CFN Rankings No. 1 to 119 - Nov. 12

There's one very important distinction in the CFN rankings: these are based on how good the teams are and NOT how they're going to finish. Some teams have easier schedules than others, some get tougher road games and some will need a little bit of time to jell meaning they might be better than their final record might indicate.

Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5
Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10
Coaches | AP | BCS

1. Ohio State (11-0)
W, at Northwestern 55-10
next game: Michigan
Ohio State certainly looked the part of the number one team in the country with the win over Northwestern. Now, for the first time in what seems like months (or, at least, since they played Penn State), the Buckeyes have to face a defense. Can they handle the pressure of the big game? Can Troy Smith do what he always does against Michigan? Here we go.

2. Michigan (11-0)
W, at Indiana 34-3
next game: at Ohio State
It would be nice if the offense was a bit sharper at this point in the year, but who’s going to complain with what the team has done so far? Look for a groundswell of prognosticators picking the Wolverines to win this week all because of the defense.

3. USC (8-1)
W, Oregon 35-10
next game: California
The Oregon game was easily USC’s most impressive performance since the opening day win over Arkansas. There was a bit of balance to the offense, the defense was terrific, and a little bit of the overall swagger was back. A spot in the national title game is there for the taking with an impressive finishing kick.

4. Arkansas (9-1)
W, Tennessee 31-14
next game: Mississippi State
Watch how everyone jumps on the bandwagon. At the moment, this is the SEC’s best team by a long shot with the defense not getting the credit it deserves thanks to Darren McFadden, Marcus Monk and the offense. The Hogs are way overdue for a letdown, so it has to focus against a rested Mississippi State team before the LSU showdown.

5. Wisconsin (10-1)
W, at Iowa 24-21
next game: Buffalo
11-1. 11-1. 11-1. After the scrimmage against Buffalo this week, Wisconsin is going to be 11-1 with the honor of being the best team not to play in the BCS (it can’t get in if Ohio State and Michigan take up spots). The final score against Iowa might not seem that impressive, but remember, that was Senior Day for Drew Tate and the Hawkeyes.

6. Florida (9-1)
W, South Carolina 17-16
next game: Western Carolina
Enough is enough … this isn’t a national title caliber team at the moment. The offense is mediocre, the defense would get bombed on by any passing game with a pulse, and the loss of Marcus Thomas in the middle is going to prove to be a killer if the Gators have to face Arkansas in the SEC title game.

7. LSU (8-2)
W, Alabama 28-14
next game: Ole Miss
Does anyone want to play LSU right now? The Tigers would beat anyone in America in Death Valley, but they’ll have to prove they can get a second big win (Tennessee was the first) on the road against Arkansas in a few weeks to get into a BCS at-large position.

8. Notre Dame (9-1)
W, at Air Force 39-17
next game: Army
While everyone else is getting beaten up, Notre Dame just keeps rolling. After the near-miss against UCLA, the offense has become so good and so efficient that it’s almost become overlooked. The question will remain until USC: can the secondary stop anyone?

9. Texas  (9-2)
L, at Kansas State 45-42
next game: Texas A&M (Nov. 24)
Texas fans are going to be doing thinking “what if?” for the rest of the season with Colt McCoy missing most of the Kansas State game, but the defense didn’t pick up the slack and the running game wasn’t effective enough. A loss to Texas A&M will probably mean Oklahoma wins the Big 12 South.

10. Oklahoma (8-2)
W, Texas Tech 34-24
next game: at Baylor
Outside of Ohio State, no team in America is playing with the swagger and confidence the Sooners are. The lines are playing out of this world, while a new skill player is stepping up each week.

11. Rutgers (9-0)
W, Louisville 28-25
next game: at Cincinnati
No one’s pointing out that beating Louisville, when it gets away from home, really might not be that big a deal. Beat West Virginia in Morgantown and then it’ll be time to talk about being among the nation’s elite.

12. Wake Forest (9-1)
W, at Florida State 30-0
next game: Virginia Tech
30-0 in Tallahassee?!  It doesn’t matter how down Florida State might be, Wake Forest came up with one of the ACC’s most impressive performances this year. There are still some big hurdles to overcome with Virginia Tech this week before finishing up with the road trip to Maryland to decide the Atlantic.

13. BYU (8-2)
W, Wyoming 55-7 
next game: New Mexico
In case you haven’t noticed, and because the team plays on CSTV, you haven’t, BYU is playing as well as any team in America. Wyoming is a not-that-bad team that just got its doors blown off.

14. California (8-2)
L, at Arizona 24-20
next game: at USC
Good old Cal. Someday, the consistency will match up with the flash, dash and hype. Even with the loss to Arizona, all can be forgiven with a win in Los Angeles and, with a layup against Stanford to finish up, a trip to the Rose Bowl.

15. Louisville (8-1)
L, at Rutgers 28-25
next game: South Florida
What a shock … Louisville wasn’t that great on the road. The offense had better kick it back into gear or the season will really take a turn into the tank with a good South Florida team coming to town.

16. West Virginia (8-1)
W, Cincinnati 42-24
next game: at Pitt
West Virginia had its Rutgers pom-poms out on Thursday. Now things are set up to get into the BCS as the Big East representative by beating Pitt and Rutgers and finishing as the highest ranked Big East team.

17. Auburn (8-2)
L, Georgia 37-15
next game: at Alabama
Upon further review, Auburn had one great defensive performance against LSU and a breathtaking half against Florida. That’s been it. The offense has to go down as one of the biggest disappointments of the season.

18. Tennessee (7-3)
L, at Arkansas 31-14
next game: Vanderbilt 
It’s a shame Erik Ainge hasn’t been healthy over the last few weeks. With him, this might be one of the SEC’s three best teams. Jonathan Crompton simply isn’t ready for prime time.

19. Georgia Tech (8-2)
W, at North Carolina 7-0
next game: Duke
Uh, 7-0 against North Carolina? The Yellow Jackets have to be getting better as the season is going on and could use a tight performance against Duke to get anyone excited about the possibility of seeing them in the BCS.

20. Boston College (8-2)
W, Duke 28-7
next game: Maryland
After a ho-hum performance against Duke, BC has to throw a change up in the ACC race with a win over a red-hot Maryland team. As good as Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson might be,  BC QB Matt Ryan has to be in the hunt for ACC Player of the Year honors.

21. Maryland (8-2)
W, Miami 14-13
next game: at Boston College
The Terps just keep on winning. Beat Boston College, beat Wake Forest, beat Georgia Tech, go to the Orange Bowl. It’s that simple.

22. Nebraska (8-3)
W, at Texas A&M 28-27
next game: Colorado (Nov. 24)
With Texas losing to Kansas State, all of a sudden, a rematch against the Longhorns in the Big 12 title game doesn’t seem like an impossible task. The goal against Colorado has to be to get the passing game going a bit more to prepare to bomb away on the suspect Texas corners.

23. Boise State (10-0)
W, at San Jose State 23-20
next game: at Utah State
Beating San Jose State is a better win than you might think. Now in the top 12 of the BCS, the Broncos have to sharpen up even more in the scrimmage against Utah State before the nasty season-ender against Nevada.

24. Texas A&M (8-3)
L, Nebraska 28-27
next game: at Texas (Nov. 24)
Coffee’s for closers only. Is there a team in America that’s been this close to being something truly special?

25. Kansas State (7-4)
W, Texas 45-42
next game: at Kansas   
Smoke, mirrors and momentum. Kansas State has been terrific over the last few weeks as the young offense matures and improves week by week.

26. Virginia Tech (8-2)
27. Oregon (7-3)
28. Oklahoma State (6-4)
29. Hawaii (8-2)
30. Missouri (7-3)
31. UCLA (5-5)
32. TCU (7-2)
33. Texas Tech (6-5)
34. Arizona (5-5)
35. Kentucky (6-4)
36. Georgia (7-4)
37. Penn State (7-4)
38. Purdue (7-4)
39. Clemson (8-3)
40. South Carolina (5-5)
41. Oregon State (6-4)
42. Alabama (6-5)
43. South Florida (7-3)
44. Arizona State (6-4)
45. Minnesota (5-6)
46. Washington State (6-5)
47. Miami (5-5)
48. Vanderbilt (4-7)
49. Florida State (5-5)
50. Indiana (5-6)
51. Iowa  (6-5)
52. Houston (8-3)
53. NC State (3-7)
54. Navy (7-3)
55. Mississippi State (3-7)
56. Tulsa (7-3)
57. Cincinnati (5-5)
58. Kansas (5-5)
59. East Carolina (5-5)
60. Central Michigan (7-3)
61. Connecticut (4-4)
62. Air Force (4-5)
63. Southern Miss (6-4)
64. Nevada (7-3)
65. Pitt (6-4)
66. Wyoming (5-6)
67. Baylor (4-7)
68. Michigan State (4-7)
69. San Jose State (6-3)
70. New Mexico (5-5)
71. Ohio (7-3)
72. Ole Miss (3-7)
73. Utah (6-4)
74. Western Michigan (7-3)
75. Virginia (4-6)
76. Rice (5-5)
77. Colorado (2-9)
78. Kent State (5-5)
79. Northwestern (3-8)
80. Washington (4-7)
81. Syracuse (3-7)
82. Illinois (2-9)
83. Colorado State (4-6)
84. SMU (5-5)
85. Akron (5-5)
86. Duke (0-9)
87. Marshall (4-6)
88. North Carolina (1-9)
89. Tulane (3-7)
90. UTEP (5-5)
91. Idaho (4-5)
92. UCF (3-7)
93. Toledo (4-6)
94. Northern Illinois (5-5)
95. Ball State (4-6)
96. UAB (3-7)
97. Army (3-7)
98. Troy (5-4)
99. Stanford (1-9)
100. Iowa State (3-8)
101. San Diego State (2-7)
102. Louisiana Tech (3-7)
103. UNLV (1-9)
104. Middle Tennessee (7-3)
105. Bowling Green (4-6)
106. Eastern Michigan (1-9)
107. Arkansas State (5-5)
108. Memphis (1-9)
109. Miami Univ. (1-9)
110. Fresno State (2-7)
111. North Texas (3-7)
112. UL Lafayette (4-5)
113. New Mexico State (2-8)
114. Florida Atlantic (3-7)
115. Buffalo (2-8)
116. Temple  (1-10)
117. Utah State (1-9)
118. UL Monroe (2-7)
119. FIU (0-8)