Ranking the Top 25: Week 14

1. Oregon (12-0)Last Week: 1Thought: 

2. Auburn (13-0)Last Week: 2Thought: Cam Newton obliterated the South Carolina defense. It is difficult to scheme against a team that has already seen you once during the season. Hopefully the championship game is a dandy.

3. TCU (12-0)Last Week: 3Thought: TCU has a great defense, but it will be challenged by a physical ground-and-pound offense in Wisconsin. Can their offense put up enough points to win the Rose Bowl?

4. Stanford (11-1)Last Week: 4Thought: Stanford matches up against perhaps the hottest team in the country in Virginia Tech. Andrew Luck may be playing his final game in college, and Jim Harbaugh also has a decision to make about his future. I would love to see Stanford-Oregon play again on a neutral field today.

5. Wisconsin (11-1)Last Week: 5Thought: The physical Badgers face a stout TCU defense. Scott Tolzien and company won’t be able to roll up 80 points like they did at times this season. Give the students selling their tickets a break on Facebook. 

6. Michigan State (11-1)Last Week: 6Thought: Sparty can only blame themselves. Although they beat Wisconsin, Michigan State was routed by a 7-5 Iowa team. Since they didn’t play Ohio State, the fairest outcome appears to have prevailed. Despite not going to a BCS bowl, the Spartans should be proud of their amazing campaign.

7. Ohio State (11-1)Last Week: 7Thought: Eleven wins is never easy, but Ohio State went just 1-1 against teams that finished the season ranked. Arkansas isn’t a slouch, and that BCS bowl should be interesting.

8. Arkansas (10-2)Last Week: 8Thought: Can Ryan Mallet navigate a defense that has put the clamps down on many offenses? Can the normally weak Arkansas defense shut down Terrelle Pryor? Woo pig sooie!

9. Boise State (11-1)Last Week: 9Thought: After all the hype, the Broncos didn’t even win the WAC. However, they will likely take out their frustrations on Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.

10. LSU (10-2)Last Week: 10Thought: 2011 just may be the year for the Tigers. Their offense progressed over the course of the year, and quarterback Jordan Jefferson returns. Their defense is lightning quick.

11. Oklahoma (11-2)Last Week: 15Thought: The Sooners squeaked out a victory in the Big XII title game, and received the automatic BCS bid. Their reward, a lowly UConn team from the Big East.

12. Nevada (12-1)Last Week: 12Thought: The WAC champions avoided a letdown in the final week and took care of business. They pistol-whipped quite a few teams along the way.

13. Virginia Tech (11-2)Last Week: 13Thought: The Hokies bucked their losing ways against Florida State. They are the first team to play in a BCS bowl after losing to an FCS squad in the same season.

14. Missouri (10-2)Last Week: 15Thought: Let the attention turn to basketball season, where the Tigers will likely make a solid run in the tournament.

15. Nebraska (10-3)Last Week: 11Thought: The Huskers couldn’t snag the Big XII title in their final year in the conference. They play Washington for the second time this season, which should be another blowout win for Nebraska.

16. Oklahoma State (10-2)Last Week: 16Thought: Oklahoma State’s offense will likely do a number on the Arizona defense. The Wildcats are slumping, and facing Justin Blackmon isn’t the best remedy.

17. Alabama (9-3)Last Week: 17Thought: A disappointing season by Nick Saban standards. The Tide looked to repeat but couldn’t do it as they lost three games. It will be interesting to see how their new quarterback does next year.

18. Texas A&M (9-3)Last Week: 18Thought: If Ryan Tannehill had played quarterback the whole season, the Aggies might be 11-1 right now. They came very close, and the future looks bright with another season of the accurate quarterback as the signal caller.

19. Utah (10-2)Last Week: 20

20. West Virginia (9-3)Last Week: 21Thought: The Mountaineers would likely give Oklahoma a better game, but the Big East still isn’t exactly the best conference. West Virginia is the preseason favorite to win their conference in 2011.

21. Hawaii (10-3)Last Week: 23

22. Mississippi State (8-4)Last Week: NRThought: Dan Mullen did a fantastic job creating eight wins in the toughest division in football this year.

23. Florida State (9-4)Last Week: 24Thought: Even without Christian Ponder, the Seminoles played Virginia Tech tough.

24. South Carolina (9-4)Last Week: 19Thought: SEC title game was embarassing, but with Marcus Lattimore and Steve Spurrier back, the Gamecocks may be able to repeat in the East.

25. UConn (8-4)Last Week: NRThought: These guys are in a BCS bowl?