Week 9 Rankings

3 Things I learned this week:

Penn State is legit!
Texas Tech is legit.
Florida is back, with a vengeance.

Rank	Previous	Team	Record
1	1	Texas	(8-0, 4-0)
2	2	Alabama	(8-0, 5-0)
3	3	Penn State	(9-0, 5-0)
4	4	Texas Tech	(8-0, 4-0)
5	5	Oklahoma	(7-1, 3-1)
6	7	Florida	(6-1, 3-1)
7	6	Oklahoma State	(7-1, 3-1)
8	8	Utah	(8-0, 4-0)
9	10	Georgia	(7-1, 4-1)
10	9	USC	(6-1, 4-1)
11	13	Boise State	(7-0, 3-0)
12	11	Ohio State	(7-2, 4-1)
13	14	Tulsa	(8-0, 5-0)
14	16	Missouri	(6-2, 2-2)
15	17	TCU	(8-1, 5-0)
16	12	LSU	(6-2, 3-2)
17	19	BYU	(7-1, 3-1)
18	23	Ball State	(8-0, 5-0)
19	32	North Carolina	(6-2, 3-2)
20	31	Virginia	(5-3, 3-1)
21	41	Florida State	(6-1, 3-1)
22	24	Minnesota	(7-1, 3-1)
23	29	Oregon	(6-2, 4-1)
24	21	Georgia Tech	(6-2, 3-2)
25	15	South Florida	(6-2, 1-2)
26	26	South Carolina	(5-3, 2-3)
27	28	Maryland	(6-2, 3-1)
28	38	California	(5-2, 3-1)
29	18	Pitt	(5-2, 2-1)
30	20	Kansas	(5-3, 2-2)
31	48	West Virginia	(5-2, 2-0)
32	22	Boston College	(5-2, 2-2)
33	43	Michigan State	(7-2, 4-1)
34	44	Miami (FL)	(5-3, 2-2)
35	36	Oregon State	(4-3, 3-1)
36	33	Arizona	(5-3, 3-2)
37	25	Virginia Tech	(5-3, 2-2)
38	35	Wake Forest	(4-3, 2-2)
39	39	Houston	(4-3, 3-0)
40	40	Central Michigan	(6-2, 5-0)
41	42	Mississippi	(4-4, 2-3)
42	NR	Connecticut	(6-2, 2-1)
43	46	Notre Dame	(5-2)
44	NR	Air Force	(6-2, 4-1)
45	NR	Louisville	(5-2, 1-1)
46	NR	Nebraska	(5-3, 2-2)
47	37	Auburn	(4-4, 2-3)
48	47	Fresno State	(5-2, 2-1)
49	49	Clemson	(3-4, 1-3)
50	NR	East Carolina	(4-3, 2-1)

Overall, this upcoming week's schedule of games is fairly weak with one huge exception. The Texas/Texas Tech game on Saturday night is a must-see game. Two of the best offenses you will ever see will go head to head in what could very well be the game of the year. I can't wait to watch it an you should too. I really want to pick the home team, Texas Tech, but how can you go against Texas? But I'll man up and pick Texas Tech 38-34. Only other game worth watching this weekend is the Florida/Georgia game. With the Gators getting really hot, expect their revenge on UGA to be merciless. If Florida gets a lead late, expect them to run up the score as payback. I like Florida 62-31...seriously.

Week 8 Rankings/Thoughts...Week 9 Picks

Rank	Previous	Team	Record
1	2	Texas	(7-0, 3-0)
2	1	Alabama	(7-0, 4-0)
3	3	Penn State	(8-0, 4-0)
4	4	Texas Tech	(7-0, 3-0)
5	5	Oklahoma	(6-1, 2-1)
6	6	Oklahoma State	(7-0, 3-0)
7	7	Florida	(5-1, 2-1)
8	8	Utah	(8-0, 4-0)
9	10	USC	(5-1, 3-1)
10	12	Georgia	(6-1, 3-1)
11	13	Ohio State	(7-1, 4-0)
12	14	LSU	(6-1, 3-1)
13	15	Boise State	(6-0, 2-0)
14	16	Tulsa	(6-0, 3-0)
15	17	South Florida	(6-1, 1-1)
16	11	Missouri	(5-2, 1-2)
17	25	TCU	(7-1, 4-0)
18	21	Pitt	(5-1, 2-0)
19	9	BYU	(6-1, 2-1)
20	18	Kansas	(5-2, 2-1)
21	29	Georgia Tech	(6-1, 3-1)
22	35	Boston College	(5-1, 2-1)
23	24	Ball State	(7-0, 4-0)
24	26	Minnesota	(6-1, 2-1)
25	20	Virginia Tech	(5-2, 2-1)
26	23	South Carolina	(5-3, 2-3)
27	34	Illinois	(4-3, 2-2)
28	48	Maryland	(5-2, 2-1)
29	32	Oregon	(5-2, 3-1)
30	28	Vanderbilt	(5-2, 3-2)
31	NR	Virginia	(4-3, 2-1)
32	19	North Carolina	(5-2, 2-2)
33	NR	Arizona	(5-2, 3-1)
34	33	Kentucky	(5-2, 1-2)
35	22	Wake Forest	(4-2, 2-1)
36	37	Oregon State	(4-3, 3-1)
37	36	Auburn	(4-3, 2-3)
38	31	California	(4-2, 2-1)
39	38	Houston	(4-3, 3-0)
40	41	Central Michigan	(5-2, 4-0)
41	45	Florida State	(5-1, 2-1)
42	42	Mississippi	(3-4, 1-3)
43	27	Michigan State	(6-2, 3-1)
44	47	Miami (FL)	(4-3, 1-2)
45	NR	Northwestern	(6-1, 2-1)
46	43	Notre Dame	(4-2)
47	44	Fresno State	(4-2, 1-1)
48	46	West Virginia	(4-2, 2-0)
49	40	Clemson	(3-4, 1-3)
50	49	Cincinnati	(5-1, 1-0)

• Texas is clearly the most dominant team in the country right now and they have a serious Heisman Trophy contender in QB Colt McCoy. To have that high of a percentage for pass efficiency is unbelievable.
• BYU's season is over, unless...they win out (including their final game on 11/22 against Utah)
• Tulsa scored 77 points this week and have one of the best QB's in the country. So start noticing them. Their next 3 games are their toughest games of the, 10/26 vs. UCF, 11/1 @ Arkansas, then a bye, then 11/15 @ Houston.
• Pitt is finally starting to look like the team I, and many others, thought they would be, moving up to #18.
• Even if Ball State wins out, I can't see them moving into the Top 15. Their best win would be @ Central Michigan on 11/19. Oddly enough, their last 4 games in November are on Wednesday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then another Tuesday.
• Minnesota is a program on the rise. Their recruiting is unreal, considering their location and recent poor history. I thought they would be this good next year, but not this year. Their toughest remaining games are home against Northwestern and at Wisconsin.
• Maryland is 3-0 against Top 25 teams and doubling those opponents in points. Against unranked teams, they are 2-2 and getting outscored. Go figure.
• Gotta geive credit to Arizona, Florida State, Northwestern, and Cincinnati for getting the job done so far this year. If they keep winning, they will move up my rankings in a hurry.
• 5 Most Disappointing Teams in the Country: Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Arizona State, Michigan, Clemson

Week 9 Key Games
#35 Wake Forest @ #44 Miami (FL) (Miami has a poor defense, but their offense is looking great.) My Pick: Miami 28-21
#4 Texas Tech @ #20 Kansas (How good is Texas Tech?) My Pick: Texas Tech 55-45
#22 Boston College @ #32 North Carolina (I think UNC knows they need to win this game.) My Pick: UNC 17-9
#34 Kentucky @ #7 Florida (Kentucky's defense keeps this closer than you think, but UF still wins.) My Pick: Florida 30-17
#6 Oklahoma State @ #1 Texas (GAME OF THE WEEK...Ok. State matches up well against Texas) My Pick: Texas 38-30
#43 Michigan State @ NR Michigan (Michigan needs to win 4 of their last 5 to make a bowl game. Since their last game is at Ohio State, this is a must-win game.) My Pick: Michigan 18-13
#15 South Florida @ NR Louisville (Trap game for USF...Louisville is improving.) My Pick: Lousiville 27-21
#31 Virginia @ #21 Georgia Tech (Rapidly improving UVA vs. consistently good GT.) My Pick: Georgia Tech 13-12
#10 Georgia @ #12 LSU ( An LSU loss hurts more than a UGA loss.) My Pick: LSU 23-21
#25 Virginia Tech @ #41 Florida State (Does FSU finally beat a Top 25 team again?) My Pick: Florida State 23-21
#2 Alabama @ NR Tennessee (Against my better judgement, watch out for the upset.) My Pick: Tennessee 16-14
#3 Penn State @ #11 Ohio State (This winner of this game will most likely win the Big Ten and go to the Rose Bowl OR BCS National Championship.) My Pick: Ohio State 27-21
#9 USC @ #33 Arizona ( I like USC, but Arizona can keep it close.) My Pick: USC 38-24

Week 7 Rankings

I finished these rankings Wednesday, but am just now getting on the internet to post them. Obviously (ehem, BYU) they in no way reflect this week's games.

Rank	Previous	Team	Record
1	1	Alabama	(6-0, 3-0)
2	5	Texas	(6-0, 2-0)
3	6	Penn State	(7-0, 3-0)
4	4	Texas Tech	(6-0, 2-0)
5	3	Oklahoma	(5-1, 1-1)
6	14	Oklahoma State	(6-0, 2-0)
7	13	Florida	(5-1, 2-1)
8	9	Utah	(7-0, 3-0)
9	8	BYU	(6-0, 2-0)
10	10	USC	(4-1, 2-1)
11	2	Missouri	(5-1, 1-1)
12	11	Georgia	(5-1, 2-1)
13	12	Ohio State	(6-1, 3-0)
14	7	LSU	(4-1, 3-1)
15	16	Boise State	(5-0, 1-0)
16	17	Tulsa	(5-0, 2-0)
17	19	South Florida	(5-1, 0-1)
18	20	Kansas	(5-1, 2-0)
19	24	North Carolina	(5-1, 2-1)
20	22	Virginia Tech	(5-1, 2-0)
21	23	Pitt	(4-1, 2-0)
22	32	Wake Forest	(4-1, 2-0)
23	31	South Carolina	(5-2, 2-2)
24	34	Ball State	(7-0, 4-0)
25	27	TCU	(6-1, 3-0)
26	50	Minnesota	(6-1, 2-1)
27	37	Michigan State	(6-1, 3-0)
28	15	Vanderbilt	(5-1, 3-1)
29	28	Georgia Tech	(5-1, 2-1)
30	30	Connecticut	(5-1, 1-0)
31	33	California	(4-1, 2-0)
32	36	Oregon	(5-2, 3-1)
33	26	Kentucky	(4-2, 0-2)
34	25	Illinois	(3-3, 1-2)
35	35	Boston College	(4-1, 1-1)
36	18	Auburn	(4-3, 2-3)
37	41	Oregon State	(3-3, 2-1)
38	39	Houston	(3-3, 2-0)
39	21	Wisconsin	(3-3, 0-3)
40	29	Clemson	(3-3, 1-2)
41	40	Central Michigan	(4-2, 3-0)
42	42	Mississippi	(3-3, 1-2)
43	38	Notre Dame	(4-2)
44	44	Fresno State	(4-2, 1-1)
45	45	Florida State	(4-1, 1-1)
46	49	West Virginia	(4-2, 2-0)
47	NR	Miami (FL)	(3-3, 0-2)
48	48	Maryland	(4-2, 1-1)
49	NR	Cincinnati	(5-1, 1-0)
50	NR	Air Force	(4-2, 2-1)

Week 7 Games of the Week

Thursday, 10/9
#29 Clemson @ #33 Wake Forest

Saturday, 10/11
#38 Notre Dame @ #24 North Carolina
#14 Oklahoma State @ #2 Missouri
#3 Oklahoma vs. #5 Texas (103rd Red River Shootout)
#50 Minnesota @ #25 Illinois
#37 Michigan State @ NR Northwestern
#6 Penn State @ #21 Wisconsin
#7 LSU @ #13 Florida
#31 South Carolina @ #26 Kentucky

My picks: Clemson, UNC, Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan State, Penn State, Florida, South Carolina

Week 6 Rankings

• Top 10 remains unchanged except for South Florida, who drop from #10 to #19 following their loss to Pitt.
  
• Vandy jumps 6 spots to #15
• Pitt returns to the Top 25 at #23
• UNC makes its inagural appearance in the top 25 at #24.

Rising teams: South Carolina (+23), Cal (+10), Ball State (+10), Michigan St. (+8), Minnesota (+7)
Falling Teams: UConn (-8), Oregon (-10), Fresno St. (-20), Arizona St. (-10), Maryland (-18)

• There are now 15 undefeated teams: #1 Alabama, #2 Missouri, #3 Oklahoma, #4 Texas Tech, #5 Texas, #6 Penn State, #7 LSU, #8 BYU, #9 Utah, #14 Oklahoma State, #15 Vanderbilt, #16 Boise State, #17 Tulsa, #34 Ball State, and NR Northwestern

Rank	Previous	Team	Record
1	1	Alabama	(6-0, 3-0)
2	2	Missouri	(5-0, 1-0)
3	3	Oklahoma	(5-0, 1-0)
4	4	Texas Tech	(5-0, 1-0)
5	5	Texas	(5-0, 1-0)
6	6	Penn State	(6-0, 2-0)
7	7	LSU	(4-0, 3-0)
8	8	BYU	(5-0, 1-0)
9	9	Utah	(6-0, 2-0)
10	12	USC	(3-1, 1-1)
11	11	Georgia	(4-1, 1-1)
12	13	Ohio State	(5-1, 2-0)
13	14	Florida	(4-1, 1-1)
14	15	Oklahoma State	(5-0, 1-0)
15	21	Vanderbilt	(5-0, 3-0)
16	19	Boise State	(4-0, 1-0)
17	20	Tulsa	(5-0, 2-0)
18	16	Auburn	(4-2, 2-2)
19	10	South Florida	(5-1, 0-1)
20	17	Kansas	(4-1, 1-0)
21	18	Wisconsin	(3-2, 0-2)
22	23	Virginia Tech	(5-1, 2-0)
23	48	Pitt	(4-1, 2-0)
24	34	North Carolina	(4-1, 2-1)
25	27	Illinois	(3-2, 1-1)
26	25	Kentucky	(4-1, 0-1)
27	29	TCU	(5-1, 2-0)
28	31	Georgia Tech	(4-1, 2-1)
29	28	Clemson	(3-2, 1-1)
30	22	Connecticut	(5-1, 1-0)
31	NR	South Carolina	(4-2, 1-2)
32	33	Wake Forest	(3-1, 1-0)
33	43	California	(4-1, 2-0)
34	44	Ball State	(6-0, 3-0)
35	38	Boston College	(4-1, 1-1)
36	26	Oregon	(4-2, 2-1)
37	45	Michigan State	(5-1, 2-0)
38	40	Notre Dame	(4-1)
39	39	Houston	(2-3, 1-0)
40	42	Central Michigan	(3-2, 2-0)
41	41	Oregon State	(2-3, 1-1)
42	32	Mississippi	(3-3, 1-2)
43	35	Michigan	(2-3, 1-1)
44	24	Fresno State	(3-2, 0-1)
45	50	Florida State	(4-1, 1-1)
46	47	East Carolina	(3-2, 1-1)
47	37	Arizona State	(2-3, 1-1)
48	30	Maryland	(4-2, 1-1)
49	NR	West Virginia	(3-2, 1-0)
50	NR	Minnesota	(5-1, 1-1)

Week 5 Rankings

It's getting harder for me to post rankings on here, mainly due to lack of time and dial-up internet. These rankings are valid through this past week's (9/27) games. I had to do something I have never done before and vault a team from outside my previous top 15, all the way to #1. But when you consider all the upsets last week, and the fact that this team has just dominated highly ranked teams this year, I could not think of a more deserving #1 team. So here ya go...

Rank	Previous	Team	Record
1	16	Alabama	(5-0, 2-0)
2	2	Missouri	(4-0, 0-0)
3	6	Oklahoma	(4-0, 0-0)
4	5	Texas Tech	(4-0, 0-0)
5	11	Texas	(4-0, 0-0)
6	13	Penn State	(5-0, 1-0)
7	14	LSU	(4-0, 3-0)
8	8	BYU	(4-0, 1-0)
9	9	Utah	(5-0, 2-0)
10	17	South Florida	(5-0, 0-0)
11	3	Georgia	(4-1, 1-1)
12	1	USC	(2-1, 0-1)
13	10	Ohio State	(4-1, 1-0)
14	4	Florida	(3-1, 0-1)
15	20	Oklahoma State	(4-0, 0-0)
16	19	Auburn	(4-1, 2-1)
17	18	Kansas	(3-1, 0-0)
18	7	Wisconsin	(3-1, 0-1)
19	22	Boise State	(3-0, 0-0)
20	24	Tulsa	(4-0, 1-0)
21	26	Vanderbilt	(4-0, 2-0)
22	28	Connecticut	(5-0, 1-0)
23	27	Virginia Tech	(4-1, 2-0)
24	25	Fresno State	(3-1, 0-0)
25	33	Kentucky	(4-0, 0-0)
26	29	Oregon	(4-1, 2-0)
27	21	Illinois	(2-2, 0-1)
28	12	Clemson	(3-2, 1-1)
29	23	TCU	(4-1, 1-0)
30	NR	Maryland	(4-1, 1-0)
31	30	Georgia Tech	(3-1, 1-1)
32	NR	Mississippi	(3-2, 1-1)
33	15	Wake Forest	(3-1, 1-0)
34	47	North Carolina	(3-1, 1-1)
35	NR	Michigan	(2-2, 1-0)
36	35	Air Force	(3-1, 1-1)
37	36	Arizona State	(2-2, 1-0)
38	39	Boston College	(3-1, 0-1)
39	NR	Houston	(2-3, 1-0)
40	NR	Notre Dame	(3-1)
41	NR	Oregon State	(2-2, 1-1)
42	41	Central Michigan	(3-2, 2-0)
43	43	California	(3-1, 1-0)
44	44	Ball State	(5-0, 2-0)
45	45	Michigan State	(4-1, 1-0)
46	31	Purdue	(2-2, 0-0)
47	32	East Carolina	(3-2, 1-1)
48	46	Pitt	(3-1, 1-0)
49	34	Miami (FL)	(2-2, 0-1)
50	NR	Florida State	(3-1, 0-1)

So many things that strike me when looking at my rankings:

• Alabama is #1! Who'da thunk it?
• 4 Big 12 teams in the top 5...unheard of!
• Penn State at #6, taking care of business
• Defending champs, LSU, still undefeated AND 3-0 in the SEC
• MWC teams BYU and Utah still in the top 10
• Oklahoma St. #15
• Tulsa, Vandy, UConn, and Kentucky all in the Top 25

For another view on the top 25, as well as THE MOST IN-DEPTH insight into college football today, go the J-Factors Sports Blog.