College Football Rankings: Michigan State Cements Spot In Top 15

Following its stunning win over Wisconsin on Saturday night, you would think Michigan State would make a run at a top 10 ranking in the new polls. At the very least the Spartans have cemented a spot inside the top 15, but the top 10 might be hard to come by based on what happened with teams ranked ahead of them.

Last week in the BCS standings, Michigan State was 16th. We know MSU will move ahead of West Virginia, which lost on Friday, but that's the only guarantee. South Carolina, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Kansas State and Oregon, the next closest teams, all won their games this week or didn't play. That means a jump to the top 10 looks unlikely for MSU despite their impressive win.

In the top 10, Oklahoma and Wisconsin will obviously drop after losing. Just how far they drop remains to be seen. I do think Wisconsin will fall below MSU considering what happened on Saturday, but there is no guarantee. Even if Wisconsin does drop below the Spartans, I doubt Oklahoma will also fall that low. As a result, Michigan State could only end up moving up a few spots in the Week 9 college football rankings.

For MSU, it could take another impressive win to close in on the top 10. Considering the Spartans play at Nebraska next Saturday, they will certainly have yet another chance to impress the voters that still aren't on the bandwagon just yet.