News-Record.com

Before I start, let me just say that Carlton has been giving me flack about having South Florida high all season long. Apparently he just goes by a team's tradition. I believe he was surprised that I didn't also have Notre Dame ranked.

Reminder we go my ranking/my ranking last week then (how the AP poll totals came out).

1/4 LSU (3) - The Tigers have a better resume than Ohio State, regardless of its one loss, and it wins the "neutral field" test. Yet I'm one of only five voters who have them No. 1. Genius is never understood in its own time, I'm afraid.

2/2 Ohio State (1) - I really don't have anything against the Buckeyes, I swear. If they actually beat a worthy opponent sometime soon, I'll seriously consider bumping them up to No. 1.

3/7 Oregon (5) - I know that allegedly defense wins championships, but if by chance an offense can win a national title, the Ducks would be at the top of the contenders list.

4/3 Oklahoma (4) - Just allowing Iowa State to stay remotely close was enough to boot the Sooners down a spot in my poll.

5/5 Boston College (2) - Look, I think the win over Wake Forest was great and all. But is that really enough to justify being ranked No. 2? I don't think so. Win at Virginia Tech and then we'll talk.

6/8 West Virginia (6) - The Mountaineers aren't out of the national title picture, at least in my book.

7/10 Florida (9) - I know the Gators have two losses, but I also know they're really, really good.

8/1 South Florida (11) - Apparently moving South Florida down this low wasn't good enough for Jeff Carlton. What does he have against the Bulls?

9/11 Arizona State (7) - I like the Sun Devils, but apparently not as much as the computers do. No. 4 in the BCS standings?

10/14 Kansas (12) - Believe me, I'm stunned I have the Jayhawks in the top ten as well. But I can only go by the evidence I have in front of me.

11/13 Virginia Tech (8) - Hey, BC isn't the only team with something to prove when it comes to Blacksburg.

12/16 Missouri (13) - My brother-in-law Sterling Price would like to thank the Tigers for proving his contention that Texas Tech was no Top 25 team.

13/15 USC (9) - I'm feeling a little bit better about the Trojans. But it will take a bit more for them to win back my trust completely.

14/9 South Carolina (15) - I told other writers at the UNC game that South Carolina was the most vulnerable top 10 team out there. Darned if the Gamecocks didn't prove me right.

15/12 Kentucky (14) - After beating LSU and narrowly losing to Florida, I'll betthe Wildcats are wondering how in the heck they lost to South Carolina.

16/6 Cal (18) - Okay Bears, you had your starting QB back this week. What's your excuse now?

17/NR Alabama (22) - I thought last week that I probably should have had Alabama in the poll. I wasn't about to make that mistake a second time.

18/19 Texas (17) - Nothing to say here. A win over Baylor. Yeah.

19/24 Georgia (20) - Have a bye week, move up five spots. Welcome to college football in 2007.

20/25 Michigan (19) - Lost to a I-AA team and make it back into the rankings just a few weeks later. Again, welcome to college football in 2007.

21/NR Virginia (21) - Perhaps now, my UVA alum brother-in-law can sleep in peace. Personally, I'd feel better about the Cavs if they hadn't needed a last-second field goal to beat Middle Tennessee State. But hey, at some point 7-1 is 7-1. (Unless you're unbeaten Hawaii).

22/NR Wake Forest (NR) - Bear in mind that the Deacs have won five in a row and that one of their losses came without starting QB Riley Skinner. The other came at Boston College.

23/NR Penn State (24) - It looks like the Nittany Lions have gotten their offense on-track. They should finally produce the first real test of the season for Ohio State.

24/NR Rutgers (25) - The win over my previous No. 1 South Florida was enough to push the Scarlet Knights past a group of others vying for top 25 status.

25/17 Auburn (23) - Ladies and gentleman, the best three-loss team in the nation!

Dropped Out:

Boise State, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Texas Tech

A few additional notes. Boise State was always an iffy top-25 team for me. Giving up 67 points to Nevada just won't cut it. I don't care how many OTs you play. And my position on Hawaii may soften soon, not necessarily because I think the Warriors are that great, but because the other teams ranked 21-25 have so many flaws.