Thoughts:
1) Well, here we are, with six unbeatens, and probably we'll have at least four this time next week. And the BCS is arbitrarily going to tell us which two teams get to play for their title? Yeah ... whatever! When 86% of fans want a 16-team playoff, and we end up with this shit? The BCS is a crock, and it means nothing;
2) Rivalry games are really fun. But it's lame when top teams don't have true rivals. I mean, who is TCU's rival? Who is Florida's rival? Watching Texas and Alabama play their rivalry games against teams they've been playing for YEARS really makes a fan appreciate those games even more. Heck, even USC-UCLA was entertaining slop;
3) The ACC had a bad day, didn't it?;
4) Two games I'm looking most forward to watching next week: The Civil War and the SEC championship.
Rankings:
1. Alabama (12-0): Second year in a row the Tide have gone through the regular season without a loss. Impressive. And what a gritty win ... Auburn pulled out the stops and jumped out 14-0 early, and Alabama calmly (?) played their way into the lead by the end of the game. Impressive times two.
2. Texas (12-0): The game against A&M is always tough, and Colt McCoy showed why he's going to win the Hypesman. And he evened his record against the Aggies, too -- never let THAT be underestimated in the emotional exploration of college sports. No superstar could stand a losing record against her/his supreme rival.
3. Florida (12-0): Florida State just isn't a rivalry game for Florida. Is Georgia? Maybe, but if so, they ought to play it later in the season -- not in October. So I really don't see the Gators as having a true rivalry game. Yeah, I only went to law school there, so maybe I don't know, but still ... considering the football program is still relatively a "new" thing in Gainesville, they really may never develop a true rivalry with any school that has tradition, angst and late-season POWER.
4. TCU (12-0): Saw somewhere this is TCU's first undefeated regular season since 1938. If memory serves, I took that McMNC away from TCU and gave it to an SEC team. But I digress -- TCU doesn't have a rival any more. In the old SWC, would it have been ... Rice? Where the hell *is* TCU, anyway?
5. Cincinnati (11-0): I think the Bengals ... er, I mean, the Bearcats ... may be vulnerable against an angry Pitt team this week. And, they just can't play defense, can they? They remind me of those Chase Daniel-Mizzou teams of the past few years, except they've played an easier schedule.
6. Boise State (12-0): Interesting how they held Oregon to eight points, but they gave up a boatload to a few other teams. All the more reason to NOT play early games in the season against good teams? I understand the concept of some warm-up games against non-BCS schools. I really do. In fact, I think every BCS school should go slumming to play two non-BCS schools in their first two games, to work the kinks out and get the junk juking. But each BCS school should be required, as well, to play two BCS opponents in OOC games in order to be bowl eligible. What does this have to do with Boise State? Nothing, except I bet they lose their bowl game because their defense isn't very good. Then again, they did beat Oklahoma without a defense in the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago, right? Anything can happen with these guys, and they're more fun to watch than ... the SEC, the Big Ten, the Big East and the ACC. There, I said it. Truth hurts. Only the Pac-10 and the Big XII play more entertaining games on a regular basis than Boise State.
7. Oregon (9-2): Speaking of the Pac-10, if the Ducks don't beat the Beavers in the Civil War, they will pretty much cement themselves as perennial underachievers in my book. It seems like every year, the Ducks have a pretty good team -- but they've rarely really done anything with that. Oh yeah, sure, they won the Fiesta Bowl back in 2001 or whenever, but even that was a consolation prize for getting snubbed out of the title game. They lost the Rose Bowl to Penn State in 1994, and they've never been back, right? Despite having all these really good teams, they've never been back to the Rose Bowl since? Yeah, they've done the Holiday-Sun-Las Vegas bowls tour a few times, but never back to Pasadena. If they blow this opp? I'll never give them the benefit of the doubt again.
8. Georgia Tech (10-2): Talk about a veruca ... laying a golden egg for Thanksgiving isn't pretty. The ACC title game should be a fun one to watch. Says here which ever team loses the ACC title game also loses their bowl game. What a way to end a season!
9. Ohio State (10-2): One advantage for the Big Ten's early season conclusion is that their teams can sit back and watch other teams fold under the pressure.
10. Iowa (10-2): See above.
11. Pittsburgh (9-2): That's the Dave Wannstedt we know, we love and we've come accustomed to expecting.
12. BYU (10-2): Seriously, how did they lose to Florida State?
13. Penn State (10-2): I am going to assume Iowa gets the second Big Ten BCS bid over Penn State, because of their H2H win and their significantly better resume. Still Penn State should have fun in the Capital One Bowl against LSU. Anyone can beat Les Miles in a chess match.
14. Houston (10-2): I love Rice. And I love rice. And that? Was uncool, Houston.
15. Central Michigan (10-2): Poor guys will win the MAC title game and get a trip to Detroit for their reward.
16. USC (8-3): Okay, I know it was just UCLA, but the Trojans defense finally stepped up to win a game for the first time since USC knocked off the Buckeyes way back when. But Pete Carroll is going to regret throwing the hot sauce on this rivalry. This was my first USC-UCLA game (I went last night), and it was better than I thought it would be. I look forward to more as I unexpectedly settle in Los Angeles for the long haul.
17. Virginia Tech (9-3): Did they play yesterday? I was blinded by some hideous pants on the TV screen.
18. Miami-FL (9-3): I think maybe Miami could be a better rivalry game for Florida.
19. LSU (9-3): There's a long drop between SEC teams here.
20. Oregon State (8-3): It'll be interesting to see how the Beavers play Friday night.
21. California (8-3): Another perennial Pac-10 underachiever.
22. West Virginia (8-3): Doesn't take away the sting of 2007, but I bet it helps.
23. Oklahoma State (9-3): That had to hurt.
24. Nebraska (9-3): I think they're capable of beating Texas. Will they? Who knows? If they did, would it open up the door for TCU in the "title" game? That might be worth it.
25. Wisconsin (8-3): Outback Bowl?
Also considered: Utah
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