fiesta

JOE'S WEEKLY FIESTA PICKS

A quick clarification before we start. This is not a list of the best teams in my opinion. It is a list of the teams most likely to be in the national championship game when the dust settles. The first week actually came out after Thursday's Florida State-Louisville game, but every other one will come out before the games start that week. To encourage you to peep my cool new feature, I take away the top two teams, and make you have to hold the mouse over the team logo to find out the top two. Neat, huh? No? Gay? Well you can go to hell.

Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8

3. Ohio State
4. Virginia Tech
5. Texas
6. Oklahoma
7. Notre Dame
8. N.C. State
9. Oregon State
10. Georgia
11. Florida State
12. Penn State
13. Tennessee
14. Oregon
15. Colorado State
16. Michigan

3. Virginia Tech
4. Texas
5. Florida
6. Oklahoma
7. N.C. State
8. Georgia
9. Kansas State
10. LSU
11. USC
12. Iowa
13. Colorado State
14. Oregon State
15. Notre Dame
16. Penn State

+1
+1
-3
---
+1
+2
NR
NR
NR
NR
+2
-5
-8
-4

Gone for Now:
Florida State
Tennessee
Oregon
Michigan

3. Georgia
4. Virginia Tech
5. Oregon
6. Texas
7. N.C. State
8. Oklahoma
9. LSU
10. Air Force
11. Bowling Green
12. Washington St.
13. Iowa
14. Florida State
15. Tennessee
16. Michigan

+5
-1
NR
-2
---
-2
+1
NR
NR
NR
-1
NR
NR
NR

Gone for Now:
Florida
Kansas State
USC
Colorado State
Oregon State
Notre Dame
Penn State

3. Oklahoma
4. Ohio State
5. Virginia Tech
6. N.C. State
7. LSU
8. Oregon
9. Texas
10. Air Force
11. Notre Dame
12. Iowa
13. Washington St.
14. Michigan
15. Kansas State
16. Iowa State

+5
-2
-1
+1
+2
-3
-3
---
NR
+1
-1
+2
NR
NR

Gone for Now:
Bowling Green
Florida State
Tennessee

3. Georgia
4. Ohio State
5. Virginia Tech
6. Notre Dame
7. Texas
8. Iowa
9. LSU
10. Washington St.
11. Florida State
12. Colorado
13. N.C. State
14. Oregon
15. Michigan
16. USC

Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12

-1
---
---
+5
+2
+4
-2
+3
NR
NR
-7
-6
-1
NR

Gone for Now:
Kansas State
Iowa State
Air Force

back to FAFG

Now that things have been more or less sorted out, here are my most likely Fiesta Bowls:

Oklahoma-Miami: some predicted it all along
Oklahoma-Ohio State: a Miami loss to Virginia Tech makes this possible
Ohio State-Miami: If OU loses in the Big XII game to presumably Colorado
Oklahoma-Texas: OSU loses to Mich, UM loses to VT, anti-BCSers everywhere rejoice
Miami-Texas: Why are none of these game possibilities intriguing?
Oklahoma-Washington State: OK, maybe this one is interesting. Gesser v. OU D
Miami-Washington State: WSU needs a very beatable Texas to lose to A&M or Tech
Ohio State-Washington State: Rose Bowl #2. I hope Iowa gets the Rose Bowl bid.

Teams that are technically still in the hunt for any BCS bowl (green teams control their fate)::
ACC:               Big East             Big Ten:       Big XII:            PAC 10:                  SEC:        Others:
Florida State      Miami                Ohio State      Oklahoma          Washington State      Georgia      Notre Dame
N.C. State         Virginia Tech      Iowa             Texas                USC                         LSU         Bowling Green
Maryland           Pittsburgh          Michigan        Kansas State      UCLA                      Florida
Virginia             West Virginia                          Colorado            Arizona State             Auburn
                                                                     Iowa State                                         Arkansas
                                                                     Texas Tech