JP25 Update

In a week that featured virtually no upsets (other than in ACC country), there is little reason to shake up my top 25. Alabama took care of business against pesky Mississippi State while Texas and Florida proved they are both deserving title game contestants should Texas Tech or the Crimson Tide falter.

USC finally showed a little heart in the second half against Stanford. After sleepwalking through the past three seasons, the Trojans finally looked like they actually cared about winning a game rather than padding their NFL resumes. I still don't think they are a top five team, but the fact that they are playing with a fire now makes them dangerous.

Speaking of the Pac-10, why haven't I ranked Oregon State until now? That's a pretty good team.

Is anybody going to step up and take control of the ACC? The frontrunners in that conference are dropping like flies, only to re-emerge two or three weeks later. Is North Carolina the top dog? Is it Maryland? Miami? Boston College, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Virginia Tech and even Virginia and Wake Forest all still have a chance to win the conference. And we're getting toward the end of November now!

How weird is it that one of the three teams completely out of the running in the ACC race is Clemson? In the preseason it looked like Clemson was head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. I guess that's why they play the games. That's also probably part of the reason Tommy Bowden isn't patrolling the sideline any more.

Top 25 (last week, record)
1. Texas Tech (1, 10-0)
2. Alabama (2, 11-0)
3. Texas (3, 10-1)
4. Florida (4, 9-1)
5. Oklahoma (5, 9-1)
6. USC (7, 9-1)
7. Penn State (6, 10-1)
8. Georgia (8, 9-2)
9. Ohio State (9, 9-2)
10. Utah (10, 11-0)
11. Oklahoma State (11, 9-2)
12. Boise State (12, 10-0)
13. Missouri (14, 9-2)
14. Oregon State (NR, 7-3)
15. Michigan State (18, 9-2)
16. TCU (17, 9-2)
17. Pittsburgh (22, 7-2)
18. Maryland (NR, 7-3)
19. North Carolina (15, 7-3)
20. Miami (NR, 7-3)
21. LSU (13, 7-3)
22. Georgia Tech (19, 7-3)
23. Boston College (23, 7-3)
24. Oregon (24, 8-3)
25. Cincinnati (25, 8-2)

Dropped Out: California (16), Florida State (20), Virginia Tech (21)

Just Missed the Cut: Ball State (10-0), Virginia Tech (6-4), BYU (10-1), California (6-4), Nebraska (7-4), Florida State (7-3), West Virginia (6-3), Northwestern (8-3), Iowa (7-4)