College football rankings: Big Ten struggles, KS shine

If you were told that the Dukes, Kentucky and Kansas were all 3-0, you might assume it’s mid-November and basketballs are flying in hoops.

Oh, but no! Blue Devils, Wildcats and Jayhawks combine 9-0 in soccer. Indiana is 3-0 too, and so are Syracuse, Maryland, Tulane and Rutgers! It’s a variety of soccer schools that do well in soccer, which is great for this sport. In fact, two of these teams meet next week, when the Duke travels to Lawrence, Kansas.

Meanwhile, the super conference that is the Big Ten took his chin in a few fits of non-conference. Orange beat Bordeaux, Washington defeated Michigan, Oklahoma bombed Nebraska and FCS Southern Illinois shocked the northwest, plus the Hoosiers needed extra time to beat western Kentucky. The Salukis became the first FCS team to beat the Power 5 this year, and they also walked away with a $550,000 security check.

Speaking of the underdogs, the Green Wave made it 3-0 with a win at Kansas State, and the Pac-12 earned two Top 25 wins on the same day for the first time since… 2013! This is a statistic to celebrate and admire if you’re out of the West (it speaks to the disappointments the conference has experienced over a decade in the sport).