1. Missouri: Up from #3 after surviving a damn good Kansas team. I'll be honest with you, though, I think they'll lose to OU in the Big 12 Title Game and let Ohio State sneak back into the BCS Championship.
2. West Virgnia: I keep trying to find reasons not to like West Virginia, but it looks like they've finally learned to play some defense, and deserve to be here. Up from #4.
3. Georgia: The Dawgs are riding a six game win streak and finally looking like they should have all year long. It must be frustrating as hell to be a Georgia fan. Up from #5.
4. Ohio State: I suppose not playing is the safest thing to do right now. Up from #8 after everyone else ahead of them falls.
5. Kansas: I can't drop the Jayhawks too far after they rallied late against solid competition and are still a very good football team. Down from #2.
6. Virginia Tech: Acquitted themselves well against a good Virginia defense, and will likely win the ACC. Up from #9.
7. Oklahoma: Completely dominated the Cowboys, and I think they've got a pretty good shot of handling Mizzou again. Up from #10.
8. Florida: If they play like they have down the stretch and manage to play some good D next season, they could be back in the BCS Title game next season. God, they are frightening.
9. Southern Cal: Arizona State is a good football team, but I'm not surprised the Trojans pulled that upset. They've got the better talent, and if they'll play like a team instead of a bunch of blue chippers out to get theirs, then they would be unstoppable. Up from #13.
10. Hawaii: After being completely confused about where to put the Warriors all season (they're undefeated, but they are skating by weak competition, but they are still winning, etc), I finally have an answer. Like I told a friend of mine Friday afternoon when talking about the game, I thought Boise would win with the better defense, but I wouldn't be surprised if Hawaii managed to pull it off. And since they finally beat a quality opponent (convingly, no less), here they are. Up from #14.
11. Arizona State: Down from #6 after a not altogether unexpected defeat at the hands of Southern Cal. They're still a good team and should handle Arizona to get to a good bowl.
12. LSU: Down from #1, and I would drop them further if there was anyone else that I felt comfortable ranking ahead of them. They finally dug themselves into a hole that they couldn't dig back out of, and considering the constant glee at Alabama's failing this season emanating from the state of Louisiana, I couldn't be happier that you assholes choked away the national championship in such humiliating fashion. I hope Tennessee whips your coonasses in Atlanta and you manage to screw away your bowl, too. No, wait, I take that back. I don't want UT to win either. Meteor it is.
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| You can't spell "Les Miles" without two Ls. That's just science there, lawya. Deal with it. |
13. Tennesse: And speaking of UT, they survived to fight another day, so hats off to the Vols in a season that's seen plenty of teams fall victim to the cruel, terrible whims of football. Up from #16.
14. Illinois: Up from #20 after everyone ahead of them falls down.
15. Boston College: Up from #19 after they took care of Miami. They'll likely get waxed by Virginia Tech this time around.
16. BYU: Beat a pretty good Utah team in the Holy War to clinch the Mountain West.
17. Texas: Come on, you manage to let the Aggies win with lame duck Fran on the sidelines? Whatev. Down from #7.
18. Oregon: Down from #11. These guys are nothing without Dixon, apparently.
19. Wisconsin: Up from #21 after those ahead of them fall. Maybe the Big Ten is on to something with this whole "ending our season before everyone else does" business.
20. Texas Tech: Up from #22 after not having to play anyone.
21. Auburn: The Teagles are back in after...damn it, you know why.
22. Virginia: Down from #15 after a loss to Virginia Tech.
23. South Florida: The Bulls will stay put at #23 after struggling against Pitt.
24. Cincinatti: The Bearcats are back in after wrapping up the regular season with a win over Syracuse to finish 9-3.
25. Mississippi State: I'll give State some respect here. They aren't a great team, but they play tough, and if you make a mistake against them they will make you pay dearly. Even though I still say we made the wise choice in not hiring Croom given the situation Alabama was in at the time, I still think he's a good man and I'm glad to see him having some success. Too bad some of it came against us. That part sucks.
Dropped Out:
(#17) Boise State, (#23) Connecticut, (#25) Utah