The Color & Pageantry Top 25

College Football

Top 25

1.      Alabama, 7-0, 1
2.      Florida State, 6-0, 5
3.      Oregon, 7-0, 2
4.      Ohio State, 7-0, 4
5.      Missouri, 7-0, 14
6.      Miami, 7-0, 9
7.      Stanford, 6-1, 11
8.      Baylor, 7-0, 13
9.      Clemson, 6-1, 3
10.    UCLA, 5-1, 7
11.    Texas Tech, 7-0, 19
12.    Virginia Tech, 6-1, 21
13.    Auburn, 5-1, 25
14.    Nebraska, 5-1, 18
15.    LSU, 6-2, 8
16.    Texas A&M, 5-2, 6
17.    South Carolina, 5-2, 13
18.    Central Florida, 5-1, NR
19.    Arizona State, 5-2, NR
20.    Wisconsin, 5-2, 23
21.    Fresno State, 6-0, 20
22.    Northern Illinois, 7-0, 22
23.    Oklahoma, 6-1, 24
24.    Notre Dame, 5-2, NR
25.    Louisville, 6-1, 10

OUT:  Georgia (15), Washington (20), Florida (21)

VOTES:  Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Georgia, Michigan State, Michigan, Washington, Texas, Oregon State, Florida and Ole Miss.

It was GREAT to see one of our favorites, legendary announcer Keith Jackson, Mr. College Football, on FOX Sports college football preview show. Jackson explains how Whoa Nellie came about.



ESPN Gameday reporter Tom Renaldi took a lost back at what the late Beano Cook  labeled the greatest play since "My Fair Lady", the "Puntrooskie" trick play Florida State ran to set up a winning field goal with time expiring at Clemson 25 years ago.  I saw it live, and as steep as the upper deck there is at Clemson, it seemed like we about fell over onto the field celebrating. The Butler did it!



NATIONAL ANALYSIS:

I think this may be the most difficult Top 25 I have compiled, perhaps due to the carnage of would be contenders this past Saturday.....We can start with the Georgia Bulldogs, decimated by injury who could not survive a trip to a decent Vanderbilt team trying to climb out an early season filled with turmoil.  The Bulldogs were among the nations best when healthy, but they are not right now and every week is a dawgfight.... Same for the Florida Gators, also crushed by injuries, but although still hanging on defensively, have no chance against anybody decent due to eye popping offensive woes... Florida-Georgia should sell advertising as perhaps the National Sunshine Rehabilitation Bowl; Have a cocktail or five and cure your woes......UCLA got clamped down at Stanford, which was not expected.....Oregon was challenged early by Wazzu, but ended up killing them....Michigan set offensive records galore against upstart Indiana, who left their defense on the bus.....Storm Johnson helped UCF storm back from a 28-7 deficit to shock Louisville for the biggest win in Knight history, positioning them for a BCS bowl....Miami almost joined the list of losers this weekend, winning at North Carolina with a minute to play.....Outside of Alabama, who rolled Arkansas, seemingly all favorites in the SEC lost, Florida at Mizzou, Georgia at Vandy, LSU at Ole Miss, Texas A&M at home against Auburn and South Carolina at Tennessee, turning the Top 25 upside down......Baylor blasted Iowa State and not a team anybody wants to see upcoming on their schedule...Arizona State pounded a wounded Washington team in Tempe....Tennessee is getting better, having almost beat Georgia and now beating So. Carolina.....Ohio State pulled away at the Horseshoe to beat Iowa....GT blasted Syracuse while Maryland, still staggered from losing at FSU, got punked by Wake Forest, who is playing better of late.....Michigan State used their defense to get them another win hosting Purdue and Minnesota, a team thought coming into the season as improved but not playing well, won at Northwestern, another good team still allowing the Ohio State loss linger on.

FLORIDA STATE ANALYSIS



FSU TE Nick OLeary
PhotoAP/Mike Stewart

Put a smile on your warpainted face. In an epic beatdown, Florida State blasted #3 Clemson at Death Valley 51-14, a game not as close as the score would indicate.  Although the Seminoles looked better on paper, logic would dicate that it would be Clemson, with their monumental home field advantage and a fifth year senior honors candidate at quarterback, that would seize the day and venture on toward a possible national championship.  The Tigers should have stayed on the bus.  Florida State redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston, who treated the hostile environment like cold pizza, shined in dissecting the Tiger defense leading a balanced attack hitting paydirt.  And balanced it was, with Devonta Freeman running, Rashad Greene. Kelvin Benjamin and Orlando Dr. Phillips star Kenny Shaw catching Winston aerials inside and outside the hash marks and tight end Nick OLeary having a record setting night.  The Seminole kicking game excelled as well.  Clemson was shackled on offense, with the Seminoles disrupting Tiger QB Tajh Boyd while closing the corner and shutting down running lanes.  Timmy Jernigan and Mario Edwards played well up front.  LB Telvin Smith, a BAHL Revere preseason All America pick, introduced himself to the nation, wreaking havoc all over the field.  Christian Jones, of Winter Park Lake Howell, has a great day as well.  But the secondary was also up to the task, and the player of the game was without doubt LaMarcus Joyner. who had an interception, caused a game changing fumble of a sack, caused another fumble and was simply a terror in Tiger town.  Without question, this was the best game the Seminoles have played against a legit top five team in over a decade.  Clemson beat Georgia when the Dawgs were healthy, so they are no fluke.  Winston escorted all doubters out of the stadium on this night, and it is Florida State that can now begin dreaming big.  For Coach Jimbo Fisher, it is all about the process, so there remains work to be done, and the annual let down against an inferior opponent is part of the process and is scheduled for successful elimination.  It will hard to exclude this team from the title game if undefeated, and although there is a lot of football yet to be played, Seminole nation has to be just delighted at where we find ourselves, and what lies ahead in what appears to be a future of winning quite a few football games, and just maybe, a few championships.  The 51 points scored by FSU are the most ever by an poopnent in Death Valley. No Puntrooskie was needed in the eye opening dismantling that took place at Death Valley on this night. Wow!