This Week's Top Ten

Texas wins the Big XII South regardless of the A&M game should the Pokes beat the Sooners. Sweet. The only way the OU loss could have been better is if it was the Horns winning (or Baylor, that would rock too).

1. KU -- Jaybro, just so you know, we considered dropping them to #2...you know...just to show you we can. But in all reality, the idea that Kansas would not be number one in anybody's poll right now is just ridiculous. The fact is, up to now they are undefeated in a BCS conference--one which, by the way, has 4 teams in the BCS top ten. Being number 1 right now really means very little; it only matters who's 1 and 2 on Dec. 3. That said, KU may finish out with a loss next week and get hosed out of an at-large BCS bid (in likely thanks to Texas), but they certainly deserve to be tops in a poll that matters (read: not this one) for at least a week. For our part, we see no reason not to think Kansas legitimately is the best team in America. Great QB play, solid O-Line, a great secondary, and linebackers that won't knock your head off but who play the position very intelligently. We say the Hawks will beat Mizzou next week and then win the Big XII Championship (note: should Texas sneak into championship game, this pick is subject to change).


2. LSU -- A decidedly lackluster performance in the defensive and kick-coverage areas of the Ole Miss game still produced a comfortable win for the Tigers. The question remains: will we see the LSU team we saw against Va. Tech again? That team was the absolute best squad in the country, hands-down. But LSU has not strung together a truly great performance since then, and they will need to return to form if they want to beat a talented Arkansas team playing for its coach and then either the Other UT or UGA on Dec. 2. Wins in the next two weeks do appear to have LSU in almost guaranteed Championship Game position.


3. Mizzou -- The Other Tigers are good. It seems to us, however, that Chase Daniel is a lot like Dennis Dixon and Sam Bradford--a compliment to be sure, but also a liability. If Daniel goes down, it is unlikely that Missouri will be able to generate anything offensively. He is not the only weapon, but he's the one who makes the rest of the offense effective. So, as long as he stays healthy, that showdown with the Jayhawks in KC next weekend will be an absolute classic. By the way, Jaybro: now that Missouri is relevant, are you learning to hate them yet?


4. WVU -- Pat White, Pat White, Pat White. Pat White. The Moutaineers may be the last team LSU wants to see in the national championship game simply because of the mobile QB factor. Even the disappointing Ole Miss quarterback Brent Schaeffer (sp?) made the LSU defense look silly a few times simply by being able to scramble.


5. Ohio State -- With UO and OU both losing, Ohio State is suddenly back into the realm of "we could conceivably be in the championship game!" But tOSU could suffer for the simple fact that it plays in the Big Ten (jbrater, let us explain before you get all defensive). Much like last year's Michigan team, Ohio State will not have played for 2 weeks the day after conference championship games. Out of sight=out of mind for voters. The other issue is that 12-1 is inherently more impressive than 11-1. So, we aren't saying that they'll be hurt by their conference because it's inferior; we're saying they'll be hurt because of the conference's scheduling policies. Of course, it's possible that these same liabilities could turn into advantages: if LSU and KU/Mizzou both lose in their conference championship games, the Buckeyes will be thrilled that they didn't have to play in one.


6. Arizona State -- Meh.


7. UGA -- The Dawgs are in a similar position to that of last year's LSU team: they appear to be playing about as well as anyone out there right now, but they may have hit their stride a bit too late to make noise in the conference. LSU fans are praying that Tennessee can hang on and beat Kentucky next weekend, because playing a hot Georgia team in Atlanta is not the Tigers' idea of a fun obstacle on the way to the Superdome.


8. Texas -- WOOOO! Say what you will about the 'Horns' season--they're a 2-loss club on a 6-game winning streak. After what looked to be a disastrous season, it looks like Texas is bound for the Cotton Bowl at worst, Sugar Bowl at best. That is, as long as they can bring an end to the Land of Frantasia in an appropriate manner the day after Turkey. This is a recovery that shows character, and the youth in burnt orange is enough to have all of us really excited for 2008.


9. Va. Tech -- The Hokies are right where they belong in the 9 slot. They have taken care of all the teams they were supposed to beat, and their 2 losses have both come at the hands of the team ranked number 2 in the country at the time (LSU and then Boston College). Va Tech also should have beaten BC, and in their effort exposed several of the Eagles' weaknesses that have since been exploited by 3 opponents in a row (2 losses for BC and a blown opportunity by Clemson). Va Tech is a not a national title type of team, but they are certainly the class of the ACC. You know Beamer's boys will be fighting hard to beat cross-state rival UVA next week so they can get another shot at Boston College in the conference championship game.


10. OU -- How can Texas be ahead of OU? Well, we're a Texas blog, so OU sucks. At least when Mack Brown loses he doesn't have a "I'm getting screwed, whom can I blame for this loss?" look on his face. Stupid Stoops.

Top Ten

KU loses to Mizzou and OU, LSU loses to UGA, Oregon loses to UCLA, OU loses to Tech, WVU loses to Cincy, Mizzou loses to KSU, OSU loses to Michigan, Arizona State loses to USC. Anybody else feeling a UGA-Texas championship game? Anyhow, here's how things shaped up this week:

1. KU -- Before Jaybro pipes in, we had decided to move KU to #1 on Saturday night. The rationale is simple: going undefeated is hard, that's why so few teams do it. This season there is only one school from a BCS conference that has not lost. Until it loses that team will occupy our #1 spot, then all bets are off. The cupcakes clearly did serve their purpose.
2. LSU -- If/when KU loses, things are going to get interesting. Ole Miss generally plays LSU close, and Arkansas will not be a pushover for a Tigers team that hasn't always played up to potential. Our guess, however, is that the biggest challenge to playing in New Orleans for the Tigers will be Georgia in the Georgia Dome. Did anybody else find it funny that Les Miles quoted Bo Schembechler when denying an interest in the Michigan job?
3. Oregon -- Not far behind LSU, especially if they win out. Has a potential Heisman winner ever received so little fanfare? That's what you get for playing at a non-USC West Coast school.
4. OU -- Remember last year when OU got screwed by the officials at Oregon? We know we'll laugh when the national title game is LSU vs. Oregon. Plus, OU sucks.
5. WVU -- The team nobody is talking about, but we wouldn't want to face the Mountaineers in the championship game. At #6 in the BCS, however, WVU may be the odd team out in any scenario involving three one-loss teams. We would have liked to see Rich Rodriguez back roaming the same Superdome sidelines where he terrorized C-USA defenses as Tulane's offensive coordinator.
6. Mizzou -- Why not? Only loss is a close one to a top five team. If they beat KU and OU, it will be tough to keep Mizzou out of the championship game. Odds of that seem low though.
7. Ohio State -- What a bad loss for the Buckeyes. It would almost seem to benefit them by losing to Michigan, kinda makes firing Lloyd Carr a bit more difficult.
8. Arizona State -- If they win out they could find themselves back in the discussion. Odds are even if they win out they're looking at a Rose Bowl birth.
9. Georgia -- Quietly UGA has put together a nice year and can play spoiler to an LSU championship. Let's see, Georgia versus LSU with the national championship game in New Orleans on the line. Seems like we've seen this before.
10. Texas -- Who would have thought that out of Nebraska, Okie State, and Tech that the Tech game would have been the easiest to watch? The Horns put together a complete game and head to College Station staring at a BCS bowl game. We would LOVE to watch the Horns in the Sugar Bowl this year. We're just saying, it would be nice.

Top Ten -- Week Ten

Oregon wins out. LSU wins out. Ohio State wins out. LSU wins the SEC Championship. LSU, having won all but one game while playing the most difficult conference in NCAA sports will play Ohio State for the national championship in New Orleans. Some voters (and most of the media) will bitch that Oregon deserved it more. Few will defend the logic that LSU deserves it because defending what is obvious does not sell papers.

1. Ohio State -- We've been saying it for quite a while that this is a good (but not spectacular)football team in a season devoid of consistently good football teams. Ohio State - Michigan may decide the Big Ten and give Lloyd Carr a chance to save his job.


2. LSU -- It was only a matter of time for Boston College. The Tigers have now won two games they probably should have lost, lost one they probably should have won, and then won the Alabama game that could have gone either way. Ole Miss and Arkansas could be surprisingly tough, but it's looking like the road to New Orleans will run through Georgia again.


3. Oregon -- We are less impressed with this win than we are with last week's victory over USC. Two more road games could be tough, but if they win out it will be VERY interesting to see how the BCS works out. Once again the lack of a Pac-10 championship may give the Pac-10 team the shaft as going 12-1 is inherently more impressive than going 11-1.


4. Kansas -- Are you kidding? 76 points? Against a non-Baylor conference opponent? We aren't saying it is even likely, but if KU wins out it deserves to be playing for the BCS championship. How people (and we're basing this on Mark May leaving KU out of his top five) are still ignoring the Jayhawks is beyond us. (Note: this blog does not in any way officially endorse the view that Mark May is a person.)


5. Oklahoma -- ou sucks, and that's what makes it so hilariously delightful that all the media talk about one-loss teams getting into the championship game boils down almost exclusively to LSU and Oregon. Will sooner fans soon become so enraged that they invade the ESPN set and start ripping analysts' scrotums (scrota?) off? Only time will tell.


6. West Virginia -- By virtue of playing a somewhat weak schedule, and with the South Florida loss looking worse and worse each week, the Moutaineers will likely end up in another BCS bowl game-but not the championship game.
   
7. Mizzou -- The Tigers and their Border War rival Jayhawks have led the resurgence of the Big XII North this year. Who saw that coming? We all expected that the Northw ould produce a couple of legit teams again eventually, but we figured it would be Nebraska and Colorado returning to prominence.
   
8. Boston College -- We feel bad for the Eagles, but honestly? An Ohio State-BC championship game would have been way too boring for us. Plus, the Celtics appear to be pretty good now, the Patriots are dominant, and the Red Sox have just won the World Series. Enough already.
   
9. Arizona State -- On the big stage with a chance to prove they belonged in the national conversation, the Sun Devils instead proved that everyone was right not to take them too seriously.
   
10. Georgia -- The 'Dawgs have quietly compiled a 7-2 record while playing in the cannibalistic SEC East. It is Tennessee, however, that controls its own destiny in the division by virtue of the Vols' 35-14 thumping of the Bulldogs. Both UGA and LSU will be hoping that Bad Tennessee shows up for at least one of their 3 remaining conference games (Arkansas, Vandy, and Kentucky) so that Georgia can play the Tigers in Atlanta. A win over higher-ranked Georgia would do more for LSU's BCS numbers than would a win over The Other UT.

Top Ten -- This Week

We don't know what to say except that by the time this football season is over, we expect that every college fan that has ever had the gall to believe that he or she knows something about this game will be sitting indian style in the corner, head in hands, crying, with the 2006 Rose Bowl blaring on DVD behind them as a reminder of a time when there was some semblance of order and predictability in the universe.

1. Ohio State -- Just keep chugging along.


2. LSU -- Meet Les Miles, idiot-savant extraordinaire. Throw deep with 8 seconds left down 1 in field goal range? Sounds kind of like Nebraska 2002. Say what you will about Les, but the man has some serious testicular fortitude, and all's well that ends well, so we're happy. Bama may be the last serious challenge before the SEC Championship for the Tigahs. Mark May says LSU is battle tested and has gone on the road and learned how to win. LSU's road wins this season? Tulane and Mississippi State. Nice research, Mark.


3. Boston College -- They don't move up by not playing. Tough schedule the rest of the way, but if they win out we'll support them for the championship game. Ohio State vs. BC is the anti-2005 Rose Bowl


4. Kansas -- We smiled when Colorado had to convert a 4th and 18 on the final drive. Jaybro smiled when he realized that VY does not play for Colorado, so the 2004 nightmares were not to be rehashed. Kansas probably doesn't win out, but the thought of trying to fit Mark Mangino into the Superdome makes us giggle.


5. USF -- Tough environment, at night, national television, South Florida doesn't lose a lot of points in our book for losing that one. Just tone down the Hook 'em signs. We're flattered but you're taking it too far. The simple fact of the matter, however, is that South Florida now has no shot at being in the Dome on Jan. 7 without tickets.


6. Oregon -- This is a good football team, and those white unis they sported this week were the most inoffensive we've seen the Ducks wear in...well, ever. This weekend's tilt with Southern Cal will make or break the season--a win will put Oregon alongside LSU and OU as legitimate one-loss championship contenders.


7. Oklahoma -- While ou decidedly sucks, they keep finding ways to win. This seems like a team that's close to slipping up again, especially after a very uninspiring ballgame against lowly Iowa State. Yes, the Cyclones are the Iowa State Champions--but the win over Iowa is their only one of the year. Wait a minute...ISU lost to Northern Iowa. The Panthers are an undefeated 7-0, so we suppose they are the best team in the state. But we digress. The sooners play the aggies in the UT Inferiority Complex Bowl on Nov 3 after an off date this weekend, and if Texas is to have any shot at the Big XII South we need the ags to win. If a&m wins this one and Texas and ou both then win out, you'll have a 3-way tie at the top of the division between them. With ou beating Texas, a&m beating ou, and Texas beating a&m the head-to-head would be a tie, so they'd go to the second tiebreaker: overall records. That would leave ou and Texas, and then ou would win because of the game in Dallas. So really, we need aggy to beat ou AND for ou to lose another one. And the Longhorns need to win out. Damn.


8. Mizzou --We still have trouble believing that the KU-Mizzou game is going to be vital in determining the Big XII North champion in football, but here we are. After destroying Tech, the Tigers' next 4 games are Iowa State, Colorado, a&m, and K-State--all winnable games. If Kansas can come through its next 4 with 2 losses or fewer, then the Nov. 24 game will almost certainly determine who represents the North in the Alamodome on Dec. 1.


9. Arizona State--Pay attention to us! We're Arizona State! We matter! The Sun Devils are 7-0 and lead the Pac-10 along with UCLA at 4-0 in the conference. How good are they really? We'll find out over the next 2 weeks. If they can hand Cal their 3rd straight loss (playing in Tempe, there's a very good chance) then the Nov. 3 game against Oregon will be Huge with a capital H.


10. USC -- The smarmy and self-satisfied Pete Carroll is fond of saying that his team never looks at the rankings, they just play and let the rankings take care of themselves. But we've got a feeling that the Trojans are celebrating today as they make their return to the coveted 40AS Top Ten. You're welcome, Pete.

Week This Top Ten

Yes, we're too lazy to figure out what week this is. Leave us alone.

1) Ohio State--The Buckeyes are currently the consensus number one, mostly because they're the only big name program that's still undefeated. Sorry, Boston College; your "big name" graduated 20-something years ago. Who will provide the "shocking" upset of this top-ranked team? And will it still shock anyone?

2) South Florida--We would like to agree with our fellow college football elitists and say that the Bulls aren't legit enough to be in the Top Two, and thus in the national championship if the season ended today. But here's the issue: the other undefeated choice at the top is BC, and USF actually has a better resume in terms of whom they've beaten than the Eagles do. So here we are.

3) Boston College--An unranked team at the beginning of the year, BC is suddenly in the national title hunt. And we say, good for them! It's fun when Boston College is the best Catholic school football team in America. Eagles QB Matt Ryan is a prototypical passer who is fun to watch. Now, if only BC fans can pay attention to football instead of hockey for a few more weeks...

4) LSU--Are we being homers and sooner haters by putting the Tigers ahead of ou? Maybe. But in all reality, a loss on the road in 3 overtimes against a ranked in-conference opponent whom you largely outplayed is better than a lackluster loss to an unranked team that has shown no other signs of having a good season. The only reason anyone has ou ranked fourth is that they happened to play Colorado before LSU played Kentucky.

5) Oklahoma--We hate these guys. If Sam Bradford wins the Heisman...whatever. The Heisman is bs anyway. There's only one guy who's having a season worthy of it this year, and he won't win it because he plays for Michigan and no one can get past their first 2 weeks. Though it could happen if the Wolverines beat Ohio State.

6) Arizona State--Why should the fact that ASU wasn't ranked in the preseason keep them out of the Top Ten? It's crazy talk, is what it is. These guys are playing great ball and are now the Pac-10's only undefeated team after Cal's debacle against Oregon State. The Sun Devils are one of the 3 teams left who may very well beat USC. We are enjoying that part of the season. If only Arizona could have made it happen...

7) South Carolina--The Head ball Coach has the Gamecocks playing really well right now, and a win over his alma mater in the final conference game on Nov. 10 could put The Other USC in its first SEC Championship Game. But they'll have to get through Tennessee and Arkansas first.

8) Kentucky--The Wildcats fans were a bit distracted leading up to last week's game by the basketball team's Midnight Madness and the beginning of the Billy Gillespie Era in Lexington, but the football team stole hoops' thunder with probably the biggest win in school history.

9) Oregon--Except for a tough loss to Cal, the Ducks Machine continues to roll. This is a great football team, and this Pac-10 race is (surprisingly to us) shaping up to be one of the most entertaining in the country. ASU, Oregon, Cal, and Southern Cal are all in the hunt and it's unlikely that any of them will run away with it until the very end. Though "unlikely" this season is kind of a meaningless word. (As a side note, it's worth mentioning that as Oregon has turned out to be a very, very tough team this season, Michigan's loss to them isn't all that bad. Yes, they got destroyed in Ann Arbor which is never acceptable, but at least that loss wasn't a true abomination like the App State one was. If Michigan continues to win and wins the Big 10, will Carr still lose his job?)

10) Kansas--That's right, the Kansas Jayhawks. To paraphrase BON from earlier this week, KU has not exactly played a killer schedule to this point. But they won in Manhattan against a hot K-State team, and they have absolutely destroyed the patsies they've seen. And that's what good teams do. KU is undefeated, bowl eligible, and suddenly a threat to win the Big XII North.

Top Ten -- Week Six

Sorry for the enormous amount of time in which we have been lackluster in posting. We'll try to do better.

Here is our Top Ten for this week. Much hand-wringing over the near-miss (which, honestly, was much more than we expected) against OU can be expected shortly. Also: how 'bout that Stanford Red! You will notice that, unlike the AP and coaches' polls, SC is not in the Top Ten in the Meaningless Rankings of 40AS because...they lost at home to Stanford!

1. LSU -- Is there any reason to explain this? Yes, they were largely outplayed by Florida, but the points on the board at the end is all that counts.
   
2. Ohio State -- A seemingly very good team in an obviously very bad conference. It's hard to tell a difference between the Buckeyes and the California Golden Bears, but OSU certainly has the best chance of finishing unbeaten because...who's going to beat them?
   
3. Cal -- Played it safe this week--didn't play at all. That seems to be the only smart thing for a Top Ten team to do these days.


4. South Florida-- Everyone says, "not South Florida! They're not a legitimate Top Ten team!" Well guess what! They're undefeated, and they play in the Big East. That's not the best conference in the country by a long shot, but it is better than the ACC. Which is why USF is ranked higher than...


5. Boston College -- A good win against an underrated Michigan State team. Once again, they aren't going to blow good teams out of the water, but they might win 10-12 games this year.


6. Florida -- Two losses? Yes. Still the only team that seems to be a real threat to beat LSU? You bet.
   
7. Oklahoma -- We should have beaten these rednecks. Um...that is, the Sooners are a pretty good football team.


8. South Panola High School -- The Tigers are our favorite high school team in Batesville, Mississippi. It's been over 3 years since they lost a game. We'd probably take them over the Horns right now.


9. Oregon -- The Ducks have lost only to Cal in a great game, albeit in Autzen. Southern Cal had better watch out, or it could be headed for another conference loss before it even plays UCLA. The Bruins aren't that good, but they weren't last year either. Oh, and neither is Stanford.


10. South Carolina -- The Head Ball Coach has his team looking like a threat to the Gators, and if they can beat UF they will finally break the glass ceiling that has so far kept the Gamecocks, along with Vandy and Kentucky, from showing up in the SEC Championship Game.

Top Ten -- Week 4

Four weeks in and we start to see the tiers develop:


1) LSU -- We like Frank Okam, but he is no Glenn Dorsey. LSU was clearly the better team in a win that was more lopsided than the final score might indicate, despite the announcers' desperate attempts late in the game to declare that South Carolina had "made a statement" that they could "play with LSU." Right.

1A) USC -- The Trojans may have a more difficult schedule than in other Pac-10 years. We like what we see from Washington, Cal and Oregon--though the Huskies need to get back on track.

3) OU -- The Sooners are thus far untested, like 2003. Texas has not looked super in non-conference, like 2003. Texas has a young and untested CB that may be lined up man-to-man on a more experienced OU reciever, like Cedric Griffin was 2003. We're really hoping we aren't due for a 60-something to 13 loss again.

4) WVU -- The start of the second tier. Teams we think are really good but have had at least one weak moment this season. The Mountaineers are obviously fast and well-coached, and we'll see how that defense does on the road at South Florida this weekend. That preseason pick of the Bulls to win the Big East will make us look brilliant if they pull off the upset on Saturday. Fortunately for West Virginia, South Florida no lolnger has the ability to sneak up on anyone as they have begun to make a national name for themselves.

5) Florida -- The end of the second tier. The Gators struggled at Ole Miss, which was a combination of Florida not playing its best game ever and Ole Miss really showing up strong. Luckily we'll find out where Florida belongs in two weeks when they visit Death Valley.

6) Texas -- The Horns beat Rice, and we reward the Horns. Homerism? Of course, as always. But they finally did what they were supposed to do against a lesser opponent. Texas could jump a few more spots with impressive wins in the next two weeks. Or it could go the other way. But it's clear that the tone for the rest of the season will be set this weekend and next.

7) Ohio State -- Call us believers. Maybe not in a title run, but this could be a BCS squad--largely because someone from the Big Ten has to be.

8) Cal -- Probably should be ahead of Texas. The Bears will get their big test next week at Oregon. A win there would clearly place Cal in position as the best chance that "The Field" of the Pac-10 has to take down the monster.

9) EMPTY -- Whom to put here? Wisconsin? Struggled with Iowa. Oregon? Struggled with Stanford. Boston College? Struggled with Army (Go Navy!). Clemson? They seem to be awfully good, but boy the ACC is bad. We'll wimp out and leave this spot blank for the week.

10) Kentucky -- Two tough victories over two pretty good teams...though Louisville just lost at home to a 37 point underdog. And the Arkansas win was the piggies' second loss in a row. Regardless, reasserting themselves as the best team in Kentucky was an emotional game, and to refocus after that and beat a fired-up Arkansas team on the road is impressive. They may not stay here for long but it's fun to believe. (side note: over-under on the percentage chance that Houston Nutt finishes the season in Fayetteville?)

Top Ten -- Week 3

1) LSU -- Seven (disputed) points have been scored against the Tigers this year. Middle Tennessee State, while certainly not world-beaters, did put up some gaudy offensive numbers against Louisville. LSU held them to under 100 yards of total offense. Oh yeah, and if you want to talk about depth, how about super backup QB Ryan Perrilloux? The only weakness Pat Forde can find on this team is that Perrilloux is too good, meaning a couple of slip-ups by Matt Flynn could lead to some controversy. That's a pretty weak weakness.

1a) USC -- The resume argument that kept SC a little further down last week no longer holds water. Nebraska is not a great team, but it's also never an easy place to win. Southern Cal won, and won with ease. This is, once again, a football-game-winning machine.

3) OU -- Probably should be 1b, but it's our blog and ou still sucks. QB Sam Bradford is absolutely sick for a freshman, and Texas is legitimately the only team on the sooners' schedule that will be a single-digit underdog--and even that is now in doubt. We're afraid.

4) Florida -- The Gators could be team 1c here; there's just no way of telling these 4 squads apart. Luckily for LSU, they get to play Florida in Baton Rouge this year. Unfortunately for both teams, the winner of that matchup will likely have to beat the other one again in Atlanta in December. It won't be easy for either one to beat the other twice, and that could be the undoing of the SEC's chances of a berth in the BCS Championship. But it's awfully early for that kind of speculation.

5) West Virginia -- Speed kills, and in this case, speed on offense makes up for an above-average but not super defense. The Mountaineers are really fast.

6) Cal -- It became clear in Utah that UCLA will not, after all, be a legitimate threat in the Pac-10. That leaves Cal once again as the most legitimate threat to the Trojans in the conference. Jeff Tedford continues to be a top-notch gameday coach and RB Justin Forsett is very talented. This week's game against Arizona will be a beatdown of a head coach named Stoops--which is always fun.

7) Ohio State -- They won a championship playing like this--i.e., pulling games out without looking so hot in the process. Last week's win showed two things: Washington is probably still year away from returning to national relevance, and Ohio State can still step up and play a very impressive ballgame.

8) Texas -- Looked awfully shaky this week. Texas has a lot of issues to work out before the October 6 One Game Season, and the more players keep getting arrested the less likely it is that the Horns will succeed in doing that. This season does not have the same positive vibe surrounding the program to which we have grown accustomed, and Texas probably won't be on this list come October 7th. But, again, it's our blog. And of course, pulling out a win in Dallas would fix that vibe in a hurry.

9) Penn State -- Could be higher, but that Notre Dame win doesn't look all that impressive right now. The Lions are in a tough situation this weekend, because if they win at Michigan all it means is that they beat the Wolverines in a year when everyone is beating them. If they lose, they lost to Michigan in a year when everyone is beating them, which is even worse. Appalachian State essentially robbed Penn State fans of any joy that may come from breaking the 8-year losing streak vs UM.

10) Rutgers -- Look, they're good, ok?! One of us has family in Jersey, screw you for judging us.

Week 2 Top Ten

Here are our thoughts on who the Top Ten teams in America are after 2 weeks of college football:

1) LSU- While the Tigers' defense remains one of the most entertaining units in the country to watch with an awesome combination of speed, size, and great schemes, the offense was the story against Virginia Tech. The Hokies never had a prayer, as new offensive coordinator Gary Crowton opened up the LSU attack like he was known for doing at BYU and Oregon. Most importantly, the O-Line, which we deemed a question mark last week, opened up lots of holes for the Tigers' RB-by-committee and gave Matt Flynn plenty of time to throw.

T2) Oklahoma- This is a team that doesn't look to have many flaws. They took Miami behind the woodshed on Saturday in what was supposed to be ou's first real test. Granted, Miami is not what it used to be--but true freshman QB Sam Bradford has been mighty impressive in his first two collegiate starts and does not seem to be easily rattled. Texas will have to put some serious pressure on him in October to win that one.

T2) USC- It is quite likely that after their trip to Lincoln on Saturday, Southern Cal will move back into at least a tie for the top spot here. But for now, all SC has done is beat Idaho one week and watch a bunch of games on TV the next, so we don;t know much about them yet.

4) Florida- The defending national champions have looked sharp in two tune-up games, and QB Tim Tebow is showing why he was so highly sought-after as a high school senior. The Gators play Tennessee this weekend, which will teach us at least a little bit more about what kind of team they are--although it certainly appears to be a down year for the Volunteers.

5) Texas- Against TCU, the Longhorns looked in the first half like they'd end up off this list completely. But in the second half, the burnt orange finally started clicking the way we'd all been waiting to see since the Kansas State game last year. We loved the way the defense looked, especially the aggressive style employed by the coaches. As mentioned above, that attacking style will be vital in the Horns' quest to win the one-game season in October. But what really made us breathe a sigh of relief was Colt McCoy's apparent return to top form in the third quarter. The offensive line played its best half yet, although the loss of Adam Ulatoski for (insert amount of time unknown to anyone outside the program here) could be a problem.

6) West Virginia- You can officially call us skeptical about the Mountaineers after their lackluster performance against Marshall. It is impossible to say whether Marshall legitimately exposed Mountaineer weaknesses--most glaringly in pass coverage and against a scrambling QB--or if this was one of those emotion-driven performances by the Thundering Herd that usually peter out eventually, as this one did. Marshall was hosting its much larger and higher-profile cross-state rival for the first time in many years, so this may be one where you have to credit WVU for not catching the upset bug and move on. We'll learn more Thursday night against Maryland.

7) Wisconsin- We have formed the belief that the winner of the Penn State-Wisconsin game will probably win the atrocious Big Ten by default this year. UW was lucky to escape Vegas with a win over UNLV, and they just haven't shown a whole lot of elite play on either side of the ball. "Then why do you idiots have them in the Top Ten?" you ask. Good question; it's a cautious wait-and-see with the Badgers right now.

8) Cal- The Golden Bears have played two games and shown two different levels of performance. Cal was dominant in Week 1 versus Tennessee, and if that's the way they play the rest of the way then they will be a force to reckon with in the Pac-10. But against a less-than-stellar Colorado State team, they escaped with a 34-28 win last Saturday. There are no questions about the effectiveness of the offense, especially with All-Everything RB DeSean Jackson in the backfield; but the Rams exposed possible weaknesses in the defensive secondary that the top teams in the league (read: USC) will try to exploit.

9) Penn State- The Lions destroyed Notre Dame on Saturday, which is at least somewhat more impressive than shellacking FIU in Week 1. As always, PSU has a sick defense--it has allowed 3 points through 2 games, and those 3 only came as a result of a punt return to the Penn State 7 yard line and an ensuing goal line stand. So the defense has not allowed a scoring drive through two games. For that reason, the Nittany Lions will almost certainly be in a position to win every game they play, if only because they ought to hold any opponent to a manageable point total. But the offense has to show more consistency, and that all comes back to QB Anthony Morelli and his...questionable decision-making.

10) UCLA- Keep an eye on the Bruins. BYU last week was a definite upset alert type of game, and the Gold and Blue responded nicely with a 10-point victory. The Cougars made them sweat a little in the 3rd quarter, but the UCLA "D" stiffened and the offense produced an insurance TD late in the 4th to seal the deal. However, the game does bring up a cause for concern: BYU had 23 first downs and 435 total yards to UCLA's 15 and 236, respectively. The big stat in helping to determine the game's outcome was a 3-1 turnover advantage for the Bruins. UCLA will have to move the ball against much better defenses than BYU's if they want to make any noise this season.

Week One Top Ten

We don't have the greatest of attention spans, so to adequately evaluate 25 teams to the high level of professionalism to which we hold ourselves would be difficult to say the least. We think we can pay attention to ten teams though, so we're going to produce a weekly top ten list. In so doing, we hereby pledge that it is not enough simply to win; unlike most major national polls, we do not believe that you should be immune from dropping in the rankings simply because you "didn't do anything wrong." That's malarkey. This list will reflect which teams, in order, we believe to actually be the best at the time. USC tops our list for the first week because we'll give the national media the benefit of the doubt. Should they not belong there long, we'll drop them. So, without further ado:

1) USC-The defense--yes, the defense--is what makes this team, for now, the number one squad in the country.

2) LSU-Like SC, the Tigers' D makes them stand out above the rest. The offense is solid behind Matt Flynn, but their job is to be just that--solid. Don't turn it over, and take advantage of opportunities that the defense gives you. The O-Line remains a question mark.

3) West Virginia - This team is for real. Legitimately the best offense in the country, which is magnified by the fact that they don't play anybody with a decent defense. However, it's always difficult to avoid a letdown at some point in the season.

4) Wisconsin - They run the ball well, they play solid defense. They may not win a national title but should contend for the Big Ten championship and a berth in Pasadena.

5) Oklahoma - OU still sucks, but they sure looked good destroying an overmatched UNT team. You can officially call us concerned.

6) Florida - The defending champs go here until they prove that they belong higher or lower. They're very much an unknown quantity because of youth, but you know they have the athletes.

7) Michigan - Just Kidding.

7) Cal - Impressive in the win over Tennessee, and could be the biggest challenge all season for USC. That role will certainly not be filled by Notre Dame...

8) Texas - Probably too high for the Horns, but we are homers. TCU will go a long way toward making or breaking this season. Here's hoping for the former.

9) Louisville - Offensively very good. The Cardinals should provide an interesting race with West Virginia for number one in the Big East.

10) Virginia Tech - Sure didn't look good beating East Carolina, but neither did that team two spots up against Ark State. Week two in the Tigers' Den will decide whether or not this is a top ten team.