By: PETE BETZ
After another wild weekend of high-profile contenders losing their games, Week 12 sees the rise to power of the SEC West. Oklahoma State got things rolling by losing to Iowa State for the first time in decades, followed by Top 10 mates Oregon, Oklahoma and Clemson going under. LSU remains atop the leader board, followed closely by Alabama and Arkansas. The Tigers are still the unanimous choice for No. 1.
We’ve gathered a handful of our esteemed Gator Country members and asked them to pick their own Top 25, so we can put together our very own Top 25 poll! This week, we had seven participants who took the time to put together a ballot for us.
Arkansas gained the most this week, moving up to No. 3, and the Cardinal slips back into the Top 5 with all the chaos ahead of it, checking in at No. 4. Oklahoma State only slipped to No. 5 after its overtime loss.
Boise State and Houston continue to hover in favorable spots as non-AQ representatives, occupying the No. 6 and No. 8 spots. Virginia Tech is at No. 7 after a close win, and Oregon and Oklahoma descend to Nos. 9 and 10, respectively.
The SEC has three teams in the Top 10, and five in the GC Top 25. South Carolina remains at No. 12, tied with SEC East champion Georgia.
Here is the complete Gator Country Top 25 for Week 12:
Gator Country’s Top 25 – Week 12 | ||||
RK | Team (1st place votes) | PTS | REC | PR |
1 | LSU Tigers (13) | 175 | 11-0 | 1 |
2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 168 | 10-1 | 3 |
3 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 161 | 10-1 | 6 |
4 | Stanford Cardinal | 147 | 10-1 | 8 |
5 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 134 | 10-1 | 2 |
6 | Boise State Broncos | 132 | 9-1 | 11 |
7 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 130 | 10-1 | 10 |
8 | Houston Cougars | 128 | 11-0 | 9 |
9 | Oregon Ducks | 123 | 9-2 | 4 |
10 | Oklahoma Sooners | 112 | 8-2 | 5 |
11 | Michigan State Spartans | 102 | 9-2 | 13 |
12 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 93 | 9-2 | 12 |
12 | Georgia Bulldogs | 93 | 9-2 | 15 |
14 | Wisconsin Badgers | 89 | 9-2 | 16 |
15 | Kansas State Wildcats | 71 | 9-2 | 14 |
16 | Michigan Wolverines | 59 | 9-2 | 18 |
17 | Clemson Tigers | 58 | 9-2 | 7 |
18 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 54 | 9-2 | 20 |
19 | USC Trojans | 51 | 9-2 | 22 |
20 | TCU Horned Frogs | 48 | 9-2 | 19 |
21 | Baylor Bears | 45 | 7-3 | 24 |
22 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 31 | 8-3 | 17 |
23 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 17 | 8-3 | NR |
24 | Virginia Cavaliers | 16 | 8-3 | NR |
25 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 14 | 8-3 | 25 |
Also receiving votes: West Virginia(11), Tulsa (5), Arkansas State (3), Florida State (2), Auburn (2), Southern Miss (1) | ||||
Dropped from rankings: Southern Miss, Florida State |