Power Rankings

Upon further review, ACC hasn't caught up to SEC

By Stewart Mandel, SI.com

Back in the summer, when the ACC made its unexpected move to add Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004, the popular question was: Has the ACC caught up to the SEC? With the SEC coming off its worst season in recent memory and the Big 12 fast becoming the nation's conference du jour, many wondered in fact whether the venerable old league was falling off its pedestal.

Well, so much for that talk.

With the regular season winding down, the SEC has five teams among the 16 found in these rankings, two more than any other conference.

Both the SEC and Big Ten also have three teams in the top 10. The ACC, even counting Miami and Virginia Tech, has none.

So what's with the little renaissance going on in Dixie? How did the land's richest conference reestablish its on-field superiority so quickly, and with only one ongoing NCAA investigation at that?

Several reasons, really.

For one, perennial powers Tennessee and Florida have rebounded nicely from their first five-loss seasons in over a decade.

With Saturday's upset of Miami, the Vols appear headed for another top 10 season and, if Georgia loses to Auburn, could be headed back to Atlanta for the fourth time in seven seasons. And after rebounding from three early losses to knock off three straight top 10 teams, the Gators are one of the scariest teams out there now and will be for several years to come.

Second, LSU has made the jump from decent program to national power. The Tigers went a respectable 26-12 during Nick Saban's first three seasons, winning the SEC in 2001, but this year has been a whole different story. Next to Oklahoma, LSU is arguably the most complete team in the country, with a dominant defensive line, outstanding defensive backs, reliable QB Matt Mauck and a stable of talented running backs and receivers.

Then there's the Ole Miss factor. For years, the Rebels have been the definition of second tier, winning seven or eight games in each of the past six seasons. This year, however, they're looking at no worse than 9-3 and could be headed to Atlanta if they can knock off LSU in two weeks.

Add another strong team at Georgia and an Arkansas squad that went on the road and beat top 10 Texas and you almost forget that none of these teams were actually the preseason favorite in the conference. That would be 6-4 Auburn.

NCAA Football Power Rankings Rank LW   Team 1 1 Oklahoma Sooners (10-0) Every now and then you hear about a team winning 77-0, but it's always in September against some hapless Sun Belt or I-AA opponent. We're talking early November against a fellow, albeit mediocre, Big 12 team here. 77-0. That's incredible. Next game: Saturday vs. Baylor. 2 2 USC Trojans (8-1) I'd imagine during their bye week, the Trojans saw first-hand how a top 10 team can lose to a mediocre team. And that Arizona beat Washington. If not, I have a feeling Pete Carroll will inform them first thing Monday morning. Next game: Saturday at Arizona. 3 3 LSU Tigers (8-1) The Tigers don't exactly have the world's most desirable remaining schedule: at Alabama, at Ole Miss, home against Arkansas. The good news is, if they win all three it may help the computers start to forget about Western Illinois. Next game: Saturday at Alabama. 4 6 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1) Here's how it boils down for the Buckeyes: Beat both Purdue and Michigan, and you're headed to at least the Rose Bowl, if not the Sugar. Beat Purdue, lose to Michigan, you're probably still BCS bound. Lose both and you're eating at Outback. Next game: Saturday vs. Purdue. 5 7 Michigan Wolverines (8-2) What a roller-coaster year for Wolverines fans. A month ago, they wanted Lloyd Carr's head on a platter. Now, they're plotting scenarios to get into the Sugar Bowl. Lose to Ohio State, though, and it's probably right back to Lloyd bashing. Next game: Saturday at Northwestern. 6 10 Texas Longhorns (8-2) Speaking of roller-coaster years and wanting to fire otherwise hugely successful coaches. The Big 12 title may be out of the question, but after destroying Oklahoma State, the 'Horns could be on course for a third straight 11-win season. Next game: Saturday vs. Texas Tech. 7 11 Ole Miss Rebels (8-2) I think I'm finally starting to understand the Eli Manning phenomenon. No, he doesn't put up Jason White/Philip Rivers numbers, but there were a couple times Saturday he zipped a pass into the tiniest of windows for a crucial completion. Next game: Nov. 22 vs. LSU. 8 9 Florida Gators (7-3) What a year Keiwan Ratliff is having. The cornerback notched his school-record eighth interception against Vandy (a blown call the week before against Georgia denied him his ninth) and returned it 52 yards for a game-sealing TD. Next game: Saturday at South Carolina. 9 13 Purdue Boilermakers (8-2) The Boilermakers didn't just beat 10th-ranked Iowa on Senior Day, they dominated, going up 27-0 at one point. Running back Jerod Void became the first player to break 100 yards against the Hawkeyes' defense, going for 120 on 34 carries. Next game: Saturday at Ohio State. 10 -- Pittsburgh Panthers (7-2) Did you see Walt Harris' reaction after Lousaka Polite barreled in for the winning touchdown against Virginia Tech? It was the joy of a coach watching seven years of hard work pay off in the form of Pittsburgh finally sitting atop the Big East. Next game: Saturday at West Virginia. 11 4 Virginia Tech Hokies (7-2) It's not too often one of your players, Kevin Jones, runs for 241 yards and you still lose. The Hokies' defense, so stout against Miami, had no answer for Pittsburgh's complex offense, and Marcus Vick made a couple of freshman QB mistakes. Next game: Saturday at Temple. 12 12 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2) After a much-needed week off, it's time for the Georgia offense to wake up from its month-long hibernation. Based on the SEC's new tiebreaking formula, the Dogs still seem to control their own destiny in the East, but not if they can't score on Auburn. Next game: Saturday vs. Auburn. 13 -- Tennessee Volunteers (7-2) Beating Miami finally lends some legitimacy to Tennessee's most overblown of stats: Its 70-4 record in November since 1985. Hey, you'd be 70-4 too if your final three games were against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Next game: Saturday vs. Mississippi State. 14 -- Washington State Cougars (8-2) What's with Washington State and all the turnovers? The Cougars have had 18 of them the past three weeks, including seven Saturday against UCLA. Fortunately, the Bruins only parlayed them into 13 points in a 31-13 Wazzu drubbing. Next game: Saturday vs. Arizona State. 15 8 Miami Hurricanes (7-2) The depths of the 'Canes' offensive ineptitude are mind-boggling. Ranked 76th in the country in passing efficiency (120.8), 106th in turnovers lost (27), 13 points in two games. Good thing they still have the third-best defense (263.9 yards per game). Next game: Saturday vs. Syracuse. 16 5 Florida State Seminoles (8-2) My hunch about the 'Noles turned out to be correct, but as bad as they looked against Clemson, I couldn't justify dropping them out because I know they'd still beat nearly any team (TCU, Miami of Ohio, Minnesota, etc.) I could think of to replace them. Next game: Saturday vs. N.C. State.

Dropped out: Michigan State, Bowling Green, Oklahoma State.

Stewart Mandel updates his Power Rankings every Monday during the season. They also serve as his ballot in the Football Writers Association/Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll.