Conference Power Rankings: Big Ten holds off SEC charge

At this point, it doesn't appear as if any conference will knock the Big Ten from the top of the rankings.

The conference has now taken No. 1 for five consecutive weeks, six of the eight total, and this week, the Big Ten was once again a unanimous selection after failing to garner all the top votes a week ago.

Further down the rankings, the Power 5 reformed above the Group of 5 with the Big 12 moving into fifth, ahead of the American Athletic Conference, after the AAC pushed its way to the fifth spot a week ago. Conference USA and the Sun Belt also flipped spots, with the Sun Belt ranked something other than 10th for just the second week.

How the results are calculated: Seven editors submit their rankings. Every first-place vote is worth 10 points, each second-place vote is worth nine, and so on. Voting isn't based simply on performance, but also on external factors like injuries to key teams and strength of schedule. Last week's rankings are in brackets.

1. Big Ten (1)

The Big Ten may be top-heavy, but when the top is this good, the rest doesn't matter quite so much. In No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan, the conference has two elite programs that seem destined to meet in November with playoff aspirations on the line. Nebraska and Wisconsin give the Big Ten four teams in the AP Top 25, twice as many as any other conference.

2. SEC (2)

Where the Big Ten is powerful at the top, the SEC is loaded with depth. The SEC doubles any other conference with eight ranked teams, and of course boats the top-ranked program in the nation in Alabama. Texas A&M is the only other SEC squad in the top 10, though, and back-to-back losses by Tennessee have the SEC East looking less than daunting.

3. ACC (3)

This past week was rough for the ACC's elite, and the conference could have been in danger of falling if not for the fact it came in with a huge gap over the other two Power 5 conferences. Miami and Virginia Tech both lost, knocking them out of the top 25, while Clemson needed overtime to defeat NC State, and neither Louisville or Florida State looked particularly good.

4. Pac-12 (4)

The Pac-12 is missing a legitimate threat behind Washington, so when the Huskies are on the bye, like this past week, the conference lacks bite. At No. 21, Utah is the only ranked team in the conference besides No. 5 Washington, although Colorado, Washington State, and USC have shown some promise. A victory over Notre Dame doesn't mean as much this season, but Stanford will be pleased just to have found a way to win.

5. Big 12 (6)

Baylor and West Virginia remain undefeated, and Oklahoma joins them in the AP Top 25, but the Big 12 just set itself back too far with a terrible start to the season. All three squads earned emphatic victories this week, which was enough to get the Big 12 back up with the other Power 5 conferences.

6. AAC (5)

The AAC tasted the sweet, high-altitude air of the fifth spot last week, but alas, it was not a long stay. The conference rejoins the rest of the Group of 5 after a week that lacked any memorable moments. Houston struggled to put away Tulsa and the conference's other ranked team, Navy, saw its game postponed in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

7. Mountain West (7)

Boise State has managed to work its way to 14th in the AP poll, bringing back thoughts of the Chris Petersen days when the Broncos were ranked on an annual basis. If they can run the table, the Broncos could challenge Houston for the top spot among Group of 5 teams.

8. MAC (8)

Boise State and Houston aren't the only teams outside of the Power 5 conferences looking to earn a place at the table with the big boys. Western Michigan is now 7-0 and No. 20 in the AP poll, making P.J. Fleck a favorite for just about any head coaching opening and improving the visibility of the conference in the process.

9. Sun Belt (10)

Sound the noisemakers and start the parade, the Sun Belt is out of the basement! OK, it's actually the second time the conference has managed to avoid the bottom of the rankings, but it's still a momentous occasion.

10. Conference USA (9)

Southern Mississippi put up a good fight against LSU ... for a half. After entering halftime tied at 10, the Golden Eagles were blown out 35-0 over the final 30 minutes. It's not as if a Southern Miss upset was likely (LSU was a 25-point favorite), but after putting up a good fight for the first two quarters, the result had to be incredibly disappointing.

theScore's conference power rankings will be released every Wednesday during the regular season. This week's edition was voted on by Michael Amato, Dane Belbeck, Alex Chippin, McKenzie Dalgleish, Michael deCourcy, Mike Dickson, and Dylan Perego. The full vote count is paired with the rankings below.