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College football conference power rankings: Big Ten shows it’s more than just Ohio State

By Nick Villano

Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (9) hypes of the fans during the fourth quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Auburn 28-20. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (9) hypes of the fans during the fourth quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Auburn 28-20. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /
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Florida Gators, Alabama Crimson Tide
Florida Gators quarterback Emory Jones (5) [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] /

3. ACC

Clemson needs to figure out what is wrong to keep the conference relevant this season. After breaking into the top 15, Virginia Tech fell out of the rankings entirely after its comeback attempt against WVU came up short. Miami took it on the chin at home against Michigan State and now D’Eriq King has a bum shoulder and Manny Diaz is on the hot seat. They also fell out of the rankings this week. Pitt took its first loss of the season to Western Michigan. North Carolina won with an explosion of offense against Virginia. There are questions about defense in Chapel Hill, but Sam Howell is still one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

2. Big Ten

Ohio State’s early struggles notwithstanding, it was a really good week for the Big Ten. It was led by Penn State’s huge win against Auburn. The top of the Big Ten might be really good this season beyond just the usual Ohio State, which had to sweat out Tulsa for three quarters. Michigan State is back in the Top 25 after a dominant performance against Miami. Maryland stayed undefeated with a win against Illinois and Michigan once again destroyed a bad opponent. Even Nebraska gave Oklahoma a run for its money. It’s interesting to see what is next for the Big Ten as conference games really ramp up this week.

1. SEC

Alabama came within inches on a Brian Robinson Jr. run to giving the Florida Gators the ball back down by two with 90 seconds left. It was an impressive showing against the Tide for Florida, who stays at No. 11 in the rankings despite the loss. Elsewhere, Georgia looks dominant again as they hold onto their No. 2 ranking. Auburn did lose to Penn State, but they were facing a better opponent on the road. Bo Nix has some work to do, but the Tigers can still be competitive eventually. Ole Miss has one of the nation’s offenses led by Heisman front-runner Matt Corral. LSU quarterback Max Johnson continues to put up big numbers since the loss to UCLA.

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