This week's special (but brief) Christmas edition of the Big Bottom 10 is brought to you by Sir Charles (Santa) Barkley, a previously big-bottomed man before he got on the weight loss juice. Merry Christmas, everyone!
10. Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-4) (RPI: 65) (Prev: 7)
This week: def. JVST, def. CMU (N), lost @UTEP
A busy week for the Men of Corn almost took them out of the Big Bottom 10 entirely. That is, until they lost at UTEP (by 16) yesterday. UTEP may be turning things around with recent wins over Oregon and these Cornhuskers, but it's pretty damn hard for me to take seriously any team that Vandy beat by 24. Nebraska's record and RPI are pushing them out of these rankings, but a Big 10 slate that starts with Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan and Michigan State should be just what the Bottom doctor ordered.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-4) (RPI: 280) (Prev: NR)
This week: lost ALA, lost AZST
Despite posting the lowest RPI of any eligible team, Texas Tech needed a good three-game losing streak to finally push them into the ranks of the "elite." While home defeats to the hands of Alabama and Arizona State are nothing to be completely ashamed of, to be taken down by McNeese State is another story. A couple of cupcakes to cushion their way into Big 12 play might help the ex-Billy Gillespies pack on the holiday pounds in the win column.
8. Clemson Tigers (7-4) (RPI: 185) (Prev: NR)
This week: lost @CCAR, def. SCST
Clemson is the winner of this week's Sanchez of the Week, given out to the team that threw the biggest stinkbomb imaginable (what, you thought I'd name it after Eli Manning?). Clemson's truly special 23-point loss at Coastal Carolina (RPI: 299) outlasted a host of other terrible losses this week, including ODU over UVA, Colorado State over Virginia Tech by THIRTY-SIX and UNC-Asheville over St. John's (a soon-to-be-ranked Big Bottom 10 team, I'm sure). The Tigers' reprieve? A New Year's Day date with The Citadel, who only ranks 347 out of 347 teams in this week's RPI. A slip-up there would be Sanchezian indeed.
7. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-5) (RPI: 204) (Prev: 6)
This week: def. FUR, def. @UNCG
You win, you move up. Simple as that. But there's no extra milk and cookies for beating Nos. 341 and 345 in the RPI.
6. Boston College Eagles (6-5) (RPI: 192) (Prev: 5)
This week: def. PROV
BC outlasted a halfway-decent Providence squad to pick up its first good win of the year (its two other Big-6 wins were over Penn State and Auburn). Will the egg nog hangover be enough to keep them from taking out Holy Cross and Dartmouth this week?
(On second thought ... nahhh).
5. Vanderbilt Commodores (5-5) (RPI: 180) (Prev: 8)
This week: def. CRNL, lost MTSU (N)
The SEC retains its stronghold on the Big Bottom 10 this week, keeping its four from last week's rankings. Vandy showed that in true SEC fashion, a couple of cupcakes (Alabama A&M, Cornell) can't give you enough momentum to be the truly decent teams (MTSU is nothing if not truly decent). At least the 'Dores can hang their Santa hats on the 52 points they mustered against the Blue Raiders, which was a full 19 more than they put up against Marist.
4. Georgia Bulldogs (4-7) (RPI: 258) (Prev: 2)
This week: def. MER, def. USC
It shows you what company Georgia is keeping when these two wins move them up a whole two spots. But Mercer has shown to be a pretty good low-major opponent this year and might even be the A-Sun favorite: wins at Alabama and Florida State coupled with close losses to Wake and Georgia have rounded out a tough non-conference slate that Notre Dame would be proud of. The Dawgs shouldn't lose again until SEC play, when they open as 45.5-point underdogs (projected) at Florida on January 9.
3. Auburn Tigers (5-6) (RPI: 234) (Prev: 3)
This week: def. TNTC, lost WIN
Ah, Winthrop. We all remember when they were good, taking down Notre Dame as an 11-seed in 2007 and always letting us down whenever we picked them to reach the Sweet Sixteen after that. Nowadays, they're the middling Big South team that SEC teams like Auburn love to feast upon ... but how does it feel to shell out six figures AND lose? Winthrop's five wins this year have come against Auburn, Ohio, St. Andrews Presbyterian, Lenoir Rhyne, and Brevard ... did they play a tournament in France or something?
2. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-6) (RPI: 270) (Prev: 1)
This week: def. UCA (N)
Yes, I know I wrote last week that the Bulldogs' #1 status wouldn't change this week. But good lord, have you seen ...
1. USC Trojans (4-8) (RPI: 157) (Prev: 4)
This week: lost UCI, lost @UGA
I'm really not sure who sets the RPI rankings, but I'm sure Tim Floyd is still paying them. Most bad Big-6 teams start their annual tailspins in conference play. Not the Trojans, who have lost 7 of 8, with the only win coming over the 14th-worst team in the country by RPI. UC-Irvine is supposed to be the Pac-12's version of Winthrop, a nice gift from Santa Claus around the holidays to keep that win total as robust as the goose on your dinner table. In USC's case, Dad already ate half the goose and threw the other half out for the neighborhood coyotes (or in this case, Anteaters).
Dropped from rankings: Penn State, Purdue
--The Road to 592 is a pipe dream started by a diehard Atlanta fan with a sparse history of truly great sports atmospheres (being Atlanta and all). Read up on my unending pursuit here and check out the full list of venues here. For those sick of conference realignment, you can also relish in another pipe dream of mine -- the 28-team SEC. Follow me on Twitter @andrewhhard.
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