Ranking the Top 25: Week 10

With the parity permeating through college football, it becomes harder each week to find twenty-five teams worthy of being ranked.

Here is the ballot submitted for the USC Sports Media Poll.

1. Oregon (9-0)Last Week: Thought: The Ducks continue to score at a blistering pace, while their defense shuts teams down in the second half. The combined record’s of Oregon’s opponents isn’t pretty, but the Quack Attack has dispatched every team it has played with relative ease. National title game, here they come. 

2. TCU (10-0)Last Week: Thought: Utah was probably overrated, but the fashion in which TCU smacked Utah in Salt Lake City is impossible to ignore. Their defense continues to keep teams to single digits and Andy Dalton is the best quarterback in the state of Texas. The Horned Frogs made a huge statement on Saturday, and the nation heard it loudly and clearly. 

3. Auburn (10-0)Last Week: Thought: For all the acclaim Auburn and Cam Newton get on offense, the defense stinks. They gave up 24 to Chattanooga, just about their average for the season. Newton should be the Heisman frontrunner, but the recent avalanche of allegations may affect his play this week against Georgia. If Auburn wins out, including a tough game at Alabama, Gene Chizik will lead War Eagle to a BCS title game. 

4. Boise State (8-0)Last Week: Thought: Boise held Hawaii to its lowest total yards in 12 years. However, the Broncos took a hit by playing at the same time as TCU-Utah. Many pollsters watched the Horned Frogs instead, and that lead to Boise’s performance getting lost in the fray. The Broncos continue to blow out their inferior opponents, but it simply isn’t enough to impress the BCS computers. 

5. Stanford (8-1)Last Week: Thought: 6. LSU (8-1)Last Week: Thought: 7.Wisconsin (8-1)Last Week: Thought: Purdue put a scare into the Badgers before they pulled away for the victory. Wisconsin should finish the season 11-1 given that their remaining games are against Indiana, Michigan, and Northwestern. If there is a 3-way tie atop the Big 10 (Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State), the highest team rated by the BCS would get the Rose Bowl bid. Right now, that’s Wisconsin. 

8. Nebraska (8-1)Last Week: Thought:  9. Ohio State (8-1)Last Week: Thought: For being such a hyped team, the Buckeyes have yet to turn in an impressive result. They always seem to be high in the rankings simply due to reputation. While the Big 10 is a BCS conference, it may only be the third or fourth best.  This squad isn’t deserving of an at-large BCS bid over the likes of Stanford or LSU. 

10. Oklahoma State (8-1)Last Week: Thought:

11. Iowa (7-2)Last Week: Thought:

12. Michigan State (9-1)Last Week: Thought:

13. Alabama (7-2)Last Week: Thought:

14. Utah (8-1)Last Week: Thought:

15. Arkansas (7-2)Last Week: Thought: 16. Missouri (7-2)Last Week: Thought:

17. Oklahoma (7-2)Last Week: Thought:

18. Nevada (8-1)Last Week: Thought:

19. Mississippi State (7-2)Last Week: Thought:

20. Virginia Tech (7-2)Last Week: Thought:

21. Arizona (7-2)Last Week: Thought:

22. San Diego State (7-2)Last Week: Thought:

23. USC (6-3)Last Week: Thought:

24. UCF (7-2)Last Week: Thought:

25. Baylor (7-3)Last Week: Thought:  Oklahoma State beat Baylor 55-28 and flexed some defense. While the Bears are 7-3, they remain one of the top 25 teams in a season where it is hard to find 25 teams to rank.