News-Record.com

Wow, I'm feeling the power of democracy today. Because me - little old me! - LSU sits alone atop the AP national rankings. I was one of 33 people who voted the Bayou Bengals No. 1. The other 32 voters picked USC. LSU ended up with just two more points than Southern Cal. Switch LSU and USC on my ballot and we've got a tie atop the standings.

So LSU fans, you can send checks and congratulations care of Jim Young at the News & Record. As for Trojan fans, I'll stick with the excuse that it was a butterfly ballot and I was really just trying to vote for Pat Buchanan.

The usual reminder - This is an explanation of how I voted in my ballot. The actual final AP poll position of each team is listed in parentheses.

1. LSU (1) - Maybe I'd felt a little guilty about not moving up the Tigers after they killed Virginia Tech. Maybe I was just waiting for USC to give me an excuse ...

2. USC (2) - ... Which the Trojans did by eking out a win over Washington. I know, I know, a blocked punt late made this one a little closer than it really was, but it also illustrated that this Southern Cal team, while still supremely talented, is a little sloppy.

3. Cal (3) - Granted, a lot of teams lost to help the Bears move up to this spot, but you could have made an argument for putting them here even if Oklahoma and Co. had won. Winning at Oregon may be the most impressive victory of the season for anyone.

4. South Florida (6) - Shhh! Hear that? That's the sound me patting myself on the back ... again. Did I mention that I actually ranked the Bulls in my preseason AP ballot. Granted, I also had Michigan No. 5, but still. With a road win over Auburn and a win over then No. 5 West Virginia, the Bulls have the best resume in the country right now.

5. Ohio State (4) - Well, I'm ready to admit that the Buckeyes are better than I thought, but I don't know if they're top five-worthy. Of course after last Saturday, there are a lot of things about this college football that I don't know this year.

6. Boston College (7) - Not exactly an inspired effort against UMass was it? This week though, that gets you moved up four spots.

7. Kentucky (8) - Take note, Clemson basketball fans. If a basketball school like Kentucky can crack the Top 10, then why couldn't a football school do the same in basketball?

8. Wisconson (5) - I had to wash myself repeatedly after moving the Badgers into my top 10. I just feel ... dirty.

9. West Virginia (13) - I punished the Mountaineers the least of the other top 10 losers because they lost to the best opponent. Way to go, guys.

10. Florida (9) - Tim Tebow may still be able to cure cancer according to Gators fans, but he cannot play pass defense. That's the problem right now in Gainesville.

11. Oklahoma (10) - How did the Sooners get upset by Colorado. Maybe, just maybe the forgot that what they were playing was DIVISION I FOOTBALL!!!!

12. South Carolina (11) - Apparently the rest of the AP voters heeded my call and jumped the Gamecocks over Georgia, the team it beat on the road. Gosh, I feel powerful.

13. Oregon (14) - I thought about doing what SI's Stewart Mandel did, which was actually move up the Ducks after losing a tight one to Cal. I just couldn't do it. Sorry, Stew.

14. Georgia (12) - I have nothing to say here, so I'll just thank the Dawgs for beating Oklahoma State, indirectly leading to the benching of Cowboys QB Bobby Reid and leading to Mike Gundy's rant heard 'round the world.

15. Texas (19) - Were the Longhorns caught looking ahead to the Sooners, or where they reall just not that good? I vote for the latter. I probably should have dropped them down more. ..

16. Rutgers (21) ... except I certainly couldn't move Texas down below the Scarlet Knights. I'm having fun imaging the taunting text messages that John Swofford sent Mike Tranghese on Saturday night.

17. Clemson (22) - Death, taxes and another inexplicably bad performance by a Tommy Bowden-coached Clemson team that people were just starting to get behind.

18. Arizona State (18) - I know it was just Stanford, but when was the last time before Saturday that the Sun Devils held a BCS team to just three points? I'll bet Pat Tillman was playing linebacker at the time.

19. Cincinnati (20) - The win over Oregon State is looking less impressive after the Beavers got smoked by UCLA, but I'm impressed with how consistently dominating the Bearcats have been.

20. Virginia Tech (15) - Did I move the Hokies down a spot even though they won? Yes, yes I did. Did you catch that offensive .... umm, performance? against UNC?

21. Nebraska (25) - I really should have punished the Huskers more last week for their narrow escape last week against Ball State. Unfortunately, due to the poll upheaval, this was the best I could do.

22. Hawaii (16) - Maybe I have a bias against the Warriors. Maybe I have a mental block about moving them up. Or maybe I still don't think they've played anyone and I'm a little less than impressed by the 5 ints that Colt Brennan threw against Idaho.

23. Missouri (17) - I started to move the Tigers up more in the polls, but I still don't know how impressive that 4-0 start is. We'll find out more next week when they take on Nebraska.

24. Kansas State (24) - Winning by 20 at Texas gets you major kudos. And now, losing at Auburn doesn't look so bad either.

25. Florida State (NR) - I really, really didn't think I'd be putting the Seminoles back in my poll. But I think their wins at Colorado and over Alabama have more merit than Purdue's 5-0 start against .... no one.

Dropped out: Penn State and Alabama