This is the bad kind of award, right? I took a bit of a ribbing a few weeks ago in Brian’s weekly treatise other’s rankings of others, for a couple of reasons.  But before I get to that, let me say that this is simply a response and not a retaliation.  I have plenty of respect Brian and his extremely comprehensive blog and without him I would not have the opportunity to vote every week.  So, consider this my reply brief.

For a little while, I was the only voter to place Oregon ahead of Boise State, a team who - say it unison - “beat them the opening week!”  Blah, blah, blah.  If voters were not able to rank one team ahead of a team that defeated them, the poll would stop making sense after the midway point of the season.  Simply put, I believe Oregon is a better team than Boise State right now, and would beat Boise State if they played this weekend.  I don’t think that is such a big deal.

But he had a real problem with my placement of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, relative to one another, for which I was awarded Week 6’s Mr. Bold:

This week the top spot goes to Buckeye Commentary , forcing me to remember my vow not to taunt Ohio State fans for as long as they can put a FOR SALE sign at Michigan Stadium. This is extremely difficult when 3-2 Oklahoma finds itself the #8 team in the country, up eight, and previously #10 Oklahoma State falls 13 places. Oklahoma beat Baylor by a lot. Oklahoma State squeezed by A&M. Did Buckeye Commentary confuse the two? Don’t make fun. Be respectful. Don’t make fun. Yes. Yes, it appears so. Why would you have either team in the top ten? I don’t know. Sir.

Well, if Brian did not like that ballot he is certainly going to hate my new - dare we say bolder - one.  OU is hanging out at #9 while the Cowboys are still partying in the late teens.

Why do I have it that way?  Because my ballot is not a meritocracy and my vote does not matter.  The Coaches and Harris polls play a major role in selecting the teams that play for the MNC.  Essentially, their ballot is always a referendum on who deserves to play for the MNC, not a listing of the two best teams at that point in the season.  And, if my ballot carried that weight, I might alter my voting style.  It doesn’t, and don’t have to.

The Sooners’ three losses are by a combined 5 points.  If you believe in Texas then you need to believe in Oklahoma who played the Longhorns toe-to-toe with their ersatz quarterback.  It was virtually the exact same outcome against Miami (the good version).  I watched those games and thought OU looked like a Top 10 team.  It seems most folks disagree.  And, while we are on the topic, why is OU ahead of Miami?  Because the most sacred tenet of my voting philosophy is to rank the teams based on how they are performing at the moment (I ask myself who would win on a neutral field this Saturday) and the Hurricanes cannot be trusted week to week. They were great against OU and GT, but their defense took a nap for 60 against Clemson.  That loss eroded some trust for me, while OU’s loss to Texas did not. But, I digress.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State has been playing an easy schedule without much to show for it.  The opening week show against Georgia was nice but suspensions and injuries have robbed the offense of any rhythm and reduced the once feared passing game to the likes of Nebraska, Indiana, and Stanford.

Finally, it should be noted that any perceived chasm between spot #10 and #20, is not very large in my world.  The parity-flavored icing is pretty thick on this cake and if I could group the teams in tiers, I would.  But the laws of the Blog Poll universe demand that I put one team next to each number.

So, yeah, Oklahoma is still in the Top 10 with 3 losses and eight spaces in front of their in-state rival but that does not mean I would expect that game to be a blowout this weekend.  On the contrary, I would expect a Sooner victory by a TD or so with an over/under of about 43.

Pledges: There are some new faces in the poll this week - Pittsburgh, Arizona, and Utah are making their first appearances.  Let’s see how long that lasts.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	PREVIOUS	SOS	NEXT GAME
1.	Alabama	7-0	1	26	v. Tennessee
2.	Texas	6-0	3	56	at Missouri
3.	Florida	6-0	2	46	at Mississippi State
4.	USC	5-1	4	11	v. Oregon State
5.	Miami	5-1	6	16	v. Clemson
6.	Iowa	7-0	14	20	at Michigan State
7.	Oklahoma	3-3	8	45	at (25) Kansas
8.	Georgia Tech	6-1	11	7	at Virginia
9.	Oregon	5-1	12	15	at Washington
10.	Virginia Tech	5-2	5	2	at UNC (Oct. 29)
11.	Cincinnati	6-0	10	71	v. Louisville
12.	LSU	5-1	13	22	v. Auburn
13.	Penn State	6-1	15	106	v. (22) Michigan
14.	Houston	5-1	21	80	v. SMU
15.	Texas Tech	5-2	NR	68	v. Texas A&M
16.	Nebraska	4-2	9	37	v. Iowa State
17.	Arkansas	3-3	18	6	at Ole Miss
18.	South Carolina	5-2	19	24	at Vanderbilt
19.	TCU	6-0	16	53	at BYU
20.	Boise State	6-0	17	38	at Hawaii
21.	Oklahoma State	5-1	23	108	at Baylor
22.	Michigan	5-2	24	90	at (13) Penn State
23.	Notre Dame	4-2	25	13	v. Boston College
24.	Ohio State	5-2	7	35	v. Minnesota
25.	Kansas	5-1	22	112	v. (7) Oklahoma

Shell game: This week Texas jumps in front of Florida for the No. 2 spot.  Honestly, I would pick Texas on a neutral field right now.  Texas and Florida are clearly part of the three-team top tier.  So, why is it that each offense has not looked right?  The statistics certainly do not back that up.   Tebow did sustain the King of Concussions three weeks earlier and Brandon Spikes was out of the lineup, but the experts in the desert had the Gators pegged as 24-point favorites.  Meyer and co. barely survived what would have - in wagering terms - twice the upset Ohio State suffered.  In many ways, Texas is just as puzzling on offense.  Whether it is slow starts or lots of turnovers, it does not look crisp to the naked eye.  What has not changed is Bama’s crippling dominance.  Did you see Saban switch to the Wildcat in the 4th Qtr to kill off South Carolina?  A smart, quick, low cost solution.

I had to do it: When I watch Iowa play all I see is the other team screwing up.  I just cannot see the Hawkeyes playing well, but that is clearly not the case.  I know/think that the Big Ten stinks, but they have played a top 20 schedule and despite some close calls they appear to be improving while sporting the top turnover-forcing defense in the country.

I couldn’t do it: I was super tempted to omit the Buckeyes from my ballot entirely.  Ohio State is the single most baffling team when you consider my self-proclaimed philosophy of ranking.  It is possible to make completely opposite arguments regarding the Buckeyes ability to defeat other teams in front of them.  That defense gives them the ability to beat anyone.  Conversely, that offense prevents them from having the opportunity from beating anyone.  They get to hang around this week, but it will take some increased marksmanship for them to advance.

Is that…Oklahoma? You saw correctly, OU advanced one spot to #7 this week armed with a 3-3 record after their loss to Texas.  I am not sure how I feel about that ranking but if you believe in Texas and Miami, then you should believe in Oklahoma.  I don’t think they will lose again this season because of that defense.  And, unlike certain other teams with tremendous defenses, the Sooners have a strong offense even without the Heisman winner.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	PREVIOUS	SOS	NEXT GAME
1.	Alabama	5-0	1	54	at Ole Miss
2.	Florida	4-0	2	107	at (4)LSU
3.	Texas	4-0	3	90	v. Colorado
4.	LSU	5-0	4	27	v. (2)Florida
5.	USC	4-1	5	12	Idle
6.	Ohio State	4-1	6	31	v. (24)Wisconsin
7.	Virginia Tech	4-1	9	11	v. Boston College
8.	Miami	3-1	16	1	v. Florida A&M
9.	Auburn	5-0	21	61	at Arkansas
10.	Oklahoma State	3-1	11	119	at Texas A&M
11.	Georgia	3-2	15	3	Idle
12.	Cincinnati	5-0	8	109	Idle
13.	Iowa	5-0	13	35	v. (25)Michigan
14.	Penn State	4-1	14	72	v. Eastern Illinois
15.	Oregon	4-1	23	20	at UCLA
16.	Oklahoma	2-2	7	42	v. Baylor
17.	Nebraska	3-1	22	84	at (23)Missouri (Oct. 8)
18.	Houston	3-1	10	93	at Mississippi State
19.	TCU	4-0	20	97	at Air Force
20.	Boise State	5-0	12	73	Idle
21.	Georgia Tech	4-1	25	14	at Florida State
22.	South Carolina	4-1	NR	60	v. Kentucky
23.	Missouri	4-0	19	111	v. (17) Nebraska (Oct. 8)
24.	Wisconsin	5-0	NR	66	at (6)Ohio State
25.	Michigan	4-1	18	82	at (13)Iowa

After 5 weeks, any transitive analysis has gone by the wayside.  The subjective nature of voting has to be called upon more heavily as teams are rounding into shape (Oregon) and others are demonstrating a pronounced ability to play poorly (UNC).  There are teams with two losses that look much better than a handful of undefeateds (Georgia and Oklahoma).

Explain thyself: Let’s start with the non-AQs of the world.  Boise State drops 8 spots after defeating UC-Whatever.  Why?  Because I think they are lesser of the triumvirate with Houston and TCU.  Houston lost inexplicably to UTEP and because of the perception of non-BCS conference teams they have to go away now.  Yet, the Cougars possess the best pair of wins of any non-AQ team.  That’s just it, the Broncos are incapable of matching those wins even while going undefeated.

As Braves and Birds so eloquently explained in a longer rant about SI’s Stewart Mandel’s confusing shift in philosophy:

The Broncos are like a fantasy football team that has a big total because all of the team’s players put up numbers in the Sunday 1 p.m. time slot. Boise has no remaining opportunities to pick up points, whereas other teams (including TCU) have a number of opportunities to impress.

For those of you counting, that is 6 SEC teams in my ballot - four in the Top 10.  Auburn jumps up twelve spots to #9 and South Carolina lands freshly at #22.  There is little debating the merits of the top three SEC teams, although only LSU has played a formidable schedule.  It gets interesting this weekend with a potentially Tebow-less Gators squad traveling to Earthquake Stadium.  The game may have huge implications on championships - conference and mythical - but the teams’ respective rankings may not change greatly depending on the outcome.

Georgia actually moved four of spots after their defeat to LSU.  The Hawkeyes were listless but even the worst performances of alleged Top 15 teams should result in poundings of Arkansas State.  Penn State was fine against Illinois but they do not have any characteristics that engender confidence.

Finally, what to do about Cincinnati?  I am not sure if they have a wonderful communications department but their P.R. machine has convinced voters nationwide that they are Top 10 material while playing the 109th ranked schedule.  Every other team with a SOS in that region has genuine credibility (Florida) or have defeated a good team (Oklahoma State).  So far, the Bearcats have beaten teams with a combined record of 8-15 and only two of those teams have actually have victories against other FBS schools (Rutgers and Oregon State have 2 each).  I will be surprised if they navigate the remainder of their schedule with less than two losses but if they do, they will have earned a spot in the Top 10.

Newbies: South Carolina and Wisconsin make their first appearances of the year.  The Badgers season will largely be shaped by their next two games, which could account for a short stay in the grid.  SC appears to have more staying power as their schedule is a little more spaced out.

Comments, criticism, adulation and everything go in the comments.  The official ballot must be submitted by Monday.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	PREVIOUS	SOS	NEXT GAME
1.		4-0	3	70	at Kentucky
2.		4-0	1	95	Bye
3.		4-0	2	101	Bye
4.		4-0	6	48	at (15)Georgia
5.		3-1	7	36	at (24)California
6.		3-1	8	42	at Indiana
7.		2-1	9	81	at (16)Miami
8.		4-0	12	84	at Miami(OH)
9.		3-1	14	4	at Duke
10.		3-0	NR	79	at UTEP
11.		3-1	13	104	Bye
12.		4-0	19	35	v. UC Davis
13.		4-0	NR	11	v. Arkansas State
14.		3-1	5	83	at Illinois
15.		3-1	16	6	v. (4)LSU
16.		2-1	10	1	v. (7)Oklahoma
17.		2-1	11	117	at Vanderbilt
18.		4-0	15	105	at Michigan State
19.		4-0	17	91	Bye
20.		3-0	20	47	v. SMU
21.		4-0	22	107	at Tennessee
22.		3-1	25	78	Bye
23.		3-1	NR	3	v. Washington State
24.		3-1	4	28	v. (5)USC
25.		3-1	NR	16	at Mississippi State

At the top: The only thing that seems certain at this point is that Alabama, Florida and Texas are the best teams but I am unsure of the order.  Of course, if Tebow cannot go for any period of time that analysis becomes much easier.  For my money, Alabama has been the most impressive team with their increasingly impressive win against Virginia Tech as well as a domination of Arkansas that Georgia can only dream of.

Is LSU the fourth best team in the nation?  Who knows, but based on what I have seen, I imagine them perfectly capable of beating the teams listed below them. And, if it seems like Southern Cal and Ohio State are too highly ranked, well…I don’t know what to do about it.  This is the hand (blog) pollsters have been dealt at the moment and we hopeless to play these cards in any meaningful order.

Mid-major upstarts: I guess Houston and Boise State are deserved of some basic recognition at this point.  If I cannot make heads or tails of the best teams, who am I too demote the little guys based on my ignorance.  Is Boise State the benefactor of a Oregon team that could not get out of its own way or did they cause the Ducks early spiral?  Is Houston living off the classic letdown week from Oklahoma State?  Seriously, I am open to arguments either way on these teams?  Should they be ranked in the Top 10 or should they be hanging out with the bottom 5?

Our beloved: I am not sure where the Buckeyes will turn up in this week’s BlogPoll but I think they are worthy of a higher ranking than the more well-regarded pollsters.  We will find out how they stack up with Iowa and Penn State; and I really do not believe that Boise State would score more than 8 points on the OSU defense. Could Oklahoma best the Buckeyes?  Absolutely, but I hardly think that is a foregone conclusion.  Are Virginia Tech, Houston, Cincinnati better?  Pssshhhhhhh.   See you in Pasadena.

For the past 36 hours, many Ohio State fans have become overly concerned about the polls, specifically the Associated Press Top 25.  Hell, even super even-keeled Adam Rittenberg felt compelled to write an opinionated piece.  But, as it is every year, the reaction is more overreaction than justified righteousness.

The fans’ consternation is the product of the Buckeyes’ demotion from #11 to #13 in the most recent writer’s edition.  [Ohio State remained #11 in the (assistant) Coaches Poll.]  So, every voter thinks the Buckeyes suck and actually believe they are worse after the throttling of Toledo, right?  Nope.

Here’s the deal: Despite all outward appearances, Ohio State actually improved in the eyes of a majority of AP voters.  [Check out this spreadsheet for the complete AP College Football Poll voting breakdown for weeks 3 and 4.] In fact,the overall “stats” from this week’s AP Poll are better than you may suspect.

• Total votes lost by Ohio State from Week 3 to 4: 30
• 34 out of the 60 AP ballots actually ranked the Buckeyes higher after their victory over over Toledo.
• Ohio State’s highest ranking: 6 - Joe Rexrode, Lansing State Journal, East Lansing, MI
• Ohio State’s lowest ranking: 22 - Doug Lesmerises, Cleveland Plain Dealer
• Biggest upswing: 4 spots (18 to 14) - Kirk Bohls, Austin American Statesman, Austin, TX
• Biggest downswing: 10 spots (6 to 16) - Glenn Guilbeau, Gannet Louisiana News Service, Baton Rouge
• Median Ohio State position: 12
• Mean Ohio State position: 12.5
• Total votes gained: 50
• Total votes lost: 80
• Average rise on improving ballot: 1.5
• Average drop on disimproving ballot: 3.0
• Top 10-percent negative ballots: -37 points

About 57-percent (34 of 60) of the voters improved Ohio State’s position this week.  That is not a super-majority, but it is hardly the condemnation that OSU fans perceive to be the case.  Moreover, if you average out the number of votes lost by voters, Tressel and Co. only dropped an average of 0.5 spots in the poll.  Also, OSU’s drop can be attributed to jumps by other teams and not necessarily a dim view of the program.  Miami, Oklahoma, and VT - jumps of 10, 2, and spots, respectively - all made jumps over Ohio State.    This is not a huge deal.

What may be a bigger deal, is that the voters who did drop Ohio State did so more vehemently than those that raised OSU.  If a voter placed Ohio State higher in Week 4, they did so by an average of 1.5 positions.  If the voter placed Ohio State lower in Week 4, they did so by an average of 3.0 positions.  That may speak to the perceived universal dislike of the Buckeyes, by fans and media alike.

It is, perhaps, the first and last bullet point that create the most interesting story when considering Ohio State’s poll position.  The Buckeyes lost a total of 30 points despite their blowout win, but their 6 largest ballot drops (10-percent of the poll) accounts for a 37 point drop.  When you consider the top 90-percent of the ballots, the Buckeyes actually gained votes.  (The top 5-percent of negative votes - the aforementioned Guilbeau, Jake Schaller, and Tom Hart - equal 23 of the Buckeye’ 30 lost votes.)

No fanbase likes to see their team slip in the eyes of the tastemakers and although the AP Poll does not directly influence the BCS race, it would be foolhardy to think that the Harris Poll and Coaches Poll voters do not have one eye on the writer’s opinions.  Still, this is not something that should take up too much energy.  For all teams in the poll, it’s easy come, easy go.

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	PREVIOUS	SOS	NEXT GAME
1.		3-0	1	144	at Kentucky
2.		3-0	2	104	v. UTEP
3.		3-0	4	79	v. Arkansas
4.		3-0	5	82	at Oregon
5.		3-0	6	148	v. Iowa
6.		3-0	7	59	at Mississippi State
7.		2-1	3	21	v. Washington State
8.		2-1	8	35	v. Illinois
9.		2-1	9	88	at (11)Miami (10/3)
10.		2-0	12	1	at (14)Virginia Tech
11.		2-0	10	177	at South Carolina (9/24)
12.		3-0	18	71	v. Fresno State
13.		2-1	13	87	v. Grambling State
14.		2-1	14	25	v. (11)Miami
15.		3-0	20	118	v. Indiana
16.		2-1	16	28	v. Arizona State
17.		3-0	17	111	at Nevada (9/25)
18.		3-0	21	154	v. Southern Miss.
19.		3-0	23	54	at Bowling Green
20.		2-0	24	135	at Clemson
21.		2-1	NR	3	v. South Florida
22.		3-0	NR	78	v. Ball State
23.		2-1	22	61	at Purdue
24.		2-1	NR	13	at Stanford
25.		2-1	19	73	v. Louisiana-La.

Annual USC Letdown Spectacular: One Day Only in the Pacific Northwest!  It seems like every year the Trojans take it on the chin from a mediocre conference team, and heavy underdog.  And, that loss is increasingly taking place in Oregon and/or Washington (four of their last six).

No one wins in this scenario, except for the heavy underdog.  USC is ostensibly eliminated from the National Title chase unless and until every team in front of the loses.  A team like Ohio State receives collateral damage because their hard fought loss is now view as something less than a last minute defeat to the nation’s premier program.  Fans will now say, “USC lost to a team that just ended the nation’s longest losing streak one week prior.”

So, why do I have them in the Top 10?  Because history has shown that this is a one-time deal.  USC will likely win the majority, if not all of their games, go to the Rose Bowl, and many college football pundits will declare them worthy of a berth in the national champion game.  Whether they deserve to be there or not is a different debate.

Room at the top?: There were not a ton of impressive performances at the top this weekend.  Florida played well in fits and starts against an outmanned Tennessee and Jahvid Best, I mean, Cal looked pretty good during their breakfast battle with Minnesota.  Otherwise, Penn State, LSU, Alabama played Sallys and went through the motions.  Ohio State actually remains in the same spot despite USC’s loss.  There is no real argument that can be made to place Ohio State ahead of them.

Other comings and goings: While Miami rounds out the Top 10, Cincinnati makes the biggest move of the week and Michigan has climbed back into the Top 15.  Mercifully, BYU legged an egg and removed themselves from any BCS discussion.  Utah did the same but we had not bothered to rank them in the interim.  Boise, are you listening?

It took me a few weeks to jump on board the BlogPoll Roundtable but we have two feet firmly planted from here on out. This week’s roundtable is hosted by College Game Balls, a venerable blog and home to with world’s largest repository of signs from ESPN’s College Gameday. Enjoy.

1. Which freshman impressed you more last weekend: the California dream Matt Barkley who quarterbacked USC over tOSU or white lightening Tate Forcier who slashed through Notre Dame? Which one would you like to have on your team? Feel free to write in another worth candidate.

Tate Forcier was more impressive on Saturday, but if the overall hype regarding Barkley is true, then he has to be your long-term choice.  He beat out a celebrated run-pass option who was great in spring ball and a 9-game winner from an SEC program.  While super impressive, Forcier was ostensibly sharing time with another freshman quarterback before last Saturday.  I don’t doubt that Forcier is going to have a great career at Michigan it just feels like Barkley has a clear path to Heisman Trophy in front of him.

2. Let’s play a game of pretend the unthinkable happened. Commissioner __________ of your conference has been forced to resign after he was caught canoodling with some harlots. Great news, you’ve been chosen to succeed him. To make your mark you decide to make a big change. What is it going to be?

Round Robin scheduling.  It has to be done in the Big Ten.  I could be living in a cave but I do not sense that much desire amongst to get Notre Dame in the league.  And, if not them, who?  Let’s stick with 11 teams, play 10 league games, and preserve all the traditional rivalry games, i.e., Ohio State and Michigan play the last week of the season.  With the 10-game conference game schedule the issue of the league calendar becomes a bit more pressing.  Part of the draw of the expanded conference run, we would mandate that teams not schedule cream puffs in the middle of the conference schedule so teams are going to need at least one - and probably two - bye weeks tucked into the slate. That means the season will end in the first of December, which will finally bring the weather into play for the Big Ten.

3. This week the quality of games is kicked up a gear. Other than your own, which game are you most looking forward to?

For me, it’s Tennessee/Florida and FSU/BYU.  The first important SEC game of the year is always a worthwhile occasion, especially when it is laced with the type of drama that comes with the inaugural Kiffin v. Meyer showdown.  I cannot say that I expect a competitive game but I do expect a timeout to called so one last FG can be kicked.

As far as the nightcap, I want to see if BYU can play with a target on its back.  If I were a gambling man, I would place a wager on Old Man Bowden.  Something tells me he knows how to handle an upstart acting a little too big for its britches.

4. What mascot and/or tradition would you thieve from another school if it was socially acceptable.

Um, Song Girls?!?

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	PREVIOUS
1		2-0	-
2		2-0	-
3		2-0	-
4		2-0	-
5		2-0	3
6		2-0	1
7		2-0	-1
8		1-1	2
9		1-1	2
10		1-0	3
11		2-0	2
12		1-0	2
13		1-1	8
14		1-1	1
15		2-0	1
16		1-1	3
17		2-0	5
18		2-0	7
19		2-0	2
20		2-0	6
21		2-0	1
22		2-0	10
23		2-0	-
24		1-0	-
25		2-0	8

Shameless homer: I know Ohio State’s ranking looks bad and it looks even worse when you consider that I moved them up after a loss.  But, vigilant readers know rankings are not always subject to a draconian win-loss analysis.  So, when a team hangs blow for blow with the best program in the country, it stands to reason that they should be viewed as a very good team.

Up top: That static top 4 is deceiving.  USC was a tempting choice to be placed at #2 but I tend to think Texas’ early struggles against Wyoming were nothing to be worried about.  Has Florida played a game yet?  Let’s just assume they are 2-0.

Mid-major explanation: “You hate the non-BCS conferences!  You need to give them more respect!”  I hear that all the time.  So, let me respond.  “Yes and no.”

BYU clocks in at #15 based on a once-in-a-lifetime victory against a team that was shell shocked after losing the Heisman Trophy winner.  And, before you say it I know they were playing OU tough in the first half while they had Bradford.  But the Sooners were starting to find a groove as the half ended averaging more than 10 yards/play over their final 9 plays.  I have no doubt that Stoops’ staff would have made adjustments at the half that would have resulted in a comfortable OU win.  Instead, the entire offense was stunned into awfulness.  It happens to college kids. At this moment, I truly believe that if a Landry-led Oklahoma team played BYU this weekend they will would win comfortably.  If BYU can take out Florida State this weekend (and they are 7.5-point favorite) I will take it all back.