computer ratings thrown out.</p>
<p>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/10/2/2463899/college-football-rankings-week-6-usa-today-coaches-poll/in/2227690">week six Coaches Poll</a> has Stanford ranked fourth, while <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/10/2/2463897/college-football-rankings-week-6-ap-poll-top-25/in/2227690">the AP Poll</a> has the Cardinal seventh. The AP Poll is not a part of the BCS rankings anymore so it's more just a placeholder until the Harris Interactive comes out in a couple weeks.</p>
<p>The six computer ratings that make up the BCS are put together by <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fsports%2Fsagarin%2Ffbt11.htm&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fbayarea.sbnation.com%2Fstanford-cardinal%2F2011%2F10%2F3%2F2465289%2Fcollege-football-rankings-2011-bcs-rankings-computers-stanford-football" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Jeff Sagarin</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.andersonsports.com/football/ACF_frnk.html">Anderson & Hester</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cfrc.com/html/rankings.html">Richard Billingsley</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.colleyrankings.com/currank.html">Colley Matrix</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cf">Kenneth Massey</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="http://prwolfe.bol.ucla.edu/cfootball/ratings.htm">Dr. Peter Wolfe</a>. The BCS rankings drop the best and worst and average the rest. For now they are not all available, but we do have enough to start getting an idea of where teams are starting to stack up. As they currently stand, here are some of the computer ratings following week five:</p>
<p>Sagarin: #6<br>Anderson & Hester: N/A<br>Billingsley: #9<br>Colley Matrix: #11<br>Massey: #3 (through 9/25 games)<br>Wolfe: N/A</p>
<p>At this point the Colley Matrix rating and Massey rating would both be dropped leaving 6th and 9th. Given the Coaches Poll and AP polls, the Harris Interactive poll would likely have them in the 4-7 range as well, meaning an average there of between 4 and approximately 5.5.</p>
<p>The reason some of their computer numbers are relatively low at this point is the weak strength of schedule. A team can only beat the teams placed in front of them and for Stanford, the quality will start to raise as the season moves forward. They still have a highly ranked Oregon on their schedule and could also get ranked opponents in Washington and Notre Dame if things fall the right way. Those would be significant boosts to their computer profile.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/stanford-cardinal/2011/10/3/2465289/college-football-rankings-2011-bcs-rankings-computers-stanford-footballDavid Fucillo2011-10-02T11:02:44-07:002011-10-02T11:02:44-07:00College Football Rankings 2011: Stanford Remains Seventh in AP Poll
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<p><a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/#!/AP_Top25/">The AP NCAA Rankings Poll</a> have been released and LSU and Alabama have taken the top spots in the poll this week. The Tigers and Crimson Tide already have three wins over ranked teams already on their mantle this season, with two of them coming on the road for both teams. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/stanford-cardinal">Stanford Cardinal</a> remained seventh in the rankings after taking care of UCLA on Saturday, though there were a few big moves made by other teams. </p>
<p>Defending champions Auburn moves themselves into the poll after taking out South Carolina, while Wisconsin moved up to fourth after taking apart Nebraska. Clemson moved up to eighth, while Texas and Michigan just missed the top ten at 11th and 12th respectively. Kansas State also made its way into the top 25 this week after nudging Baylor. </p>
<p>The full AP Poll top 25 for Week 6:</p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="tblMain">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>1</td>
<td>LSU</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2</td>
<td>Alabama</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>3</td>
<td>Oklahoma</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>4</td>
<td>Wisconsin</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>5</td>
<td>Boise State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>6</td>
<td>Oklahoma State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>7</td>
<td>Stanford</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>8</td>
<td>Clemson</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>9</td>
<td>Oregon</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>10</td>
<td>Arkansas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>11</td>
<td>Texas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>12</td>
<td>Michigan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>13</td>
<td>Georgia Tech</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>14</td>
<td>Nebraska</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>15</td>
<td>Auburn</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>16</td>
<td>West Virginia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>17</td>
<td>Florida</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>18</td>
<td>South Carolina</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>19</td>
<td>Illinois</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>20</td>
<td>Kansas State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>21</td>
<td>Virginia Tech</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>22</td>
<td>Arizona State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>23</td>
<td>Florida State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>24</td>
<td>Texas A&M</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>25</td>
<td>Baylor</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/stanford-cardinal/2011/10/2/2464076/college-football-rankings-2011-stanford-7th-ap-poll-lsu-alabama-oklahomaErnie Pomin2011-10-02T10:21:52-07:002011-10-02T10:21:52-07:00College Football Rankings 2011: USA Today/Coaches Poll Leave Stanford No. 4
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<p>The week six college football rankings are out and the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/10/2/2463899/college-football-rankings-week-6-usa-today-coaches-poll" target="_blank">USA Today/Coaches Poll</a> has left the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/stanford-cardinal">Stanford Cardinal</a> in the fourth position following their 45-19 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/ucla-bruins">UCLA Bruins</a>. The Cardinal gained 12 votes and just barely retained a razor-thin margin over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/wisconsin-badgers">Wisconsin Badgers</a>. The Badgers pummeled formerly No. 8 Nebraska and now sits one vote behind the Cardinal in fifth place after passing Oklahoma State.</p>
<p>The top three in the rankings saw a slight change as Alabama broke a tie with LSU and now holds a two vote edge over the Tigers. Alabama is now only 11 votes back of Oklahoma for the top spot in the Coaches poll.</p>
<p>This coming week features a couple tough matchups for the top of the rankings. LSU hosts No. 18 Florida and Oklahoma travels to Dallas for their Red River Rivalry game against the No. 10 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/texas-longhorns">Texas Longhorns</a>. LSU and Oklahoma will both be favorites, but they could face tough battles.</p>
<p>The full <i>USA Today </i>coaches poll top 25 for Week 6:</p>
<table id="tblMain" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>1</td>
<td>Oklahoma</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>2</td>
<td>LSU</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>3</td>
<td>Alabama</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>4</td>
<td>Stanford</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>5</td>
<td>Wisconsin</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>6</td>
<td>Boise State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>7</td>
<td>Oklahoma State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>8</td>
<td>Clemson</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>9</td>
<td>Oregon</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>10</td>
<td>Texas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>11</td>
<td>Michigan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>12</td>
<td>Arkansas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>13</td>
<td>Georgia Tech</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>14</td>
<td>South Carolina</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>15</td>
<td>Nebraska</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>16</td>
<td>Illinois</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>17</td>
<td>Virginia Tech</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>18</td>
<td>Florida</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>19</td>
<td>West Virginia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>20</td>
<td>Michigan State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>21</td>
<td>Kansas State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>22</td>
<td>Florida State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>23</td>
<td>Auburn</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>24</td>
<td>Arizona State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td>25</td>
<td>Texas A&M</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/stanford-cardinal/2011/10/2/2463961/college-football-rankings-2011-week-6-usa-today-coaches-poll-leave-stanfordDavid Fucillo2011-10-02T06:01:33-07:002011-10-02T06:01:33-07:00College Football Rankings 2011: Stanford Looks To Hold Ground
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<p>We provide some early predictions as to how the Stanford Cardinal will fare in the new AP and USA Today college football rankings following their easy win over UCLA. For more on the Cardinal, visit <a href="http://www.ruleoftree.com" target="new">Rule of Tree</a>.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/stanford-cardinal">Stanford Cardinal</a> rolled to victory Saturday over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/ucla-bruins">UCLA Bruins</a> with a convincing 45-19 home victory. The Cardinal will eventually face some stiff competition in the form of Oregon and USC, but as it currently stands, Stanford is the team to beat in the Pac-12. If they can hold on to win the conference, they will be guaranteed a BCS berth. The question is whether their wins will put them in a position for a possible national title appearance. Only the rankings will tell.</p>
<p>The new AP and USA Today/Coaches polls will be out later this morning, and I would not expect a whole lot of change for the Cardinal. Chalk ruled for the most part as all the top teams dominated. It could get interesting with No. 7 Wisconsin who dominated No. 8 Nebraska en route to a 48-17 victory. They could climb in the rankings thanks to the convincing nature of their win.</p>
<p>The No. 5/6 Oklahoma State Cowboys were inactive on a bye this week, so it's hard to tell what voters will do with them. If you combine that with Wisconsin's victory, Stanford could either gain a little ground over Oklahoma State, or we could see the Cardinal and Cowboys both leapt by Wisconsin. It's fairly unpredictable at this point.</p>
<p>If I had to make a prediction, I'd go with the following completely unreliable predictions:</p>
<p><b>AP Poll</b><br>1. LSU<br>2. Alabama<br>3. Oklahoma<br>4. Boise State<br>5. Wisconsin<br>6. Stanford<br>7. Oklahoma State</p>
<p><b>USA Today/Coaches Poll<br></b>1. Alabama<br>2. Oklahoma<br>3. LSU<br>4. Stanford<br>5. Boise State<br>6. Wisconsin<br>7. Oklahoma State</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/stanford-cardinal/2011/10/2/2463417/college-football-rankings-2011-prediction-stanford-football-ap-poll-usa-today-coaches-pollDavid Fucillo