Ranking the Top 25: Week 6

The last time Texas, USC, Notre Dame, Miami [FL], Michigan and Penn State were not ranked was in November of 1960. In other words, if you thought something strange was brewing in college football, you would be correct.

Here is the ballot submitted for the USC Sports Media Poll compiled by my radio co-host Shotgun Spratling.

1. Ohio St. (6-0)Last Week: Thought: With the downfall of Alabama, Ohio State moves up to 1. They have been the best team in the country and feel like the most complete product. Pryor has matured at quarterback and has built of the progress of last year’s Rose Bowl.

2. Oregon (6-0)Last Week: Thought: The Duck offense is the most potent in the nation, but the status of quarterback Darron Thomas is uncertain heading forward. At times, Oregon looks out of this world, and other times it finds itself trailing to Washington State last in the first quarter. The defense still is a question mark.

3. Boise State (5-0)Last Week: Thought: The past two weeks have seen the Broncos put up over 100 points. Watching them play though, it looks like a varsity team beating up on JV teams. Speaking of that, they play my beloved San Jose State Spartans this weekend. Upset Alert? Nope!

4. Nebraska (5-0)Last Week: Thought: Taylor Martinez reminds Nebraska fans of Eric Crouch, who led the Huskers to a national title. Bo Pelini fields a stingy defense year after year and now he has a dual-threat quarterback to make the 2010 version of Nebraska even better than the 2009 squad that won the Big XII North.

5. TCU (6-0)Last Week: Thought: The Horned Frogs have to root for Boise to lose at some point if they want a shot at the national title. Andy Dalton is somewhat underrated at quarterback and the defense doesn’t budge.

6. Auburn (6-0)Last Week: Thought: War Eagle has a huge showdown with Arkansas this weekend. The Tigers have flown under the radar a bit with Alabama, South Carolina, and LSU stealing the spotlight. Cam Newton continues to throw up impressive numbers.

7. Oklahoma (5-0)Last Week: Thought:

8. LSU (6-0)Last Week: Thought:

9. South Carolina (4-1)Last Week: Thought: Stephen Garcia isn’t the most reliable quarterback in the country, but he showed up and the Cocks recorded the biggest win in school history.

10. Stanford (5-1)Last Week: Thought: The Cardinal are very similar to USC, except they have a slightly better defense. Stanford will be fine offensively with Andrew Luck as the signal-caller, but the defense has to bring concern to the trees. Matt Barkley tore up the young secondary for 390 yards, and he isn’t the only good quarterback remaining on the schedule.

11. Alabama (5-1)Last Week: Thought:

12. Arkansas (4-1)Last Week: Thought:

13. Michigan State (6-0)Last Week: Thought:

14. Utah (5-0)Last Week: Thought:

15. Iowa (4-1)Last Week: Thought:

17. Wisconsin (5-1)Last Week: Thought: The Badgers rebounded from the loss to Michigan State well. They have plenty of talent and grind it out on offense while playing physical defense. 

18. Nevada (6-0)Last Week: Thought: The Wolfpack put up 52 points a few weeks ago against the Pac-10’s best defense in Cal. Colin Kapernick runs all over opposing defenses. Look out Boise State?

19. Arizona (4-1)Last Week: Thought: After beating Cal by 1, the Cats fell to Oregon State and now there is a question as to whether they are in the top tier of Pac-10 teams. Was the win against Iowa a fluke?

20. Air Force (5-1)Last Week: Thought:

21. Oregon State (3-2)Last Week: Thought:

22. West Virginia (4-1)Last Week: Thought:

23. Missouri (5-0)Last Week: Thought:

24. Oklahoma State (5-0)Last Week: Thought:

25. Florida (4-2)Last Week: Thought: The Gators are ranked simply because it is hard to find a team to rank. The records of many teams aren’t impressive right now. You could even make the case USC is a top 25 team.