Would anyone like to see USC the way they have played the last 3 weeks be the team to take on LSU? A Trojan team that has no players, coaches, or administrators who were involved in what they are being punished for has taken out their frustrations on their opponents.
Based on LSU's dismantling of Arkansas, a good team, but one that I've had doubts all season about whether they would be able to compete with true top 5 competition, its clear the Tigers still deserve to be right where they have been.
It was really hard figuring out 25 teams worthy of including in the poll.
Here's what I came up with:
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 2 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 3 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys |
|
| 4 | Stanford Cardinal |
|
| 5 | USC Trojans |
|
| 6 | Boise St. Broncos |
|
| 7 | Houston Cougars |
|
| 8 | Virginia Tech Hokies | -- |
| 9 | Oregon Ducks |
|
| 10 | Arkansas Razorbacks |
|
| 11 | Michigan St. Spartans |
|
| 12 | Oklahoma Sooners |
|
| 13 | Wisconsin Badgers |
|
| 14 | Georgia Bulldogs |
|
| 15 | South Carolina Gamecocks | -- |
| 16 | TCU Horned Frogs |
|
| 17 | Michigan Wolverines |
|
| 18 | Kansas St. Wildcats |
|
| 19 | Baylor Bears |
|
| 20 | Southern Miss. Golden Eagles | -- |
| 21 | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
|
| 22 | Clemson Tigers |
|
| 23 | Northern Illinois Huskies | -- |
| 24 | Arkansas St. Red Wolves | -- |
| 25 | Ohio Bobcats | -- |
| Dropouts: Penn St. Nittany Lions, Virginia Cavaliers, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings "
I also dropped TCU & Georgia a little (what I saw of the Battle for Atlanta on the big screen at PK Park didn't look like it would scare very many), but the second 10 could be shuffled 10 different ways and it would again be a question of taste and speculation. Some of the second tier bowls should really be interesting.
Make a case for changes by tonight if you have one. The argument that Northern Illinois and Ohio are MAC teams and Ark. St. is a Sun Belt team is not by itself an argument. At least these teams have done what they were supposed to do.
Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com