Last Year: 12-1 (8-1 in Big 12), beat Stanford, 41-38, in overtime in the Fiesta Bowl.

Why: RBs Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith could end up being the best backfield tandem in the Big 12, in spite of the fact that they’re the backs on one of the most prolific passing teams in college football. Lane Taylor and Jonathan Rush are the anchors of an offensive line that only has two returning starters, but plenty of experienced players on the roster. The defense should be better for Oklahoma State this year as it tries to successfully defend its Big 12 title. The Cowboys have seven starters back on defense, including free safety Daytawion Lowe, who led the team in tackles with 97 last season. P/K Quinn Sharp is one of the best in the country and KR Justin Gilbert returns after averaging 27.0 yards per return last season. Most of OSU’s toughest Big 12 games will be played in Stillwater.

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Now, we come to the part of the college football season that I hate – the BCS computers will now decide our fate.

Yes, we have come to that final Sunday of the season when the BCS computers must crunch all of those numbers and spit out the two teams that will play in the BCS national championship game next month in New Orleans.

This is definitely old school. The best college football teams in the country slug it out for 14 weeks in some of the best stadiums in the nation. Twists and turns abound. Upsets aplenty. Dramatic championship games. And it all comes down to …. Binary code. Ones and zeroes. The sports equivalent of the Scantron card we used to use to take multiple choice tests.

Am I the only one that sees the problem here?

We have always been taught that championships are decided on the field. Every major professional sport can do it. Every other college sport at every level can do it. Heck, every level of college football can do it – except for FBS.

What we should be watching tonight is the unveiling of an 8- or 16-team playoff field for FBS, the top teams in the nation slugging it out in a three- or four-week tournament to decide the national champion. It seems to work just fine in the NFL. Instead we get this dreck, decided by a computer and a bunch of guys that – and I say this having been one of them for 14 years – never laced it up and played a down. No disrespect guys, but it’s true. Most of us never played in college.

For the record, I hope the computer finds a way to screw Alabama. A LSU-Oklahoma State national title game would be much more exciting. And, frankly, Alabama got its shot and whiffed. It’s high time someone else took a shot at them.

But, in the meantime, I’m planning my first official sit-in – Occupy BCS. We’re going to storm the national offices and we’re going to sit in Bill Hancock’s office until he gives us what we want.

An actual, honest to God, national playoff. That’s what we deserve.

Rant over. And now the PigskinU Top 25 for Week 14.

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It has one of the best ground games in the nation, too.

Stephan Taylor – perhaps one of the best two or three backs in the country you’re not paying attention to – rushed for 99 yards on 23 carries and scored twice. Luck himself, not exactly fleet of foot, gained 36 yards on 9 carries and scored once. Jeremy Stewart, their bruising back, scored once.

The Cardinal ground game isn’t the focus of Stanford’s offense, but an effective ground game is a quarterback’s best friend. And when those overtimes came around, it became obvious that Stanford thinks more of its ground game than the rest of the country.

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The topic was Boise State and whether the Broncos deserved a shot at the national championship game this year, even if all of the current undefeated teams ended up with a loss. Both Holtz and May said no.

Their reason? Boise State’s schedule isn’t good enough, and they scoffed at the notion that Boise can’t impact its own strength of schedule by scheduling Top 25 teams during the non-conference schedule. Holtz actually implied Boise State wouldn’t schedule more than one difficult opponent each season.

My issue isn’t their point, really, because I agree to some degree. My issue is this. Boise could schedule more Top 25 teams in non-conference play, and I actually think the Broncos would like to do so. The problem is this, guys – the automatic qualifying conferences are scared of the Broncos.

Yes, I said it. Scared.

Here’s the way the game is played among the six automatic qualifying conferences when it comes to non-conference action. Those schools do everything possible to make sure they win those games because they know their conferences are tough and that they’ll probably absorb a loss or two during league play. These programs value this strategy so much that they’ll actually pay lesser teams hundreds of thousands of dollars to come to their stadium so they can put a beat down on them.

The AQ teams get a win they can use to push their bowl eligibility and protect themselves from conference losses.

Sure, you have an unusual case like LSU this year, which scheduled a robust non-conference schedule to go with its SEC schedule. But most of the time you get a schedule that includes one decent AQ team and two or three non-AQ teams that will be easy to beat.

Boise State doesn’t have that luxury because it plays in the Mountain West, which is probably the best non-AQ conference going, but only has one ranked team and that’s Boise. The Broncos scheduled Georgia this year and beat the Bulldogs in the opener, but weren’t able to schedule another AQ team.

You don’t think Boise State wants to play tougher opponents? I feel certain that they do. But when you create a system where there’s no benefit for AQ teams to play a program like Boise State, then the Broncos will be lucky to get their one game against a ranked AQ opponent each year. The BCS continues to treat the Broncos as a novelty instead of as one of the nation’s top programs. This is just a case of the BCS trying to keep the non-AQ teams down. They don’t like party crashers.

Of course, Boise may finally get a chance to make its case, if the Big East’s flirtation with the program comes to fruition. Boise State moving to the Big East provides the conference with a program with a national following and helps take some of the sting out of the losses of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia (and maybe more). The move finally provides Boise State access to the AQ world and legitimizes them, as much as TCU’s move to the Big East (and later Big 12) did for the Horned Frogs and Utah’s move to the Pac-12 did for the Utes. Yes, I know the Utes are 1-4 in the Pac-12 right now and May made that point. But the fact is Boise is a better program than Utah and I think Boise would do much better in an AQ conference.

Boise State’s move to a conference like this is well overdue. So is the respect this program deserves. Boise State no longer needs a pat on the head when they beat an AQ school.

Boise State needs a chance to play with the big boys every week. The Big East – even as decimated as they look right now – would give Boise State the chance. Sadly, it does the Broncos no good this year.

So, without further ado, My PigskinU.com Top 25 poll after Week 9:

1. Alabama (last week: 2): The biggest game in the history of college football (November 2011 edition) is just six days away. The Tide must establish the run against LSU.

2. LSU (2): Meanwhile the Tigers not only have to stop the run but figure out how to keep the heat that is the Crimson Tide’s pass rush off QBs Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson.

3. Boise State (3): Boise’s final five games don’t look imposing. All they can do is play their games and see what happens.

4. Stanford (4): The Cardinal needed three overtimes to defeat USC. I don’t look at as a bad thing. This should toughen up the Cardinal for Oregon.

5. Oklahoma State (5): The Cowboys have had one close game this season, their one-point win over texas A&M. One other was a 12-point win. The rest have been absolute blowouts. The offense has scored at least 30 points in every game. Can anyone slow them down?

6. Oregon (6): What’s the worst thing that can happen to a Top 10 team during the season? A quarterback controversy. Watch the Darron Thomas-Bryan Bennett situation closely.

7. Oklahoma (8): I expected a bounce-back win for the Sooners. I didn’t quite expect the Sooner to blow out Kansas State, though.

8. Nebraska (9): The Cornhuskers just screwed up the Big Ten in a good way by beating Michigan State. You know, on second thought, Nebraska fits right into this league.

9. Arkansas (11): Yes, Arkansas struggled with Vandy. But that says more about the job James Franklin is doing in Nashville than the Hogs.  

10. Virginia Tech (13): You know if Duke had a kicker that could make a field goal we’d be talking about what’s wrong with the Hokies and not their escapability.

11. Penn State (14): Joe Pa is now the winningest coach in FBS/FCS. Congrats. Now enjoy the bye guys, because Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin loom. Don’t get comfortable, Joe.

12. South Carolina (15): The best thing South Carolina has going for it right now is its win over resurgent Georgia. If the Gamecocks beat Florida, the SEC East is theirs.

13. Clemson (7): Remember when I said I wasn’t sure Clemson would go undefeated? Well, there you go.

14. Cincinnati (18): I wasn’t sure what to do with the Bearcats, considering they didn’t play this week. Five Big East games lie ahead for the nation’s No 2 run defense.

15. Michigan (19): The Legends Division is now a mess and the door is open for the Wolverines to take control. They still have the Cornhuskers in three weeks.

16. Houston (20): I saw QB Case Keenum in person last week. He’s definitely a quarterback worth paying attention to. Houston is on course for a Conference USA division title.

17. Kansas State (10): If I’m Bill Snyder, I’d be asking someone in the Big 12 offices why they ended up with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on back-to-back weeks.

18. West Virginia (21): The Mountaineers are on their way to the Big 12. They still have a shot to claim their last Big East title.  

19. Arizona State (22): The Sun Devils dominated Colorado. That’s no mean feat. Losses ahead of the Sun Devils move them up three spots.

20. Wisconsin (12): Two flukish losses in a row for the Badgers put them in a precarious position. They must win out to contend for a Big Ten division title.

21. texas (23): texas ran the ball with impunity against Kansas. The longhorns are a win away from getting back to a bowl, but all five of their remaining games will be tough.

22. Georgia (NR): The Bulldogs won the Cocktail Party and it appears that Mark Richt’s job is safe. Sad that it takes that to secure a job for a great head coach like Richt.

23. Georgia Tech (NR): Food for thought – The Yellow Jackets have beaten five straight ranked opponents at home. Just sayin’.

24. Michigan State (17): I still think the Spartans are a Top 25 team. But they can’t keep laying eggs after winning big games.

25. Auburn (NR): I’m a little surprised the Tigers have been this good without Cam Newton. RB Michael Dyer is one of the best backs you’re not paying attention to.

Dropped out: texas A&M, Syracuse, USC.

Admiration for Big Bill. Imagine building something that no one had built before you. Imagine bringing success to your place of employment in a way that no one had ever done before. Imagine reaching the summit of your profession, even if for just a moment. Then, when you feel you’ve accomplished all you can, you walk away, confident that the legacy you built would continue in perpetuity.

Then imagine watching it decline, slowly and painfully. Then you know what it’s like to be Bill Snyder.

Snyder was the head coach at Kansas State from 1988 to 2005 before he returned near the end of 2008. Now, for a generation of college football fans, they know Kansas State as a Top 25 team and, at times, a national contender. They probably looked upon what happened after Snyder left as, well, a hiccup.

So here’s a little perspective. Before Snyder arrived for the first time in 1988, Kansas State stunk in every way. The program had the most losses in FBS (then Division I-A), had only been to one bowl game, hadn’t won a conference title since 1934, had only four winning seasons in the previous 34 years and had lost 27 straight. Sports Illustrated called it “Futility U.”

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It being the whole thing. As in the BCS National Championship.

I expected the Badgers’ Big Ten opener with Nebraska to be closer. But Nebraska faded as the game went along and the Badgers claimed a resounding 48-17 win over the Cornhuskers.

It was my first chance to really scrutinize the Badgers this season and I didn’t see many weaknesses. QB Russell Wilson, as I’ve written before, has added a different dimension to this pro-style offense that was already capable of pounding opponents with the run game. The defense turned the Husker offense impotent by halftime and QB Taylor Martinez was never comfortable after a solid first quarter.

Anyone who watched that game should have walked away with the idea that the Badgers are the team to beat in the entire Big Ten, not just their division. Frankly, I felt that way in August, but I resisted the temptation to come right out and say it because I just wasn’t sure about the QB situation. Could Wilson really go into that system and be a contributor that quickly? Apparently the answer was yes.

So here we are after five weeks and the Badgers are now on the short list of BCS National Championship contenders. Winning out may not be enough, though, as I think three other conferences could have undefeated teams this year. But winning out is the only way the Badgers will get in, if you ask me.

The Badgers only move up one spot to No. 6, since the five teams in front of them won and I don’t drop teams that win.

Meanwhile our PigskinU.com Top 25 took a hard hit this weekend, the result of the start of conference play for most leagues and a bevy of upsets. After you get outside our Top 6, all but two teams stayed where they were last week. It was a discombobulating weekend to say the least.

So, without further ado, My PigskinU.com Top 25 poll after Week 5:

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Matthew Postins files The Walkthrough twice a week during the season at PigskinU.com. Early in the week, it’s a wrap-up of last weekend’s action. Late in the week, it’s a preview of what’s coming up that weekend. And it call comes with news, commentary and Postins’ dry wit and opinion.

The Aggies Wave Goodbye to Tradition. On Sunday the SEC announced that it was officially taking in texas A&M as its 13^th member, starting with the 2012 season. The decision that, in part, set off all of this realignment mess of the past month is finally official.

Now, what does this mean to the SEC? Well, the rich certainly get richer. The Aggies are a well-known program that seems to finally be turning a corner after several years of mediocrity. They’ll provide access for the SEC to not only Texas’ fertile recruiting ground but also to cable networks and laptops via the SEC’s Digital Network. It’s definitely a big win for them. Continue Reading…

So I have a problem with the Associated Press.

On Sunday the AP voted LSU as the No. 1 team, leapfrogging the Tigers over Oklahoma, which had been the nation’s No. 1 team since the preseason poll. Also, Alabama dropped to No. 3.

Why do I have a problem with this? It’s not that I don’t believe that LSU is a great team. The Tigers have proven that in spades the past month, beating three ranked teams in the process. It’s that in order to move LSU to the top the voters have punished Oklahoma and Alabama.

Yes, Oklahoma WAS No. 1 and Alabama WAS No. 2. Now they’re Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. They’ve done nothing wrong. Both teams have played their schedule, won four games and remain undefeated. Both the Sooners and Crimson Tide have beaten ranked teams and creampuffs alike, just like LSU. But instead of keeping the two teams where they were, the voters, collectively, chose to drop them.

I know it’s a voter’s prerogative. But this part of the AP poll process has always driven me nuts. This happens every year. A team gets a few wins under its belt, attains a ranking they deserve and then gets dropped a spot by another team that’s undefeated.

I don’t think it’s fair. I think if you’re undefeated and you reach a certain ranking that’s where you stay until you lose. Say you’re the nation’s No. 5 team and you’re undefeated. You’re 6-0 and then you drop a spot, even though your team hasn’t done anything to deserve being dropped.

You take care of your business and yet you get dropped? I don’t like it one bit. Sure, if you’re No. 5 and another undefeated team leapfrogs you to No. 4, I can deal with that, as long as you keep your No. 5 ranking.

But what happened to Oklahoma was wrong. The Sooners were No. 1, were 4-0 and yet, and yet, the voters fell in love with someone else, in this case LSU and were dropped.

So, in MY poll Oklahoma is my No. 1 team, Alabama is my No. 2 team and LSU is my No. 3 team, just like the past two weeks. You may agree, you may disagree.

But my logic is clear and I think I’m right. But I suppose that’s part of why we debate these things every week. Everyone thinks a little differently. But Oklahoma is MY No. 1 team until they lose. If the lose.

So, without further ado, My PigskinU.com Top 25 poll after Week 4:

1. Oklahoma (last week: 1): The Sooners opened Big 12 action by taking care of Missouri, a team that always seems to give the Sooners trouble. The Tigers did so on Saturday, but not nearly enough trouble to put the Sooners on the ropes. Ball State comes to Norman next Saturday, followed by the trip to Dallas for the Red River Rivalry game with texas.

2. Alabama (last week: 2): One down, one to go for Alabama and its early SEC landmines. I’m not surprised that the Crimson Tide took care of Arkansas the way it did. But I am a little intrigued by next weekend’s matchup with Florida, even though that’s more because I’m interested in seeing how the new-look Gators measure up than determining if the Tide are a Top 3 team. I think we know that by now.

3. LSU (last week: 3): QB Jarrett Lee is turning into the one thing Jordan Jefferson was never able to become – consistent. Now that September is over, the Tigers need to take care of business and get ready for the early November tilt with Alabama, one that appears as if it will decide the SEC West.

4. Boise State (last week: 4): I don’t think the Broncos have lost a home game against an unranked opponent since the Clinton Administration. Now the punishment begins. The Broncos start playing Mountain West opponents and its strength of schedule takes a nosedive until the Nov. 12 tilt with TCU.

5. Stanford (last week: 5): The Cardinal remains undefeated and QB Andrew Luck remains a top-flight Heisman candidate. Not a bad month’s worth of work. UCLA is up next.

6. Nebraska (last week: 6): Nebraska took care of business against Wyoming. Now it’s time for the game I’ve had my eye on since Ohio State fell from grace this summer – Nebraska at Wisconsin. The Big Ten opener for both teams. It’s the biggest game of the season (Oct. 1 edition).

7. Wisconsin (last week: 7): Wisconsin has either had it easy or made it look easy. That’s hard to gauge.  But the way QB Russell Wilson has assimilated into the offense so easily should scare the heck out of the rest of the Big Ten.

8. Oklahoma State (last week: : Well, now I think we know that the Cowboys are made of an especially tough kind of stock. Going into College Station and edging out the Aggies in a close game is fodder for making a case that the Cowboys should move up in this poll. But, since no one lost ahead of them, I’ll keep them here.

9. Virginia Tech (last week: 9): Virginia Tech made easy money out of Marshall. It’s been a pretty quiet month for the Hokies, which I assume they’ll take after last year’s 0-2 start with losses to Boise State and FCS’s James Madison. The Hokies’ ACC opener is against Clemson, which is really starting to gather steam after its win over Florida State.

10. Oregon (last week: 11): The Ducks seem to have rebounded nicely since their season-opening loss to LSU. Remember – the Ducks drew a significantly easier conference schedule than some of its Pac-12 North mates. The path seems clear from here to their Nov. 12 meeting with Stanford.

11. South Carolina (last week: 12): South Carolina made sure that Vanderbilt didn’t ruin their shot at an SEC East title. But here’s the thing – does the 21-3 result leave you more impressed with what James Franklin is doing at Vanderbilt or less impressed with the Gamecocks’ 4-0 start? They struggled with Navy the week before. That’s cause for concern for me.

12. Florida (last week: 13): Florida is 4-0 entering next weekend’s matchup with Alabama, a big one for seeing how much progress the Gators have made under first-year head coach Will Muschamp. Frankly, I don’t expect the Gators to win. But I want to see how close they make it. This is also a great game to take stock of QB John Brantley’s ability to handle a top-flight secondary.

13. texas A&M (last week: 10): The Aggies acquitted themselves pretty nicely against Oklahoma State, but they also dropped a 17-point lead in a game they could have won. I’ve felt all along that the Aggies were the No. 3 team in the Big 12, and that loss proves that I’m right. For once.

14. TCU (last week: 17): I expect a placid journey for the Horned Frogs to their Nov. 12 meeting with Boise State. The Horned Frogs ended up dismantling Portland State. But the slow starts are concerning me, and SMU has enough talent to take advantage of those slow starts. I expect TCU to win, but SMU could make it interesting. Just not Baylor interesting.

15. South Florida (last week: 18): QB B.J. Daniels is providing the Bulls with some salty numbers on the ground and in the air. This Bulls team steadily makes its way up our poll.

16. Michigan (last week: 20): Wolverine brass now looks very smart for hiring Brady Hoke, at least in the short term. And bonus points to the coaching staff for not trying to fit QB Denard Robinson into an offense that doesn’t utilize his best skills. Too many new coaches make that mistake.

17. Baylor (last week: 19): The Bears gave Rice the business to improve to 4-0 before starting Big 12 play. Now the fun begins. Are the Bears the best of what’s left after Oklahoma or Oklahoma State, or will they wilt now that they don’t have the element of surprise? I think their Rice could be very interesting, especially since the big teams don’t hit their schedule for a few more weeks.

18. texas (last week: 21): texas was idle this weekend and that gives their dynamic group of freshman some time to reflect before getting ready for their first Red River Rivalry game in two weeks. But before that it’s Iowa State, which is looking like a pretty interesting team right now.

19. West Virginia (last week: 15): First of all, the all-yellow uniforms need to go. Second, don’t totally panic over the Mountaineers’ loss to the Tigers. QB Geno Smith still has enough to carry the Mountaineers to a Big East title. But that South Florida matchup will be the biggee. 

20. Arkansas (last week: 16): So how far do you drop a team that just lost to the No. 2 team in the country. To me, Arkansas probably needs to be in the 20-25 range after losing to the Tide. They’re the third-best team in the West, but the chasm between the Hogs and the Top 2 is significant.

21. Florida State (last week: 14): Oh, what a drop for the Seminoles. The only thing that keeps me from dropping them out of my Top 25 completely is that QB EJ Manuel was hurt. But, goodness, losing to inconsistent Clemson doesn’t bode well for FSU winning its division, much less winning the ACC.

22. Michigan State (last week: 14): It’s time to find out what the Spartans are made of after they just dismantled Western Michigan. Still not ready to put them back in my Top 20 yet.

23. Illinois (last week: 24): Illinois is off to a 4-0 start. But I’m not moving them up after nearly being upset by Central Michigan. But, by my roles, the Illini don’t drop, either.

24. Clemson (last week: 25): A huge two week stretch for the Tigers, who were pegged by many as underachievers entering this season. The Florida State victory now puts Dabo Swinney’s crew among the leading contenders in the conference.

25. Georgia Tech (last week: unranked): I wasn’t high on the Yellow Jackets until they beat North Carolina last weekend, pulling the victory out late. They’re running the ball well, which isn’t unusual. But the defense looks better than the unit I saw play in the Independence Bowl last year.

Dropped out: 23, Southern Cal.

The ACC sparks college football’s next great shift. Perhaps the ACC wanted to get some pub before the craziness began. But the additions of Syracuse and Pittsburgh came out of left field. Most of the word the past week had been how the ACC was seeking to up its buyout fee to keep teams, not add them.

The fact that the two teams are a charter member of the Big East (Syracuse) and a Big East member since 1982 (Pittsburgh) underscores the new philosophy of college sports – find me the best deal. While there is no better conference for basketball than the Big East, the conference is No. 6 among the BCS conferences in football. And football pays the bills.

So the Orange and Panthers will migrate south in search of a better financial deal. The ACC gets access to upstate New York and Pittsburgh media markets, which will be handy at the negotiating table with ESPN. And, they’re now the closest to being the first “super conference” of the 21^st Century.

At least for the moment.

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Since the offseason, Oklahoma has been my No. 1 team. The game with Florida State, which OU won by 10 Saturday night, was the one trap game I saw before the mother of all Big 12 games this season against Oklahoma State. The win over FSU proves Oklahoma is a worthy No. 1 team.

The Sooners stay at No. 1 in this week’s PigskinU.com Top 25 poll, which is no surprise. But now that LB Travis Lewis is back, the Sooners could be dominating as they march to the end of the regular season and a potential BCS National Championship berth.

Who’s going to beat them?

texas? The longhorns are young and talented, and may be oblivious enough to the moment when they face each other in two weeks. But I don’t see it. OU has way too much experience and texas still has a lot of growing to do. It will be a closer game than I thought it would be a couple of weeks ago, though.

texas A&M? I’m still not totally sold and I expect the Aggies to lose to Oklahoma State this weekend, despite the fact that the game is in College Station. But the Aggies have enough firepower to make things very hard on the Sooners when they meet on Nov. 5.

Baylor? It SOUNDS enticing. But the Bears have already been exposed on defense (is everyone forgetting that TCU scored 48 points on them) and the Sooners have the talent to contain QB Robert Griffin III.

Oklahoma State, to me, is the one game that could ruin Oklahoma’s march to New Orleans. That game is Dec. 3 in Stillwater.

There’s a lot of football between now and then. But with Saturday’s win, everything is in Oklahoma’s favor.

So, without further ado, My PigskinU.com Top 25 poll after Week 3:

1. Oklahoma (last week: 1): Do you know what the Sooners did on Saturday night? Claimed their first road win against a Top 5 team in non-conference action since 1977. texas is now the Sooners’ only road block before their early November game with texas A&M. The Sooners could be No. 1 for a long time.

2. Alabama (last week: 2): Alabama did what it needed to do against North texas – get a win and stay healthy. The next two weeks will be testy as the Tide starts SEC action against two Top 25 teams – Arkansas and Florida.

3. LSU (last week: 3): The Tigers’ defense is just awesome. They made Mississippi State looked like it looked before Dan Mullen arrived. West Virginia should provide an interesting test, but the Tigers should be able to overcome it.

4. Boise State (last week: 4): You may not have looked at the game against Toledo as a trap game. I did, considering what the Rockets nearly did to Ohio State. But Boise State took care of business on the road. The Broncos are holding steady at No. 4, so someone has to falter.

5. Stanford (last week: 5): Stanford opened Pac-12 play with a nice victory over a pesky Arizona outfit with one of the nation’s most talented quarterbacks in Nick Foles. Next up is reeling UCLA and then Colorado, where I’ll get my first in-person look at Andrew Luck.

6. Nebraska (last week: 6): It was a scorefest against Washington, which was a bit surprising to me. The Huskers gave up 38 points to the Huskies. Don’t sleep on next week’s game, though. Wyoming is 3-0 and much improved. The Huskers better not be biding their time before Wisconsin on Oct. 1.

7. Wisconsin (last week: 7): I’m just impressed with how the Badgers have responded to the transition to Russell Wilson at quarterback. Plus, the defense is just playing lights out. Next up is a cupcake game against South Dakota before facing Nebraska.

8. Oklahoma State (last week: : Oklahoma State had to wait three hours to play its game against Tulsa (more on that in the Walkthrough). Three games, three relatively easy wins for the Cowboys. Now, it’s texas A&M and we find out what OSU really has.

9. Virginia Tech (last week: 9): The Hokies’ relatively soft schedule continues next week against Marshall. After that, ACC play starts against Clemson. I don’t know, I look at this schedule and I see 12-0 and an ACC Title game berth, as long as the Hokies take care of business.

10. texas A&M (last week: 13): The Aggies leapfrog Oregon and South Carolina based on the quality of their wins this season. Oregon, of course, has a loss. South Carolina struggled with Navy. The Aggies look like they’re on the right track heading into next weekend’s game with Oklahoma State. Remember – I don’t drop teams that win, but I’m not opposed to moving them up in this fashion.

11. Oregon (last week: 11): After two sensational blowouts against relatively benign opponents, the Ducks start Pac-12 play against Arizona. This game’s in Tucson, so it’s a nice trap game for the Ducks, who need a long winning streak before they face Stanford in November.

12. South Carolina (last week: 12): C’mon, South Carolina – Navy? The Gamecocks needed a late touchdown to beat the Midshipmen, who are good, but shouldn’t be challenging an upper echelon SEC team. Of course, that’s assuming South Carolina is an upper echelon ACC team. Based on the first three weeks, I have some questions. Vanderbilt, now 3-0, may provide some answers.

13. Florida (last week: 16): The Gators have zoomed up in the PigskinU.com rankings the past three weeks and now have their sights on the Top 10. The offense has reacted well to Charlie Weis as offensive coordinator, QB John Brantley is playing much better and they took care of a game Tennessee team last weekend. The Gators warm up on Kentucky before a major test Oct. 1 against Alabama.

14. Florida State (last week: 10): The Seminoles have to drop after losing to Oklahoma. But they don’t need to drop that much. I still think they’re a Top 25 team and better than such teams below them as West Virginia, Arkansas and TCU. I don’t, however, think they’re better than Florida. The status of EJ Manuel is key to the Seminoles’ chances against an improving Clemson team.

15. West Virginia (last week: 15): I’m not terribly impressed with the Mountaineers’ 6-point win over Maryland. Something tells me the LSU Tigers won’t be impressed when they go to Morgantown this weekend.

16. Arkansas (last week: 17): Troy gave the Hogs a real good game, with Arkansas only winning by 10. It was a solid test and good preparation for the SEC opener against Alabama next weekend. A win would be huge for the Hogs, and debilitating for the Tide.

17. TCU (last week: 18): The Horned Frogs struggled a bit with Louisiana-Monroe before asserting themselves in the second half to claim their second win of the season. Portland State is easy pickings this weekend before hosting SMU to start October. There isn’t much standing in the Horned Frogs’ way of being a one-loss team heading into its trip to Boise State in November.

18. South Florida (last week: 19): The Bulls just overwhelmed Florida A&M. Not much else to say. The win’s worth a one-spot move, based on what happened above them. UTEP gives them a shot at a 4-0 start before starting Big East play with Pittsburgh.

19. Baylor (last week: 20): I saw Baylor’s rain-shortened 48-0 win over Stephen F. Austin and QB Robert Griffin III is the real deal. But more on that later this week. In the meantime, expect the Bears to be 4-0 after this weekend’s meeting with Rice.

20. Michigan (last week: 21): Michigan is 3-0 heading into a home game with San Diego State. The Aztecs are 3-0 and will be emotional, as Michigan coach Brady Hoke used to be their skipper. I think Michigan wins, but keep an eye on the emotions in this game.

21. texas (last week: 24): This texas team is getting younger and more dangerous. Joining redshirt freshman QB Case McCoy, freshman QB David Ash, freshman RB Malcolm Brown and freshman WR Jaxon Shipley is third-string TE D.J. Grant, who missed two seasons with redshirts and injuries and caught three touchdowns against UCLA.

22. Michigan State (last week: 14): To me, the Spartans have to take a steep drop after going into South Bend and losing to an 0-2 Notre Dame team. Any national title hopes the Spartans had likely went out the window with that loss.

23. Southern Cal (last week: 23): The Trojans handled Syracuse rather easily. They’re 3-0 as they get back to Pac-12 action against Arizona State in Tempe. I think this could be a trap game for the Trojans.

24. Illinois (last week: unranked): Hey now, look what Ron Zook is doing in Champaign. The Illini are 3-0 after beating a ranked Arizona State team. I’ll keep them at No. 24 for now, though Big Ten play will likely expose them as a middle-of-the-road team. But, for now, embrace the optimism Illini fans.

25. Clemson (last week: unranked): That was an impressive win over a ranked opponent for the Clemson Tigers and it allows them to sneak into our Top 25. Now, can they beat Florida State? If EJ Manuel doesn’t play, maybe. Otherwise, no.

Dropped out: 22 Arizona State, 25 Ohio State.

Outside looking in: Iowa State and Vanderbilt are two of the most surprising teams in the nation. Both are 3-0, but I don’t think they’re Top 25 teams. Florida International slipped by a solid Central Florida outfit to remain 3-0. Houston is out there too, but it struggled with Louisiana Tech before winning by a point. Wyoming is also 3-0 but isn’t ready for prime time. Notre Dame is out there, but I can’t put a 1-2 team in my Top 25.