Fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy ride! ($1 to Margo Channing)
1. Kansas (11-0): I have a theory. When people whine about Kansas’ SOS, they’re right. They haven’t played good teams. But you know what? They’re obliterating those not-good teams. They’re not squeaking out cheesy wins like other teams we know and hate. The MOV factor is huge when the SOS is weak. It tells you all you need to know. Sure, they had a couple close road wins over teams which were playing well at the time, but road wins are road wins, no matter what. Have they faced a team as good as Missouri this year? No, but the Jayhawks will be at home. Their MOVs at home? 45, 62, 32, 52, 48, 37, 38.
2. Hawaii (10-0): First, they’re at home for the rest of the regular season. Second, they need Colt Brennan healthy to beat Boise. Third, if Brennan is healthy, I like their chances to go 12-0. Yes, the schedule is weak, but you cannot penalize the student-athletes for decisions beyond their control. All you can do is give them credit for beating the teams their AD put in front of them. For that reason, more than any other, college football needs a tournament to decides its champion. By the way, their SOS is better than Boise’s right now. If Brennan wasn’t hurt all the time, he’d be a Heisman Candidate.
3. Arizona State (9-1): Funny how the cookie crumbles. I like Sagarin, of course, and if he has their SOS higher than LSU’s this week, that’s good enough for me. LSU may have more quality wins, but ASU’s schedule is slightly better. Of course, this will be meaningless when the Sun Devils take it up the ass from USC on Thursday. But hey, not many teams get a second chance (wait, this is 2007: maybe they do?), so perhaps Erickson and Co. will take advantage – and they are at home. Wow, this could be huge for ASU … must take more time to determine a winner here.
4. LSU (10-1): Not much to say here. As that baseball guy once said, you’d rather be lucky than good. And LSU has been more of the former, although in the latter category, they’re clearly the only decent team in the SEC (except maybe Georgia?). If they lose either of their next two games, they’re id0ts. By the way, if they’re really the best team in the country, where is their Heisman Candidate?
5. West Virginia: (9-1): With their last two at home, I think they will win out. They’ll be watching the Big XII shootouts with great interest. I think they’re chances of reaching the title game are good; they need someone to lose, of course, but there’s a higher probability of that than losing themselves. However, even if they make the BCS title, I still can’t see their defense being good enough to win it all. Pat White? My Leading Heisman Candidate This Week.
6. Missouri (10-1): Truthfully, I probably know the least about Missouri than any other team in my Top 25. Does Brad Smith still play QB here? No matter; I will still be tuning in next Saturday to watch the game.
7. Ohio State (11-1): If Mike Hart thinks Sparty is his “Little Brother”, then tOSU must be his “Abusive Stepfather”. Ouch. It really must suck to give up a year of your life and fail miserably at tasks you set yourself. But hey, this is about Ohio State. It’s weird to think that a few more upsets and the Buckeyes could be right back in the fray, eh? At least they’re done with the season and can rest to watch everyone else scramble. And Rose Bowls are never a bad thing, unless you’re a Michigan coach, of course. Then you lose them most of the time. Tressel? The MAN.
8. Boise State (10-1): This is another game I won’t miss. I think Boise can win, of course, and they’ll been ROLLING the past few games. Would mianderson bet against them? Put this one in your weekly betting post, pla. At least we know they can beat Oklahoma; we know no such thing about Hawaii.
9. Georgia (9-2): Everyone’s favorite “hot team right now”, which means they’re going to lose to Georgia Tech, huh? It’s irrelevant, I guess, for the SEC East purposes. It comes down to a shitty Tennessee team versus Kentucky at home on Senior Day. Anyway, the Bulldogs have another nice season going. They’re the SEC’s saving grace; otherwise, the SEC would just be another Big Ten.
10. USC (8-2): I wonder what Pete Carroll’s been doing for the past week. Probably getting ready to shred ASU. When I think about it, Carroll’s a better X&Os guy than Erickson is, so I will go with USC on the road. Do the Trojans win the Pac-10 if they win out? A Ohio State-USC Rose Bowl would be fun … it’s been too long. January 1985, I think, no?
11. Boston College (9-2): Got up off the mat last night, didn’t they? Surprised me. Good for them. I suspect they will be kicking themselves, though, for a long time. But hey, an ACC title is a good consolation prize for this team.
12. Virginia (9-2): I will give them the edge, because they’re at home. But I have absolutely no interest in watching them play the Hokies.
13. Virginia Tech (9-2): I think I would root for the Hokies to win, simply because of the tough year it’s been in Blacksburg. But I have absolutely no interest in watching them play the Cavs.
14. Oregon (8-2): I dropped them this far because with Dixon, they’re not as good of a team. And they’re not the same team that beat USC, either, so … again, proving the maxim that you’d rather be lucky than good. And the Ducks in 2007? Unlucky. First that fumble against Cal and then the injury to their Heisman-leading QB. Maybe it’s time to simplify the jersey schemes.
15. Oklahoma (9-2): I told you this team sucked, but again, a QB injury kills a team. Then again, Sam Bradford doesn’t play defense, does he? I thought Stoops was a defensive guy. I bet they’ll still win the Big XII title game, though, since that will be par for the course in 2007.
16. Texas (9-2): Another overrated, mediocre team that somehow has found its way to a good record. Michigan’s jealous, still.
17. BYU (8-2): Quietly putting together a nice season. But does anyone outside Provo care?
18. Connecticut (9-2): After they lose at WVU next week, they can still be proud of a nine-win season no one saw coming.
19. Florida (8-3): The SEC is down this year.
20. South Florida (8-3): The Big East is up this year.
21. Tennessee (8-3): This team just sucks. I mean, you need a 16-point fourth quarter at home to beat VANDY?! I know the Vols always seem to struggle with Vandy, but come on. Either way, Michigan is still jealous.
22. Illinois (9-3): How many of you predicted a nine-win season for the Illini? Sit down, mianderson.
23. Clemson (8-3): Morons.
24. Cincinnati (8-3): As I was watching multiple TVs showing the WVU-Cincy game and the OU-Tech game side-by-side, I got the unis for the Bearcats and the Red Raiders confused. One team? Was winning. The other? Not so much.
25. Wisconsin (9-3): I don’t think the Badgers are this good, but they ain’t no Mountain West team.
Also receiving some due consideration: Utah, Air Force
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