Nebraska is one of those “classic” teams in college football. But even the Cornhuskers are falling prey to the “alternate jersey” theory – use a new jersey, make more money.

Nebraska’s football program has existed for more than 100 years, and it seems like its uniforms have been the same for nearly that entire span. Those classic white jerseys with the red stripes on the sleeves and the red numbers evoke the Cornhusker tradition we all know and appreciate.

Well, on Sept. 29, tradition goes out the window. The Cornhuskers will face Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener for both teams and the classic uniform goes out the window, thanks to your friends at Adidas. The Cornhuskers will be wearing alternate uniforms in what they’re calling the “Unrivaled” game, a new tradition Adidas is trying to start with teams that wear their unis. It’s not really a legacy game so much as a way for Adidas and Nebraska to sell more merch. Nike has been doing it for years.

Take a look at the new uniform here. Usually I’m not much for messing with the uniforms of real traditional teams. For instance, I really don’t like the new texas A&M uniforms with the horizontal maroon stripe.

But these alternate Nebraska uniforms? I like them. Adidas didn’t go nuts and use a lot of colors and patterns like the Maryland jerseys from last year, the gold standard for garishness. They stuck with what works – red. The jersey is a solid red with a big, black ‘N’ on the front, just like the one on the helmet. There are black stripes on the sleeves and a jersey number in the left hand corner of the jersey. That’s the one thing that doesn’t thrill me, but that’s what TV numbers are for on the sleeves, right? Plus, the jersey number is on the back.

This is what happens when you design an alternate jersey right. It’s different, that’s for certain. But it also seems a little traditional by keeping that same font for the ‘N’ and using that deep red. Nike sometimes allows its alternates to get out of control. Give Adidas credit – they kept it simple and gave Nebraska a uniform it can be proud to wear.

Plus, you know, the extra money. That’ll help too.

Matthew Postins is a blogger for PigskinU.com and is the associate publisher of RoadTripSports.com.

Dabo Swinney has the Tigers pointed toward a potential BCS Bowl game.

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 “Other” Tigers. With LSU taking the week off, we can take a little time to talk about the other Tigers in the Top 10. Dabo Swinney and his Clemson Tigers are worming their way into the BCS race.

Clemson is No. 5 in the BCS after drubbing North Carolina on Saturday, and with four games left the Tigers seem to be on a course to get into the ACC Championship game. The Tigers’ schedule doesn’t set up too well, though. Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and South Carolina all loom. In fact, of all of the undefeated teams remaining, I see the Tigers as being the least likely to pull it off.

But what if they do, plus win the ACC title game, and finish 13-0? Are we prepared to be as indignant as we were when undefeated Oregon was left out in 2001 or undefeated Auburn was left out in 2004? Maybe not.

The ACC is only the fifth-best conference among the six automatic qualifiers. Clemson is now the only ACC team without a loss. But let’s not say they haven’t been tested. In fact, they’ve beaten three teams that carried AP rankings either at the time the Tigers played them or during the season – Auburn, Virginia Tech and Florida State. And the Tigers may have to beat Beamer’s Boys again in December. Plus, the Gamecocks may remain ranked, even with the loss of Marcus Lattimore for the season.

So don’t say the Tigers haven’t played anyone. But you can say they can’t play defense.

Continue Reading…

First, let me apologize for my absence. I’ve been on vacation the past two weeks, mixing sports (Stanford and California games) and leisure (four days in beautiful Cabo San Lucas). When I returned on Friday, my Top 25 – at least the Top 10 – was pretty much how I left it.

But that changed Saturday night. I’m not sure what surprised me more – how Wisconsin lost or that Oklahoma lost at all.

The Sooners have been my No. 1 team since the preseason and I’ve been steadfast in my devotion to the Crimson and Cream. But the texas Tech Red Raiders went into Norman, OK, and defeated the Sooners, 41-38. It was the Sooners’ first home loss in 39 games. And if you look at the box score, how the Sooners lost seems mysterious. I mean, QB Landry Jones had 412 yards passing and 5 touchdowns. But then you look at texas Tech QB Seth Doege’s numbers – 441 yards passing and 4 touchdowns – and you get the picture. This was Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday facing off against the Clanton Brothers at the OK Corral. Someone was going to lose. It just turned out to be Oklahoma.

Does this loss destroy Oklahoma’s BCS Championship game hopes? Not necessarily, though the Sooners can’t lose another game and must hope that both LSU and Alabama lose someone along the way, the latter of which seems unlikely.

But then I thought Oklahoma and Wisconsin both having a loss after Saturday being unlikely, too. The Badgers went down to East Lansing and played what looked to be a solid game. QB Russell Wilson wasn’t spectacular, but he and his running backs, Montee Ball and James White, had done enough to give the Badgers a shot at overtime.

Then Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins threw what may now be the most famous pass in Michigan State history, a 44-yard Hail Mary to Keith Nichol as time expired. I missed it because I was watching my texas Rangers get drilled by the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the World Series. And now that I’ve seen the replay, I’m still not quite sure Nichol got across the goal line. But that’s the call and the Badgers have to live with another season lost.

So, the losses of my Nos. 1 and 6 teams from my last poll after Week 5 necessitates some shifting around.

So, without further ado, My PigskinU.com Top 25 poll after Week 8:

Continue Reading…

Note: This series previously ran at RoadTripSports.com, but given the current climate of conference realignment, stoked by the Big 12, I feel this series of articles is as relevant now as it was a year ago. It will run every few days here at PigskinU.com. Check the PigskinU.com archives for Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.

So in Part One I laid out an overview of building a better college game. In Part 2, we put our commissioner in charge with a mandate – change college football for the better. In Part 3 we re-drew conference lines, though not as radically as I originally intended. In Part 4 we talked about reducing the schedule to 11 games to allow all of our re-drawn conferences to participate in conference championship games.

But do you want a true national champion? Start a playoff. Here’s how.

Continue Reading…

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.”

Continue Reading…

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:

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.

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.

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.

Could the dominos in conference realignment start falling as early on Monday? The University of Oklahoma board of regents will meet on Monday and on the agenda will be the school’s conference affiliation. That doesn’t mean a decision is coming on Monday, but it means that the board must feel there’s enough information at hand to at least start talking about what direction the school wants to head.

If you’ve been keeping up, you know that the rest of the Big 12 is waiting to see if the Sooners are going to stay in the Big 12 or, most likely, head west to the Pac-12. There have been plenty of rumors the past couple of weeks, and perhaps it’s time the Sooners laid them to rest so we could all get on with our college football lives. Continue Reading…

You’ll probably notice that my PigskinU.com FBS Top 25 differs a little bit from the AP Top 25. Well, they’re 100 or so voters. I’m just one man, and I can only do what one man does.

For one thing, Southern Cal is still in my Top 25. In the AP poll, the Trojans dropped out. I also have TCU higher than the AP pool, and I only have one new team – South Florida. First of all, if you read my poll last week, you know that I don’t drop teams from their previous week’s ranking if they win. The worst they’ll ever do is stay in the same place. I just don’t think it’s fair to drop a team if they win. And I never will.

I’m also pretty conservative when it comes to dropping a team in the poll if they lose. To me, if you’re a Top 25 team, it should take more than one loss to drop you into the bottom half of the rankings, or out of the rankings entirely. If you’re in the Top 25, you’re there for a reason. You’re not a placeholder. You’re a quality football team, and by the end of this season there will be plenty of quality one-loss and two-loss teams.

There isn’t much variance between last week and this week in my poll for another reason. I saw the AP poll dropped Alabama a spot from No. 2 to No. 3, while it moved LSU above them. I don’t dispute that LSU should be ranked in the Top 5 after beating Oregon. But I would point out that even though Alabama took on a creampuff opponent in Week 1 that they’re no less a team than they were when the season started. I mean, that’s logical, right? So in my poll Alabama stays at No. 2. Again, that goes back to not punishing winners, no matter how weak the win may be perceived.

As for my newcomer, South Florida, it was a toss-up between Baylor and USF. But it came down to two things. First, USF beat Notre Dame on the road, while Baylor beat TCU at home. Second, Baylor still gave up 48 points. USF only gave up 20. After looking at those numbers that made my decision a little easier. But I think Baylor, with another win or two, makes it into my Top 25.

So, without further ado, My PigskinU.com Top 25 poll after Week 1:

1. Oklahoma (last week: 1): The Sooners beat Tulsa, 47-14, and looked great doing it. The Sooners could be settling in for a long run at No. 1, as long as Florida State doesn’t trip them up in two weeks.

2. Alabama (last week: 2): Kent State amounted to a happy meal for the Tide, as they won, 48-7. A potential trap game in Happy Valley awaits when Alabama goes to Penn State on Saturday.

3. LSU (last week: 4): LSU overcomes the suspension of Jordan Jefferson to ease away from Oregon, 40-27. Next up? Northwestern (La.) State, one of my alma mater’s rivals in the Southland Conference. LSU could start its reserves and still win.

4. Boise State (last week: 5): Boise State just keeps on showing that they’re worthy of a place in an automatic BCS qualifying conference. Their 35-21 win over Georgia, in my opinion, wasn’t an upset.

5. Stanford (last week: 6): The Cardinal demolished San Jose State, 57-3. Oregon’s loss moves Stanford up a spot and makes it the highest-ranking Pac-12 team.

6. Nebraska (last week: 7): Nebraska only beat Chattanooga, 40-7. I say only because I expected a larger margin of victory. But, a win is a win.

7. Wisconsin (last week: : QB Russell Wilson looked terrific in his first start as a Badger, as they defeated UNLV, 51-17. Can’t wait for that Big Ten opener against Nebraska.

8. Oklahoma State (last week: 9): I was in Stillwater to watch the Cowboys dismantle Louisiana-Lafayette, 61-34. Arizona comes to town this weekend. Expect a closer game, but a Cowboy victory.

9. Virginia Tech (last week: 10): No upset special this year. The Hokies stepped on a very good Appalachian State team, 66-13. Wonder what Appy State thinks about moving up to FBS now?

10. Florida State (last week: 11): Florida State blanked Louisiana-Monroe, 34-0. What else is there to say? The Seminoles were supposed to win and looked great doing it.

11. Oregon (last week: 3): The fall is hard when you’re ranked that high and you don’t look so hot in a loss to open the season. The Ducks seem to have trouble running the ball against elite teams. That’s a real problem when you’re trying to win a national title.

12. South Carolina (last week: 13): On the surface, a 56-37 win over East Carolina would worry me. But two things. First, it was a neutral site game. Second, East Carolina has one of the best offenses in FBS. This was destined to be a shootout.

13. texas A&M (last week: 14): The Aggies destroyed SMU, 46-14. But I’m still not as high on the Aggies as the rest of the country. Let’s see how they do in three weeks against Oklahoma State.

14. Michigan State (last week: 16): The Spartans struggled a bit with Youngstown State, 26-7. That was probably one of the more curious scores of the week.

15. West Virginia (last week: 17): West Virginia took the opener with Marshall, 34-13, in a game marred by rain and a student being struck by lightning. It certainly wasn’t the biggest win in the Big East last weekend.

16. Missouri (last week: 18): Missouri was only able to beat Miami of Ohio by the score of 17-6. QB James Franklin didn’t look great, but he did account for two TDs and he has room to grow.

17. Mississippi State (last week: 19): Dan Mullen’s Bulldogs didn’t need to be at full throttle to beat Memphis. But it sure helped, as the Bulldogs took the Tigers easily, 59-14. Next up? The SEC opener with Auburn.

18. Penn State (last week: 20): The Nittany Lions easily took care of Indiana State, 41-7. PSU’s solution to its quarterback quandary? Split snaps between Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin and run the ball behind Silas Redd. We’ll see if that works next week against Alabama.

19. TCU (last week: 12): Well that defense needs A LOT of work, Gary Patterson. Just didn’t expect Baylor to hang 50 on the Horned Frogs. Of course, TCU scored 48 points, so at least it can score points.

20. Notre Dame (last week: 15): That loss to South Florida was a stunner. It’s not that I didn’t think South Florida was a good team. It’s that I thought Notre Dame was a little better.

21. Utah (last week: 22): Utah handled Montana State pretty easily, 27-10. RB John White could end up being a real big find for the Utes after his 150-yard debut.

22. Arkansas (last week: 23): Arkansas handled Missouri State, 51-7. Punt returner Joe Adams is the early leader for special teams player of the year after returning two punts for touchdowns.

23. Florida (last week: 24): Florida Atlantic was no problem for the Gators, as they won, 41-3. Chris Rainey had a rushing, receiving and return touchdown, the first player to do so since 1996.

24. Auburn (last week: 25): The Tigers struggled with Utah State before winning, 42-38. Next up? Mississippi State. Uh-oh.

25. South Florida (last week: unranked): The reward for beating Notre Dame on the road? A spot in our Top 25. The Bulls are going to make things very hard for West Virginia in the Big East this season.

Dropped Out: Georgia (No. 21): The Bulldogs had what amounted to a home game and lost to Boise State. I didn’t expect them to win, but they were unable to keep it close and that earns them a ticket out of the Top 25 for now.