McMisanthrope's Top 25: October 4, 2009

Thoughts:

1) I saw the post with the “13 Contenders Left” headline: four teams are in the SEC, three teams are in the Big XII, two teams are in the Big Ten, two teams are in the Big East, and two teams are in non-BCS conferences. The ACC and Pac-10 don’t have any undefeated teams left, yet they may be the deepest conferences in the country;
2) After reading all the negative press on LSU and Auburn, good for both of them to win on the road;
3) Michigan wasn’t so fortunate;
4) I am curious to see if the Boise State-Cincinnati title game can truly happen. The four SEC teams are bound to beat each other up, and I can’t see any other team but Texas going undefeated. A Cincy-UT title game would be interesting, but I am doing what I shouldn’t do. So without further adieu …

Rankings:

1. LSU (5-0): Georgia may have been screwed by that excessive celebration penalty, but LSU still had to win the game. And they did. By my system (which remains a carefully guarded legal secret), the Tigers have played the best schedule of any of the undefeated teams remaining. I don’t think that can be debated.
2. Iowa (5-0): Not sure how you go from beating Penn State on the road by double digits to the squeaker stinker the Hawkeyes gave us on Saturday, but if it’s a letdown game and you still win, that’s all that matters.
3. Alabama (5-0): There’s a drop-off from the SOS of LSU and Iowa to ‘Bama. The Crimson Tide needs to start proving itself again, but I like what Saban is doing here.
4. Auburn (5-0): Isn’t this the start they were supposed to have last year? This feels like 2004 for Auburn, after they crashed burned in 2003 with all the preseason expectations.
5. Wisconsin (5-0): Can we call it winning ugly? After awhile, it just may be what it is: winning.
6. Boise State (5-0): The problem here is the schedule strength, which will continue to drop the Broncos in my rankings. The positive is that the other teams will probably all lose, which will raise the Broncos in my rankings.
7. Texas (4-0): If they lose to Oklahoma, they’re never going to live it down.
8. TCU (4-0): I feel like almost every year in the last handful, we hear how TCU can run the table. And they never do. Gary Patterson is the only coach in school history to record five 10-win seasons, though.
9. Florida (4-0): The gauntlet begins.
10. Cincinnati (5-0): Well, they survived the Sports Illustrated exposure.
11. Missouri (4-0): I bet if someone told us three Big XII teams would be undefeated heading into mid-October, few would have assumed two of those teams would be in the North division.
12. Kansas (4-0): I wonder if Todd Reesing will have a pro career. He kind of reminds me of Tony Romo sometimes, both good and bad.
13. South Florida (5-0): We’ve seen this story before, right?
14. Miami-FL (3-1): Well, THAT was impressive.
15. Virginia Tech (4-1): The only reason Miami is higher than VaTech is the SOS, since I have Miami-FL with the second-highest SOS overall in the country. The Hokies are at No. 14, by the way.
16. USC (4-1): Considering the Trojans still have to play Oregon and Stanford and UCLA and Oregon State and Arizona and Arizona State and Notre Dame, I don’t know how anyone thinks their schedule is easy.
17. Georgia Tech (4-1): The ACC has some very good teams.
18. Oregon (4-1): So does the Pac-10. And they all play each other every year. How cool is THAT for the fans?
19. Arizona (3-1): There’s a reason Pac-10 SOS is strong, and it’s teams like this.
20. Ohio State (4-1): So can a one-loss Ohio State team make the title game? Is it time to start asking that question yet?
21. Notre Dame (4-1): First, clearly UW is on the way back, although they’ll need another QB like Jake. Second, the Irish aren’t this good, and like the Wolverines, I think they’re on glass stilts.
22. UCLA (3-1): Speaking of glass stilts …
23. Stanford (4-1): Another head-to-head anomaly here, but that will work itself out. Can I get betting odds on Harbaugh taking the Michigan job by 2011?
24. BYU (4-1): They lost to three-loss FSU at home by 30 points or whatever. They will carry that one to their celestial kingdoms for all eternity.
25. Utah (3-1): Pretty good program they have going here. Has the Pac-10 noticed?

Also considered briefly: West Virginia, South Carolina, Penn State, Idaho, Middle Tennessee, Michigan, Nebraska, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Houston