Week 4 Top 25

1. Alabama (1) – Crimson Tide pass first real test of adversity with flying colors. Hugh game with Florida next.
2. Ohio State (2) – Buckeyes roll Eastern Michigan and will likely do the same with Illinois.
3. Boise State (6) – Broncos whip Oregon State to move back up to where they were two weeks ago.
4. Oregon (3) – Defense looked shaky in win over Arizona State
5. Nebraska (4) – Huskers moved down after sleepwalk win over South Dakota State.
6. TCU (5) – Uneven win over SMU drops TCU a spot.
7. Florida (9) – The Gator defense is starting to grow on me. They’ll sell me outright with an upset of Alabama this week.
8. Stanford (12) – Stanford keeps killing everyone in its path. Huge game with Oregon is on deck.
9. Oklahoma (8) – Another scare against an inferior team drops the Sooners again.
10. Arizona (10) – Wildcats survive letdown against Cal to stay undefeated.
11. Auburn (15) – Sweep of the state of South Carolina vaults Tigers.
12. Utah (13) – Another rout bumps Utah up a step.
13. Wisconsin (14) – Badgers have best test on the road at Michigan State.
14. LSU (20) – Tigers’ defense is one of the best in the nation. If only they had a QB.
15. Arkansas (10) – Razorbacks fall after blowing golden opportunity to Alabama.
16. USC (16) – Hey, at least the Trojans didn’t drop this week.
17. Miami (Fla) (18) – The U’s defense was impressive in victory over Pitt.
18. Iowa (19) – Hawkeyes responded nicely from Arizona loss with 45-0 rout of Ball State.
19. Michigan (22) – Wolverines didn’t need Denard Robinson to gain over 700 yards this week.
20. South Carolina (17) – Tough loss to Auburn drops Gamecocks.
21. Florida State (23) – Seminoles get shutout over Wake Forest.
22. Penn State (25) – PSU outlasts Temple in deceivingly tough test.
23. Texas (7) – UCLA’s “Rout 34” causes Longhorns to plummet.
24. Michigan State (NR) – Spartans defeat Northern Colorado without coach Mark Dantonio.
25. Nevada (NR) – Wins over California and BYU bring Wolfpack into poll.

Dropped out: No. 21 West Virginia, No. 24 Oregon State

Under consideration: Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Missouri

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Week 3 top 25

The Pac 10 made out like bandits this week, with Oregon, Arizona and Stanford getting sizable bumps up the food chain.

1. Alabama (1) – Tide keep rolling with rout of Duke. Arkansas looms next.
2. Ohio State (2) – Buckeyes in cruise control right now.
3. Oregon (6) – The Ducks have scored over a point per minute thus far. That’s ridiculous.
4. Nebraska (9) – The Huskers made Jake Locker, Washington look awful.
5. TCU (4) – Hard to drop after a 35-point win, but that’s what happened to the Frogs.
6. Boise State (3) – Boise has another shot to impress with Oregon State coming to town this week.
7. Texas (5) – Big win at Texas Tech, but still drop. Life’s rough near the top.
8. Oklahoma (7) – Sooners barely survive for the second time in three weeks.
9. Florida (10) – Offense still looks ugly, but defense keeps Gators in top 10.
10. Arizona (20) – Wildcats rip up Iowa to shoot into the top 10.
11. Arkansas (14) – Got a big win at Georgia this week. Can really make waves with Alabama coming to town.
12. Stanford (19) – The Cardinal put up 68 on Wake Forest. Just sick.
13. Utah (12) – Utes win by six touchdowns and still fall.
14. Wisconsin (11) – Blocked extra point allows Badgers to survive Arizona State
15. Auburn (15) – Tigers stay undefeated with OT win over Clemson
16. USC (13) – Trojans still having problems putting away teams.
17. South Carolina (16) – Gamecocks have a chance to make statement with Auburn coming up.
18. Miami (Fla) (17) – Hurricanes have sneaky-tough game against Pitt Thursday.
19. Iowa (8) – Hawkeyes tumble after falling in the desert.
20. LSU (22) – It isn’t pretty, but the Tigers keep winning with sound defense.
21. West Virginia (23) – WVU has tough road game at LSU this week.
22. Michigan (18) – Scare against FCS UMass forces the Wolverines down a few pegs.
23. Florida State (24) – Seminoles get well against BYU.
24. Oregon State (NR) – Beavers have second rough non-BCS team this month in Boise State
25. Penn State (NR) – Shutout gets Nittany Lions back in the rankings.

Under consideration: Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, Michigan State

Dropped: No. 21 Houston, No. 25 Georgia

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Week 2 college top 25

Nothing too drastic at the top, but after No. 10 was extremely difficult.

1. Alabama (1) – Crimson Tide roll over Penn State to stay on top.
2. Ohio State (2) – Big plays lead the Buckeyes past Miami (Fla).
3. Boise State (3) – While the Broncos were idle, Virginia Tech’s unbelievable meltdown to James Madison could be fatal to Boise’s eventual title chances.
4. TCU (4) – Horned Frogs roll and could be the beneficiary of Va. Tech’s shocking loss.
5. Texas (5) – Ho-hum 34-7 win for the Longhorns.
6. Oregon (10) – Ducks are climbing fast after destroying Tennessee.
7. Oklahoma (9) – Sooners blast Florida State, showing Utah State scare to be a fluke.
8. Iowa (7) – Hawkeyes kill in-state rival Iowa State but move down. Them’s the breaks.
9. Nebraska (8) – Former Cajon/Centennial QB Taylor Martinez impressing for Huskers.
10. Florida (6) – Gators still look a bit out of sorts despite being 2-0.
11. Wisconsin (12) – Badgers didn’t set the world on fire against San Jose St., but there’s really not a better option here.
12. Utah (14) – Utes continue to climb after blasting UNLV.
13. USC (11) – Trojans look listless in 3-point win over Virginia.
14. Arkansas (15) – Razorbacks take out Louisiana-Monroe after early trouble.
15. Auburn (16) – The Tigers’ win over Mississippi State wasn’t pretty, but they’ll take them however they come.
16. South Carolina (NR) – Gamecocks shoot into the poll out of nowhere with win over Georgia.
17. Miami (Fla.) (13) – Hurricanes don’t fall too much for loss in Columbus.
18. Michigan (NR) – QB Denard Robinson may be the most exciting player in the nation.
19. Stanford (NR) – Cardinal kill UCLA to shoot into the poll.
20. Arizona (23) – Wildcats have been good, but schedule gets much harder this week with Iowa.
21. Houston (21) – Cougars win, but injury to star QB Case Keenum raises concern.
22. LSU (24) – LSU whipped Vanderbilt, but offense seems to be a concern.
23. West Virginia (20) – Mountaineers got extremely lucky against a bad Marshall team, so they fall a bit.
24. Florida State (19) – Seminoles drop after being smacked by Oklahoma
25. Georgia (17) – Bulldogs barely stay in poll after being held to six points by South Carolina.

Under consideration: Pittsburgh, North Carolina, California

Dropped out: No. 18 Virginia Tech, No. 22 Georgia Tech, No. 25 Penn State

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Week 1 top 25

Here are my newest rankings. Some highly-ranked teams fell despite wins, including USC.

1. Alabama (1) – Took care of San Jose State, but will have bigger test in Penn State.
2. Ohio State (2) – Have rematch of 2002 National Title game with Miami coming up.
3. Boise State (7) – Broncos shoot up by beating Va. Tech in a virtual road game.
4. TCU (4) – Horned Frogs stay put with quality win over Oregon State.
5. Texas (5) – Longhorns beat Rice in ho-hum effort.
6. Florida (3) – Gators tumble due to uninspired win over Miami (Ohio)
7. Iowa (8) – Hawkeyes have in-state rival Iowa State looming
8. Nebraska (10) – Former Cajon QB Taylor Martinez leads Huskers to season-opening win.
9. Oklahoma (6) – Listless win over Utah State drops Sooners. Florida State’s up next.
10. Oregon (12) – Former Riverside Notre Dame RB Kenjon Barner scores 5 TDs for Ducks.
11. USC (9) – Trojan pass defense looked awful in shootout victory over Hawaii.
12. Wisconsin (13) – Badgers cruise in Las Vegas.
13. Miami (Fla) (14) – Hurricanes have big trip to Columbus this week.
14. Utah (16) – Utes get nice OT win over previously-ranked Pittsburgh.
15. Arkansas (15) – Razorbacks pummel terrible Tennessee Tech.
16. Auburn (18) – Tigers run to season-opening victory.
17. Georgia (19) – Bulldogs will get test against solid South Carolina squad.
18. Virginia Tech (11) – Hokies drop after uneven “home” loss to Boise in D.C.
19. Florida State (20) – Seminoles get a chance to prove their worth at Oklahoma.
20. West Virginia (21) – Mountaineers roll to season open victory.
21. Houston (22) – Cougars’ offense picks up right where it left off.
22. Georgia Tech (23) – Triple-option offense clicks early for Jackets.
23. Arizona (NR) – 41-2 victory over Toledo puts Wildcats in poll.
24. LSU (NR) – Tigers almost blew it against shorthanded Carolina.
25. Penn State (NR) – Nittany Lions sneak in poll, most likely temporarily.

Under consideration: Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Stanford

Dropped out: No. 17 Pittsburgh, No. 24 Washington, No. 25 North Carolina

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Preseason Top 25

I know I have a few more high school teams to preview and I’ll finish that up this week, but here is my college top 25.

1. Alabama – Defending national champs are loaded in repeat bid.
2. Ohio State – Buckeyes hope to ride Rose Bowl breakthrough.
3. Florida – No Tebow, but Gators will still have plenty of talent
4. TCU – Horned Frogs loaded for run at national title.
5. Texas – Longhorns lose Colt McCoy, but talent is never an issue
6. Oklahoma – Sooners look to recover from injury-riddled 2009 season
7. Boise State – If Broncos beat Virginia Tech Labor Day night, look out
8. Iowa – Hawkeyes will rely on hard-nosed defense
9. USC – The talent is there, but will the motivation be after being ruled bowl-ineligible?
10. Nebraska – Huskers lose Suh, but will still be stingy.
11. Virginia Tech – Will the Hokies get over the hump and be true national-title contenders?
12. Oregon – Ducks would be a top 5 team if QB Jeremiah Masoli wasn’t kicked off team.
13. Wisconsin – Badgers will rely on physical running game.
14. Miami – Hurricanes will be tested early with Ohio State and Pittsburgh
15. Arkansas – Should be exciting on offense with QB Ryan Mallett
16. Utah – Utes will get one more crack at the Mountain West before going to the Pac-12
17. Pittsburgh – Panthers play big early-season game at Utah Thursday
18. Auburn – Tigers looking to make big step under second-year coach Gene Chizik
19. Georgia – Can Bulldogs get out of rut and challenge for the SEC East?
20. Florida State – Seminoles need to improve defensively to contend in ACC
21. West Virginia – Mountaineers will rely on exciting RB Noel Devine
22. Houston – If Cougars can stop anyone, their offense could take them to the BCS
23. Georgia Tech – Defending ACC champs tough matchup with triple-option offense
24. Washington – REV graduate Polk, QB Locker lead this Pac-10 sleeper.
25. North Carolina – Tough choice between Heels and LSU. Luckily they play Saturday.

Under consideration: LSU, Arizona, Penn State

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Final top 25

I was tempted to bump Boise State up because of Alabama struggling a bit against a Texas team with a backup quarterback, but I can’t do it.

1. Alabama (1) – Colt McCoy or no Colt McCoy, Bama did what it needed to do – win.
2. Boise State (6) – Broncos get nice win over a TCU team that some thought should have been playing tonight.
3. Texas (2) – Tough break losing Colt McCoy.
4. Florida (5) – Tebow went out with a bang against Cincy.
5. Ohio State (8) – Buckeyes conquered some of their BCS demons with Rose Bowl win.
6. TCU (3) – Fiesta loss aside, still a banner year for the Horned Frogs.
7. Cincinnati (4) – Got bombed by a Florida team that would have beaten anyone it faced in that Sugar Bowl.
8. Iowa (13) – Win over Georgia Tech in Orange Bowl part of big bowl season for the Big Ten.
9. Penn State (9) – Got nice win over LSU in Capital One Bowl.
10. BYU (11) – Destroying Oregon State is enough to get Cougars into my top 10.
11. Virginia Tech (12) – Looked good in pulverizing Tennessee.
12. Oregon (7) – Loss to Ohio State part of a tough bowl season for Pac-10.
13. Georgia Tech (10) – Saw triple-option offense derailed by Hawkeyes.
14. Nebraska (23) – Nebraska’s blowout of Arizona might have been the single-most impressive performance of the bowl season.
15. Pittsburgh (17) – 10 wins and a top 15 performance? Not bad for the Panthers.
16. LSU (14) – Tough loss to Penn State in the mud.
17. Wisconsin (21) – Badgers looked impressive in beating Miami at Champs Sports Bowl.
18. Miami (Fla) (15) – Had a hard time with Wisconsin’s pass rush.
19. USC (25) – Trojans now have won 7 of their last 8 bowls under Pete Carroll (edit from before).
20. Mississippi (NR) – The Rebels win the Cotton Bowl for the second straight year.
21. Central Michigan (22) – Chippewas go OT to end MAC’s bowl losing streak.
22. Utah (NR) – Utah has nine straight bowl wins now after beating Cal.
23. Oklahoma State (16) – Choked out by Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl.
22. Oklahoma (NR) – Disappointing season ends on a high note in Sun Bowl.
25. Oregon State (18) – Blowout loss to BYU ends good season on bitter note.

Receiving consideration: Clemson, Stanford, Navy
Dropped out: No. 19 Stanford, No. 20 West Virginia, No. 24 Arizona

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Top 25

With the bowls to be officially released in a few minutes, here’s my final regular-season poll.

1. Alabama (3) – Crimson Tide were impressive in flogging Florida. Easy No. 1 pick.
2. Texas (2) – Extremely lucky to have survived Nebraska, but they are probably the best pick for this spot.
3. TCU (4) – Horned Frogs have good wins over BYU and TCU, but Texas’ schedule is a bit tougher overall.
4. Cincinnati (6) – Bearcats cap off undefeated season with comeback win at Pittsburgh. Might have a better resume than Texas or TCU but not nearly as good of a defense.
5. Florida (1) – Bid for repeat killed by Alabama.
6. Boise State (5) – Oregon win was great, but Boise was killed by playing in the terrible WAC.
7. Oregon (7) – Going to Rose Bowl for the first time since 1994.
8. Ohio State (8) – Going to Rose Bowl for the first time since 1996.
9. Penn State (9) – Nits stay in top 10.
10. Georgia Tech (11) – Yellow Jackets wrap up ACC by beating Clemson in a thriller.
11. BYU (10) – Got jumped by Ga. Tech.
12. Virginia Tech (12) – Another solid season for the Hokies.
13. Iowa (13) – Hawkeyes could still crash BCS, as the computers seem to love them.
14. LSU (15) – Tigers should play Penn State in Capital One Bowl.
15. Miami (Fla) (16) – Hurricanes are almost back it seems.
16. Oklahoma State (19) – Moved up due to the losses of others.
17. Pittsburgh (14) – Panthers lose heartbreaker to Cincy.
18. Oregon State (18) – Tough loss at Oregon keeps Beavers in same position.
19. Stanford (23) – Great year by Stanford and Norco graduate Toby Gerhart.
20. West Virginia (25) – Win at Rutgers shoots Mountaineers up rankings.
21. Wisconsin (NR) – Killed Hawaii to move back in rankings.
22. Central Michigan (NR) – MAC champs finally break into rankings.
23. Nebraska (22) – Heartbreaking loss to Texas in Big 12 title game.
24. Arizona (NR) – Wildcats get big win at USC
25. USC (17) – I might be dumb for continuing to rank the Trojans.

Receiving consideration: Utah, Houston, Northwestern
Dropped out: No. 20 Houston, No. 21 California, No. 24 Clemson

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Week 13 top 25

One more week until the season basically ends. Where has the time gone? No real changes in the top 6, and everything after them is basically colored bubbles.

1. Florida (1) – Killed Florida State in Tebow’s last home game. Now on to Alabama.
2. Texas (2) – Survived a scare at Texas A&M and have a tricky matchup with Nebraska, which has a very good defense.
3. Alabama (3) – Just like Texas, survived a scare, going ahead late to beat Auburn.
4. TCU (4) – The 12-0 Horned Frogs have become the world’s biggest Nebraska fans.
5. Boise State (5) – Oklahoma State loss might put Boise in the BCS.
6. Cincinnati (6) – Need to beat Pitt, have Texas lose and get some computer help. Would have helped if the Panthers hadn’t lost this week.
7. Oregon (9) – Best of the two-loss crowd. Can go to the Rose Bowl with a win over Oregon State.
8. Ohio State (10) – Already has its Rose Bowl bid.
9. Penn State (12) – Upsets this week might give Nits a BCS at-large berth.
10. BYU (13) – Nice OT win over Utah puts Cougars in top 10.
11. Georgia Tech (7) – Lost to rival Georgia, but ACC title win would put them back in top 10.
12. Virginia Tech (14) – The Hokies have a copyright on 9-3 seasons it seems.
13. Iowa (15) – Pretty much ticketed for Cap One Bowl.
14. Pittsburgh (8) – Panthers can still win BCS title despite loss at West Virginia.
15. LSU (17) – Moved up bowl position by holding off Arkansas.
16. Miami (Fla) (18) – Got nice win over South Florida for nifty 9-3 record.
17. USC (19) – Yeah, the Trojans shouldn’t have thrown that last touchdown. But UCLA shouldn’t have called the timeout either.
18. Oregon State (20) – Can go to Rose Bowl with win over Oregon.
19. Oklahoma State (11) – Even when the Sooners struggle, Okie State can’t beat them.
20. Houston (21) – In Conference USA title game. Whoopee.
21. California (23) – Win over Washington this week essential for bowl positioning.
22. Nebraska (24) – Can throw the title game into chaos with an upset victory this week.
23. Stanford (25) – The Cardinal killed Charlie Weis I think.
24. Clemson (16) – The loss to South Carolina will be forgiven with a win this week over Ga. Tech.
25. West Virginia (NR) – Mountaineers oust Pitt to move back in the rankings.

Receiving consideration: Wisconsin, Utah, Central Michigan
Dropped out: No. 22 Utah

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Week 12 top 25

No movement in the top 10 this week, but that’ll change in the near future. No comments this week, because this week was boring as heck for the most part.

1. Florida (1)
2. Texas (2)
3. Alabama (3)
4. TCU (4)
5. Boise State (5)
6. Cincinnati (6)
7. Georgia Tech (7)
8. Pittsburgh (8)
9. Oregon (9)
10. Ohio State (10)
11. Oklahoma State (12)
12. Penn State (15)
13. BYU (13)
14. Virginia Tech (16)
15. Iowa (17)
16. Clemson (20)
17. LSU (11)
18. Miami (Fla) (21)
19. USC (19)
20. Oregon State (22)
21. Houston (23)
22. Utah (25)
23. California (NR)
24. Nebraska (NR)
25. Stanford (14)

Receiving consideration: Mississippi, North Carolina, Navy
Dropped out: No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 24 Rutgers

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Week 11 top 25

A little break from the high school hoopla. Stanford is the big mover, as you would expect after it killed USC.

1. Florida (1) – Another week, another ho-hum win. It’s almost as if the Gators are playing bored until the SEC title game.
2. Texas (3) – Longhorns are playing really well right now and I feel like finally rewarding them for that.
3. Alabama (2) – They drop, but it doesn’t matter. They’ll prove their worth one way or another against Florida in a few weeks.
4. TCU (4) – Absolutely destroyed Utah and might be just as good as the big three.
5. Boise State (5) – Killed in-state rival Idaho. Big whoop.
6. Cincinnati (6) – Had to scratch and claw a bit, but remained undefeated by beating West Virginia.
7. Georgia Tech (7) – Clinched a berth in the ACC title game by beating Duke.
8. Pittsburgh (8) – Held off Notre Dame to move to 9-1.
9. Oregon (9) – All of a sudden, the Ducks’ loss to Stanford last week doesn’t look so bad.
10. Ohio State (13) – Buckeyes wrap up trip to Rose Bowl with overtime win over Iowa.
11. LSU (14) – Sleepwalked through their victory against Louisiana Tech.
12. Oklahoma State (17) – Profitted by much of the lower half of the Top 20 losing.
13. BYU (18) – See Oklahoma State. Likely overranked at this position, but not a lot of options.
14. Stanford (NR) – Cardinal shoot from unranked to the Top 15 thanks to the 34-point beatdown of USC.
15. Penn State (20) – Nittany Lions might sneak into BCS if they beat Michigan State this week.
16. Virginia Tech (21) – Hokies break out a bit against Maryland.
17. Iowa (16) – Hawkeyes stay stable with tough OT loss at Ohio State.
18. Wisconsin (22) – Badgers stomp Michigan to move into top 20.
19. USC (10) – To be honest, I thought of putting the Trojans lower. But they have some good victories that keep them afloat for now.
20. Clemson (23) – Tigers are quietly on a five-game winning streak right now.
21. Miami (Fla) (12) – Hurricanes get bounced by old coach Butch Davis and North Carolina.
22. Oregon State (25) – Beavers could be sleeper in cluttered Rose Bowl race.
23. Houston (11) – Cougars barely hanging on to their ranking after losing to Central Florida.
24. Rutgers (NR) – 31-0 shutout of South Florida gives Scarlet Knights 7 wins in 8 games.
25. Utah (15) – Utes tumble after being destroyed by TCU.

Receiving consideration: Arizona, Nebraska, Navy
Dropped out: No. 19 Arizona, No. 24 South Florida

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