Baylor, TCU lead NCAA 1-128 Re-rank, but tough times loom
Utah's loss at Southern California drops the Utes from No. 2 in the Paste BN Sports 1-128 Re-rank to outside the top 10, leaving the top spots in this week's list to a pair of fierce rivals from the Big 12 Conference.
Baylor leads the way, though quarterback Seth Russell's neck injury is a looming concern as the Bears prepare for a difficult November. Next comes TCU, which has been dealing with injuries woes of its own throughout the regular season.
Utah's slide makes No. 9 Stanford the top-ranked team from the Pac-12 Conference. Stanford wouldn't face the Utes until the Pac-12 title game, but the Cardinal have games against Oregon, California and Notre Dame in November. While other conferences feast on each other — Michigan State plays Ohio State and LSU plays Alabama in the coming weeks — the Cardinal are in prime position to secure a place in the College Football Playoff.
Once again, the Re-rank is defined by the parity seen across the top leagues in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Twenty-four teams enter the final stretch of the season with one or fewer losses. The American Athletic Conference alone has three unbeaten teams: No. 11 Memphis, No. 16 Temple and No. 23 Houston. The Owls' quest for perfection faces its toughest test in Saturday night's matchup against Notre Dame.
New to the top 25: UCLA and Georgia.
Out of the top 25: Texas A&M and California.