NCAA re-rank: Our list from 1-125

Paul Myerberg | USA TODAY Sports

Duke beats Miami (Fla.) by 18 points and moves into the top 25. USC fans rush the field after the Trojans' win against Stanford. Baylor, Missouri, Duke and UCF exit Week 12 with a clear path to a Bowl Championship Series berth. Again, Duke beats Miami, moves into the top 25 and sits in range of the BCS. It's been that kind of season.

At least the very top of the USA TODAY Sports 1-125 re-ranking can provide some consistency. For the second week in a row, the top four remains unchanged: Florida State, Alabama, Ohio State and Baylor. It's from No. 5 through the bottom that things get dicey, however.

Stanford's turn as the top-ranked one-loss team lasted one week.. Next up is Oregon, which was sitting comfortably in second place before losing to the Cardinal on Nov. 7. But Oregon faces a stiff challenge from fellow one-loss teams like Auburn, Missouri and Clemson – and from Auburn in particular. The Tigers are particularly intriguing: Currently sitting in sixth, Gus Malzahn's bunch could leap into the top three by beating Alabama on Nov. 30. (And given the nature of the 2013 season, such a scenario wouldn't come as much of a surprise.)

1. Florida State (10-0, 8-0)

2. Alabama (10-0, 7-0)

3. Ohio State (10-0, 6-0)

4. Baylor (9-0, 6-0)

5. Oregon (9-1, 6-1)

6. Auburn (10-1, 6-1) – UP 2

7. Missouri (9-1, 5-1)

8. Oklahoma State (9-1, 6-1) – UP 3

9. Clemson (9-1, 7-1)

10. Texas A&M (8-2, 4-2)

11. Northern Illinois (10-0, 6-0)

12. Stanford (8-2, 6-2) – DOWN 7

13. Michigan State (9-1, 6-0)

14. South Carolina (8-2, 6-2)

15. Wisconsin (8-2, 5-1)

16. UCLA (8-2, 5-2)

17. Fresno State (9-0, 6-0)

18. Arizona State (8-2, 6-1)

19. UCF (8-1, 5-0)

20. Louisville (9-1, 5-1)

21. USC (8-3, 5-2) – UP 8

22. LSU (7-3, 3-3)

23. Oklahoma (8-2, 5-2)

24. Duke (8-2, 4-2) – UP 7

25. Mississippi (7-3, 3-3)

26. Minnesota (8-2, 4-2)

27. Notre Dame (7-3, 0-0)

28. Texas (7-3, 6-1) – DOWN 7

29. Georgia (6-4, 4-3)

30. Brigham Young (7-3, 0-0)

31. Ball State (9-2, 6-1)

32. Houston (7-3, 4-2)

33. Boise State (7-3, 5-1)

34. Miami (Fla.) (7-3, 3-3)

35. Kansas State (6-4, 4-3)

36. East Carolina (8-2, 5-1)

37. Nebraska (7-3, 4-2)

38. Cincinnati (8-2, 5-1) – UP 22

39. Vanderbilt (6-4, 3-4)

40. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-2, 5-0)

41. Washington (6-4, 3-4)

42. Toledo (7-3, 5-1) – UP 7

43. Georgia Tech (6-4, 5-3)

44. North Texas (7-3, 5-1)

45. Texas Tech (7-4, 4-4) – DOWN 8

46. Marshall (7-3, 5-1)

47. Bowling Green (7-3, 5-1) – UP 7

48. Michigan (7-3, 3-3)

49. Rice (7-3, 5-1) – UP 7

50. Oregon State (6-4, 4-3) – DOWN 15

51. Virginia Tech (7-4, 4-3)

52. Navy (6-4, 0-0)

53. Iowa (6-4, 3-3)

54. Buffalo (7-3, 5-1) – DOWN 8

55. Utah State (6-4, 5-1)

56. Arizona (6-4, 3-4) – DOWN 12

57. Penn State (6-4, 3-3)

58. Boston College (6-4, 3-3)

59. UNC (5-5, 4-3) – UP 11

60. Arkansas State (6-4, 4-1)

61. Pittsburgh (5-5, 2-4) – DOWN 6

62. Ohio (6-4, 3-3) – DOWN 7

63. Washington State (5-5, 3-4) – UP 15

64. Middle Tennessee State (6-4, 4-2)

65. Syracuse (5-5, 3-3)

66. San Diego State (6-4, 5-1)

67. Maryland (6-4, 2-4) – UP 9

68. Colorado State (6-5, 4-2)

69. Western Kentucky (6-4, 2-3)

70. Utah (4-6, 1-6)

71. Florida (4-6, 3-5) – DOWN 9

72. Mississippi State (4-6, 1-5)

73. Indiana (4-6, 2-4)

74. San Jose State (5-5, 4-3) – DOWN 5

75. Tulane (6-4, 4-2)

76. Rutgers (5-4, 2-3) – DOWN 13

77. Louisiana-Monroe (5-5, 3-2)

78. Tennessee (4-6, 1-5)

79. UTSA (5-5, 4-2)

80. TCU (4-7, 2-6)

81. Northwestern (4-6, 0-6)

82. Texas State (6-4, 2-3)

83. West Virginia (4-7, 2-6) – DOWN 19

84. UNLV (5-5, 3-3)

85. SMU (4-5, 3-2)

86. Wake Forest (4-6, 2-5)

87. Nevada (4-7, 3-5) – UP 7

88. Troy (5-6, 3-3)

89. Wyoming (4-6, 2-4)

90. Central Michigan (4-6, 3-3)

91. Florida Atlantic (4-6, 3-4)

92. Arkansas (3-7, 0-6)

93. Louisiana Tech (4-6, 3-3)

94. South Alabama (3-6, 1-3)

95. Colorado (4-6, 1-6) – UP 8

96. Akron (4-7, 3-4)

97. Illinois (3-7, 0-6)

98. Kansas (3-7, 1-6) – UP 9

99. North Carolina State (3-7, 0-7)

100. Virginia (2-8, 0-6)

101. Air Force (2-8, 0-6)

102. Memphis (3-6, 1-4) – UP 9

103. New Mexico (3-7, 1-5)

104. Tulsa (2-8, 1-5)

105. Army (3-7, 0-0)

106. Kentucky (2-8, 0-6)

107. Kent State (3-8, 2-5)

108. South Florida (2-7, 2-3) – DOWN 15

109. Temple (1-9, 0-6)

110. Iowa State (1-9, 0-7) – DOWN 4

111. UTEP (2-8, 1-5)

112. California (1-10, 0-8)

113. Purdue (1-9, 0-6)

114. UAB (2-8, 1-5)

115. Connecticut (0-9, 0-5)

116. Eastern Michigan (2-8, 1-5)

117. Idaho (1-9, 0-0)

118. Florida International (1-9, 1-5)

119. Hawaii (0-10, 0-7)

120. Massachusetts (1-9, 1-5)

121. New Mexico State (1-9, 0-0)

122. Western Michigan (1-10, 1-6)

123. Miami (Ohio) (0-10, 0-6)

124. Southern Mississippi (0-10, 0-6)

125. Georgia State (0-10, 0-5)

New to the top 25 (previous ranking):

— No. 21 USC (No. 29). That the Trojans were able to weather Stanford's bruising style despite diminished depth and numbers was the most impressive aspect of Saturday's season-making win.

— No. 24 Duke (No. 30). Yes, Duke. The Blue Devils are the best story of the 2013 season.

— No. 25 Mississippi (No. 31). The Rebels have wins against Vanderbilt, Texas and LSU, and losses to Alabama, Auburn and Texas A&M. Hugh Freeze is pulling off a nice second act.

Out of the top 25 :

— No. 28 Texas (No. 21). After a perfect start to Big 12 play, the Longhorns were sent tumbling by Oklahoma State.

— No. 29 Georgia (No. 25). Coach Mark Richt's gang has stocked three years of drama and heartbreak into 10 games. There may be more to come.

— No. 31 Ball State (No. 24). Ball State won't win the MAC West Division, but this is still a highly successful season for coach Pete Lembo and his staff.

Three big leaps :

— No. 8 Oklahoma State (No. 11). The Cowboys are extremely deserving of their first move into the top 10 this season.

— No. 38 Cincinnati (No. 60). The 22-spot leap was justified after the Bearcats proved themselves against a team with a winning record – even if that team was Rutgers, to be fair.

— No. 63 Washington State (No. 78). The Cougars now have two nice wins, against USC and Arizona, and that seven-point loss at Auburn in the opener looks better and better.

Three big drops :

— No. 108 South Florida (No. 93). A 15-spot drop may be kind after giving Memphis its first conference win in two years.

— No. 83 West Virginia (No. 68). Likewise with the Mountaineers, who could have dropped more than 18 spots after handing Kansas its first league win since 2010.

— No. 76 Rutgers (No. 63). The sky is falling.