After the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, Fla., my Associated Press Top 25 ballot this week is like the Georgia Bulldogs: shaken -- and stirred.Florida is my new No. 1. I'm back on the Florida bandwagon after the Gators neutered the Bulldogs 41-17. I dropped idle Alabama to No. 2 -- but don't worry Tide fans: an impressive win against LSU Saturday could move 'Bama back on top. Texas remained at No. 3 after defeating Oklahoma State in which the bumbling Cowboys committed five turnovers.
Actually, I think you could make an argument for ranking Florida, Alabama or Texas at No. 1. In fact, of this week's 59 AP ballots, the Gators/Crimson Tide/Longhorns' trio is ranked in some fashion among the top three in every AP ballot except for one voter, who has Florida fourth.
Ironically, right now at this moment, I think the nation's best team actually is Oregon. That's why the Ducks zoomed from No. 10 to No. 5 on my ballot. And, yes, I realize I have Oregon in front of Boise State and Boise State bounced the Ducks in the season opener.
But Oregon is the hottest (best?) team right now, as evidenced by the Ducks' domination of USC. They have made the greatest improvement of any team in the nation since Week 1. Despite the Ducks' recent surge, or undefeated seasons by Cincinnati, Boise State, Iowa and TCU, I still believe the BCS national title game will boil down to the SEC champion against undefeated Texas.
Other changes to my ballot this week: dropping Iowa two spots after its less-than-impressive win against Indiana. Falling completely out of my Top 25: West Virginia, South Carolina, Central Michigan and Ole Miss.
The newcomers in my poll this week: Wisconsin, Cal, Oklahoma and Oregon State.
Here is my ballot this week with my ranking last week in parentheses.
- 1. Florida (2)
Tim Tebow broke Herschel Walker's SEC record for career rushing TDs in UF's 41-17 victory against Georgia. After disposing of the Bulldogs for the 17th time in the past 20 meetings, the Gators host Vanderbilt Saturday. Florida has won 18 consecutive games against the Commodores and most have been as easy as a Sunday morning. Vanderbilt last defeated Florida in 1988 in Nashville. Vanderbilt's last victory against Florida in Gainesville? Back in 1945. - 2. Alabama (1)
The Crimson Tide ranks No. 2 nationally in rushing defense and pass efficiency defense, No. 4 in total defense and No. 5 in scoring defense. Alabama has held five of eight opponents to 10 points or less this season. This week, the Tide host LSU. Last season's overtime victory at LSU ended the Crimson Tide's five-game losing streak to the Tigers. - 3. Texas (3)
Oklahoma State has learned Don't Mess With Texas. Under Coach Mack Brown, the Longhorns are 12-0 against the Cowboys. The Longhorns' defense, not QB Colt McCoy, was the difference as Texas returned two interceptions for touchdowns. The Longhorns take a break from Big 12 play Saturday with a home game against UCF of Conference USA. - 4. Cincinnati (4)
In two starts for injured starter Tony Pike, sophomore Zach Collaros has completed a remarkable 82.2 percent (37 of 45), throwing for 548 yards and seven touchdowns. Saturday the Bearcats host UConn seeking revenge for last year's 40-16 loss in East Hartford. Since last year's loss to UConn, Cincinnati has won 14 consecutive regular season contests. - 5. Oregon (10)
In Saturday's rout of USC, QB Jeremiah Masoli threw for 222 yards and rushed for 164 yards. Since their season opening loss, the Ducks have been held below 30 points only once in their last seven games. Oregon also is 5-0 in Pac-10 play with an averaging winning margin of 30 points per game. - 6. TCU (7)
In the Horned Frogs' 41-0 shutout of UNLV, TCU held the Rebels to 160 yards in winning its 12th consecutive home game. In that span, TCU has outscored its opponents by an average margin of 43-9. Of TCU's final four games, only Utah (7-1) has a winning record and the Utes must visit Fort Worth on Nov. 14. - 7. Boise State (8)
QB Kellen Moore leads the nation in passing efficiency with 24 touchdowns and two interceptions. Against San Jose State, Moore threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns. This week's WAC pushover is Louisiana Tech. The Broncos have won the last seven meetings against the Bulldogs by an average margin of 26 points. - 8. Iowa (6)
The Hawkeyes' victory against Indiana was their fourth this year when trailing entering the fourth quarter. The Hawkeyes also have won 13 consecutive games, the second-longest winning streak in school history. From 1920-23, Iowa won 20 consecutive games. The Hawkeyes host Northwestern for a second consecutive season Saturday. Last year the Wildcats pulled off a 22-17 upset in Iowa City. - 9. LSU (9)
Since losing to No. 1 Florida 13-3, LSU has routed Auburn and Tulane by a combined margin of 73-10. Up next: Saturday's Saban Bowl III in Tuscaloosa. "It is our championship game," LSU QB Jordan Jefferson said. "We are going to prepare ourselves for Alabama and come out ready to fight." - 10. Georgia Tech (10)
The Yellow Jackets continue to play keep-away from their opponents. Against Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech owned a time of possession advantage of 39:45 to 19:15, a week after owning a 42:43 to 17:17 advantage against Virginia. Georgia Tech is off to its best start since 1990, when the Yellow Jackets were awarded the coaches/UPI poll national title. - 11. Houston (12)
QB Case Keenum has accounted for the nation's two biggest passing days this season – 559 yards vs. Southern Miss Saturday and 536 vs. UTEP on Oct. 3. The Cougars rank No. 1 in total offense, but have the nation's seventh-worst defense. Expect a rout Saturday one way or another when UH visits Tulsa. Houston won 70-30 in 2008 and Tulsa won 56-7 in 2007. - 12. Penn State (14)
The Nittany Lions' 34-13 victory at Northwestern was the 808th all-time for Penn State, moving past Alabama into sixth place on the all-time win list. Penn State's first-ever victory came back in 1881 – and no, Joe Paterno wasn't the head coach then. He was only a graduate assistant. The Nittany Lions have won only two of their last five games with Ohio State, but won in Columbus last season. - 13. Pittsburgh (16)
The Panthers have the nation's third-most efficient passer (QB Bill Stull, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions) and fourth-leading rusher (RB Dion Lewis, averaging 128.6 yards per game). Lewis is only the fourth player in Pitt history to rush for 1,000 yards as a freshman. The Panthers have to guard against looking past Syracuse Saturday to next week's visit from Notre Dame. - 14. Miami (19)
The Hurricanes' 28-27 come-from-behind victory at Wake Forest was Miami's third this season by four points or less. Saturday UM hosts Virginia. Think the Hurricanes will remember Virginia's last visit to Miami in 2007? It was the final game ever played in the Orange Bowl and the Cavaliers routed the Hurricanes 48-0. - 15. USC (5)
The Trojans lost their fourth consecutive game in the state of Oregon. USC allowed 613 yards to Oregon, the most against a Pete Carroll team at USC. The 47 points also were the most allowed since 1996. "It was a real mess for us," Carroll said. "Oregon did everything that they wanted to do." The Trojans now head to the desert to face Arizona State. USC has won the last nine in the series with ASU. - 16. Ohio State (17)
The Buckeyes posted their third shutout of the season Saturday against hapless New Mexico State. Ohio State also shut out Toledo and Illinois. It's the first time since 1996 Ohio State has three shutouts in a season. The Buckeyes can still win the Big 10 title, but must win out at Penn State Saturday, home against Iowa on Nov. 14 and at Michigan on Nov. 21. - 17. Utah (20)
Freshman QB Jordan Wynn replaced starter Terrance Cain in the second half of Saturday's victory against Wyoming and could get the start against New Mexico this week. Also, RB Eddie Wide tied a school record with his fifth consecutive 100-yard rushing game against Wyoming. After Utah disposes of winless New Mexico Saturday, start the hype for next week's contest at TCU. - 18. Oklahoma State (13)
The Cowboys actually outgained Texas, but couldn't overcome five turnovers in the 41-14 loss to the Longhorns. The loss dropped Oklahoma State to 1-9 in its last 10 games against Top 5 ranked opponents. The Cowboys visit Iowa State Saturday and have actually lost three of the last five meetings with the Cyclones. - 19. Arizona (21) The Wildcats are licking their chops with Washington State coming to Tucson on Saturday. The Cougars have lost five consecutive games by an average margin of 27.6 points. The Wildcats better enjoy Saturday's homecoming because after that three of their remaining four games are against ranked opponents (Cal, Oregon and USC).
- 20. Notre Dame (25)
The Fighting Irish's streak of six consecutive games decided by seven points or less ended in the 40-14 rout of Washington State. QB Jimmy Clausen was 22 of 27 for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Notre Dame hosts Navy and there's no doubt there will be plenty of reminders to Navy's last visit to South Bend -- a 46-44 three overtime victory that snapped the Midshipmen's 43-game losing streak to Notre Dame. - 21. Wisconsin (NR)
RB John Clay rumbled for 123 yards and three TDs as the Badgers blanked Purdue 37-0. Saturday Wisconsin visits Indiana having won the last four contests by an average of 29 points. In last year's 55-20 win, the Badgers rushed for 441 yards against the Hoosiers. That's not a good omen with the 248-pound Clay coming to Bloomington this week. - 22. Cal (NR)
QB Kevin Riley threw for a career-high 351 yards as the Golden Bears edged Arizona State 23-21. Cal hosts Oregon State Saturday. The last time the Beavers played in Berkeley was 2007 in what was Riley's first career start. Oregon State upset the No. 2 ranked Golden Bears 31-28. - 23. Oklahoma (NR)
In QB Landry Jones' first start since Sam Bradford announced he wouldn't return this season, Jones was 26 of 37 for 294 yards and four touchdowns in the Sooners' 42-30 victory against Kansas State. The Sooners, whose three losses are by a combined five points, visit Nebraska Saturday. Oklahoma looks to improve on its 20-2 record in November since 2003 - 24. Oregon State (NR)
QB Sean Canfield threw for 305 yards, Jacquizz Rodgers added 102 yards rushing and 96 yards receiving and James Rodgers had 10 receptions for 106 yards as the Beavers bounced UCLA 26-19. Oregon State visits Cal Saturday with the road team having won five of the last six meetings. - 25. Virginia Tech (15)
The Hokies have lost consecutive games by five points to Georgia Tech and three points to North Carolina. Virginia Tech plays its second consecutive Thursday night contest at East Carolina. The Hokies are seeking revenge from last year's 27-22 loss to the Pirates.
Teams that are close to making my Top 25 (in alphabetical order): Auburn, BYU, Clemson, South Florida, Texas Tech Cal, Oklahoma
See you later (teams that fell out of my Top 25 this week): West Virginia, South Carolina, Central Michigan, Ole Miss
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
I am right there with you on the whole Florida, Alabama, Texas thing. I have to strongly disagree about putting Oregon ahead of Boise State though. It just doesn't make sense! At some point, head-to-head scoring needs to come into play. Boise State BEAT Oregon AND has a better record. They deserve to be ranked higher. Here is the Koozee Kingdom top-25:
Rank Team (Record) (Last Week's Rank)
1. Florida (8-0) (2)
2. Alabama (8-0) (1)
3. Texas (8-0) (3)
4. Boise State (8-0) (4)
5. Iowa (9-0) (5)
6. Oregon (7-1) (8)
7. TCU (8-0) (6)
8. Cincinnati (8-0) (7)
9. Georgia Tech (8-1) (10)
10. LSU (7-1) (11)
11. Penn State (8-1) (12)
12. Houston (7-1) (13)
13. Pittsburgh (7-1) (16)
14. USC (6-2) (9)
15. Utah (7-1) (17)
16. Oklahoma State (6-2) (14)
17. Miami (6-2) (18)
18. BYU (6-2) (21)
19. Ohio State (7-2) (23)
20. Notre Dame (6-2) (24)
21. Arizona (5-2) (25)
22. USF (6-2) (NR)
23. Oklahoma (5-3) (NR)
24. West Virginia (6-2) (19)
25. Rutgers (6-2) (NR)
Those who have fallen from grace this week: Virginia Tech, Central Michigan, South Carolina
The next five that are knocking on the door: Wisconsin, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Central Michigan, South Carolina
Kooz. Finally, an appropriate screen name. And you have your own ranking system as well. Bet you're wearing your trekie pullover too.
James, it's a trekie onesie. Nothing like the feeling of polyester from head to toe. Live long, prosper and keep your drinks cold.
Go Ducks! Biggest Win since BYU in '94.
Yeah, too bad you screwed the dog in Idaho.
Amazing, this is why College football needs a playoff system. I can't believe Oregon who lost to Boise State is placed ahead of the Broncos. It is all about media hype, and becuase they are in the Pac-10 you have to give them the slot that USC so wrongly was placed in. Fact is LSU Beat Washington, who beat USC, no way USC should have been ranked ahead of LSU. Now you rank the Ducks ahead of a team who beat them. While you can swap the top three anyway you like Texas played the most impressive this weekend and should be number one. And before I go any further, there is no way Colt nor Tim should win the heisman. Back to the rankings. LSU only loss can to the number one ranked team, If that doesn't make them the best one loss team I don't know what does. Unless you are saying Boise State is better than Florida. The rankings should look like this, at least the top ten anyway.
1). Texas, Arrange the top three anyway you like.
2). Florida
3). Alabama
4). TCU
5). LSU
6). Boise State
7). Oregon, impressive win over USC, but, until they beat Boise State they will never ranked above the Broncos.
8). Iowa
9). Cincinnati
10). Georgia Tech
Yeah, screw going to class. Let's play football year round. There you go again Randy.
This is what the BCS has. Look at where they place USC, well ahead of the team that beat them and also ahead of 3 undefeated teams, what JUNK. Media hype:
1 Florida 8-0 0.9727 1
2 Alabama 8-0 0.9453 2
3 Texas 8-0 0.8927 3
4 Iowa 9-0 0.8247 6
5 USC 6-2 0.7943 7
6 TCU 8-0 0.7890 8
7 Boise State 8-0 0.7753 4
8 Cincinnati 8-0 0.7733 5
9 LSU 7-1 0.7030 9
10 Oregon 7-1 0.6457 11
What I would like to know is how USC is ranked ahead of LSU. USC lost twice and LSU has only lost once, and that was to the #1 team in the country. Boise State beat Oregon, but Oregon's wins are still more impressive than Boise's. Houston is more impressive to me than Boise State. They have beaten two Big 12 teams and one SEC team.
Everyone is screaming playoff, but not even in playoffs does the best team win. Look at the Patriots and Giants. Giants won the Super Bowl but they were not the best team. As a matter of fact, against each other, the Patriots won one game and the Giants won another. The Giants just happened to win the game we call the Super Bowl.
Yo Randy, calm down, will ya? The new BCS doesn't come out until tomorrow sometime, okay? Your question should be why USC is still in the top 25.
Okay Randy, all the polls are out now and USC dropped to a more acceptable level, just for you. Happy?
I don't get it. USC gets the sh*t stomped out of them, twice, and they are ranked, what 12 or 13? Meanwhile, teams like, Oklahoma for instance, loose 3 games by a total of 5 points and they are barely in the top 25. Who's Pete blowing?
Well, gotta go. See you losers next week. Anyone got money on who's gonna die first, Bowden or Joe Pa? Joe Pa's personally keeping "Just for Men" in business, so he's good for the economy.
In reference to your: "Ironically, right now at this moment, I think the nation's best team actually is Oregon. That's why the Ducks zoomed from No. 10 to No. 5 on my ballot.... "But Oregon is the hottest (best?) team right now, as evidenced by the Ducks' domination of USC."
Did it ever occur to you that USC actually has been highly over-rated all year and that the loss to Washington(granted an improved team from 2008, but still a 3-5 team)was a precursor to the truth of just what a sham USC and Pete Carroll are? Have you considered at all that USC's 4th place BCS ranking was way out of line? The original BCS ranking at no. 7 was closer to the truth, but Carroll got on TV and whined about how low and unfair it was, and the very next week, after being whipped by Oregon State in every stat, except the final score, USC is jumped up 3 spaces to that 4th place ranking. Beating USC is NOT a legitimate criteria for naming the No. 1 ranked team in the country and for absolutely sure NOT this year! You and all the other media types and your slobbering, irrational regard for USC is the reason they continually get over-ranked and have been able to build up this empty mystique that causes people to make ridiculous statements like your's above! When OU had their 2nd loss to Miami they got dropped from 8th to 19th, yet here is USC moved back up to 4th after their 1st loss and now after the 2nd loss they only drop 8 spaces! What is that about? Oregon is a 1 loss team, good, yes; but there are 7 other teams that have ZERO LOSSES so far! Those are the best teams in the country right now! PLEASE, start using some realistic judgment in your ranking mentality and quit this USC fixation! And also, losing to Boise State does matter in regards to standing and voting then, now and in the future. What a mockery you make of this whole ranking thing with that kind of self-centered.foolish regard.
Boise State allowed Oregon at full strength no first downs in the first half and less than 200 yards of offense in the game. Many teams will not schedule Boise State for fear of embarassament. Look at the Oklahoma game. Next?
You can go back over hte years and see head to head usually means nothing.i remember FSU getting the bowl nod over notre dame when nd beat them heads up in orlando.i remember fla getting the nod over fsu when fsu beat them,tenn won the national championship without winning the sec,how are you the best in the country in your not the best in your conf?i could go on but homers dont like facts so ill save it.and before anyone calls usc over ranked all year,i say ole miss?what?and atleast 2 sec teams every year.
Who has Texas played? Have you seen their non-conf schedule? Speaking of Schedules...Have you seen Florida's non-conf schedule? Both should be ashamed. You can't choose your family but you can choose your friends and in this case Texas' and Florida's friends are cupcakes.
qbsack12 get a over it, all teams schedule soft teams. let these other teams play year after year in the SEC and see how many wins they come up with. The SEC is the best conf in NCAA in any sport. Get real brother....Gators to the End
SEC the best conference? What a joke. Pretty much any team in the Big 12 would give Florida, Alabama or LSU a beat down. Wait & see who ends up on top @ the end of the season. Won't be anyone from the SEC. I'm pretty sure that Florida/LSU game was the most boring game I'd seen in my life. Florida whooped up on Georgia this weekend. Big deal. 7 teams from the Big 10 could whoop Georgia & give Florida a run. Get down from your SEC bandwagon & watch some exciting football. Like it or not, Boise State, TCU, Cinci, or Iowa would beat or give Florida, Alabama, or LSU one hell of a game.
SEC being the best conf is your opinion not fact.do you even watch any other conferences play?i doubt it.no conf gets over rated teams as often as the sec.i will say this again,the sec being the best is a opinion not a fact.and before you cry about 3 of the last 4 nat champs coming from the sec,ill tell you how fla didnt even deserve a shot at the one 3 years ago.mich deserved the shot.and yes i know mich lost to osu the last week of the season.well guess what hillbilly.fla lost the last game of the season to fsu and got a shot and won.so take your biase and stfu.