Column: Alabama and Florida are weekend winners, but staying idle also can pay

It’s hard to pick one “winner” from a wild weekend in which the top 10 got scrambled and Oregon got dropped from the coaches’ poll for covering the spread with a lightning-delayed night win at Colorado.

• Alabama reestablished itself as a force in the Southeastern Conference West, and beyond, by hammering Georgia in Athens. Georgia essentially lost when the oddsmakers made Alabama an underdog for the first time since 2009.

The Crimson Tide looked like backwash only days ago after a home loss to Mississippi in which fans left early from Bryant-Denny Stadium. Just as suddenly, Alabama football and its fans appear poised for a comeback.

• Florida is doing Gator-wheels two weeks after squeaking by Kentucky, 14-9, and a week after trailing Tennessee, 27-14, in the fourth quarter. Thank the Volunteers for volunteering back the lead and then missing the game-winning field goal by three inches.

Florida defeated Mississippi on Saturday and jumped 14 positions, to No. 11, in the Associated Press poll. That’s nearly as impressive as Evel Knievel once clearing 14 Greyhound buses on a motorcycle.

• Clemson kept Coach Dabo Swinney undefeated with a two-point win over Notre Dame. The Tigers moved six spots up the AP chart, to No. 6, while Swinney continued to foist his special brand of “Hee Haw” charm on postgame America.

After his team defeated Notre Dame in a driving rain, Swinney gave a dissertation on what it means to be recruited to a town that paints Tiger paws on the street leading to the stadium.

“We give you school, we give you stipends and meals and a nice play to live,” Swinney screamed on national TV after the game. “I can’t give you heart. I can’t give you guts. Tonight was BYOG. Bring Your Own Guts.”

• Arizona State’s 38-23 win over UCLA was impressive as the Sun Devils (3-2) finally played like the team Kirk Herbstreit picked to make the college playoff.

“I don’t blame our fans for being upset,” Arizona State Coach Todd Graham said after the game. “They should be. We have not played very good.”

The Sun Devils’ resurgence only further muddles an already muddy Pac-12 Conference South.

Arizona State’s final touchdown was also a nice promotion for the sport of rugby, with several Sun Devils teammates dragging Kalen Ballage along for a 23-yard scoring run/scrum.

It may not have been legal, technically, but it sure was fun.

The biggest winner, though, may have been “Did not play.”

Utah went undefeated in 2004 and 2008 but never got the kind of love it received, over a bye weekend, by being a couch-potato member of the Pac-12.

Last week, after a 62-20 win at Oregon, Utah received one first-place vote in the AP poll and none in the coaches’ index.

Sunday, without playing, Utah picked up six additional first-place AP votes, while one voting coach suddenly deemed the Utes were No.1.

It is believed to be the greatest week of practice in the history of Division I football.

Utah bolted five positions, to No. 5, in the AP and five positions, to No. 7, in the coaches’ poll. The Utes, for now, are the Pac-12’s bell cow in the playoff chase, 11 positions ahead of No. 16 Stanford in the AP.

Utah hosts California (5-0) this week in an unexpected Pac-12 north-south battle that is actually east-west.

USC, by not playing, also got a bounce. The Trojans remained No. 17 in the AP poll but woke up Sunday ahead of crosstown rival UCLA. The Trojans’ 10-point loss to Stanford also looks better after the Cardinal turned in another dominating performance (against Arizona).

Stanford’s only defeat also looks more forgivable after Northwestern improved to 5-0 with a shutout win against Minnesota.

The Big 12 Conference could also benefit this year for what it didn’t do. Weak nonconference schedules, and the lack of a conference title game, probably cost the league a spot in the first four-team playoff.

The Big 12’s decision not to pursue a waiver to play a title game, with only 10 schools, may work out.

Texas Christian and Baylor stand No. 2 and No. 3 in this week’s AP poll. Baylor, prolific as it may look, has not played a nonconference schedule worthy of playoff consideration. The Bears are trying to make a case after playing Southern Methodist, Lamar and Rice.

TCU’s opening win at Minnesota looks less compelling after the Gophers fell to 3-2 following a 27-0 loss to Northwestern. The Horned Frogs’ other two nonconference opponents: Stephen F. Austin and Southern Methodist.

With other major contenders expected to take losses, though, playing less could work out just fine. The undefeated winner of Baylor at TCU on Nov. 27 may clinch a playoff spot. Baylor is TCU’s last regular-season game, and Baylor closes the following week at hapless Texas.

The selection committee will certainly consider Big 12 schedule strength in the equation, but what if it doesn’t matter?

Last year, remember, Baylor or TCU would have likely made the playoff if not for Ohio State’s overwhelmingly dominant 59-0 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Conference title game.

So the moral of this weekend: Sit around and, who knows, maybe something good will happen.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com