The AP Top 25 and Coaches Top 25 College Football polls are nationally recognized, but after more than 50 years of watching and / or covering college football games, and being a former daily newspaper sports editor, here is other view:
Auburn and Oregon continue to score and win, so they remain in the top two for another week.
1) Auburn (9-0) – Defeat Mississippi 51-31. He just keeps winning behind Heisman’s favorite Cam Newton. Where will Auburn be if Cam Newton is injured? The Tigers don’t want to know. Auburn has a child’s game against AA Chattanooga this week. Are you kidding me? Not really. The Tigers are not out of the jungle yet; They must face Georgia and then Alabama on the road. Trust me, Crimson Tide hides under the radar in thick brush, waiting to strike like a diamond rattlesnake.
2) Oregon (8-0) – Exploded at Southern Cal, 53-32, after the Trojans led in the third quarter. He kept SC scoreless in the final 25 minutes and scored 4 times. The Ducks have outscored their opposition 180-38 in the final half. They lead the nation in scoring offense (54 points per game) and total offense (572 yards per game). Go ahead, try to stop them. He then receives Washington. Wow, the Huskies are going to get run over.
3) Wisconsin (7-1) – Inactive this week. He has played such a weak schedule (67th) as Boise State (74th), TCU (72nd) and Utah (98th), but he has done something the Broncos, Horned Frogs and Utes have not done, and that is beat 2 first. ranked teams: Ohio State and Iowa in consecutive weeks. That’s why they’re No. 3. The Badgers travel to Purdue next, and they better win big.
4) Boise State (7-0) – Just beat Louisiana Tech 49-20. It then hosts the air raid for Hawaii and the Warriors. Hawaii leads the nation in passing offense, averaging 395 yards per game. The Broncos’ pass defense ranks eighth nationally. Let’s see who the fraud is.
5) TCU (9-0): thrown into the UNLV 48-6 bin. He then travels to undefeated Utah (8-0). Finally, this should be a good test for horned frogs. Utah is third in scoring offense, TCU is ninth. TCU ranks first nationally in defensive scoring, Utah is sixth. Someone is going to suffer their first loss of the season.
6) Utah (8-0) – Just beat the Air Force, 28-23. TCU beat Air Force 38-7. Utes has the home field against TCU. What more can you ask for?
7) Alabama (7-1) – Inactive this week. I had the Crimson Tide at LSU this week when they actually travel to LSU (7-1) next week. If ‘Bama hadn’t lost to South Carolina earlier in the season, Crimson Tide would be 8-0. They have had to wait for the right moment, and now is when they must win and dominate.
8) LSU (7-1) – Like Alabama, idle this week and waiting for its chance to rise.
9) Nebraska (7-1) – Just finished visiting Missouri, 31-17. Travel to the state of Iowa next and you must win big to stay here.
10) Oklahoma (7-1) – Shattered Colorado, 43-10. You must now travel to Texas A&M. The Aggies just beat Texas Tech, 45-27, and they don’t care how good the Sooners can be.
11) Stanford (7-1) – I just traveled to Washington and knocked out the Huskies, 41-zip. Next up is Arizona (also 7-1) in a huge Pac-10 showdown on Cardinal’s turf.
12) Arizona (7-1) – Managed to top UCLA 29-21 in Los Angeles in a not-so-impressive, but nonetheless team of substance, victory. He has a golden opportunity for promotion by beating Stanford.
13) Iowa (6-2) – Big unexpected win with ease over Michigan State, 37-6, ruining the Spartans’ perfect season. They have lost to Arizona and Wisconsin, two good teams, but if you think they are an easy mark, play against them at home. Then travel to Indiana.
14) Michigan State (8-1): Iowa delivered lunch to the Spartans, but only 5 other teams have 8 wins so far this season. The Spartans host Minnesota next, and they must win big over the Golden Gophers to regroup and regain some strength early in the season. Too much success proved difficult to handle, but now he must try to win the rest of the season to qualify for an important game of bowling.
15) Ohio State (8-1) – Just defeated Minnesota 52-10. The only loss was in Wisconsin, not bad at all. It will be inactive next week, and then will host Penn State the following week.
16) Missouri (7-1) – Lost to Nebraska on the road, but still a strong team. He then travels to Texas Tech, and must recover and win to stay here.
17) Oklahoma State (7-1) – Defeated by Kansas State 24-14 in an away game. He hasn’t really played with anyone; the only loss was to Nebraska. He faces a tougher opponent this week when Baylor (7-2) arrives. The Bears just beat Texas 30-22, which is good for their ego, even if this is a bad year for Mack Brown and the Longhorns. The Cowboys better be ready for the Baylor Bears.
18) South Carolina (6-2) – Just beat Tennessee 38-24. The Gamecocks are 18th just for beating Alabama earlier in the year. South Carolina has lost to Auburn (like 8 other teams) and the Kentucky Wildcats.
19) State of Mississippi (7-2) – Defeat Kentucky 24-17. They have only lost to Auburn 17-14 and in one road game at LSU. Not many other teams with 7 wins can say that. He has a week off and then he must travel to Alabama and face the Crimson Tide, which will tell us a lot about the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
20) North Carolina State (6-2) – Just beat Florida State, which ranks 16, 28-24. There must be something to do. He lost to Virginia Tech and in an away game at East Carolina. They have played the 45th toughest schedule among the top 120 teams. Then travel to Clemson.
21) Hawaii (7-2): Beat Idaho 45-10 and has the best air offense in the nation. You get real change to do some major damage on your next visit to the state of Boise. Boise State has the eighth best passing defense in the nation, so let the battle begin.
22) Baylor (7-2) – Beat Texas on the road, 30-22. He has played a tougher schedule than Boise State, TCU and Utah. You do not have a winning signature; lost to TCU and Texas Tech. He then traveled to Oklahoma State (7-1), a perfect opportunity to advance in the polls.
23) Nevada (7-1) – Won a shootout against Utah State, 56-42, which isn’t saying much, but has 7 wins with just one loss in Hawaii.
24) State of Oregon (4-3) – Put a 35-7 beating on visiting California. Best 4-3 team in the country. They lost to TCU 30-21 and Boise State 37-24, but have beaten Arizona, Arizona State and crazy Washington. The Beavers have played the toughest schedule of any team, and Sagarin has ranked them 15th nationally. Then travel to UCLA.
25) Illinois (5-3) – Defeat Purdue 44-10. He has wins over Penn State and Indiana, and has played the 26th toughest schedule. Travel to Michigan for an interesting showdown.
Week 10 will find another undefeated team losing when TCU (9-0) travels to Utah (8-0) in a key Mountain West Conference clash. Other major games include Alabama at LSU, Arizona at Stanford, Arkansas at South Carolina, Baylor at Oklahoma, and Hawaii at Boise State.
Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley