Week 5, November 2005
Here are the pairings for the final weekend, Week 5 in November, 2005...
| Rank | Team | Record | vs. | Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas (h) | (12-0) | vs | #4 | West Virginia | (11-1) |
| #2 | LSU (H) | (11-1) | vs | #3 | USC (H) | (11-1) |
| #5 | Ohio State (H) | (10-2) | vs | #6 | Oregon | (10-2) |
| #8 | Georgia (H) | (9-3) | vs | #7 | Virginia Tech (h) | (9-3) |
| #9 | Penn State (H) | (9-3) | vs | #11 | Alabama (h) | (9-3) |
| #10 | Auburn (H) | (9-3) | vs | #17 | Miami (FL) | (7-5) |
| #13 | Oklahoma (H) | (9-3) | vs | #16 | California | (8-4) |
| #15 | Florida (H) | (8-4) | vs | #12 | Texas Tech | (9-3) |
| #18 | UCLA (h) | (8-4) | vs | #19 | TCU | (10-2) |
| #14 | Notre Dame (h) | (8-4) | vs | #20 | Louisville | (8-4) |
| #22 | Michigan (H) | (7-5) | vs | #21 | South Carolina (h) | (8-4) |
| #23 | UCF | (9-3) | vs | #24 | Boston College | (7-5) |
| #25 | Boise State | (8-4) | vs | #26 | Northern Illinois | (8-4) |
| #27 | Wisconsin (h) | (6-6) | vs | #29 | Louisiana Tech | (8-4) |
| #30 | Florida State (h) | (7-5) | vs | #28 | Minnesota | (7-5) |
| #31 | Nevada | (8-4) | vs | #32 | Toledo | (7-5) |
Of the final four, Texas and USC come out on top - they'll be playing for the National Championship on New Year's Day. Oklahoma breezes past California to complete a 4-0 November.
| Rank | Team | W-L | Rank Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | (13-0) | - |
| #2 | USC | (12-1) | +1 |
| #3 | Ohio State | (11-2) | +2 |
| #4 | LSU | (11-2) | -2 |
| #5 | Georgia | (10-3) | +3 |
| #6 | West Virginia | (11-2) | -2 |
| #7 | Alabama | (10-3) | +4 |
| #8 | Oregon | (10-3) | -2 |
| #9 | Oklahoma | (10-3) | +4 |
| #10 | Texas Tech | (10-3) | +2 |
| #11 | Virginia Tech (h) | (9-4) | -4 |
| #12 | Miami (FL) | (8-5) | +5 |
| #13 | Penn State (H) | (9-4) | -4 |
| #14 | Auburn (H) | (9-4) | -4 |
| #15 | UCLA (h) | (9-4) | +3 |
| #16 | Louisville | (9-4) | +4 |
| #17 | Florida (H) | (8-5) | -2 |
| #18 | California | (8-5) | -2 |
| #19 | Michigan (H) | (8-5) | +3 |
| #20 | Notre Dame (h) | (8-5) | -6 |
| #21 | Boston College | (8-5) | +3 |
| #22 | Boise State | (9-4) | +3 |
| #23 | South Carolina (h) | (8-5) | -2 |
| #24 | TCU | (10-3) | -5 |
| #25 | Wisconsin (h) | (7-6) | +2 |
So, in looking at the final Official Rankings, we can see that even though USC lost their first November game, their undefeated regular season helped break their fall. They were able to climb back into the National Championship game by winning out against #8 Georgia, #2 Ohio State, and #2 LSU.
At the same time, Oklahoma, who started at #22 and were able to run the table against #11 Miami (FL), #20 Boise State, #17 Louisville, and #16 California. They moved up all the way into the Top 10 to #9 - not bad, considering they started Part II of the season at 6-3.
These two examples show what's possible with this type of scheduling. It's more elastic than a single-elination playoff, more accurate than a bunch of games against I-AA schools, and more competitive/entertaining than games between teams dozens of rankings apart in the polls.
And the best part? After this are the bowls, including a National Championship game featuring two visibly deserving teams.
Week 4 < Top > the Modified Season
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