College Football Rankings - 10/22

1. Texas (AP #1) – Texas can claim two wins over big-time opponents (Oklahoma, Missouri) that are bigger than any other pair of wins in the country. Outside of those two shootouts, Texas has not allowed more than 14 points in a game, while racking up at least 38 points in every game.

2. Alabama AP #2) – Alabama seems to lose focus in the second half. They have allowed their last three opponents to crawl back into games after staking big first half leads. Tennessee will give them everything they have in another huge rivalry game.

3. Penn State (AP #3) – The good: Penn State has scored 38 points or more in every contest except one (20-6 win over Purdue) and allowed more than 17 points only once (38-24 win over Illinois). The bad: Penn State’s best wins are over Oregon State and Illinois. Their last three Big Ten opponents have a combined one conference win. Penn State may not be ready for a slugfest with Ohio State this weekend.

4. Florida (AP #5) – Still dangerous with Tebow at the helm. The Gators will have to be careful not to overlook Kentucky, with Georgia looming around the corner.

5. USC (AP #6) – Everyone seems to have forgotten the OSU demolition derby in the wake of USC’s Oregon State loss. Without a single true ‘test’ remaining, USC could sneak into the BCS title game amidst the SEC and Big 12 cannibalization.

6. Oklahoma (AP #4) – Maybe I was wrong about TCU being a ‘cake’ win. However, the defense is still a concern for Oklahoma.

7. Georgia (AP #9) – Georgia is still lacking that marquee win, but will have an excellent opportunity to get one when they travel to Baton Rouge this weekend to face LSU.

8. Ohio State (AP #10) – Is Ohio State this good, or was Michigan State that bad? The Spartans may have lied down a little at the end of that game, but the scoreline is impressive nonetheless. While I don’t expect Ohio State to make it all the way back to the BCS title game, a win over Penn State this weekend could ensure them a Rose Bowl berth.

9. Oklahoma State (AP #7) – Oklahoma State’s party could be over. Texas is coming to town, and if history is any indication, it won’t be pretty. Other than their win over Missouri, Oklahoma State has yet to face a reputable team.

10. LSU (AP #11) – The Tigers gutted out a tough road win at South Carolina after enduring a beatdown at the hands of the Gators. As mentioned above, this weekend is key game, as Georgia comes to Death Valley.

11. Utah (AP #12) – To be honest, I struggled with finding a team qualified for this ranking. Utah seems to have the best resume, with a couple of decent wins (Oregon State, Air Force) and no losses. Utah still has to play TCU and BYU, so if they win those games, Utah will be hard to ignore.

12. Missouri (AP #16) – Sure, they got crushed by Texas, but how many of these teams further down this list could hang with the Longhorns? I may be acting overly generous here, but until Texas Tech beats Missouri, I won’t rank Missouri behind them.

13. Texas Tech (AP #8) – When your best win is in overtime against Nebraska, it’s going to take awhile for me to warm up to you. Like I mentioned last week, four straight games against ranked teams will give the Red Raiders all the chances the need to make a statement.

14. Boise State (AP #13) – Boise State is clinging to that Oregon win, because it’s the only thing that will keep them afloat in the rankings for the rest of the season. A single loss will probably see them fall out of the top 25.

15. Pitt (AP #17) – A dark horse of sorts since losing their opener to Bowling Green, Pitt has slowly crept back into the thick of the race. Their early season win over Iowa is looking a little better, and even last week’s win over Navy is better than several teams ahead of them can claim.

16. Vanderbilt (AP #28)– Hanging with a top five or ten team shouldn’t plummet a team in the rankings, so I’ll leave Vanderbilt in roughly the same spot after they lost to Georgia last week.

17. Tulsa (AP #22) – Any team that scores 77 points has to be considered dangerous. Tulsa only has one game left against a team with a winning record (Houston) so I don’t expect Tulsa to improve its position.

18. Michigan State (AP #29) – Why the polls have Michigan State out of the ranking but Northwestern in the top 25 is beyond me, especially when you consider that Michigan State already beat Northwestern. Handily.

19. Georgia Tech (AP #21) – Georgia Tech may be taking steps to prove itself as the ACC front-runner. However, their remaining schedule is pretty brutal, as all five opponents have winning records.

20. TCU (AP #15) – TCU surprised everyone by crushing BYU. They have allowed more than seven points in only two games (Oklahoma loss, 31-14 win over Stanford). The competition, however, has been less than stiff.

21. Boston College (AP #23) – It could be a virtual tossup between GT, BC, and VT. Boston College beat Virginia Tech, but lost to Georgia Tech. Naturally, Virginia Tech beat Georgia Tech.

22. Virginia Tech (AP #27) – See above, but throw in a disappointing loss to East Carolina.

23. South Florida (AP #14) - Overrated in my book. A close early season win over Kansas is all that’s keeping them in the rankings.

24. Ball State (AP #20) – They do have a win over Navy, and at 7-0 they deserve a little bit of recognition. Their last two games (Central Michigan, Western Michigan) will be their hardest.

25. Kansas (AP #19) – Because there’s no one else, except maybe for Florida State.

Dropped out:
BYU – Some impressive scorelines, but against absolutely no competition. The demolition by TCU left no reason for them to be in the Top 25

Cal – Lost at Arizona (who lost to Stanford and New Mexico earlier this year) 42-27.

Oregon – Idle last week, but the OT win over a now-slumping Purdue didn’t seem reason enough to ignore the blowout loss to USC and close loss to Boise State.

North Carolina – Already on thin ice as it was, OT loss to Virginia shoved them out.