The world of college football was done a service last Thursday night when Stanford upset Oregon. Now the stage is set for an Alabama-FSU national championship game (assuming nothing comes of the alleged Jameis Winston sexual assault). I for one am glad that this game is lined up now because it will match up the two most talented college football teams in the world on the grandest of stages. Expect FSU to keep wiping out opponents on its ACC schedule and expect Bama to survive impending dates with Auburn and whoever wins the SEC East.

Anyways here are this week’s power rankings, some movement is in order following last week’s results.

1. Alabama

Last Week: Won 38-17 over LSU

This Week: 11/16 at Mississippi State.

The Tide soundly beat LSU Saturday night and cruised to an easy victory. This incarnation of Alabama football has just been downright scary with their extraordinary ability to smother teams in all facets of the game, and that was no more evident than on Saturday night. The Tide now roll into Starkville to take on an inferior (that’s putting it nicely) opponent in the SEC’s lesser Bulldogs.

2. Auburn 

Last Week: Won 55-23 at Tennessee

This Week: 11/16 vs. UGA

Auburn literally ran by the Vols last week. The turn around of that program in year one of Gus Malzahn’s tenure gets more stunning by the week. It really is a mystery how Gene Chizik went 3-9 with this team last year. Now the Tigers welcome a UGA defense that has been as shaky as any in the SEC to Jordan-Hare Stadium. You have to like the Tigers’ chances of heading into the Iron Bowl with a 10-1 record.

3. Missouri (+2)

Last Week: Won 48-17 over Kentucky

This Week: Bye

Gary Pinkel’s Tigers manhandled an inept Kentucky team. The Tigers get a bye before traveling to Oxford Mississippi. An interesting story to follow with the Tigers is their quarterback situation as James Franklin continues to get healthy. Will they stay with Maty Mauk or will they switch back to their veteran QB?

4. South Carolina 

Last Week: Bye

This Week: 11/16 vs. Florida

The Gamecocks are next in line to add to Florida’s miserable season, and with the Gamecocks squarely in the SEC East division hunt, don’t expect them to take the undermanned Gators lightly. The Gamecocks’ division hopes rest squarely on Ole Miss and Texas A&M as one of them must step up and beat Mizzou in the coming weeks.

5. Texas A&M (-2)

Last Week: Won 51-41 over Miss State

This Week: Bye

The Aggies struggled to stop a lackluster MSU offense, luckily Kevin Sumlin’s defense doesn’t need consistently spectacular efforts to win most games. The Aggies have a bye before a stretch against LSU and Mizzou.

6. LSU 

Last Week: Lost 38-17 at Alabama

This Week: Bye

The Bayou Bengals were caged up by Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide. They have lost their two biggest games this year and have a bye week before one last opportunity to score a signature win in the 2013 campaign against Texas A&M. Les Miles once again had a conservative gameplan against the Tide blow up in his face. With the plethora of talent at his disposal, it is probably fair to start seriously questioning Les Miles’ ability to get this program back to the top of the SEC.

7. UGA 

Last Week: Won 45-6 over App State

This Week: 11/16 at Auburn

The Bulldogs easily dispatched of Appy State. Now they get to venture down to Auburn to take part in the SEC’s oldest rivalry. At the beginning of the year this appeared to be a win for the Dawgs as they made their march to the SEC East crown, but injuries and a bad defense have hampered the Bulldogs and relegated them to the role of underdog in this game versus the Tigers.

8. Ole Miss 

Last Week: Won 34-24 over Arkansas

This Week:11/16 vs. Troy

The Rebel Black Bears gained their sixth win and attained bowl eligibility with their win over the Razorbacks. Hugh Freeze’s team is a shining example of how young talent can provide instant impact and results in the win column (so there is hope Tennessee fans). Troy comes to pay a visit to Oxford, where the Rebels should easily score win number seven.

9. Vanderbilt (+2)

Last Week: Won 34-17 over Florida

This Week: 11/16 vs. Kentucky

Florida handed the game to the Commodores last week, but there is plenty to be said for a team finding a way to capitalize on another’s mistakes. That’s why I’ve jumped the ‘Dores ahead of Tennessee. Florida made as many mistakes against the Vols back in September, but the Vols were incapable of making them pay for those mistakes. Vandy did. Now Jimmy Franklin’s team gets another solid opportunity for a win before next week’s trek to Knoxville.

10.Tennessee 

Last Week: Lost 55-23 to Auburn

This Week: Bye

GOOD NEWS VOLS FANS! The Vols aren’t facing a mobile quarterback this week… or any quarterback for that matter. The Vols were simply outclassed by Auburn’s speed. On a positive note the rushing attack got back on track against the Tigers and the Vols should carry the momentum of their ground-game performance into their final two contests of the regular season.

The Vols have this bye week before facing their moment of truth in the next two weeks. The Vols NEED to win their final two games in order for this program to keep moving forward under Butch Jones. They NEED the bowl game, they need the extra practices for all the freshmen that contribute regularly. Getting bowl practices is like adding another spring practice to a program. Consider that the Vols have had approximately 40 less practices than their opponents during the last year due to the failure everyone knows as Derek Dooley. For a young team, these next two games are incredibly winnable and the Vols must find a way to accomplish that. Anything less is a disappointment. Period.

11. Florida (-2)

Last Week: Lost 34-17 to Vandy

This Week: 11/16 at South Carolina.

I joked last week about how the Gators could lose to Vandy. Then it actually happened. Make no mistake folks, this is the equivalent of Tennessee losing to Kentucky in 2011. The fact that the Gators nearly doubled Vandy’s total yardage and loss by three possessions is ineptitude so vast that it can not be explained. Florida should NEVER lose to Vandy. NEVER. How does Will Muschamp still have a job? There are middle-schoolers fiddling around on X-Box controllers with more complex offensive philosophies than the Gators. I dare say were it not for what now appears to be a fluke of an 11-win season last year, I would make the bold statement that Will Muschamp is more inept than Derek Dooley because all Coach Boom has done is sign top-10 classes, and yet there are high schools that are more explosive on offense than the Gators. The best part? It really looks like Muschamp will get one more year despite the incredible likelihood that the Gators fail to make a bowl game for the first time in over three decades.

By the way, I mentioned this on twitter to all 10 of my followers back in September that Tennessee would beat Florida next year. That’s not me spitballing or trying to win approval, if Muschamp still coaches the Gators next year, the Vols will break their losing streak to the reptiles.

12. Mississippi State 

Last Week: Lost 51-41 at A&M

This Week: 11/16 vs. Bama

Dan Mullen’s team was the latest victim of JFF. Now they get the unenviable task of hosting the Crimson Tide. It really is hard to be a fan of a program like Mississippi State.

13. Kentucky

Last Week: Lost 48-17 vs. Mizzou

This Week: 11/16 at Vandy

The Wildcats got beaten down by Mizzou. Now they get to travel to Nashville. On the plus side, at least it won’t be a hostile environment given that Vandy literally has about 20k fans not including students. The down side? Kentucky is still going to lose.

14. Arkansas

Last Week: Lost 34-24 at Ole Miss

This Week: Bye

Did Arkansas lose? yup. Will they lose this week? Nope because it’s a bye.

Questions? Feel free to leave a comment or holler at me on twitter @thomasduggins