College Football Power Rankings, Week 9: SEC West overtakes control of top 5

Despite a week off, Mississippi State remained on top of the Power Rankings for a second consecutive week, while the second and third spots also stayed the same. 

Alabama's crushing defeat of Texas A&M allowed the Crimson Tide to vault over idle Auburn, with the Tigers rounding out the top 5.

LSU and UCLA returned to the rankings and West Virginia made its debut at No. 23. Their additions came at the expensive of Texas A&M, Stanford, and Oklahoma State, as the Cowboys went from No. 14 to dropping off the chart. Meanwhile, the Aggies went from No. 6 to unranked in just three weeks.

The biggest climb of the week belonged to Kansas State, with the Wildcats picking up four spots. The news wasn't as good for the rest of the Big 12, as Baylor and Oklahoma both fell big, eight and six spots respectively.

How the results are calculated: Five editors submit their own rankings, and, like the AP poll, every first-place vote is worth 25 points, the second-place vote is worth 24, and so on. Voting is not based simply on performance, but other external factors, such as injuries to key players and strength of schedule. theScore's ranking is listed first, with last week's ranking in brackets. Unless otherwise indicated, all rankings are theScore's, as voted on by our staff. 

Without further ado, here are the only rankings you should care about:

1. MISSISSIPPI STATE (1)
After a week off, the Bulldogs enter a less daunting three-game stretch before a date with Alabama in mid-November. Arkansas is the only team over the next three weeks that could prove to be a challenge for Mississippi State.
NEXT GAME: at Kentucky on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET

2. OLE MISS (2)
The Rebels made it look easy against Tennessee and will now make the trip to Death Valley to take on an LSU squad that has really struggled against top-flight opponents this season.
NEXT GAME: at LSU on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET

3. FLORIDA STATE (3)
Florida State finally got its signature win, but the victory over Notre Dame didn't alleviate all the fears about this team. Still, if the Seminoles go unbeaten the rest of the way, they can punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff.
NEXT GAME: at Louisville on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET

4. ALABAMA (7)
After a pair of sluggish games, the Crimson Tide offense bounced back in a huge way with 59 points against Texas A&M. The defense was just as good, becoming the first to ever shut out a Kevin Sumlin-coached team.
NEXT GAME: at Tennessee on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET

DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT ALABAMA'S BACK
Following an upset loss at the hands of Ole Miss and a slim one-point victory over Arkansas, questions began to arise as to whether or not this year's version of Alabama was on the same level as the teams in recent seasons. Nick Saban and company answered that question in a big way with Saturday's destruction of Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide were electric in all facets of the game against the Aggies. Whether it was running, passing, defense or special teams, Alabama was simply superior in every way. With three of four remaining games against ranked teams - including key matchups with Mississippi State and Auburn - the fate of the SEC will once again depend on Bama. - Mike Dickson

5. AUBURN (4)
Auburn makes it four SEC West teams inside the top five, a truly remarkable feat. The Tigers have a big showdown with Ole Miss in two weeks, but can't overlook the Gamecocks or they'll wind up on the wrong side of an upset.
NEXT GAME: vs. South Carolina on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET

6. OREGON (9)
After losing to Arizona, Oregon has gotten back on track and re-established itself as a legitimate playoff contender. Sure, quarterback Marcus Mariota continues to dominate headlines, but freshman running back Royce Freeman has quietly racked up 290 yards and six touchdowns over the last two games.
NEXT GAME: at California on Friday at 10 p.m. ET

7. GEORGIA (10)
Todd who? Since taking over for suspended running back Todd Gurley, freshman Nick Chubb has rushed for 345 yards and three touchdowns on a whopping 68 carries. That's good news for the run-heavy Bulldogs considering their underwhelming passing attack. 
NEXT GAME: vs. Florida on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET

8. MICHIGAN STATE (8)
Considering the fact that their only remaining game against a ranked team is against Ohio State on Nov. 8, it wouldn't be a stretch to see the Spartans win the remainder of their games this season. We're afraid to think about how many points Connor Cook and co. could score against Michigan this week. 
NEXT GAME: vs. Michigan on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET

9. TCU (12)
TCU didn't seem to let last week's heartbreaking loss to Baylor affect it against Oklahoma State, as the Horned Frogs were, once again, firing on all cylinders. With one of the league's best offenses and a defense that held the Cowboys to nine points, the sky is the limit for Gary Patterson's squad. 
NEXT GAME: vs. Texas Tech on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET

THE BIG 12 IS TCU'S FOR THE TAKING
Despite giving up a 24-point fourth quarter lead to Baylor on Oct. 11, TCU's demoralizing 61-58 loss still proved the Horned Frogs can compete with the best of them. But the fact that they bounced back from that performance by handing Oklahoma State its worst loss of the season Saturday proved that Trevone Boykin and co. are without a doubt one of college football's elite teams. With Baylor having lost to West Virginia and Oklahoma having lost to Kansas State, the Big 12 is the Horned Frogs' for the taking. After playing Texas Tech next week, TCU will have back-to-back games against West Virginia and Kansas State. It's far from an easy road, but if the Horned Frogs can keep up the high level of play that they've shown over the past few weeks, then we may very well see their name thrown around come playoff time. - Sean Tepper

10. NOTRE DAME (T5)
Despite ending up on the wrong side of an incredible game against Florida State, the Fighting Irish played well against the Seminoles. It will be interesting to see if they let a close loss to the defending champions affect them mentally.
NEXT GAME: at Navy on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. ET

11. KANSAS STATE (15)
Quarterback Jake Waters looked fantastic against Oklahoma and it's hard to believe that the Wildcats are not already preparing for their Nov. 8 matchup against TCU. Don't forget that Bill Snyder's squad nearly beat Auburn in September.  
NEXT GAME: vs. Texas on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET

12. OHIO STATE (13)
The Buckeyes haven't seemed to miss a beat without Braxton Miller, as freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett has looked incredible this season. With that being said, Ohio State has yet to play a ranked team and that trend won't change any time soon with upcoming games against Penn State and Illinois before a showdown against Michigan State. 
NEXT GAME: at Penn State on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET

13. BAYLOR (T5)
How the mighty have fallen. This week's biggest upset, and arguably the biggest upset of the season, saw the Bears plummet in our rankings. They only managed to score 27 points - a season low for points in a game - against West Virginia, but Bryce Petty should get the offense back on track this week against Kansas.
NEXT GAME: vs. Kansas on Saturday, Nov. 1

14. EAST CAROLINA (17)
Nobody's questioning how good East Carolina's offense is, as Shane Carden and the Pirates' receiving corps can score points with the best of them. Their defense on the other hand has been their Achilles' heel all season. With upcoming games against Connecticut and Temple, we don't envision them losing any time soon.    
NEXT GAME: vs. Connecticut on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET

T15. ARIZONA STATE (16)
Arizona State became the first team this season to score more than 17 points against Stanford's stout defense. While they take on 5-2 Washington on Thursday, we're positive that the Sun Devils are already game-planning for their upcoming games against Utah and Notre Dame.   
NEXT GAME: at Washington on Saturday at 10:45 p.m. ET

T15. NEBRASKA (18)
Ameer Abdullah got back on track and so did the Cornhuskers. His 146-yard, four-touchdown showing on Saturday was nothing unusual, but seeing quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. catch a touchdown pass was. The Huskers need to keep teams guessing if they want to continue ascending in the rankings.
NEXT GAME: vs. Rutgers on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET

WHY NEBRASKA IS IN A PRIME SPOT TO SNEAK INTO THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF
It was in Week 2 that Nebraska struggled to get by McNeese State. Even though they were able to foil the Cowboys' upset bid, the Cornhuskers were all but written off that day. They've picked up some good wins since then, with their lone blemish being a loss to Michigan State in East Lansing - a game in which they gave a Spartans team that defends leads incredibly well a run for its money. With Wisconsin falling by the wayside, and a winnable home date with Minnesota ahead, the Big Ten West is there for the taking. If the Cornhuskers can win out, taking down either Michigan State or Ohio State in the Big Ten title game along the way, a 12-1 Cornhuskers team couldn't possibly be pushed aside when the College Football Playoff participants are decided. - Gino Bottero

17. OKLAHOMA (11)
It's easy to blame last week's loss to Kansas State on kicker Michael Hunnicutt's missed opportunities, but not forcing a single turnover and allowing the Wildcats' offense to score on multiple 65+ yard drives was the real problem. The Sooners need an impressive showing against Iowa State following their bye week.
NEXT GAME: at Iowa State on Saturday, Nov. 1 

18. ARIZONA (20)
The feel-good team of the Pac-12 moves up in the ranks without even playing this weekend. Coming off a loss to USC, the rested Wildcats get a chance to feast on a hapless Washington State. It could be a potential trap-game, but the Wildcats won't let up, as they're certainly preparing for UCLA in Week 10.
NEXT GAME: at Washington State on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET

19. USC (21)
The Trojans showed the ability to grind out a tough defensive win over Stanford and the ability to blow out teams like Colorado this past week. But losses to Boston College and Arizona State were frustrating, otherwise USC would be higher up in the rankings.
NEXT GAME: at Utah on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET

20. UTAH (22)
The Utes have been another frustrating team in the Pac-12 as a double overtime win over Oregon State hurt more than it helped. Being one of two teams that Washington State has a victory over also diminishes the Utes' standing. They need to look impressive and beat USC to avoid falling out of the polls.
NEXT GAME: vs. USC on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET

21. LSU (N/A)
The Tigers have two losses, but they're against teams ranked in the top five in Mississippi State and Auburn. Outside of those defeats, LSU, a team with maybe the nation's most inconspicuous offensive situation, has a chance to make a huge jump by defeating No. 2 Ole Miss. 
NEXT GAME: vs. Ole Miss on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET

WHY THE TIGERS CAN STILL MAKE NOISE IN THE SEC
Very quietly, LSU is making itself relevant again by scratching and crawling back into theScore's power rankings, as well as the AP Top 25. While the nation may have all but forgotten about the Tigers, the team considered it a leave of absence. After dropping an uncontested 41-7 game to then-No. 5 Auburn, LSU has found its form, beating Florida in Gainesville and laying waste to Kentucky 41-3, a school poised to crack the polls. Given LSU's remaining schedule, it has an opportunity unlike any other school. The Tigers will finish off the season against No. 3 Ole Miss and No. 4 Alabama at home. Then it's Arkansas and Texas A&M on the road. Should LSU string together some wins, don't be surprised if it surges in the rankings and back into the playoff picture. Two losses make the task at hand difficult, but not completely impossible as they haven't been given a schedule meant for spoilers, but instead for shockers.  - George Halim

22. MARSHALL (25)
A controversial ranking as the team has yet to play a quality opponent, but the Herd have also yet to score less than 42 points in a game this season. Record-setting quarterback Rakeem Cato's draft stock is rising with every game, but looking ahead at their schedule it may be hard to place Marshall much higher than this.
NEXT GAME: vs. Florida Atlantic on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET

23. WEST VIRGINIA (N/A)
The Mountaineers have been competitive in the games that they've played against ranked teams and they finally got a victory in Saturday's game against Baylor. Looking ahead, their schedule does come with challenges, but if the Mountaineers can keep up their level of play then they will be intriguing come bowl time.
NEXT GAME: at Oklahoma State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET

AFTER TWO FAILED ATTEMPTS, THE MOUNTAINEERS FINALLY BECAME GIANT KILLERS
West Virginia was due to get a big victory over a quality opponent. The Mountaineers have an argument to sit higher in the rankings than Marshall when considering the quality of opponents they have faced. The fact that West Virginia is ranked so low after defeating Baylor should have the squad feeling disrespected. The Mountaineers could argue that they've had the toughest stretch of all the two-loss teams (LSU would disagree, though.) They still need to topple Kansas State and TCU for the right to say they are the kings of the Big 12. Senior quarterback Clint Trickett is forcing his way into Heisman consideration, while senior wide receiver Kevin White has been special and flown under the radar - he has yet to register less than 100 yards in a game this season. The duo will be fun to watch. Let's see how far they can take this thing. - Isaac Owusu

24. CLEMSON (24)
While people will discredit Florida State's cupcake schedule, the same will have to be applied to the Tigers. They do have Georgia Tech and South Carolina ahead, so those wins will define their season.
NEXT GAME: vs. Syracuse on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET

25. UCLA (N/A)
UCLA gets into the rankings by a thread and needs a dominant win against Colorado more than ever to stay in the conversation. Any more losses by Jim Mora Jr.'s team could make the Bruins the most underachieving squad in the nation.
NEXT GAME: at Colorado on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET

theScore's NCAAF power rankings will be released every Monday during the regular college season. This week's edition was voted on by Gino Bottero, Mike Dickson, Kimberly John, Isaac Owusu, and Sean Tepper. The full vote count is paired with the rankings below.

Other teams receiving votes: Missouri (8), Duke (3), Stanford (2), Minnesota (1)