Top 25 rankings - Nov 7th

1. Oregon 9-0 (1) - Still cruising at 55 ppg, but next up is a potential trap game in Berkeley where Cal has scored 48 points a game themselves.

2. TCU 10-0 (2) - TCU responded to my rise in the rankings last week by proving my point. 47-7! On the road! Against a top 5 team!! Ridiculous. TCU has only allowed more than seven points three times the entire season. They need to avoid a letdown now with SD St coming to town.

3. Auburn 10-0 (3) - With Alabama struggling, people seem ready to put Auburn into the title game, but I still think there's trouble ahead with this very average defense. Even the home game against Georgia this week will be trouble if they don't take it seriously, and Bama is still a totally different team at home.

4. Boise St 4-0 (4) - Very impressive win against Hawaii, absolutely dominating one of the hottest passing offenses in the nation, and Boise is now 2nd in both offense and defense nationally. It's just hard to imagine that being enough. It seems like they'll need all three teams ahead of them on this list to lose. Even if Auburn and Oregon lose, which is possible, I still don't see folks letting TCU and Boise play for a national title. Is that fair? Most will say no, but I sorta get it. I don't want those two to play and then people always doubt that they were a "real" champion. I want Auburn OR Oregon to play against Boise OR TCU. Two unbeatens, one big, one small. And I tell you what, I'll take either of the little guys in both of those matchups.

5. LSU 8-1 (10) - Welcome back to relevancy, other Tigers. I didn't even think they'd hang in there against Bama, yet now they may be the top 1-loss team in the nation with only a road loss at #3 Auburn as a blemish. They are not a real title contender though - they'll need Auburn to lose both games in order to make the SEC title game, and I can't see them playing for a title without that. Right now though, that Thanksgiving game against Arkansas is all that stands in the way of a great shot at a BCS bowl. If Auburn were to lose the finale in Bama and finish 11-1, would the BCS take them coming off a loss or these other Tigers? History would say LSU.

6. Stanford 8-1 (12) - The Cardinal absolutely crushed Arizona this week but there are still three tricky games remaining. Navigating them all could send Stanford to the Rose Bowl as long as Oregon keeps winning.

7. Wisconsin 8-1 (8) - The Badgers haven't done much in the rest of their games, but the pair of wins against Iowa and Ohio State including one on the road is as good a pair of wins as anyone in the nation.

8. Ohio St 8-1 (9) - Outside of the loss in Wisconsin when everything went wrong, the Buckeyes have destroyed everyone in their path, though that hasn't been much. Even still, is this week's game against Penn St really a GameDay destination? Really??

9. Nebraska 8-1 (6) - They escaped this week and that cost them some love in my rankings, but the road wins in Okie St and K St look a little better each week and this team should still be playing in the Big XII title game for a shot at 12-1. That might make them the biggest 1-loss title threat.

10. Oklahoma St 8-1 (17) - Ok Cowboys, I'll bite. I've been enjoying the Weeden/Hunter/Blackmon ride all year. Probably not a better 3-headed offensive monster in the nation. Coming off their best win of the season against Baylor, could this team be a longshot title contender? The only loss is to Nebraska, and they'd have a shot for revenge in the Big 12 title game. Doubtful, but still.

11. Iowa 7-2 (14) - While I still like what I see from this team, they've been struggling on the road in the conference and didn't do much in nonconference. It's all on the Ohio St game in a couple of weeks.

12. Michigan St 9-1 (16) - They get to move up this week just by default I guess.

13. Alabama 7-2 (5) - Wow, didn't see that coming. This team really just can't get up for road games. Then again, they won't leave home again now until bowl season so that helps. But at this point, well out of the SEC title race and a BCS bid, they'll have to settle for the unlikely role of spoiler.

14. Arkansas 7-2 (19) - Very impressive win at SC this week, and it's easy to forget that this team is not all that far off from being undefeated. Still a real wildcard with some big games left.

15. Missouri 7-2 (11) - It's not a terrible thing to lose at Texas Tech, and the other other Tigers should win out and finish 10-2 now, but they blew their chance at a BCS game with that one.

16. Oklahoma 7-2 (15) - Two ugly looking losses on the road now in Missouri and A&M and another that should've happened at Cincy. They could still right the ship and actually control their own BCS destiny, but it could go very awry with roadies in Baylor and Okie St still too.

17. Utah 8-1 (7) - Yeah... that was embarassing. It could get a lot more embarassing soon if they struggle on the road in Notre Dame or San Diego St. It's not too outlandish to see people discounting that TCU beatdown in a few weeks if Utah gets another loss or two.

18. Arizona 7-2 (13)
19. Nevada 8-1 (NR)
20. Miss St 7-2 (22)
21. Va Tech 7-2 (21)
22. Florida 6-3 (NR)
23. San Diego St 7-2 (NR)
24. Navy 6-3 (25)
25. Central Florida 7-2 (NR)

Dropped out - South Carolina (18), Baylor (20), NC St (23), Hawaii (24), Army (25)