The Week 14 BlogPoll ballot is out and not much has changed in this one. Perhaps the most notable lack of change is my ranking of Texas and Oklahoma, respectively. See below.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida	--
2	Texas	--
3	Oklahoma	--
4	Alabama	--
5	Southern Cal	--
6	Texas Tech	--
7	Utah	1
8	Penn State	1
9	Ohio State	2
10	Boise State	2
11	TCU	3
12	Oklahoma State	5
13	Georgia Tech	8
14	Boston College	2
15	Cincinnati	2
16	Missouri	6
17	Mississippi	3
18	Oregon	8
19	Georgia	6
20	Iowa	2
21	Pittsburgh	1
22	Michigan State	1
23	Oregon State	8
24	Florida State	5
25	Northwestern	--

UT/OU Debate:

• There are no transitive properties in college football. Oklahoma may have defeated Texas’ lone conqueror by 50 points, but a 100-point victory by Oklahoma does nothing to ameliorate their loss in Dallas. As a result, Texas deserves a rebuttatble presumption that they are the better. Otherwise, their game is rendered meaningless. A head-to-head victory should be given 50-percent weight in this argument. Unless every other metric skews in favors of the loser, I do not see how one can choose them.
  
• While tremendously unscientific, Texas eliminated more teams from contention than Oklahoma. For my money, giving Oklahoma the benefit of looking great at the end of the season against the same teams Texas previously beaten, means you have to give the Longhorns credit for derailing the dreams (albeit temporarily) for Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Missouri. Each of those teams was ranked in the Top 10 at the time Texas defeated them and each believed they were headed for the B12CG or more. Is that a meaningful metric? I don’t know, but in this overly subjective conversation I will assign credit as I deem fit.
  
• How about a more credible metric like strength of schedule? In Jeff Sagarin’s rankings, which incidentally ranks Oklahoma and Texas 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the Pure Points rankings, gives Texas a slight edge in the SOS department. That may sound like a miniscule margin, but in an analysis as close as this one, every little bit counts.
  
• I hear a lot about Oklahoma’s margin of victory and the dominating performances they have turned in recently. But Oklahoma’s edge in victory margin is as thin at 26.1 to 25.3, hardly providing OU with overwhelming proof. And, if you remove their thrashing of FCS whipping boy Chattanooga, the teams actually have the same margin of victory.
  
• If you analyze the teams in all phases of the game, Texas is probably a more complete squad with the best Big 12 defense…easily. I was reminded recently that if Texas makes the easy interception on the final Texas Tech drive, we are not worrying about this ridiculous mess.
  
• I said it before but it bears repeating; Texas won head to head on a neutral field. Many folks believe there is nothing more to say about that. Should Texas really be forced to watch two teams it beat by a combined score of 101 to 67, play for the Big 12 Championship. Doesn’t that bother anyone?

If you read the fine print on this week’s ballot you will see “Side effects include déjà vu.” That’s what happens when you see 23 of the 25 teams included in the previous week’s poll. There is, however, movement within the poll.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida	--
2	Texas Tech	--
3	Texas	1
4	Oklahoma	1
5	Alabama	2
6	Southern Cal	--
7	Oklahoma State	--
8	Utah	--
9	Penn State	--
10	Missouri	--
11	Ohio State	1
12	Boise State	1
13	Georgia	2
14	Michigan State	3
15	TCU	3
16	Oregon State	10
17	Miami (Florida)	3
18	Pittsburgh	1
19	North Carolina	6
20	Boston College	6
21	Cincinnati	1
22	Iowa	3
23	Florida State	7
24	Maryland	2
25	LSU	4

The Top 10 is identical with the exception of Texas and Oklahoma jumping in front of Alabama and, honestly, that is a move I should have made last week. If you think that Bama “deserves” to be #1, you are probably right if you complete a merit-based ballot, but I go by who the best team is at this moment. Let me know if you see a team playing better then Florida. They just demolished what was generally considered the SEC’s best defense.

I suppose the Top 5 is going to get some shake up next week with the TT-OU battle, but there is a chance that both team remain the same if TT wins a close, well-played game.

Oregon State leaps into the poll at #16, which seems a little high, even to me. But where else would you rank a team that dominated the best defense in the country and it on track for the Rose Bowl? I know they were destroyed but Penn State, but that was a long time ago and they keep winning with a target on their back. If you look at their other losses, they went down at Utah by only 3 and suffered a loss at Stanford in week one, experiencing what only can be explained as opening week jitters. They will get a chance to certify their new ranking with games against a decent Arizona team and the Oregon.

The ACC is a mess in real life and it enjoys no greater degree of order in this ballot. Feel free to point out the inconsistencies, starting with North Carolina still ranked above Maryland, to whom they just lost (in a monsoon). When dealing with the ACC, you are essentially prognosticating which team will be the hot squad of next week. I bet Boston College and Miami end up playing for the ACC title but I tend to think UNC is one of the top two teams in the conference.

If you guessed that I felt a more-than-slight measure of validation as I noticed the Tulsa-Houston climb, you are right. I still feel the same way about Ball State and I will go out on bit of a limb and say they lose their final two games to Central Michigan and Western Michigan.

My ballot may be in a constant state of flux by definition, but a closer examination reveals that the same teams are only changing seats on a weekly basis. I have not had a legitimate shake up of the Top 10 in a few weeks. The top team may change some weeks, but that is as much a function of modern college football as anything else. Even with those switches, the Top 10 is generally comprised of the same teams. This week is no different with the only new team, Utah, replacing TCU, a team it just defeated. Read More...

One of the enjoyable incidental benefits of the Buckeyes’ bye week – aside from decreased blood pressure – is that I get to watch a full day’s worth of football without the pleasant distraction of losing my mind while watching the Buckeyes. One of other secondary benefits of this past weekend was that I realized how wrong I was about so many teams. I was able to watch to the early Big Ten matchups, midday SEC and ACC contests, as well as the Big 12 nightcap. Read More...

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Texas	--
2	Alabama	1
3	Penn State	1
4	Florida	1
5	Texas Tech	3
6	Oklahoma State	--
7	Oklahoma	--
8	Southern Cal	4
9	Georgia	--
10	TCU	2
11	Missouri	2
12	Utah	2
13	Florida State	11
14	Boise State	4
15	North Carolina	11
16	Ohio State	6
17	LSU	6
18	Michigan State	2
19	Virginia	7
20	Minnesota	1
21	Brigham Young	2
22	Tulsa	3
23	Georgia Tech	8
24	Iowa	2
25	Ball State	1

Now what? Ohio State has scored __ offensive touchdowns and you could make an argument that they are the worst 8-2 in the country and not deserving of a top __ ranking. I am probably overreacting, but last time I checked, this offense had four O-linemen returning to block for the Heisman favorite, and the nation’s #1 recruit behind center. Do you know what that nets? Exactly 281 yards against a defense that was gashed by a bad Michigan team. Spare me the look ahead garbage, too. After 9 straight losses, they wanted to beat so badly they could taste it. And the Buckeyes managed ONE trips inside the redzone and 6 points. Ick.

The OSU offense is horrible. Where are the wide receivers? Where is the dominant running game? Does anyone really believe this is the best two-loss team in America? Better than Missouri or LSU. No way. Hello, Breakfast Bowl.

With a bullet: Texas is the #1 team…easily. If you think anyone else deserves to be top-ranked you need to get your head examined. They have defeated the #1, #1, and #6 teams in the country, in-a-row. If you thought Ohio State’s two victories against #2 teams was impressive in 2006 was a full house, with a victory against Texas Tech this weekend, the Longhorns will have four-of-a-kind.

If I had any balls, I would vote the Gators #2. I recently wrote that I thought the BCSCG would e USC v. Florida, but I am starting to doubt half of that prognostication. Would I bet on Florida in any single game right now? Yep.

This week’s BlogPoll Roundtable is hosted Corn Nation, who sometimes travels to Wisconsin, apparently.

1. We’re about half way through the season. Has your team met your expectations, wildly exceeded them, or are you about to light the torches and storm your athletic department demanding blood?

I bet Ohio State is the only team in the country where a “yes” to each part of that question is equally likely. And, like every good, totally-jaded fan of a major program, the answer to the above question changes on a week-by-week basis.

Personally, this Ohio State team has (kinda) met my expectations. Because beanie was injured so early in the season, it is impossible to separate the two. After he was injured, expectations for the Ohio State offense were lowered by a magnitude. Even before the injury, however, only the most ardent Buckeyes fan believed they were going to be dynamic on offense. They may have expected a competent, consistent offense with Beanie, but those hopes quickly flew out of the window.

In one way, this season has wildly exceeded my expectations because Terrelle Pryor is not only getting playing time, he is starting. Everyone, myself included, wanted to see him mixed ala Tebow, and those fans got what they wished for, minus Chris Leak. The future showed up a lot sooner than many fans even dreamed of.

Finally, despite the 7-1 record, only two weeks ago angry mobs filled message boards and blog comments sections declaring the OSU coaching staff to be trading at an all-time low. “Bollman has to go!” was a common, if not ubiquitous cry from the cheap seats. Ask me this question again around 11:30pm this Saturday night and I will have a completely different answer for you. Read More...

This week’s BlogPoll has been cooling on the windowsill for a while as it was submitted on Monday morning. Freshness still guaranteed.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Texas	--
2	Penn State	--
3	Alabama	--
4	Southern Cal	1
5	Florida	1
6	Oklahoma State	--
7	Oklahoma	--
8	Texas Tech	--
9	Georgia	--
10	Ohio State	4
11	LSU	--
12	TCU	12
13	Missouri	3
14	Utah	1
15	Georgia Tech	4
16	Pittsburgh	6
17	Boston College	9
18	Boise State	5
19	South Florida	6
20	Michigan State	7
21	Minnesota	5
22	Kansas	6
23	Brigham Young	11
24	Florida State	2
25	Tulsa	1

The more things change, the more they stay the same: My top 10 is comprised of the 9 of the same 10 teams, with only Missouri disappearing and Ohio State making an entrance again.

Speaking of the Buckeyes, they looked like a real football team again and are awarded a few extra spots in this week’s poll. I have them at #10, after they defeated one team in front of them, another lost by 25 points, and the other looked rotten in a narrow victory while employing the services of a 12th “player.”

Still, #10 is as high as you can rank this squad considering the generous breaks they received on Saturday. If Ray’s and/or Keshawn Martin’s fumble bounces differently the game would have certainly played out differently. You heard Tressel say it, this was not a traditional 45-7 beating, but a game dictated by circumstance. The Buckeyes have a lot of work to do before Saturday.

As usual, 16-25 is a bloody mess. Can you believe I was forced to rank the Gophers? I know they are 6-1 but no Penn State and Michigan State will do that for a team.

Why do teams hate being ranked in the Top 5? And, why does every uber-hyped SEC matchup remind me of a 1990s Super Bowl blowout?

I rewarded my clairvoyance by placing Texas atop this poll. If I were really clairvoyant, they would already have been there. Either way, the Longhorns appear to have the most impressive to date, until they lose or Oklahoma starts sucking (see Alabama’s win versus Georgia).

My provisional ballot and discussion follows after the jump. Read More...

This week’s musings on the organized nonsense we like to call the BlogPoll takes place on Barking Carnival (Texas). I will always have a soft spot for Texas since defeating them in 2006 and causing Vince Young his only pain of 2005 (he could barely get up a couple of times in that game). Good times. On to the roundtableness…

Please observe the latest ESPN Heisman Watch. What gridiron presence draws your suspicion and ire?

Charles Scott? Really? You could choose any of those listed 3-5 but Scott seems to be the most dubious choice. He has played one good rushing defense, Auburn, and had a good game (21 car., 132 yards), but does that sound like a Heisman winner to you? Unless he goes off and runs for 2,000 yards I cannot imagine he even gets invited to New York.

Besides, Chase Daniel and Sam Bradford are the runaway leaders at this point and if Nissan and Dr. Pepper have their way, they will create a carbonated-prune powered vehicle that will escort the two quarterbacks onto the field in the B12CG, which will decide the Heisman Trophy, conference title, and spot in the BCSCG.

In World War I, British troops were famously characterized as “Lions Led By Donkeys.” What Donkey leading a college football team of Lions is leading his troops into the Somme again this Saturday? Who should replace him after the court martial? Read More...

BP6 is preheating and before its ready, you have your usual chance to tell me I have no clue about college football (a concept I readily accept). There is some movement and questionable selections. Also, that post I previously redacted; remember it now.

For any new visitors, check out my voter disclaimer on the logic, or lack thereof, in creating my weekly poll. Read More...

This week’s BlogPoll Roundtable is hosted Big Red Network. Head over there to see many other bloggers responses to the same questions.

Q: Of the four presumed national title contenders to go down this past week--USC, Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin--which team has the best chance to get back in the race by the end of the year?

A: This is like asking which financial stock would you like to be holding the most – Lehman, AIG, Wachovia, and WaMu. I will take Florida. Their marketplace is the strongest, relatively speaking, and at this stage (conference play) that is unlikely to change. Their assets are the most proven – Heisman winner, recent MNC, nice home schedule – so voters are going to give them more credit for an average win. I know Georgia has a similar schedule but the beating they took on national television will haunt them for the entire season. Florida was beaten while playing on a regional network that national voters don’t watch. Buy Florida.

Q: But what does this mean for Ohio State? Are they back in?

A: No, because – to borrow a political phrase - they will suffer the soft bigotry of lower expectations. I am not sure if this team is not ready for prime time, and we may not find out until the end of October when Penn State rolls into Columbus, but most fans will simply dismiss any success as the result of a poor conference and will seize upon any loss as an outright indication that the higher ranked teams would tear them apart. Oh, and there is that USC thing.

Q: Did the week that was open the door for any of the undefeateds out of some of the non-BCS conferences like the Mountain West or the Big East? (Yup, that's a cheap shot. Thanks, Virginia Tech for not allowing me to make it about the ACC.)

A: I am not a believer in the “BCS Buster” conferences. BYU is the class of the non-BCS grouping but I am not convinced they could place 4th in the Big Ten. You can claim that they had a bad game, but they barely defeated Washington - a very bad team – and you could argue that is the best team they will face all season.

That being said, the door is open for Utah and BYU, albeit slightly and hypothetically. Do I think they would provide a competitive game? Nope. But I do think they would set the BCS Buster movement back a few years.

Week 4 is poured and set, so you can trust it to support all of the illogical, inebraiated arguments you plan on having this weekend about insipid rankings compiled by keyboard monkeys and graduate assistants. Now, us bloggers know EXACTLY what we are talking about.

As for the games that I watched, check out the drinking schedule. It was unadulterated with the exception of that vicious 12:30PST slot – went with a mustached Sparty versus clover-holding sissies. The night slot played out perfectly and I am not referring to my buzz.

As usual, study up, read on, and tell me I am an idiot. Read More...

Week Two's Blog Poll is cooked and ready. After the jump you can check out the reasoning, or lack thereof, in ranking these fine institutions. Just like the rest of the ranking world, USC and Oklahoma reside in the rarified air of presumed BCS inclusion. On the flip side, but four teams did their best to not impress, thus their exclusion for the next seven days or longer. Read More...

Week Two's Blog Poll is official and details regarding my internal dialogue follow the poll. A lot of the teams remained still, mostly because the slate of games did not provide many opportunities for movement. Consider these rankings the calm before the storm as next weekend will provide a clearer picture of the national landscape. Read More...

Update: This post was accidentally deleted. That is why the comments section is screwed up. My apologies. Desktop publishing software will do that.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oklahoma	--
2	Southern Cal	1
3	Ohio State	1
4	Georgia	--
5	Florida	1
6	LSU	2
7	Texas	2
8	Missouri	3
9	Wisconsin	1
10	Texas Tech	1
11	West Virginia	1
12	Penn State	2
13	Auburn	--
14	Oregon	3
15	Wake Forest	10
16	Alabama	10
17	Brigham Young	3
18	Arizona State	3
19	Kansas	4
20	South Florida	2
21	California	5
22	UCLA	4
23	Utah	3
24	Illinois	5
25	Clemson	18

This is easily the most difficult ranking of the season. Trying to reconcile one week’s worth of games with my highly subjective preseason guesses is an exercise in madness. Not to mention, I was in the wilderness and have only seen a handful of games via TiVo. Still, I am compelled to submit a poll.

Let’s start with the losers. Tennessee, Boston College, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech all dropped out of the poll this week. If you uttering to yourself, “Boston College did not lose this past weekend,” give yourself bonus points. But they did struggle with one of the worst teams in America so it is considered a loss in the land of Blog Poll.

What are we smoking? The Tide enters the poll at 16, which is probably a Buckeye Commentary Blog Poll record for entry, but we are too lazy to do the research at the moment. Even though the video shows them pantsing Clemson at every possible moment, we feel a little squeamish about this one. After all, they lost to Louisiana Monroe less than twelve months ago.

Oh yeah, Missouri moves down because they wasted eleven scholarships on that starting defense. I thought Ohio State made Juice look good, but 400 yards passing!?! Can you imagine what Harrell, Bradford, and McCoy will look like?

Yeah, we play them soon. USC jumped to #2 and we could have placed them at numero uno without a problem. Did you see that defense? Beanie has to play. We will pay for the foot transplant if necessary.

You would think that Midweek Mierda is that easiest thing I write all week. After all, anything with the Spanish word for “shit” in it cannot be that complicated, right? Somehow, however, it manages to stymie me on a semi-regular basis.

So, rather than scour the Interweb for interesting bites of Buckeyes info, I am including a piece that I had to write anyway – my Blog Poll Roundtable reaction. The preseason roundtable is hosted by Doug at Hey Jenny Slater (easily the best name for a CFB blog). You will be able to link to all the blog reactions from there. Oh yeah, here is the Preseason Blog Poll.

1. In his "visiting lecturers" series posted on Every Day Should Be Saturday over the past few months, Orson Swindle asked each participant to explain which country, during which historical period, their team most resembles. Let's bring everything up to the present day and ponder: Which current sovereign nation is your team? Or to look at it another way, how does your team fit into the "world" of college football?

Great Britain: Just like Brits, Ohio State’s currency (wins, Big Ten Championship, and NFL draft picks) is trading at an all-time high, with a closet stocked full of weapons, and, similar to our accented ancestors, we rule over our confederated entities with relative ease. Sure, we have old school, neighboring rivals (Germany, France v. Michigan, Penn State) but they have not bothered us recently.

The respective worlds, however, are not necessarily taking either one seriously. SEC coaches, players, and fans openly disparage the Big Ten, while the United States and China smile politely in the presence of the U.K. Not to mention each has endured some recent embarrassments (Britain’s complicity in the Iraq War v. OSU’s complicity in BCSCG blowouts).

Finally, each has a great opportunity to reestablish prominence at the highest level as the Buckeyes play the Game of the Year (until the next one) in Los Angeles, while London hosts the 2012 Summer Games. Unfortunately, London has four years to figure things out. Tressel and Co. have about three weeks.

2. Every preseason roundup has to have some discussion of who's overrated, but let's go beyond that. Which team do you think is poised to crap the bed in the biggest way this season relative to high expectations, and which game do you think will begin their slide into ignominy?

West Virginia – Remind me again why I ranked them #12? Their offense and defense are both worse than Texas Tech, yet most are voting the Mountaineers ahead of the Red Raiders. I don’t get it and I screwed up my ranking.

Sure, Pat White returns with Noel Devine, but the rest of the offensive skill players are gone, not to mention the entire coaching staff. Unless, White plans on getting 30 carries/game, I cannot fathom that offense being as good. The offensive line will be good, but how many times can you effectively block an 8-man front. Don’t even get me started on the defense.

As far as the bellwether game is concerned, it may not happen for a while because the Mountaineers' schedule is so back loaded. It could be at Colorado on September 18 (Thursday night game) but if not, it will surely come crumbling down on October 23 versus Auburn (yet another Thursday night game).

3. On the flip side of that coin, which team do you think is going to burst out of nowhere to become 2008's biggest overachiever -- this year's version of Kansas '07, as it were -- and what's going to be the big upset that makes us all finally sit up and take notice of them?

Cincinnati – I am not saying the Bearcats are poised to loiter in the Top 5 all year, but the team that went 9-3 in 2007 could do some serious damage in the Big East (read: a 7-0 record). They get South Florida and Pittsburgh at home and travel to Morgantown two weeks after Auburn ruins West Virginia’s season. Read More...

Here is my preseason ballot. The only change is the addition of Wake Forest and the deletion of California.

Rank	Team	Comments
1	Oklahoma	Good – Dominant offensive line, Sam Bradford, fast defense; Bad – Running backs coming off injuries
2	Ohio State	Good – Heisman contending tailback, dominant linebackers and shut down corners; Bad – NCG hangover, suspensions
3	Southern Cal	Good – Scary defense, endless supply of running backs; Bad – Injured Sanchez, uncertainty at WR
4	Georgia	Good – Unbelievable running game, tremendous secondary; Bad – Sturdivant injury and suspensions
5	Missouri	Good – Top 5 offense, underrated defense; Bad – Target on back, depth
6	Florida	Good – Unstoppable offense with Tebow and Harvin; Bad – Horrible pass defense, tons of ACL injuries!
7	Clemson	Good – Best offensive backfield in the nation, loaded secondary; Bad – Will they crumble under expectations again?
8	LSU	Good – Offensive and defensive lines are amazing; Bad – Ivy league quarterback and no known leaders
9	Texas	Good – Muschamp will help D, the offense is always good; Bad – Who is the RB?
10	Wisconsin	Good – Loaded at RB, TE, and D-line; Bad – Uh, quarterback?
11	Texas Tech	Good – Best passing game, ever?; Bad – The defense is average. Does it matter?
12	West Virginia	Good – White and Devine should be awesome behind 5 returning linemen; Bad – New coaching staff, defense lost playmakers
13	Auburn	Good – The defense will be superb again. Bad – Do they have a quarterback and receivers for their new offense?
14	Penn State	Good – The defensive line is fantastic with Maurice Evans, great trio of receivers; Bad – Who is lining up in the backfield?
15	Kansas	Good – Reesing is back and the linebackers are very solid; Bad – No running back.
16	Tennessee	Good – Defensive back 7 is good and RB Foster will produce; Bad – Crompton needs to improve
17	Oregon	Good – Great secondary and nice offensive line; Bad – Who’s the quarterback?
18	Boston College	Good – Excellent defense, solid receivers; Bad – No proven running backs, poor special team
19	Illinois	Good – Juice Williams and the offensive line; Bad – Linebackers and running backs need work
20	Brigham Young	Good – The offense should score tons of points with Max Hall and Co.; Bad – the defensive back seven needs some work
21	Arizona State	Good – Rudy carpenter and the receivers will be great if…; Bad – the offensive line can block after giving up 55 sacks last year
22	South Florida	Good – Grothe is back and should have more talent around him; Bad – The defense lost a lot but returns George Selvie on the edge
23	Pittsburgh	Good – LeSean McCoy is the real deal and the defensive line should be the Big East’s finest; Bad – Quarterback and offensive line issues could hold McCoy and the offense back
24	Virginia Tech	Good – Experience at quarterback behind a nice offensive line; Bad – No proven playmakers on offense and Glennon is a bit of a liability
25	Wake Forest	Good – A surprisingly good defense and Riley Skinner under center; Bad – Zero receivers will lead to unbalanced offense

Update (12:45pm): More recent posts will continue below but I want to leave the poll at the top to encourage more comments.

The BlogPoll is back and I have to submit my initial preseason poll. My final ballot is due Sunday night so I thought I would throw this one out for comments and criticisms. Tell me what you think. I will include my comments on Monday.

First, a little information on how I analyze and rank the teams. Of course, I take into account the voting philosophy espoused by others. Ultimately, however, the teams are ranked based on how good I believe them to be at this moment, not two weeks ago, and not how I think they will finish. The test is whether I believe a team would defeat the team immediately ahead of them on a neutral field this weekend.

Also, this sounds obvious, but someone has to be ranked in each spot. There are no ties. I know there are vagaries that make it difficult to determine who is truly better than whom, but remember these rankings are subjective.

Finally, the ranking are always subject to change. Teams may jump five or ten spots in one week, or may drop even when they win. Likewise, teams may rise when they lose. I take injuries and suspensions into consideration, so a team may and lose its best (see Oregon 2007) and drop. This poll will not reward teams simply for winning. Again, these rankings are subjective.

As always, final BlogPoll is posted at MGoBlog weekly and all individual ballots are available for viewing. A big thanks to Brian for including us again. Poll after the jump... Read More...

Rank	Team	Delta	Comments
1	Oregon	1	I am not as convinced of this ranking as I once was.  Justify yourselves, Ducks, by blowing out Arizona on Thursday night.
2	LSU	1	This weekend should provide very little challenge.  Ditto the following week.  We will have to wait for the SECCG for their next live opponent.
3	Oklahoma	1	If they win out I will vote them in the Top 2, which is all that really matters (if this poll mattered, which it doesn't). They may already have the most impressive pair of wins this season (Missouri and Texas).
4	Missouri	1	They have a tough finishing kick @ Kansas St. and @ Kansas, with a potential Big12CG after that.  If they win out, how can you not vote them No. 1?
5	Kansas	1	See Missouri.
6	Ohio State	5	The Buckeyes need to win at Michigan to win the Big Ten, prevent a trip to Orlando, and retain a thread of hope for the BCS Title Game.
7	Georgia	2	They need some help to get to the SECCG where they could give LSU a game.  Their rejuvenated offense could be scary next season.
8	West Virginia	1	They play 3 of the top 4 Big East teams to finish the season.  You can decide if you think that is worth anything.
9	Arizona State	1	They are off this week preparing for a Thanksgiving showdown with USC.  I do not think they can afford to take the first quarter off in that one.
10	Southern Cal	3	I thought they would defeat California more soundly.  A big win on against ASU might make me believe in them.
11	Florida	4	Hello Citrus Bowl.  Unless they screw it up and lose to Florida State.
12	Texas	2	It was nice of the offense to show after their season was over.  At least they can send Franchione into retirement in style.
13	Virginia Tech	5	Not in a million years would I have guessed that the 11/24 game @ Virginia would be more meaningful than this week's game v. Miami.
14	Tennessee	3	By my calculations, with wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky (a combined 5-8 in the SEC) the Volunteers go to the SECCG.  How did that happen?  They have lost 3 games by an average of 26 points/game.
15	Illinois	6	They are going to finish 9-3 (6-2).  And, without the aberration against Iowa this is a 10-win team.  Don't forget, they played Missouri to the bell without Juice Williams and a banged-up Mendenhall.
16	Clemson	3	Two weeks ago I was really looking forward to this week's game against Boston College.  It is still a nice game on paper, but BC's free fall has made it less attractive.
17	Virginia	7	I reluctantly admit that this team is good.  How?  I have no idea.  I guess I have to watch them play VT now.
18	Penn State	5	I could be overreaching on this one.  But there is no way I am ranking Boise State or Hawaii in the Top 20.
19	Wisconsin	6	Sure, Penn State slaughtered Wisky.  But the Badgers beat Michigan, something PSU never does.
20	Boston College	10	BC took the express elevator from 2 to 20.  The loss to Maryland was horrible.  They are staring a 3-game losing streak in the face right now.
21	Michigan	10	I should have dropped them out of the poll for mailing it in last week versus Wisconsin.  Resting Hart and Henne was pathetic.
22	Cincinnati	4	This will be the last that you see of them after they get crushed by West Virginia this weekend.
23	Boise State	3	This is purely a vote for nostalgia.
24	Hawaii	2	Mercy vote.
25	Auburn	13	What happened last week?  They have two weeks to regroup for the Iron Bowl.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	Oregon	--
3	LSU	1
4	Oklahoma	2
5	Missouri	3
6	Kansas	1
7	West Virginia	2
8	Arizona State	5
9	Georgia	1
10	Boston College	5
11	Michigan	--
12	Auburn	1
13	Southern Cal	2
14	Texas	--
15	Florida	1
16	Alabama	4
17	Tennessee	--
18	Virginia Tech	1
19	Clemson	2
20	California	--
21	Illinois	5
22	Connecticut	--
23	Penn State	3
24	Virginia	2
25	Wisconsin	7

Rank	Team	Delta	Comments
1	Ohio State	--	Say whatever you want about the Big Ten but this team consistently performs well and has yet to be challenged in the fourth quarter (Michigan State included).
2	Oregon	--	They played well on a huge stage.  Next up, the 4th ranked Sun Devils.   If you made them #1, I would understand.
3	Arizona State	3	They came from behind with their best player out and their QB dinged up.  If Carpenter is not totally healthy this weekend, they could be in trouble.  They have to win in a shootout.
4	LSU	1	They are not unbeaten and they are not the best one-loss team.  This is their last tough opponent. Will Les Miler outsmart Saban ... or himself?
5	Boston College	--	Winning at Lane Stadium on Thursday night should garner more respect.   So, why do I feel like the Eagles are about to fall apart?
6	Oklahoma	2	Hey Sooners, look better than Kansas did last weekend or prepare to switch with the Jayhawks.
7	Kansas	1	When was the last time Kansas was favored against Nebraksa?  Seriously, when was it?  I have no idea.
8	Missouri	1	Depending on your view of Oklahoma, Missouri could be the best one-loss team in the country.   They finish with 3 of 4 on the road, so that status may not remain for long.
9	West Virginia	3	When no one is watching the Mountaineers are as good as they want to be.   Turn on the bright lights and they cannot get out of their own way.   Fortunately for West Virginia, no one will be watching the rest of the way.
10	Georgia	8	The celebration annoyed me, but the offensive balance was impressive.  The big pass plays and Moreno allowed the Bulldogs to convert 10-13 third downs.
11	Michigan	5	It is a little uncomfortable placing the Wolverines here, but the win against Minnesota is better than you think.  Michigan had trouble converting yards into points, but they were basically starting their B-Team.
12	Alabama	14	Which Alabama team will we get?   The "lights-out" squad that played Tennessee?  Or, the one that got pushed around by Florida State?
13	Auburn	4	Same story as Michigan except they had their starters.  I am trying not to read too much into that game.
14	Texas	7	To make it any higher than this season the Longhorns need to blow out their last three opponents.
15	Southern Cal	5	If you think Oregon is #2, then show some respect to a Trojan team who hung tough on the road with the backup QB.
16	Florida	9	t is strange to rank a three loss team this highly, but I believe they would beat everyone below them (see Tennessee).
17	Tennessee	7	They were reeling at home and found a way to win in overtime.  When it is all said and done, you cannot spell Citrus without UT.
18	Wisconsin	8	The Badgers have won three straight at Ohio Stadium.  Can they make it four?  I doubt it, but they will not go down without a fight.
19	Virginia Tech	6	The defense looked great for 55 minutes, then they went to the prevent defense.  When will coaches learn that is a lead reducing defense?
20	California	6	They have lost three in a row?  How are they ranked you ask?  I am not sure, but I think they would beat the last five teams.
21	Clemson	5	Their two losses are forgivable but they have Wake Forest, BC, and South Carolina coming to town after a tune up against Duke.  They have a chance to climb up this ladder in a hurry.
22	Connecticut	4	I do not believe in the Huskies.  I will not be surprised if they lose their last four games.
23	South Florida	12	While I am at it, I do not believe in South Florida either.  I bet they lose at least one more.
24	Wake Forest	2	Don't look now, but Wake is on its way to another 10 wins if they can beat Clemson in two weeks.
25	Purdue	1	They have zero quality wins, but their losses are against the conference heavyweights, which is more than many two-loss teams can say.

Rank	Team	Delta	Comments
1	Ohio State	--	Welcome back Chris Wells.   Now, stay healthy and the Ohio State ground game is in good hands.  Lost in the close win was the suffocating defense.
2	Oregon	5	This is the best offense in the country.   24 fourth quarter points?   661 yards?   Yikes.  USC may have a nice defense but they may only hold the Ducks to 35 points.
3	LSU	2	The offense looked better with Doucet back, but this team is only a few plays away from having a 3-game losing streak.   How long can they live on the edge?
4	Oklahoma	2	National Champion caliber teams do not struggle with the Cyclones.
5	Boston College	1	Hopefully, the Eagles got all their penalties out of the way against ND.   Otherwise, it will be a long trip home from Blacksburg.
6	Arizona State	3	This is what the world has been waiting for.   ASU v. a real opponent.  The injury to Torain is upsetting, but Keegan Herring has two weeks to get integrated into the offense.
7	Florida	4	The Gators finally finished well.   Now, they have to finish the nasty 4-game stretch this weekend with a 2-2 record.
8	Kansas	4	Teams are gunning for them now and they did win at Colorado – something the Sooners could not do.
9	Missouri	4	hat was an impressive win against Texas Tech the week after the tough loss to OU.   The schedule lets up until the road finale at Kansas.
10	Southern Cal	4	I did not watch one play of the Notre Dame and it would not have proved anything if I had.   If they can get healthy and win this weekend, there is a jump in their future.
11	South Florida	2	This is where they were last week and this is where they stay.   They were not a top-5 team last week, but they do not deserve to be any farther down than this.
12	West Virginia	2	I seriously doubt the Mountaineers will lose again.   That schedule is garbage.   Unless USF loses, I will not rank them ahead of the Bulls.
13	Virginia Tech	2	They have everything going in their favor to get back into the National Title picture. Last time they had this chance, they were destroyed by LSU.
14	California	8	What happened?   Losing to Oregon State with a backup QB is acceptable in this crazy season.   Losing to UCLA is not.   If they can pull it together, they can knock off ASU and USC in the next few weeks.
15	South Carolina	7	They got behind by 17 and were hopelessly lost.   The defense might be very good, but the offense just does not inspire confidence.
16	Michigan	7	The win against Illinois was nice but the injuries are disconcerting.   This week is a bye against Minnesota and then the big finish.
17	Auburn	--	They almost pulled off the unthinkable – winning at LSU, at night.   The same team that lost to Mississippi State at home should have pulled it out. Non matter how you shake it, however, they have lost three games.
18	Georgia	4	They never beat Florida.   In this upside down season, take the Bulldogs.   The defense is playing well on the radar.
19	Kentucky	3	Lost in all the excitement around the Wildcats is their terrible defense.   They gave up 34 to Lousiville, 23 to South Carolina, 29 to Arkansas, 37 to LSU, and 45 to Florida.   What is the over/under on Mississippi State this weekend?
20	Penn State	5	As usual, 20-25 are interchangeable and disposable.   The Lions two losses on the road do not appear to be that bad, but this team has no identity.   The defense shows up against Wisconsin and then takes a vacation against Indiana. What do we get this weekend?
21	Texas	3	Their best win is against TCU.   Ugh. And, they do not play anyone the rest of the way. They need to destroy some folks to get noticed.Their best win is against TCU.   Ugh. And, they do not play anyone the rest of the way. They need to destroy some folks to get noticed.
22	Rutgers	4	Nice win on Thursday.   Now, back it up this Saturday.
23	Virginia	3	They barely win each week, but at least they win. That has to count for something.
24	Tennessee	6	Three road games.   Three huge losses.  Luckily, they only have one road game remaining.   Unfortunately, that is at Kentucky.
25	Hawaii	1	I should probably have ranked a BCS conference team here.   But, these spots don't count this late in the season, so what the hell?

Rank	Team	Delta	Comments
1	Ohio State	2	Has Ohio State beaten anyone?   Their most impressive opponent so far? Try Northwestern.   Purdue and Minnesota are 1-6 in the Big Ten.  These next five weeks will tell the nation a lot about the Buckeyes.
2	Oklahoma	5	Yeah, they lost to Colorado, but unlike other high profile teams, they have bounced back against good competition.   Their schedule is really soft for the rest of the season so we might not learn much more than we know now.
3	Arizona State	2	The schedule has been soft but they are blowing teams out by an average of 23 points per game.   The next four games are v. Cal, @ Oregon, @ UCLA, v. USC.   Hello reality.
4	Boston College	--	I know the score was deceiving and that ND only scored one offensive touchdown, but a top 5 team does not struggle that badly this Irish team.   BC's 15 penalties for 131 yards are unacceptable.   They would have lost to anyone in the Top 10 yesterday.
5	LSU	3	I told you last week that the Tigers had an average offense.   It finally cost them last weekend. I am not confident it will not again.   So, why are they ranked #5 still?   Because all of the teams around them continue struggle as well.
6	California	5	Wow, I did not see that coming.   I have them ahead of Oregon because they won at Autzen.   That cannot be forgotten.
7	Oregon	1	You could rank the Ducks in the Top 3 and I would not argue.   They will certainly have a chance to prove themselves in the coming weeks.
8	South Carolina	2	They did not look great against UNC, but they won which is everything this season.   That Kentucky win looks really nice now.
9	South Florida	3	In the spirit of full disclosure, I thought there was a real chance of an upset last weekend against Central Florida.   I was wrong … really wrong.   I am still having a hard time with this team but they keep winning.
10	West Virginia	5	They have played one decent opponent and lost.   I am not sure they play another one all year.   If they lose again, they should be ashamed.
11	Florida	2	This ranking seems simultaneous low and high considering the two game losing streak.   They have Kentucky next and that will tell me something.
12	Kansas	1	Their schedule is atrocious, but they have beaten everyone.   And, the schedule does not get much more difficult.  They may be undefeated when they play Missouri.
13	Missouri	5	Speaking of, they played a strong game in Norman but the turnovers were too much to overcome late.   They need to bounce back against the Red Raiders or they may be 1-2 in the Big 12.
14	Southern Cal	1	They are trading on their name at this point.   The offense is middle of the pack.   I know they have many injuries, but those are part of the game and really affecting the Trojans rhythm.
15	Virginia Tech	3	I do not believe in this team.   And, now they have a quarterback controversy on their hands.   They need to beat BC to make me a believer.
16	Kentucky	9	They played LSU evenly and did so without their best RB.   They get Florida next week and a win may help set up a rematch against LSU in the SEC Championship game.
17	Auburn	3	I am still having a hard time with the Mississippi State loss, but they have won four straight.   They play at ultra-motivated LSU this weekend at 9:00 p.m.   Uh oh.   At this point in the rankings, all the teams blur together.
18	Tennessee	5	Their only losses are on the road against two pretty good teams. This week the Vols travel to Alabama.   Fulmer was 1-2 against Saban while he was at LSU.
19	Texas Tech	7	They are averaging 500 ypg passing and 50 ppg.   Can Missouri do anything about that?
20	Kansas State	6	The Wildcats are averaging 37 ppg in Big 12 play.   I am sure they will keep that up against a horrible Oklahoma State defense.
21	Illinois	7	Losing to Iowa is bad.   Scoring 6 points against Iowa is even worse.   This is a young team and they need to get over the loss before the Wolverines come to town.
22	Georgia	4	I cannot figure this team out. They may go 1-4 down the stretch if they do not find any consistency.
23	Michigan	3	Is Michigan ready to participate this season?   The passing game looked potent but if Hart is injured they will struggle.
24	Texas	3	I did not even pay attention to the win over Iowa State.   They have weeks to get better before they play Texas Tech.
25	Penn State	1	[Insert 5-2 team here]

This season is nuts.  Do you have faith in any one team against all others?   Do you really see a team out there that is demonstratively better than the rest?   I don't. 

I should mention at this point I am no longer taking the mythical "Conference Power Rankings" into consideration.   Is the SEC better than the Pac 10?   I have no idea and neither do you.   So, let's stop basing individual team rankings on something so vague.   I do not want to hear, "How can Oklahoma be No. 2?   The Big 12 sucks!"   Remember, three weeks ago everyone thought the Big East was great.  Whoops.   

Analysis added. As always, final BlogPoll is posted at MGoBlog weekly and all individual ballots are available for viewing.
 

Rank	Team	Delta	Comments
1	California	--	I honestly think they would beat LSU on a neutral field.  At this moment, their skilled players are the best in the country.
2	LSU	--	Wake up folks, that offense is average.  The defense is spectacular, but Matt Flynn and Jacob Hester are exciting me
3	Ohio State	1	Has Ohio State played anyone?  We may not know until January.  But they certainly look the part at the moment.
4	Boston College	2	They keep winning ... easily.  They need to blow out a "resurgent" ND team this weekend.
5	Arizona State	2	I cannot wait for 10/27 v. California.
6	Oregon	3	Same weekend v. USC.
7	Oklahoma	1	I really thought they would beat Texas by a larger margin.  Here comes a confident Mizzou
8	Missouri	5	That Illinois win looks a lot better now and they have  a chance to make a statement this weekend.
9	Florida	1	There is little shame in losing to LSU and this ranking reflects that.  But they are having a hard time finishing games defensively.
10	South Carolina	5	The defense is fine but the offense needs to get a lot better to move any higher.
11	Kansas	7	Everything was pointing to a big Jayhawks loss in Manhattan.  Yet, KUpassed that test with flying colors.
12	South Florida	1	If you play a close game against Florida Atlantic you do not deserve to be in the Top 10.
13	Southern Cal	10	They were bound to lose this season, but to Stanford?!  Would you bet on USC against Oregon, ASU, or Cal?
14	Illinois	12	They have played well in each game including that loss to Missouri.  Now, will they pull a Michigan State and collapse after experiencing some success?
15	West Virginia	1	Pat White is dinged up and they still play sloppily in their biggest games.  I do not trust this program.
16	Wisconsin	11	The Badgers are upside down.  Passing well, running poorly.  I do not see this season ending well.
17	Cincinnati	3	This is high enough.
18	Virginia Tech	3	This offense is miserable.  How many special teams touchdowns can you count on each game?  Not enough.
19	Florida State	6	I cannot figure out if FSU is about to explode or implode.  We have seen this before.  A couple of well played games and then ... splat.
20	Auburn	6	The loss to Mississippi State bothers me ... a lot.  But they have been impressive these last two weeks.
21	Texas	4	I was tempted to drop them from the rankings but they hung with Oklahoma and that has to count for something.  Injuries are killing them.
22	Colorado	4	I know, I know.  They lost to Florida State.  Did you watch it?  They played well and killed themselves with turnovers and untimely penalties.  Plus, Hugh Charles did not play.
23	Tennessee	3	They deserve this ranking on the Georgia win alone.  Believe it or not, this team may finish 9-3.
24	Purdue	5	What happen to the offense?  Ohio State may have the nation's best defense so we will give them a pass if they turn it back on this weekend.
25	Kentucky	13	They have not really beaten anyone.  A nice performance this weekend would move them up.  A blow out loss precludes them from reentering the poll again.

(Note: Sorry about the formatting. I didn't have enough time to work out the html table issues. Click on Read More to get Massey's ranking comments. - Keith)

First, someone has to be ranked in each spot.  There are no ties.  I know there are vagaries that make it difficult to determine who is truly better than whom but remember, these rankings are subjective.  
 
Second, the teams are ranked based on how good I believe them to be at this moment, not two weeks ago and not how I think they will finish.  The test is whether I believe a team would defeat the team immediately ahead of them on a neutral field this weekend.   

Finally, this is a fluid situation.  Teams may jump five or ten spots in one week, or may drop even when they win.  Likewise, teams may rise when they lose.  This poll will not reward teams simply for winning. Remember, these rankings are subjective.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	California	5
2	LSU	1
3	Southern Cal	1
4	Ohio State	3
5	Wisconsin	7
6	Boston College	2
7	Arizona State	7
8	Oklahoma	5
9	Oregon	--
10	Florida	6
11	South Florida	2
12	Kentucky	3
13	Missouri	7
14	Georgia	3
15	South Carolina	1
16	West Virginia	11
17	Texas	7
18	Kansas	8
19	Purdue	3
20	Cincinnati	4
21	Virginia Tech	2
22	Kansas State	4
23	Nebraska	2
24	Michigan	2
25	Florida State	1

Read More...

I think most of you are familiar with the BlogPoll? Well, we're back to casting our ballot. BC took a hiatus to focus on other things but we've rounded back and here we are:

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU	25
2	Southern Cal	24
3	Oklahoma	23
4	Florida	22
5	West Virginia	21
6	California	20
7	Ohio State	19
8	Boston College	18
9	Oregon	17
10	Texas	16
11	Clemson	15
12	Wisconsin	14
13	South Florida	13
14	Arizona State	12
15	Kentucky	11
16	South Carolina	10
17	Georgia	9
18	Alabama	8
19	Rutgers	7
20	Missouri	6
21	Penn State	5
22	Purdue	4
23	Virginia Tech	3
24	Cincinnati	2
25	Nebraska	1