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This is my final AP Poll blog entry and ... I promised myself ... I wouldn't cry ... (sob) ... but I just .... get so ... emotional ... (sob).

There, now that I've regained my composure, let's move forward with my explanations. One more time, it's my current ranking/my previous ranking and then (the overall AP Poll ranking).

1/2 LSU (1) - I wasn't required to vote LSU No. 1 just because it won the BCS title game over Ohio State. But considering the Tigers were the champions of the toughest conference in the land, that their two losses came in triple overtime and that they looked pretty awesome (against Virginia Tech and against Ohio State) when fully healthy, I put the Bengal Tigers on top anyway.

2/6 Southern Cal (3) - You could make a pretty strong argument for the Trojans as the No. 1 team in the land, considering their two losses came when their starting quarterback, John David Booty, was injured. But it's not quite as strong as LSU's primarily because you still can't lose to Stanford, with or without a healthy starting QB.

3/5 Georgia (2) - Three voters but the Dawgs at No. 1. I understand that, and maybe Georgia beats LSU on a neutral field if they played next week. But the entire season counts, and that three touchdown loss to Tennesee, the team LSU beat in the SEC title game, won't just disappear.

4/10 West Virginia (6) - The other voters had the Mountaineers a little lower, probably because of that bizarre loss to Pitt. But man, that win over Oklahoma was pretty darned thorough. And doing it without their head coach makes it even more impressive.

5/7 Missouri (4) - Teams that get screwed out of a BCS bowl berth usually lay on egg. Not the Tigers, who pretty much mauled Arkansas.

6/8 Kansas (7) - I thought the Jayhawks were exposed when they lost to Mizzou in its final regular season game. Instead, KU's Orange Bowl win over the Hokies probably exposed the ACC as a not-so-great conference. Or it proved that the Big 12 is pretty darned good. Take your pick.

7/1 Ohio State (5) - I had the Buckeyes at No. 5 originally, but I felt like thoroughness of their loss to LSU, combined with their dearth of big regular season wins justified dropping them below Missouri and Kansas.

8/3 Oklahoma (8) - Wow, imagine if the Sooners hadn't been so eager to avenge their previous Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State! Then their game against West Virginia could have really been ugly. It seems strange to say about a coach who gets his team to BCS games with regularity, but I'm losing a little faith in Bob Stoops.

9/4 Virginia Tech (9) - I'm still not sure how the Hokies lost to Kansas or why they didn't give the ball to Branden Ore more. But I am sure that the Orange Bowl didn't do much for the ACC's less-than-sterling reputation ...

10/14 Boston College (T10) - .... which is why I felt so funny about putting a second ACC team in the top 10. Call it a quirk of the polls I guess.

11/16 Tennessee (12) - The Volunteers finished just outside the top 10. It's high time they fired Phil Fulmer, don't you think?

12/17 Texas (T10) - Another season of impressive wins in the games the Longhorns were supposed to win and losses in the tough games. It feels good to have the old Mack Brown back after that brief Vince Young interlude.

13/21 Auburn (15) - The fact that the Tigers could revamp their offense after the regular season and still win the Peach Bowl over Clemson is a proof that a) they've got a heck of a coaching staff and b) the layoff after the regular season is waaaaay too long.

14/9 Florida (13) - Okay Gators. You've had a couple of phenomenal recruiting classes in a row. Surely you have someone else besides Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin that can touch the ball on offense ... right?

15/11 Arizona State (16) - Nice season for the Sun Devils. Maybe Dennis Erickson will even stick around for another one.

16/13 Illinois (20) - Yeah, I probably should have had the Illini lower. Maybe I have a soft spot for Ron Zook. Can you blame me?

17/23 BYU (14) - Normally you wouldn't be rewarded for hanging on to beat UCLA in a bowl game, but there was a lot of movement at the bottom half of the poll. Plus, I like guys named Bronco. So, apparently do my fellow pollsters.

18/15 Clemson (21) - The Tigers should really be loaded up for a run at the ACC title next season. Stop me if you've heard that one before.

19/NR Oregon (23) - Why jump the Ducks up so high? Because this was a very, very good team when Dennis Dixon was healthy and it was very, very good once it finally had the time to groom a replacement for Dixon.

20/24 Cincinnati (17) - Enjoy Brian Kelly while you can, Bearcats. He's too good a coach to stay at Cincy for much longer.

21/18 Wisconsin (24) - Wasn't this supposed to a big season for the Badgers? Apparently not.

22/NR Michigan (18) - You can see why some folks really wanted me to put App State back in the poll, couldn't you? Still, I think the Wolverines deserved this spot after their impressive win over Florida. Plus, I have a soft spot for Lloyd ... okay, that's not true.

23/25 Oregon State (25) - I would have moved the Beavers up higher, but winning a bowl game over Maryland just doesn't prove much.

24/19 Virginia (NR) - On the whole, a pretty darned impressive season for Al Groh and his Cavaliers. Give that man a lucrative contract extension!

25/12 Hawaii (12) - And so, my strange relationship with the Warriors comes to an end. All season long I felt they were pretenders. But it took 13 games before I was finally proven right. For simply not losing games they were supposed to win, I'll grant them the final spot in my final AP Poll.