Top 25

College Football

Top 25

1. Louisiana State, 9-0, 1

2. Oklahoma State, 9-0, 3

3. Stanford, 9-0, 4

4. Alabama, 8-1, 2

5. Oklahoma, 8-1, 6

6. Oregon, 8-1, 8

7. Boise State, 8-0, 5

8. Arkansas, 8-1, 9

9. Clemson, 8-1, 10

10. Virginia Tech, 8-1, 13

11. Kansas State, 7-2, 15

12. Michigan State, 7-2, 14

13. Wisconsin, 7-2, 17

14. South Carolina, 7-2, 11

15. Georgia, 7-2, 18

16. Southern Cal, 7-2, 19

17. Houston, 9-0, 20

18. Penn State, 8-1, 21

19. Florida State, 6-3, 22

20. Texas, 6-2, 23

21. Georgia Tech, 6-2, 25

22. Michigan 7-2, 12

23. Nebraska, 7-2, 7

24. Southern Miss, 8-1, NR

25. Notre Dame 6-3, NR

OUT: Arizona State (16), West Virginia (24)

VOTES: Auburn, Arizona State, Baylor, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Texas Christian, Washington, West Virginia, Virginia, Texas A&M, Florida and Miami.

Oklahoma record stetting wideout Ryan Broyles added his name to the unfortunate list of All America players lost for the season by tearing his ACL as OU beat the Texas Aggies.....Kansas State gave Okie State everything they wanted but fell short at Stillwater, leaving the Cowboys in BCS title contention....Florida got by Vanderbilt to keep bowl streak alive....The latest installment of The Game of the Century was a defensive gem, but LSU got by the Tide as a glaring weakness in the Crimson Tide kicking game was exposed.....UCLA got a big win for embattled Coach Rick Neuheisel, nipping Arizona State....Ole Miss got spanked by lowly Kentucky, which may shove Houston Nutt out the door....A very disturbing situation is unfolding at Penn State regarding former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and child sex crimes. It appears some of the Lion administrative staff perhaps failed to act properly in response the aftermath of the allegations, and by the time the dust settles, I suspect the whole house will be cleaned out, including Coach Joe Paterno. It is time for Joe Paterno to go, and Penn State will start from scratch in the football administration. George Diaz of The Orlando Sentinel goes further, and sadly, his points are valid and reasonable....Boise State struggled again, which won't get them in the BCS game....Southern Cal bombed Colorado at Boulder, and the Buffaloes have really fallen off the cliff, and you have to wonder how this rapid decline happened....Missouri appears off to the SEC, which I think is a bad move for the Tigers but a sign of the times.

Florida State usually has trouble with Boston College, and the game is normally very close. Not this year, as FSU dominated the Eagles in Chestnut Hill. While Eagle LB Luke Kuechly got his usual 20 stops, the Seminoles were spreading the field in building a huge lead. On defense, FSU seems to benefit from having LB Telvin Smith on the field, as he makes plays, while the ends, Werner and Jenkins, are stout. With EJ Manuel healthy, the Seminoles appear on the verge of hitting their stride, and with Miami coming to town this weekend, a message could be sent.

After a huge win in smothering Michigan State a week ago, Nebraska played very poorly as Northwestern came into Lincoln beating the 'Huskers from start to finish. While 'Husker QB Taylor Martinez played very well, the loss is unacceptable. Offensively, the Big Red play calling was unimaginative, with no effort made to expose any Wildcat defensive vulnerabilities and the execution was very poor. Once a proud strength, the offensive line cannot move the line of scrimmage and yards are real hard to come by. On defense, an area where under the Pelini brothers the 'Huskers are supposed to excel, there were no answers for the Wildcats. A four man rush was no match for quick throws or quarterback scrambles, while many secondary breakdowns, particularly in the middle of the field, were cashed in on by Northwestern. This was evident early on, but Nebraska made no visible adjustments. Late in the game, when Nebraska got close enough to perhaps win the game, Northwestern responded by confidently marching right down the field on the Blackshirts to seal the Big Red fate. In summary, while Northwestern has some good things going, they did lose to Army and there is no excuse for what happened in Lincoln Saturday. To say the Big Red was lethargic, pedestrian and out coached on both sides of the ball would be kind. The whole team had issues, but the blame goes to the defensive coaches. Given how well this unit has played since the Pelini brothers arrived, it is mind boggling to view this unit struggle so mightily. Of particular concern is the inability or unwillingness to adjust, as the unit has the talent to be disruptive to opposing offenses. They just don't all that often, and the result gave us an embarrassing loss on Saturday.