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MRI Football 2009 - Rankings Week 5
October 28, 2009
By Benjamin Miraski
I can't remember a football season this disappointing. It isn't that the games are exciting. But the lack of depth at the top of the rankings is just sad.
I am reveling in the race for the top spot as much as anyone. However, we only have three teams to root for.
Everyone else is officially an also-ran right now, and that is not making for an exciting season.
Even the leaders leave something to be desired. They don't put teams away. They don't distinguish themselves. They are just the best of a mediocre pack.
Take this week's top 25 in the MRI. I can't remember the last time that we had a ranked team with a losing record.
But there one is this week -- Tennessee at No. 22. The whole country is so blah that teams can't knock out a less than .500 squad.
And back at the top, we have our three blind mice, who can't see that putting a little distance on the rest of the group might be a good thing sooner rather than later.
It is as if they are waiting for the upset to happen, so they don't have to carry the mantle of the best team in the country. And the way they all are playing, that upset is coming.
Poised to take their spots are the George Masons of football: TCU and Boise State, who are putting opponents away, but boast schedules that leave something to be desired.
Otherwise, the debate we would be having is not 'Who is No. 1?' but rather 'What happened to the perennial powerhouses?'
At this point, I am hoping that one of the outsiders can crack that top group.
Better yet, I hope they both do.
Check out all the rankings in week 5 of the MRI.
MRI Top 25 Rankings
| Rank | Team | Record | MRI | LW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Florida | 7-0 | 90.69 | 2 |
| 2 |  Texas | 7-0 | 90.49 | 3 |
| 3 |  Alabama | 8-0 | 87.94 | 1 |
| 4 |  TCU | 7-0 | 74.71 | 6 |
| 5 |  Boise State | 7-0 | 72.27 | 4 |
| 6 |  Oregon | 6-1 | 69.66 | 7 |
| 7 |  Penn State | 7-1 | 69.58 | 8 |
| 8 |  Ohio State | 6-2 | 68.47 | 12 |
| 9 |  USC | 6-1 | 62.03 | 5 |
| 10 |  Cincinnati | 7-0 | 61.91 | 10 |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 5-2 | 59.99 | 9 |
| 12 | Iowa | 8-0 | 57.06 | 11 |
| 13 | LSU | 6-1 | 56.55 | 20 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh | 7-1 | 52.48 | 25 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 4-3 | 52.24 | 16 |
| 16 | Notre Dame | 5-2 | 50.81 | 24 |
| 17 | Utah | 6-1 | 48.89 | 17 |
| 18 | Oklahoma State | 6-1 | 48.35 | NR(28) |
| 19 | Georgia Tech | 7-1 | 47.40 | NR(27) |
| 20 | Clemson | 4-3 | 47.31 | 22 |
| 21 | Nebraska | 4-3 | 46.96 | 14 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 3-4 | 46.93 | 15 |
| 23 | Arizona | 5-2 | 46.81 | NR(32) |
| 24 | Cal | 5-2 | 45.53 | NR(29) |
| 25 | West Virginia | 6-1 | 45.36 | 21 |
Teams Dropped From The Top 25: Kansas (LW #13, TW #29), Arizona State (LW #18, TW #38), Texas Tech (LW #19, TW #41), South Florida (LW #23, TW #39)
Other Teams People Might Care About
| Rank | Team | Record | MRI | LW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Wisconsin | 5-2 | 37.14 | 39 |
| 36 | Miami | 5-2 | 36.99 | 31 |
| 40 | Auburn | 5-3 | 34.57 | 30 |
| 47 | Northern Illinois | 4-3 | 31.50 | 46 |
| 53 | Michigan State | 4-4 | 28.21 | 51 |
| 56 | Purdue | 3-5 | 26.34 | 64 |
| 57 | Michigan | 5-3 | 26.18 | 44 |
| 58 | Boston College | 5-3 | 24.77 | 52 |
| 60 | Florida State | 3-4 | 23.53 | 70 |
| 61 | Northwestern | 5-3 | 23.53 | 66 |
| 63 | Duke | 4-3 | 20.89 | 69 |
| 66 | UCLA | 3-4 | 19.35 | 61 |
| 69 | Texas A&M | 4-3 | 18.68 | 82 |
| 88 | Syracuse | 3-4 | 7.17 | 99 |
| 91 | Vanderbilt | 2-6 | 4.42 | 87 |
| 95 | Indiana | 4-4 | 1.97 | 91 |
| 109 | Maryland | 2-6 | -20.01 | 110 |
| 110 | Illinois | 1-6 | -21.93 | 109 |
| 111 | Ball State | 1-7 | -22.22 | 116 |
| 115 | Miami(Ohio) | 0-8 | -33.53 | 117 |
| 116 | Washington State | 1-6 | -35.16 | 114 |
Last Place this week: Rice (0-8) at -75.39. 5th week in a row.
Biggest Gain this week: Ohio State gained 15.70 points. (Beat Minnesota 38-7)
Biggest Loss this week: Western Kentucky lost 18.64 points (Lost to Middle Tennessee State 62-24)
Conference rankings this week: SEC, Big 12, Big East, PAC-10, Big Ten, ACC, Mountain West, WAC, MAC, C-USA, Sun Belt
Conference rankings this week: SEC, Big 12, Big East, PAC-10, Big Ten, ACC, Mountain West, WAC, MAC, C-USA, Sun Belt
Posted October 28, 2009 2:32 PM