Stanford Upsets Oregon
In one of the best Thursday nights of college football in recent memory, Stanford held off a late game comeback from the Ducks to pull off the upset victory. The Cardinals were dominant for most of the game, leading Oregon 26-0 with 11:40 left in the fourth. The Ducks came back though, scoring three straight touchdowns to cut the lead to six. That’s as close as they got though, as Stanford held on from there and kept their Rose Bowl hopes alive. The result sees Oregon drop to No. 6 in the poll and Stanford rise to No. 5. The outlook for Oregon looks a bit bleaker going forward, as star quarterback Marcus Mariota has a sprained MCL, and it is unclear how effective he will be for the remainder of the season.
‘Bama Pulls Away from LSU to Stay on Top
In one of the best rivalries in college football, Alabama took care of LSU in a 38-17 win. During the first half, it looked like it was going to be another classic battle between the two teams, as the Tiger’s were down only three. The Crimson Tide were dominant in the second half though, outscoring LSU 21-3. As a result, the Tiger’s dropped eight spots to No. 18. The victory affirmed Alabama’s spot on top of the poll, and with upcoming matchups against Mississippi State and Chattanooga, we’ll have to wait until their game with Auburn on the final day of the regular season to see if they can be dethroned.
Baylor Defeats Oklahoma, Climbs up the Polls
In the other high-ranked matchup on Thursday, Baylor put up a convincing performance in their 41-12 victory over then-No. 12 Oklahoma. The win was the Bear’s first win over a ranked opponent this season, and showed their undefeated record wasn’t a fluke. As a result, Baylor stayed ahead of Stanford in the polls, coming in at No. 4. The Bears and their top ranked offense might have flown under the radar before this weekend’s victory, but now have proved they are the team to beat in the Big 12.
Duke Receives 11 Votes
Following Duke’s 38-20 victory, they received 11 votes in the AP Poll, 10 more than they received last week. While the Blue Devils' win wasn’t as convincing as they had hoped, it is still their fifth win in a row and puts them tied in the ACC Coastal division with No. 24 Miami leading up to next weeks matchup. If Duke’s defense continues to play as well as it has during this win streak, they should stand a chance to defeat Miami and could possibly move into the top 25 for the first time since when they played Wisconsin in the Hall of Fame Bowl in 1995.
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