Top 25 rankings - Oct 17th

1. Oregon 6-0 (1) - My clear #1 at this point with all double digit wins and a video game offense, but road trips to USC and then the Civil War against Oregon State still stand in the way. Is it time to start thinking about a LaGarrette Blount helmet punch rematch for the national title?

2. Boise St 6-0 (2) - That early win over Va Tech creeps that much closer to being a big deal.

3. Oklahoma 6-0 (7) - Don't feel like this is the third best team in the nation but here by default. Better win (crushed FSU) than the other undefeated teams, but now they travel to Mizzou for a hyped GameDay crowd. Next top ranked team to fall?

4. Auburn 7-0 (6) - The Tigers continue to escape, and Cam Newton surely leads the Heisman race at this point. Will both of those trends continue with LSU coming to town? And in related news, how in the world is *that* game *not* the GameDay site next week?

5. LSU 7-0 (5) - The other Tigers couldn't even get their offense going against McNeese State. The defense is stellar but they're not going to shut Auburn totally down, so how will they score enough to stay undefeated? One of these teams cant escape the other's escape attack.

6. TCU 6-0 (9) - The Toads finally gave up three points after two shutouts and they have the #1 defense in the nation. That plus the wins over Oregon St, Baylor, and @SMU give them the edge over...

7. Utah 6-0 (8) - Only two teams in the nation are in the top 10 in both offense and defense: TCU and Oregon. They should certainly have the nation's attention on Nov 6 as the season's last matchup of unbeaten squads.

8. Alabama 6-1 (10) - The wins over Penn St, Arkansas, and Florida were all downgraded this week, and so was the loss at SC, but the Tide still control their fate. I still think if the chips were down, I'd pick Bama going to the title game to face Boise there.

9. Iowa 5-1 (12) - Not great in two road games so far but awful road opponents left. Instead it's Wisconsin and Mich St coming to visit the next two weeks, then Ohio St in a month. The road to the Rose Bowl clearly comes through the corn fields.

10. Michigan St 7-0 (14) - Can't believe Sparty is in the top 10, but the wins over Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and @Michigan are at least solid. The last hurdle to 12-0 could be @Iowa in two weeks. Would it be enough? I say no.

11. Stanford 5-1 (11) - Off week and they get jumped by a few teams. Starting to feel like that crazy last second win over USC could have big implications down the stretch.

12. Missouri 6-0 (18) - Didnt quite realize how good of defense this team has been playing, second in the nation in points allowed, but things get real when OU comes to visit this week and then it's a road trip to Nebraska after that.

13. Wisconsin 6-1 (22) - We saw it last week with SC and now with Wisconsin - beat a top ranked team and you move up a lot. But it's time for a letdown this week in Iowa, just like SC as well.

14. Ohio St 6-1 (4) - Really missed an opportunity with the loss this week. Thank God. Only other legit game left is at Iowa in a month. Time to stop paying attention.

15. Nebraska 5-1 (3) - Another team who really missed an opportunity. Shut down completely at home against Texas and now they hit the road for a tough game against...

16. Oklahoma St 6-0 (19) - Second in the nation in points, but still havent really played anyone. If they take care of Nebraska this week, I'll put their 7-0 butts in my top ten.

17. Arizona 5-1 (16) - Ready for a fall with QB Nick Foles out 2-3 weeks with injury.

18. Florida St 6-1 (17) - Looking like the class of the ACC. For whatever that's worth.

19. USC 5-2 (NR) - They're two last second field goals away from a 7-0 start that could only be disastrous in USC where they can't make a bowl this year. Now it's a week off before hosting #1 Oregon - expect this to be the Trojans' bowl game for this year. *gulp*

20. West Virginia 5-1 (21) - Class of the Big East!

21. South Carolina 5-2 (13) - Now that's the Spurrier we know and love. Still, at .500 they lead their half of the SEC right now with everyone else struggling.

22. Mississippi St 5-2 (NR) - The two losses to Auburn and LSU aren't so terrible, and how many teams actually win at Florida? Not bad, Dan Mullen. Not bad.

23. Arkansas 4-2 (15) - No great wins yet, but both losses excusable. Got screwed this week by both the refs and the Mallett injury.

24. Texas 4-2 (NR) - Impressive road domination at Nebraska, but equally unimpressive home loss against UCLA balances that out. Still, the schedule opens up and the Longhorns may not lose again this year, could even back door their way into a BCS spot.

25. Independents 12-8 (NR) - This has to be the latest in the season in a long time that Notre Dame AND Navy AND Army were all over .500. Good for our military guys.

Dropped from rankings - Michigan (20), NC State (23), Air Force (24), Nevada (25)