1. Oklahoma (6-0) – A 65-13 win against Texas will solidify the Sooners as the best team in college football. They shut down the Longhorns’ mobile quarterback Vincent Young, but the defense will have another challenge ahead of them with Brad Smith and Missouri.
2. Miami (6-0) – Jarrett Payton stepped in nicely for the injured Frank Gore and excelled against Florida State’s tough defense. He finished the game with 97 yards rushing and a 14-yard touchdown reception. His father must be smiling.
3. Virginia Tech (6-0) – The Hokies continue their winning ways with a 51-7 win against Big East foe Syracuse. VT wins games with its running game and special teams, and this week was no difference. They had 337 yards on the ground and returned two punts for touchdowns.
4. Georgia (5-1) – The Bulldogs humiliated Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday with a 41-7 win. The ‘Dawgs dominated every facet of the game. Unless a miracle happens, they should do the same against Vanderbilt.
5. Southern California (5-1) – The Trojans kept rolling with a 44-21 win against up-state rival Stanford. This week their run defense better step up as they play Notre Dame, which rushed for 352 rushing yards.
6. Florida State (5-1) – The Seminoles could not get anything going against the Hurricanes offensively. Greg Jones only had 15 yards on 13 carries. They will need better production than that if they hope to come back and make a run at the title.
7. LSU (5-1) – The Tigers probably would drop down more than two spots in a regular poll, but only six of my top 16 teams won this past week. LSU shot themselves in the foot too often to have a chance against Florida. If they continue that, they may not win too many more games. But expect them to iron things out.
8. Ohio State (5-1) – My upset special pick was correct. Wisconsin beat Ohio State 17-10 at home after a game-winning 79-yard touchdown catch by Lee Evans. Ohio State’s 19-game win streak and their luck ended with the loss. They may have had 19 straight wins, but 10 of those were within seven points.
9. Iowa (5-1) – The Hawkeyes had the week off and now will face off with the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Iowa beat Michigan two weeks ago, and now will try to separate itself as the best team in the Big Ten.
10. Washington State (5-1) – The Cougars are the next team to try and put up 40 points on Stanford. This should just be a tune up for the following games against Oregon State and USC.
11. Arkansas (4-1) – Cedric Cobbs was held to just 78 yards rushing as the Razorbacks were unable to reach the endzone all game against Auburn on Saturday. Auburn held the Razorbacks to 173 yards rushing, which may be a lot, but it’s 73 yards less than their average.
12. Purdue (5-1) – The Boilermakers got a nice win against Penn State this Saturday. It’s sad to see what’s happening over in Happy Valley. Back to Purdue, the Boilermakers travel to Madison to take on a red hot Wisconsin team Saturday.
13. Wisconsin (6-1) – The Badgers are all smiles this week as they upended Ohio State from its perch atop the college football world. This scene is set up perfectly for a letdown game.
14. Nebraska (4-1) – Missouri quarterback Brad Smith did it all against the Cornhuskers in their upset win. He threw for 180 yards, ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns and caught a 47-yard touchdown pass. Now the Cornhuskers have to regroup and play a Texas A&M team that put up 75 points last week.
15. Texas Christian (6-0) – The Horned Frogs beat South Florida 13-10 on Saturday. They play UAB this week. Blah, Blah, Blah.
16. Northern Illinois (6-0) – The Huskies continue their tour through Michigan this week as they play Western Michigan after beating Central Michigan 40-24 on Saturday. They finish the season against Eastern Michigan. But all eyes are on the Oct. 25 game with Bowling Green.
17. Michigan (5-2) – The Wolverines needed a crazy comeback to beat Minnesota on Saturday. Down 28-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, Michigan unrolled an improbable game plan and scored 31 points in the final stanza to win 38-35. That deserves some brownie points.
18. Auburn (4-2) – Don’t look now, but Auburn is quickly becoming the team to beat in the Southeastern Conference. After beating Arkansas and Tennessee in back-to-back weeks, the Tigers look as strong as any team.
19. Oregon State (5-1) – It’s Beaver-mania up in Corvallis as Oregon State welcomes a struggling Washington team to town. Their 230-pound running back Steven Jackson is averaging more than 145 yards rushing per game.
20. Texas Tech (5-1) – B.J. Symons had a bad game in the Red Raiders’ 52-11 win against Iowa State. After three consecutive games with more than 500 passing yards, Symons could muster only 487 yards and three touchdowns. I hope he’s not too disappointed.
21. Michigan State (6-1) – The Spartans had everything clicking in its 49-14 win against Illinois. After a slow start, new coach John L. Smith has things running smoothly.
22. Tennessee (5-2) – The Vols got manhandled by Georgia on Saturday. Things must be somber in the Volunteer state this week after the 41-14 home loss. At least they get a week off before going back at it next week at Alabama.
23. Minnesota (6-1) – It looked as if the Gophers would start the season 7-0, but then it all went downhill. The wheels fell off in the fourth quarter, and the Gophers’ 21-point fourth quarter lead diminished in a three-point loss to Michigan.
24. Texas (4-2) – I was upset when LSU lost, but seeing Texas lose by 52 points in the Red River Shootout nearly made my day. Those arrogant bastards in Austin deserve everything they get. If only Iowa State could do the same to them this Saturday.
25. Oklahoma State (5-1) – The Cowboys beat Kansas State 38-34 on Saturday in a game that went back and forth the whole time. A fake field goal helped the Cowboys gain enough momentum to pick up the upset win.
26. Missouri (5-1) – The goalposts came down in Columbia after Missouri upset Nebraska 41-24. The Tigers scored 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and stormed to victory. Smith’s four touchdowns tied a school record. But the celebration has to end, because they travel to Oklahoma this weekend.
27. Bowling Green (5-1) – The Falcons have an offensive machine. Quarterback Josh Harris has 2,425 passing yards and 19 passing touchdowns while rushing for 737 yards and 20 touchdowns.
28. Pittsburgh (3-2) – How pathetic did Pittsburgh look Saturday against Notre Dame? They let that horrible Irish offense run for 352 yards. Notre Dame is the only school I like less than Texas. But at least they still have a losing record.
29. Kansas State (4-3) – After jumping out to a 4-0 start, the Wildcats have lost three straight and are looking for an identity. Ell Roberson threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns as they were unable to run the ball effectively against Oklahoma State, but he threw three picks as well.
30. Maryland (5-2) – A 13-point win against Duke will not comfort the folks in College Park. But a fifth straight win for the Terps is music to their ears. They continue the ACC schedule Saturday with Georgia Tech.