16. Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles have fallen hard, losing three games in a row against Michigan State, Stanford, and then falling to Cal yesterday in a game they should have won. The Eagles were up 14-0 early in the first quarter, but ultimately fell to the Golden Bears 28-24.
The Eagles struggle to finish games, as evidenced by close 4th-quarter losses to both Michigan State and Cal, as well as a complete collapse against Stanford on the road last week. If the Eagles don't get their act together, they could be looking at a very long season. However, even with their close losses, they are still showing that they can at least hang around with some power four teams, unlike North Carolina.
15. Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal football team ceases to amaze me every week, making it nearly impossible to rank them. They could be the worst program in the FBS for one quarter, and then play pretty competent football in another.
Stanford was down 12 against San Jose State at home, but managed to find a way to win in the end. Stanford makes progress as a better team every week, every other week. They beat Boston College two weeks ago, but then lost by 28 points to Virginia last week. Then they had a comeback win against San Jose State, where they threw for 444 yards, after struggling in week one to throw over 100 yards against Hawaii in week zero, barely.
It's hard to get a grip on this team, but the Cardinals found a way to win, and for that reason, I feel obligated to put them in this spot. But don't be surprised if they lose by 24 or win by one next Saturday.