 |
||
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida |
 1 |
| 2 | Texas |
1 |
| 3 | Alabama |
1 |
| 4 | Mississippi |
2 |
| 5 | California |
2 |
| 6 | Penn State |
 1 |
| 7 | Southern Cal |
6 |
| 8 | Oklahoma |
1 |
| 9 | Ohio State |
1 |
| 10 | LSU |
1 |
| 11 | Boise State |
2 |
| 12 | Miami (Florida) |
6 |
| 13 | Virginia Tech |
1 |
| 14 | Oklahoma State |
2 |
| 15 | Cincinnati | |
| 16 | TCU |
1 |
| 17 | Florida State | |
| 18 | Kansas |
5 |
| 19 | Georgia | |
| 20 | Michigan |
1 |
| 21 | Notre Dame |
1 |
| 22 | Houston |
2 |
| 23 | Georgia Tech |
13 |
| 24 | Nebraska |
4 |
| 25 | Washington | |
| Last week's ballot | ||
I'm still not 100% happy with the top 10, and more specifically the top 5. I bumped both Mississippi and Cal above Penn State because I still thought that the Lions were a bit over ranked in last week's poll and this week's performance didn't really convince me otherwise. Royster and the offensive line found their stride against Temple, but Penn State is still 8th in the Big Ten in rushing yards, while Mississippi and Cal both proved they're more complete offensively. I can easily be persuaded to switch Cal and Penn State and may do so because it appears that Cal is just as shaky on defense as PSU is on offense.
USC should probably be punished more than they are, and will likely drop further in the final poll now that I look at it.
Utah and BYU prove my point about mid majors so, HA, I guess. Boise State and TCU, however, remain legitimate and Boise is one loss from a top-10 team away from cracking that spot.
Much apologies for not ranking Cincinnati last week. They are most assuredly a top-25 team. They debut in this poll at 15, but that's only because they probably should have been 17 or so in last week's poll.
Miami (yes, that Miami) makes the most precipitous leap this week all the way to number 12. The defense looks fast, and Jacory Harris is ice cold in the pocket providing Miami with a quarterback position that has been lacking since Dorsey took his skinny head to the NFL. I like Miami, and FSU's resounding win over BYU only serves to strengthen their resume.
The rest kind of sorts itself out. I might move GA Tech up a few notches because 13 spots to drop seems a bit harsh. However, they've been super-inconsistent this year, capable of playing with anybody provided the right circumstances, but also capable of losing to anybody.
Washington debuts in the #25 "Holy crap we just won a big upset" spot, replacing Central Michigan.
Utah, Missouri, BYU, and Iowa are the "others receiving votes" this week.
Comments, as always, much appreciated.