1. Miami (10-0) — The Hurricanes beat previously Big East unbeaten Pittsburgh 28-21 Thursday night to extend their winning streak to 32 games. Miami has to beat Syracuse and Virginia Tech before it secures a Fiesta Bowl bid against Ohio State.
2. Ohio State (13-0) — The Buckeyes held off Michigan in a 14-9 thriller Saturday afternoon. Will Allen intercepted Wolverines’ quarterback John Navarre at the goal line as time expired, giving the Buckeyes the chance to play for the national title.
3. Iowa (11-1) — The Hawkeyes’ regular season has been over for a week now, but they are preparing for their bowl game. This is the first Iowa team to finish with an undefeated Big Ten record since 1922.
4. Oklahoma (10-1) — The Sooners demolished Texas Tech Saturday, 60-15, holding Kliff Kingsbury — averaging 371 passing yards per game — to his lowest passing performance of the season, 187 yards. Oklahoma running back Quentin Griffin got his third 200-yard rushing game of the season with 207 yards.
5. Georgia (10-1) — The Bulldogs took the weekend off to prepare for cross-state rival Georgia Tech. They will have their eye on the LSU-Arkansas game Friday, because they will face the winner in the Southeastern Conference Championship game.
6. Notre Dame (10-1) — The Irish beat Rutgers 42-0 Saturday and await their huge game in Los Angeles Saturday against USC. The Irish need to win to clinch a Bowl Championship Series bid, but they possibly could slip in even with a loss.
7. USC (9-2) — The Trojans beat UCLA Saturday, 52-21, to keep their Pac-10 championship alive. If UCLA beats Washington State, USC will win the title. But the Trojans are concentrating on their game against Notre Dame.
8. Kansas State (10-2) — The Wildcats’ two losses — Texas and Colorado — were by a combined total of seven points. K-State is one of the hottest teams in the country, outscoring its previous five opponents 253-30.
9. Washington State (9-2) — National title hopes were dashed by a bizarre ending in the 29-26 loss to Washington. Heisman Trophy candidate Jason Gesser was knocked out of the game with a high ankle sprain. The Cougars have to beat UCLA this weekend to win the Pac-10.
10. Texas (9-2) — The Longhorns had the week off to get over their loss to Texas Tech. The Aggies come calling in the big game in Austin this weekend. Chris Simms does not want to be outdueled by another instate quarterback — Reggie McNeil — Saturday.
11. Alabama (9-3) — Auburn beat the Crimson Tide in the “Iron Bowl” Saturday 17-7. But Alabama gets another shot at a win when they travel to Hawaii for their “bowl” game.
12. Michigan (9-3) — The Wolverines lost to Ohio State 14-9 despite outgaining the Buckeyes 361-248 in total yards. The Big Blue could not capitalize on opportunities and had to settle for too many field goals.
13. Florida (8-3) — The Gators travel up the road to Tallahassee for the big state rivalry with Florida State. Florida needs a win to stay in the state for a bowl game.
14. Penn State (9-3) — Larry Johnson had 279 yards rushing and four touchdowns in the Nittany Lions’ 61-7 win over Michigan State, despite only playing into the first drive of the second half. Johnson became just the ninth player in college football history to run for more than 2,000 yards and set himself up for a possible Heisman Trophy victory.
15. Colorado (8-3) — The Buffaloes already clinched the Big-12 North title, which lessens the importance of the game with Nebraska this week. And the Cornhuskers are thirsty for revenge after last year’s 62-26 game that almost took Nebraska out of the national championship game.
16. Colorado State (10-2) — The Rams beat New Mexico 22-14 to win their third Mountain West title. Colorado State is one of the most opportunistic teams in the country.
17. LSU (8-3) — The Tigers used a stiff defense to beat Ole Miss Saturday keeping their hopes of a second-straight SEC title alive. LSU travels north to Little Rock, Ark., to play Arkansas for the SEC West championship.
18. Boise State (11-1) — The Broncos clinched the Western Athletic Conference championship with a 44-7 win over Nevada. Boise State will have the opportunity to play at home on its blue turf in the Humanitarian Bowl.
19. West Virginia (8-3) — The Mountaineers handed Virginia Tech its third straight loss. They have their big matchup with Pittsburgh this weekend.
20. Auburn (8-4) — The Tigers’ Tre Smith ran all over the Crimson Tide gaining 126 yards. Auburn was eliminated from SEC West title contention Saturday when Arkansas beat Mississippi State and LSU beat Ole Miss.
21. Pittsburgh (8-3) — The Panthers put up a valiant effort against Miami Thursday night that gained them respect throughout the college football community. They need to beat West Virginia to keep a one-loss Big East record.
22. Arkansas (8-3) — The Razorbacks currently are on a five-game winning streak. Arkansas has its final home game in Little Rock this Friday — where they rarely lose — and is looking to regain “The Boot” from LSU as well as win the SEC West.
23. Florida State (8-4) — Adrian McPherson was kicked off the Seminoles’ roster for undisclosed reasons Monday. Florida State lost its first Atlantic Coast Conference game Saturday to North Carolina State, who only had two safeties. The 153 yards of total offense was the lowest in the history of a Bobby Bowden-coached Florida State team.
24. Hawaii (9-2) — The Rainbow Warriors beat Cincinnati with their lowest scoring output of the season in a 20-19 win. But the real story occurred after the game in a five-minute brawl.
25. Maryland (9-3) — Virginia crushed the Terps Saturday 48-13. The Cavaliers ran the ball and threw the ball all over the Maryland defense.