If you like seeing the same old teams in the college football polls, go read the Associated Press Top 25.
If you like two-loss teams in a poll, then you’ll love Washington (15), Texas A&M (17), Penn State (18), Mississippi State (22), Wisconsin (23), and #24 Michigan State in the nation’s most widely read poll.
With no offense to the aforementioned teams, I believe they are quite worthy of consideration – when you get down to the two-loss teams, that is.
In my rather simple but logical poll, I give preference to undefeated teams (there are now eight of them left, you know). No matter what the national pollsters say, an unbeaten team has simply won every single time it tees-up the ball for play.
Sure, South Florida was quite lucky to win their game at the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes last Friday.
Notre Dame was sweating bullets against a tougher-than-expected Pitt Panthers squad on Saturday.
How about the University of Central Florida? Down late in their game being played in the rain in Memphis, the Knights rallied late in the game to win their sixth straight game in 2018 and 19th in a row overall. All they do is win, baby!
That brings us to the large number of one-loss teams in this week’s SwampSwami Top 25. What to do about the four car pile-up of SEC teams with one loss?
Easy. LSU beat Georgia, but Florida beat LSU, and Kentucky handed Florida its only loss of the season.
Despite LSU’s exceptional effort in dispatching an overrated Georgia team, I will put all four teams in a row (based on who beat whom) in this week’s poll.
Let’s sprinkle in a few new names this week, too! Welcome to one-loss San Diego State, Utah State, the University of Houston, and to the best team in Alabama not named “Crimson Tide.”
No, not Auburn. I am rewarding the University of Alabama at Birmingham as my #25 team this week as the 5-1 Blazers’ stingy D has allowed a total of 7 points in their past two Conference USA games on the road at 4-2 Louisiana Tech and 1-6 Rice.
UAB wasn’t even playing football after 2014’s season when the school gave-up on the sport. Two seasons later, UAB gave it another go, and they are sizzling to start the 2018 season.
If you like variety, you should love this poll.
As for all of you two-loss teams, you’re on the bench for now. In the next few weeks, you may get a second chance.
Without further ado, below are the latest SwampSwami College Football Top 25 rankings following the weekend of October 13, 2018:
| # | Team | W | L | 2017 AP Rank | Best win/loss in 2018 |
| 1 | Alabama | 7 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | Clemson | 6 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Ohio State | 7 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4 | UCF | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 7 | 0 | 11 | |
| 6 | South Florida | 6 | 0 | 21 | |
| 7 | NC State | 5 | 0 | 23 | |
| 8 | Cincinnati | 6 | 0 | 34-30 over 3-3 Ohio U. | |
| 9 | Kentucky | 5 | 1 | 26-16 @ 6-1 Florida | |
| 10 | Florida | 6 | 1 | 27-19 over 6-1 LSU | |
| 11 | LSU | 6 | 1 | 36-16 over 6-1 Georgia | |
| 12 | Georgia | 6 | 1 | 38-12 @ 3-3 Tennessee | |
| 13 | Oregon | 6 | 1 | 30-27 over 5-2 U-Wash. | |
| 14 | Texas | 6 | 1 | 48-45 over 5-1 Oklahoma | |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 5 | 1 | Lost to 6-1 Texas 48-45 | |
| 16 | Michigan | 6 | 1 | 38-13 over 4-2 Wisconsin | |
| 17 | Washington State | 5 | 1 | 28-24 over 4-2 Utah | |
| 18 | Duke | 5 | 1 | 34-14 over 4-2 Army | |
| 19 | West Virginia | 5 | 1 | 42-34 @ 4-2 Texas Tech | |
| 20 | Iowa | 5 | 1 | 13-3 over 3-3 Iowa State | |
| 21 | Colorado | 5 | 1 | 28-21 over 3-3 Ariz. St. | |
| 22 | San Diego State | 5 | 1 | 19-3 @ 4-2 Boise State | |
| 23 | Utah State | 5 | 1 | 45-20 @ 4-3 BYU | |
| 24 | Houston | 5 | 1 | 45-18 over 3-4 Arizona | |
| 25 | UAB | 5 | 1 | 28-7 @ 4-2 La. Tech |