The TCR Top 40: There Is A New No. 1

Well, well, well, we have a major shakeup in the TCR Top 40 this week, as we have a new number one team. Let this be a lesson to all teams who dare to take a week off the same week another team is blowing out yet another top ten opponent.

As you've no doubt figured out by now, Florida State is our new top team following its 41-14 win over Miami on Saturday night. It's not the only change to the Top 40 this week, though, just the biggest.

Let's get to it.

1. Florida State

Now, I need to point out that Florida State's lead over Alabama in my rankings is minimal. Like, it's so tiny you can hardly see it, but it's there. Which means that even if Florida State goes out and beats Wake Forest this week like it should, if Alabama beats LSU as well then the Tide will probably retake the top position next week. Of course, Alabama beating LSU is not a guarantee.

2. Alabama

I'm of the opinion that there are two games remaining on Alabama's schedule that could trip them up. One is this week's game against LSU, and the other is the Iron Bowl against Auburn. No offense to Missouri or whoever the hell ends up winning the SEC East, but if the Tide gets to Atlanta it's going to another title game.

3. Oregon

The gap between Florida State and Oregon is slightly larger, so I'm not sure if a win over Stanford on Thursday night will be enough to jump back into second.

4. Baylor

Somebody on Twitter asked me how in the world Stanford could be ranked ahead of Baylor in the BCS rankings. The answer is simple. Stanford has played the 17th toughest schedule in the country while Baylor has played the 113th. However, starting with Thursday's game against Oklahoma, the Bears schedule concludes with the Sooners, Texas Tech, TCU, Oklahoma State and Texas. So should they keep winning, they'll pass Stanford.

5. Ohio State

The funny thing is, if Ohio State had scored 100 points against Purdue, I still don't think that would have been enough to change anybody's mind about this team. And keep in mind that arguments about Ohio State's schedule are mostly narrative at this point. The Buckeyes have played the 88th toughest schedule in the country, yes, but you know who has played the 89th toughest? Oregon.

6. Stanford

Stanford has a chance to help implement the Chaos Theory on Thursday night if it can knock off Oregon again.

7. Missouri

I can't help but feel like Missouri is going to screw up and not get to the SEC Championship. It's not because I don't think it's a good team, because it is. It's just a gut feeling.

8. Clemson

Hey, Clemson looked like Clemson again this week! Nice to see they've recovered from the Florida State beating.

9. Oklahoma

We live in a world where Oklahoma is more than a two-touchdown underdog to Baylor. We also live in a world where I'm having a very hard time not taking Oklahoma and those two touchdowns.

10. Auburn

I'm happy that this year's Iron Bowl will mean something. That game is just so much fun.

11. Oklahoma State

12. Michigan State

13. Northern Illinois

I feel as though I need to explain something to Northern Illinois fans. When somebody points out that the Huskies have played a very weak schedule, they aren't saying the Huskies suck, and they're not calling your mother a whore. They're simply stating a fact that, as of now, Northern Illinois has played the 121st toughest schedule in the country. There are 126 teams in the FBS.

14. LSU

15. Fresno State

Since you're probably wondering, Fresno State's schedule is 125th.

16. UCF

17. Louisville

18. Miami

Losing to Florida State hurts, but Miami's biggest loss on Saturday was losing Duke Johnson for the rest of the season to a broken ankle. That could stall this offense.

19. Texas A&M

20. Wisconsin

Slowly but surely Wisconsin keeps creeping it's way up the rankings. However, I did the math to see how things would be had Wisconsin beaten Arizona State earlier this season instead of being screwed. If it had won that game they would be ranked around No. 10 in these rankings right now.

21. Arizona State

And on the flip side of that, had Arizona State lost to Wisconsin they'd be ranked around No. 32.

22. South Carolina

23. UCLA

24. Texas Tech

Oh no, here comes reality.

25. Ball State

26. Texas

27. Houston

28. Notre Dame

29. Michigan

Devin Gardner isn't reading this because I'm pretty sure he's dead.

30. BYU

31. Arizona

32. Minnesota

The Gophers are 7-2! Let that sink in to your brain. Minnesota is 7-2 on the season, 3-2 in the Big Ten, and nobody is talking about this.

33. Georgia

34. East Carolina

35. Nebraska

Fuck yeah.

36. Buffalo

37. Duke

38. Georgia Tech

39. Oregon State

40. Cincinnati

Just Outside: Ole Miss, USC, Washington, North Texas, Maryland

And Illinois: It may have been an overtime loss, but it still knocked the Illini down from 84th to 89th. Just behind North Carolina State and ahead of Kentucky.

The Bottom Ten (from worst to just terrible)

1. Georgia State

2. Southern Mississippi

3. Miami (Ohio)

4. Eastern Michigan

5. UConn

6. New Mexico State

7. Idaho

8. Hawaii

9. FIU

10. Western Michigan

As always, you can read more about the worst teams in the country in Best Worst Ten.