It all started Thursday with the Ol' Ball Coach's 15th win over a fiery Woodson and Kentucky. And they did it in very, convincing fashion. And it didn't stop there. It continued throughout Saturday, with the fall of USC, LSU's close call, and Wisconsin's demise at the hands of Ron Zook and the Illini.
What used to be the norm in college football is no more. The rankings mean less and less as each week goes on as parity continues to show across all the conferences. Oklahoma's redemption in Dallas keeps them in the hunt. Missouri CREAMED Nebraska. Colorado wins their second consecutive conference game. Indiana is rising. Michigan State falls to Northwestern.
This year will likely be another case of controversy, unless LSU scrapes through that difficult SEC schedule unscathed. With Ohio State set very well in the Big 10 (their defense has gotten better than the first five games - which is scary) to go undefeated, and with Cal-USC meeting later this year if the Trojans win it tosses them into the NC picture. At that point you will probably have 1 loss Oklahoma, USC, Cal, and an undefeated Southern Florida and LSU? Three undefeated teams yet again, and will raise the chorus for at least a plus 1 (in 2011) and maybe a little more in the future.
So without further ado - here's this week's Top 25.
#1 LSU - What else is there to say? Les Miles was 5/5 in 4th down decisions down the stretch, and Hester got the crucial first down and the game-winning touchdown. The grit, will, and pure strength on the goal line... they did what they had to in the final minutes to pull this one out in the Bayou. That game will probably foreshadow what is to come for the rest of the Tigers' schedule.
#2 OSU - If it wasn't for Boeckman's 3 interceptions - all his fault for putting too much air under the ball - this game would have been a blowout. The defense was completely stingy, only giving up the touchdown in the final minutes. With this defense the Bucks can sweep the Big 10 and be in contention for the National Championship. They jump Cal in my rankings due to this performance.
#3 Cal - They had a bye.
#4 USF - South Florida played a fairly gimme game, though it did not look that way in the beginning. However they came back and kept FAU at bay. With USC and Wisconsin's fall they rise to #4.
#5 South Carolina - defeated a very, very strong Kentucky team, and now becomes the front-runner to win the SEC East with Florida falling. Their excellent special teams play and defense will keep them in the hunt if they can take down the rest of their SEC schedule... which will be tough as they'll face Florida Nov 10th.
#6 Boston College - Another great win for Matt Ryan and the Eagles. Convincing win against BGSU isn't that great, however they face VaTech in two weeks and will really show who's who in the ACC.
#7 Oklahoma - A great win against Texas in one of college football's biggest rivalries. McCoy made huge mistakes on the final drive that could have tied the game, and OU's defense just swarmed to the ball.
#8 Virginia Tech - Closes the door on Clemson, and is on the forefront of the ACC Coastal with Virginia. Their offense finally arrived!
#9 WVU - I hate to put them back in the Top 10 but the fall of Florida, Wisconsin, and USC they make it back in.
#10 USC - They should not have fallen to Stanford, but I don't have the heart to put the Ducks ahead of the Trojans at this time.
11 Oregon
12 Florida
13 Missouri
14 Kentucky
15 Arizona State
16 Hawaii
17 Cincinnati
18 Illinois
19 Kansas
20 Wisconsin
21 Texas A&M
22 Virginia
23 Texas Tech
24 Tennessee
25 Texas
