UPROXX Sports College Football Power Rankings, Week 9: Clemson Is No. 1 Because We Believe It To Be So

On Tuesday evening, the College Football Playoff committee is going to sit down and make their first official rankings of the 2015 season. This is a big moment for anyone who likes to get mad online, and anyone who cares about rankings, as all other rankings are now meaningless (they were always meaningless), and these are the only rankings that actually matter even though these rankings don’t matter either until the very end.

That being said, I’m not writing Power Rankings for the committee. I’m writing them for me – to try and rank the teams I feel are the best 25 teams in the country – and for you, so you can have something to argue about and a way to point at me and tell me how wrong I am and prove you can do my job better than I can. (And I really believe you could.)

I’ll continue to do that. I owe it to you, and to myself, regardless of how many mistakes I make along the way.

1. Clemson (8-0)

Last week: 1
Last game: Beat N.C. State, 56-41
Next up: Saturday vs. Florida State

Deshaun Watson had six total touchdowns and had about as good an October as any quarterback in college football. Now comes the de facto ACC semifinal (and Atlantic Division championship, essentially) against Florida State. Win this one, and there’s not a lot standing in the way of a perfect regular season – which is important because Clemson will likely have to stay perfect to make the Top 4 at year’s end.

2. Ohio State (8-0)

Last week: 2
Last game: Beat Rutgers, 49-7
Next up: Saturday vs. Minnesota

The Buckeyes couldn’t make it out of the bye week unscathed, as bye tripped them up in the form of J.T. Barrett’s arrest for OVI on the night before Halloween.

Here’s what Urban Meyer had to say about the situation:

“I tried to collect as many facts as I could about what actually happened,” Meyer said. “I meet with the player; I meet with [athletic director] Gene Smith. Obviously this was a very serious one. I came to the conclusion of one game, and he’s also losing a scholarship, forfeiting his scholarship for a term.

“When a kid has an issue like that, there’s some type of punitive damage.”

Ohio State shouldn’t struggle with Minnesota, but Barrett didn’t do the Bucks any favors.

3. LSU (7-0)

Last week: 3
Last game: Beat Western Kentucky, 48-20
Next up: Saturday at Alabama

This Saturday will likely knock one team out of the eventual playoff race, whether that team is LSU or Alabama. Fans of running game and “winning in the trenches” will love this one, as Leonard Fournette goes up against Derrick Henry in a game with so much brute force, we may have a minor nuclear explosion.

4. TCU (8-0)

Last week: 4
Last game: Beat West Virginia, 40-10
Next up: Saturday at Oklahoma State

Sometimes you just gotta dap up a guy when he does something amazing, and that’s what West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen did following an amazing move by Trevone Boykin.

When you have early season injuries, you can either fold or you can harden from them. It seems the Horned Frogs have gone the latter route, and getting all those backups extra playing time has made them a better team. But they can’t afford a loss to the Cowboys in Stillwater this weekend.

5. Baylor (7-0)

Last week: 5
Last game: Beat Iowa State, 45-27
Next up: Thursday at Kansas State

Okay, Jarrett Stidham. It’s your time to shine. Kansas State’s Bill Snyder is looking for any extra help in trying to prepare for that Baylor offense, and he’s gone back to Stidham’s high school tape for some tells.

Via NewsOK.com:

“He hasn’t been in the heat of battle,” [Snyder said, “] but they (Baylor) haven’t been in the heat of battle as well as they’ve played all year collectively. You always want more and truly the situations aren’t definitive enough during the time that he has been on the field to get as thorough an assessment as you’d like, but it’s not available right now.”

With how beaten up Kansas State is, Baylor should be able to take care of business in this one. Although Thursday night Big 12 games (and games featuring the Wildcats in general) tend to get a little freaky.

6. Notre Dame (7-1)

Last week: 8
Last game: Beat Temple, 24-20
Next up: Saturday at Pittsburgh

I’ve heard arguments that Notre Dame looked “mediocre” against Temple, but I’m not having any of it. The Fighting Irish went into another team’s house in what was one of the biggest games ever at the venue, with all eyes on them waiting for them to falter, and they grabbed a critical road win and helped their resumé. I’ll always reward that sort of performance, whether it came down to the final few minutes or not.

7. Michigan State (7-0)

Last week: 6
Last game: Beat Indiana, 52-26
Next up: Saturday at Nebraska

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Spartans, who got a second to take a breath, get some extra ice baths, refocus and move on from the craziness of that Michigan game (not to discount the win over Indiana the following week in any way). Michigan State still could have an extremely memorable season, and that Ohio State game is looming ever larger.

8. Alabama (7-1)

Last week: 7
Last game: Beat Tennessee, 19-14
Next up: Saturday vs. LSU

The Crimson Tide have been lurking, staring up at some other teams for a few weeks now. But this is their chance to make a move. They’ll officially be out of the National Title picture with a loss to the Tigers, but getting this game in Tuscaloosa off a bye week helps a lot. Sure, things could get weird (as they often do with Les Miles), but I doubt Nick Saban would have it any other way. Get a top opponent in your house and move that much closer to closing out the season on a high note – with huge national implications in play. Now it’s time to trust the process.

9. Oklahoma State (8-0)

Last week: 10
Last game: Beat Texas Tech, 70-53
Next up: Saturday vs. TCU

Seventy points! Seventy! This was the highest-scoring game this season, and the two teams combined for 1,304 yards.

Hopefully Oklahoma State held onto some of those points, as they’ll need them in what looks to be another shootout against TCU on Saturday. This one isn’t just big for Big 12 reasons; it might just be the game that knocks one of these two teams out of a potential Playoff spot.

10. Stanford (7-1)

Last week: 9
Last game: Beat Washington State, 30-28
Next up: Saturday at Colorado

Sometimes kicking goes your way, and sometimes it doesn’t, and thankfully for Stanford, the Cardinal ended up on the right side of the kicking game twice in the waning moments of their game against Washington State last weekend. Conrad Ukropina made an easy one, and Wazzu’s Erik Powell couldn’t get a potential game-winner to go.

11. Iowa (8-0)

Last week: 11
Last game: Beat Maryland, 31-15
Next up: Saturday at Indiana

The Iowa train keeps rolling. And it’s picking up steam at each new stop.

https://twitter.com/edsbs/status/661309769999740928

Don’t stand on the tracks when the train’s coming through.

12. Utah (7-1)

Last week: 12
Last game: Beat Oregon State, 27-12
Next up: Saturday at Washington

Vegas doesn’t believe in the Utes right now, so tread with caution. Washington is a slight favorite despite holding a 4-4 record. Maybe that’s because Travis Wilson’s performance against USC is still permeating into people’s thoughts. Or maybe there’s something else about this Utah team that is keeping people from believing. But there’s a chill in the air, and it’s not just because it’s November.

13. Florida (7-1)

Last week: 13
Last game: Beat Georgia, 27-3
Next up: Saturday vs. Vanderbilt

The Gators played as well as they possibly could have against Georgia and they’re pretty much a shoe-in for Atlanta. They can make it officially official by beating Vandy on Saturday. We’ve said it before, but it’s worth mentioning: The job Jim McElwain is doing at Florida is pretty remarkable.

“He didn’t come in and try to put his foot down on anybody and say how it was,” Vernon Hargreaves said after the win over the Bulldogs in Jacksonville. “He told us what we had to do to be great. The guys listened. It’s working for us.”

14. Oklahoma (7-1)

Last week: 14
Last game: Beat Kansas, 62-7
Next up: Saturday vs. Iowa State

Just like early season injuries could go one of two ways for a team, an early season loss can do the same. Oklahoma looks like a completely different team (although the competition might have something to do with it) after the loss to Texas in early October. And the more time that passes, the easier it is to forget about that loss and focus on how good the Sooners look right now. Beating Iowa State will move them one step closer to erasing that memory and keep them right in the thick of the Big 12 hunt.

15. Memphis (8-0)

Last week: 15
Last game: Beat Tulane, 41-13
Next up: Saturday vs. Navy

The Tigers have had an incredibly special season to this point, and they have two weeks to further state their case to the College Football Playoff committee (and the world). Navy is 6-1 to this point with its lone loss to Notre Dame, and quarterback Keenan Reynolds continues what has become an incredibly memorable career. Memphis can’t even begin to look ahead to that Houston game next week. This one is huge.

16. Florida State (7-1)

Last week: 16
Last game: Beat Syracuse, 45-21
Next up: Saturday at Clemson

Sean Maguire handled his business in expert fashion against the Orange, going for 348 yards and three scores. So, if he has to go instead of Everett Golson again, Florida State should be fine there. It’s Dalvin Cook who matters more. The sophomore sensation missed the game against Syracuse, and he’ll need to be as close to healthy as possible if the ‘Noles are going to have any shot against Clemson – and any hope at winning the ACC once again.

17. Michigan (6-2)

Last week: 17
Last game: Beat Minnesota, 29-26
Next up: Saturday vs. Rutgers

The Wolverines like to rely on their defense, and their defense did its job against Minnesota at the very end, stopping Minnesota at the goal line as the Golden Gophers tried to go for the win instead of a potential overtime-forcing field goal. It wasn’t a pretty win, but Jim Harbaugh doesn’t seem to care about that. He’s way more interested in nutrition.

Via MLive.com:

“I take a vitamin every day,” Harbaugh said on his radio show Monday night. “It’s called a steak.”

[…]

“I truly believe the No. 1 natural steroid is sleep, and the No. 2 natural steroid is milk, whole milk,” Harbaugh said. “Three would be water. Four would be steak.

“(Steak) … it goes with everything.”

It sure does.

18. Toledo (7-0)

Last week: 18
Last game: Beat UMass, 51-35
Next up: Tuesday vs. NIU

Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion, Tuesday MACtion is here.

19. Houston (8-0)

Last week: 20
Last game: Beat Vanderbilt, 34-0
Next up: Saturday vs. Cincinnati

A 34-0 shutout of an SEC team is never anything to scoff at, and Houston is in the midst of a three-game home slate that will pretty much define its season. The first one is done. The next is Cincinnati, which is coming off an almost-perfect win over UCF last week (where Gunner Kiel went 15-of-15 for 319 yards and five scores). If the Cougars can make it through this one, they’ll have Memphis next. Time for Tom Herman to make his money.

20. UNC (7-1)

Last week: 22
Last game: Beat Pittsburgh, 26-19
Next up: Saturday vs. Duke

The Tar Heels got through their first big Coastal test in a two-game stretch by beating Pittsburgh. Next is Duke, which is coming off that heartwrenching lateral-filled, officiating snafu of a return touchdown that lost the Blue Devils the game. This one is probably for all the Coastal marbles (and yes, I believe there are actual marbles to be won here). So, watch it if you like ACC football even a little bit.

21. Ole Miss (7-2)

Last week: 23
Last game: Beat Auburn, 27-19
Next up: Saturday vs. Arkansas

The Rebels grabbed another SEC win. Good for them. Arkansas won’t be easy, but another win here will move Ole Miss one step closer to winning the West with just LSU and Mississippi State remaining. Win both of those, and you can safely say they earned that trip to Atlanta, even if it ends up somehow keeping the SEC out of the College Football Playoff by some ridiculous measure of chaos theory.

22. UCLA (6-2)

Last week: 25
Last game: Beat Colorado, 35-31
Next up: Saturday at Oregon State

It sure wasn’t pretty as the Bruins blew an 18-point lead, but they rallied to close it out and grab a win over a much-improved Colorado team from the start of the season. It’s never fun to give up 550-plus yards of total offense, but a win is a win is a win, and UCLA is now 6-2 with the real meat of the schedule remaining following this game against Oregon State.

23. Wisconsin (7-2)

Last week: NR
Last game: Beat Rutgers, 48-10
Next up: Saturday at Maryland

The Badgers are in the Top 25. Yay! Your membership card should be arriving in the mail, but your eligible benefits start immediately. Just print off this temporary card and enjoy discounts and rewards wherever you see the “Top 25” logo.

24. USC (5-3)

Last week: NR
Last game: Beat California, 27-21
Next up: Saturday vs. Arizona

Southern California has rattled off two pretty big wins (quietly!) since Clay Helton took over as interim head coach. This is still an ultra-talented team with a chance at winning the Pac-12 South (if Utah loses another game, and the Trojans manage to beat UCLA), and that’s kind of amazing after everything USC has been through to this point. If there were any doubts about whether or not this is a great job, those should be erased by now.

25. Duke (6-2)

Last week: 19
Last game: Lost to Miami, 30-27
Next up: Saturday at North Carolina

How do you deal with a game that was decided specifically on a blown call by officials? The loss still counts. Life is unfair, and we all know that in the things that happen to us and to people we know every day. But it still is unfair. I’ll keep Duke ranked because I think they deserve to be. And if anyone from Duke needs a ride, or a couple extra dollars to buy some chicken nuggets, I’ll be there.

Next Five: Mississippi State,  Temple, Appalachian State, Bowling Green, People Complaining About It Getting Dark Before 5:30 p.m.