2 - USC - USC struggled in Corvallis this weekend... if they struggle against Oregon St., what will happen when they play UCLA and Notre Dame? USC is good, but they have some weaknesses they need to shore up before the end of the season.
3 - Oklahoma - The Sooners are very lucky they came out with a win this week against the Aggies. They should have lost. OU is good, but they don't deserve to even be mentioned in a discussion about the BCS championship at the moment.
4 - California - Cal eeked out a win against a very good Oregon team this week. The rest of the way doesn't look too difficult... Washington, Stanford, and USM. A spot in the Rose Bowl looks likely.
5 - Wisconsin - Look for Michigan St. or Iowa end the Badgers undefeated run. Don't be fooled by their 9-0 record, they're not really that good. If they win out, look for a spot in the Rose or Fiesta Bowl. If they lose on of their final two games, they'll go to the Citrus Bowl.
6 - Michigan - Michigan's last two games aren't as easy as they look.... Northwestern and Ohio St. Yet, they should still be able to pull those out. If Michigan and Wisconsin both win out, Michigan should get a Rose Bowl berth before Wisconsin does.
7 - Texas - The Longhorns were impressive in the 2nd half against Oklahoma St. this week. If they win out (Kansas and A&M), they have a good chance at a BCS berth in the Fiesta or Rose Bowl.
8 - Utah - The Utes BCS chances are dwindling as some of the one and two-loss 'real conference' teams are coming up in the polls. Utah has a couple of challenging games left (Wyoming & BYU), but it probably won't be enough to get in a BCS bowl without some help from some one & two-loss big schools.
9 - Georgia - Georgia is riding a four-game winning streak into Auburn this weekend. Georgia has to win this to stay in the hunt for a rematch vs. Auburn in the SEC Championship game.
10 - Virginia - Virginia is in the driver's seat for the ACC championship right now, but they have a tough road (Miami, GT, VT) of the four teams that still have a chance at winning the ACC (UVa, VT, Miami, FSU).
11 - Virginia Tech - The Hokies squeaked by the Tar Heels this week, so it doesn't look like they'll be able to compete with Miami or Virginia, much less Maryland.
12 - Florida St. - The 'Noles still have a chance to win the ACC mathematically, but its not likely. FSU should keep Wyatt Sexton at starting QB tonight vs. NC St., or the Wolfpack may hand FSU another embarrassing loss, as Maryland did.
13 - Arizona St. - Everyone has forgotten about the Sun Devils. Sure they have two losses, but who have those two losses come to? #2 USC and #4 Cal. Look for the Sun Devils in the Holiday Bowl against Texas A&M or Oklahoma St.
14 - Notre Dame - Some AP writers may think that this is too high for a three-loss team, even if it is their beloved Notre Dame; but, the fact is that Notre Dame has handled a really tough schedule very well. Except for an opening day collapse vs. BYU, the Irish have been very impressive this season (wins vs. Michigan, Michigan St., Stanford).
15 - Iowa - The Hawkeyes had a huge win last week vs. Purdue, but need to be careful this week in the Metrodome against upset-minded Minnesota. Iowa could probably lose out and make it to the Alamo Bowl, but winning out would probably boost them to the status of a preseason top ten team with Tate as a Heisman contender.
16 - Louisville - The Cardinals have been shaky lately, but have benefitted from UNC's big win vs. Miami and their near win vs. Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels' play has helped Louisville in the sense that Louisville massacred North Carolina at the start of the season .
17 - Tennessee - Hate to say I told you so, but I did call Notre Dame beating the shaky Vols. Tennessee is still in the driver's seat for the SEC Championship, barring a huge collapse against Kentucky or Vanderbilt,... hahaha.
18 - West Virginia - It kills me to put the Mountaineers this low, but seriously, could they beat Notre Dame, Iowa or Tennessee? I highly doubt it. If West Virginia wins, they clinch a BCS berth & the Big East championship. A BC win would make a complete mockery of the BCS... BC would then be in the driver's seat for a BCS berth... and they lost to Pittsburgh & Wake Forest!
19 - LSU - The Tigers have a big game this weekend against arguably the best unranked team in the nation, Alabama. The winner will put themselves in a position to go to either the Cotton or Peach Bowl.
20 - Miami - Nothing makes me happier than dropping Miami. They lost to Clemson! That's great! Puts them in their rightful place. It'll be funny to see how quickly high school & college kids put their Hurriance paraphernalia up.
21 - Boston College - BC has a big game this weekend... a win would make them one of the hottest teams in the nation after a mediocre first half of the season. I know they beat Notre Dame and that was a heck of a win, but I hope they don't beat the Mountaineers because they just aren't a BCS caliber team.
22 - Texas A&M - A&M just ran out of steam. They had one of the best teams in the nation on their toes. It will be interesting to see if A&M can rebound from a two week stretch that they would probably rather forget about. Tech will be a tall order, but they have them at home and with thoughts of payback after three straight losses vs. Tech.
23 - Texas Tech - If Tech had a defense they would be in the top ten. But I guess you could say that every year. Tech needs to win out and hope that Texas wins out if they want to go to the Cotton Bowl. If Tech wins one of their final two games, they will end up in the Alamo Bowl. If Tech loses out, they will probably end up in the Houston Bowl.
24 - Oklahoma St. - No one seemed to want to drop Oklahoma St. out of the Top 25. They really are a good team, they just don't quite have enough to take that extra step. They should recover this week vs. Baylor after a rough couple of weeks (OU & UT). The Alamo Bowl or the Holiday Bowl look like likely destinations for the Cowboys this bowl season.
25 - Boise St. - The longer the season goes, the more Boise St. wins and the more they drop in my poll. I mean, how can I show any respect to someone who beats San Jose St. and Nevada week in and week out?
Waiting List....
South Carolina, Ohio St., Alabama, UTEP, Clemson, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Oregon, USM, UCLA, Wyoming
