The Oregon Ducks, already at No. 1 in the week 14 AP Poll, topped the USA Today Coaches’ Poll again this week. The Ducks picked up 46 of a possible 59 first-place votes, with Auburn picking up 10 and TCU snatching the final three. Again this week, Auburn trails Oregon by a slim margin, just 40 points. The top-2 have some breathing room, however, leading TCU by a comfortable margin.
The top-5 did see plenty of changes after both Boise State and LSU fell. The losses by the Broncos, at No.3, and Tigers, at No. 5, opened two spots in the top-5. Stanford and Wisconsin took advantage, taking care of business and jumping into the top-5 as a result. Wisconsin moved up to the critical No. 4 spot, up on place from last week. Stanford jumped up three spots to No. 5 with a shutout win over the Oregon State Beavers.
As they were in the AP Poll, Stanford and Oregon are the only Pac-10 teams in the top-25. Arizona, at No. 20 last week, fell out of the rankings with a loss to the Ducks. The Wildcats checked-in at No. 26, just outside of the rankings.
The Coaches’ Poll makes up one third of the BCS rankings, to be released later tonight. Auburn and Oregon should remain in the driver’s seat on the road to the BCS National Championship, with TCU waiting for a slip-up by either team. The real battle, however, will be for the critical No. 4 ranking. Stanford needs the No. 4 ranking to secure a spot in a BCS bowl, but must jump Wisconsin in the rankings. The week 14 BCS rankings will be released Sunday night.