T3R WEEK 4

Sorry for the delay this week, I have been enjoying the Florida sun way too much!

#1 TEXAS LONGHORNS (10-0, 6-0)
LAST WEEK: 47-14 win @ Baylor
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Kansas
To steal a line from the great movie, Finding Nemo, the Longhorns have to, “just keep swimming.” With their final two opponents being Kansas and Texas A&M before beating up on some terrible team from the Big XII North as long as the Longhorns just keep their head above water they will be in the national title game versus the Bama-Florida winner in the SEC championship game.

#2 FLORIDA GATORS (10-0, 8-0)
LAST WEEK: 24-14 win @ South Carolina
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Florida International
Count me as one that thought the South Carolina game could have been a stumbling block for the Gators. They didn’t win impressively but they got the job done. Hey when you play in the SEC and have won 20 in a row, that is all that matters, just get the “W” and the Gators keep doing that.

#3 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (10-0, 7-0)
LAST WEEK: 31-3 win @ Mississippi State
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Tenn-Chattanooga
Add Tennessee Chattanooga to the list of cupcakes on the Alabama non-conference schedule. The Tide hits the bakery before finishing the season with rival Auburn, then Florida in the SEC title game, followed by a BCS game. The Bama fans are hoping that BCS game is in California for a national title, not the Sugar Bowl.

#4 CINCINNATI BEARCATS (10-0, 6-0)
LAST WEEK: 24-21 win vs WVU
NEXT GAME: Fri Nov 27th vs Illinois
This is two straight weeks in which the Bearcats were unable to put their opponent away in the 4th quarter, and this from a team that had been winning their games at the mid-point in the season by an average of four touchdowns. A week off, then a game Cincy should have no problem with against Illinois, they the showdown with Pitt for the River City Rivalry Trophy, oh yeah, and a BCS bid.

#5 TCU HORNED FROGS (10-0, 6-0)
LAST WEEK: 55-28 win vs Utah
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Wyoming
11 weeks down and TCU is still undefeated, and they have now beat their toughest competition. The much hyped game against Utah turned out to be a old fashioned butt-whooping by the Horned Frogs. TCU has done everything asked of them so far and they have done it with authority. A sign at GameDay last week read, “TCU, Texas State champs!” I wish we wouldn’t have to wait until their BCS bowl to really see how good this team is. How about TCU plays Texas instead of some schmo from the Big XII North on Dec 5th?!

#6 GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS (10-1, 7-1)
LAST WEEK: 49-10 win @ Duke
NEXT GAME: Sat Nov 28th vs Georgia
The Yellow Jackets have clinched the Coastal division of the ACC and await either Clemson (whom they have already beat this season) or Boston College in Tampa for the ACC Championship and a trip to the Orange Bowl.

#7 PITT PANTHERS (9-1, 5-0)
LAST WEEK: 27-22 win vs Notre Dame
NEXT GAME: Fri Nov. 27th @ WVU
Pitt really outplayed Notre Dame in pretty much every aspect of the game and beat the Irish worse than the score indicated, but that could be a problem. Pitt needs to put teams away. With games against WVU and Cincinnati ahead the Panthers must get a killer instinct that they haven’t shown yet this season.

#8 OREGON DUCKS (8-2, 6-1)
LAST WEEK: 44-21 win vs Arizona State
NEXT GAME: Sat @ #20 Arizona
The Ducks are currently the leader in the Pac-10, but they still have to play Arizona this week, and Oregon State in the “Civil War” to close the season. Either of those two teams or Stanford, who already beat the Ducks, could still win the conference and go to the Rose Bowl if the Ducks slip up.

#9 LSU TIGERS (8-2, 4-2)
LAST WEEK: 24-16 win vs La Tech
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Mississippi
I want to believe that this team is a top ten team, but their offense is showing me nothing. This week will be a big test to see how good this team really is when they travel to Oxford for a tough test.

#10 STANFORD CARDINAL (7-3, 6-2)
LAST WEEK: 55-21 win @ Southern Cal
NEXT GAME: Sat vs #19 Cal
You might wonder how a three loss team makes my top ten, the answer is simple, go for 2 against USC with 7 minutes to go in the 4th quarter when you hold a 27-point lead! Jim Harbaugh gets major props for that! Let’s not forget that the Trees are playing as well as any team in the nation right now and have put up 50 points in back to back weeks, both against Top 10 teams.

#11 the OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY BUCKEYES (9-2, 6-1)
LAST WEEK: 27-24 OT win vs Iowa
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Michigan
Beating a beat-up and overrated Iowa team by only 3 points in overtime on your home field is not the best way to make a good impression, but the win clinched the Buckeyes first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1996.

#12 BOISE STATE BRONCOS (10-0, 5-0)
LAST WEEK: 63-25 win vs Iadho
NEXT GAME: Fri @ Utah State
Yawn! Boise State ran up the score on another joke of an opponent. Guess what, they will do it again this week too.

#13 WISCONSIN BADGERS (8-2, 5-2)
LAST WEEK: 45-24 win vs Michigan
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Northwestern
The Badgers were just the next in a recent long line of opponents to embarrass the Wolverines in Big Ten play the past two seasons. Wisconsin has quietly set itself up for a nice New Years Day bowl as possibly the top non-BCS draw out of the conference.

#14 OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (8-2, 5-1)
LAST WEEK: 24-17 win vs Texas Tech
NEXT GAME: Thurs vs Colorado
The Cowboys have proven themselves as the second best team in the Big XII this season, unfortunately for them that doesn’t get you very much this season. Most seasons you would get a BCS bowl birth, but with the conference having a down year, it looks like the Cowboys could be headed for the Cotton Bowl this season.

#15 CLEMSON TIGERS (7-3, 5-2)
LAST WEEK: 43-23 win @ NC State
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Virginia
Last season the Tigers started 3-4 before getting hot down the stretch and this season they started 2-3 before winning 5 straight. One more win this week will place Clemson in Tampa to face Georgia Tech in the ACC championship game.

#16 OREGON STATE (7-3, 5-2)
LAST WEEK: 48-21 win vs Washington
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Washington State
The Beavers owe a thank you to the Pac-10 schedule makers. They essentially get a bye week in playing Washington State before taking on Oregon in a game that could be for the Pac-10 title.

#17 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (9-2, 5-2)
LAST WEEK: 31-20 win vs Indiana
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Michigan State
The way the Nits played in the first half you would have thought that their season went down the drain after losing to Ohio State. They must have forgot that the all-important Land Grant Trophy Game versus Michigan State was still remaining on the schedule.

#18 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (7-3, 3-3)
LAST WEEK: 33-24 win vs Miami
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Boston College
Two bad home losses turned this season for the Tar Heels. Losses at home to Virginia and Florida State took this team from a contender in the ACC to a middle of the road bowl game somewhere in the last week of December.

#19 CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (7-3, 4-3)
LAST WEEK: 24-16 win vs Arizona
NEXT GAME: Sat @ # 10 Stanford
Cal has looked really good in their wins and really bad in their losses, last week they looked really good and sneak into the top 20. The Bears will need to look really good again this week versus Stanford or it will be a short stay.

#20 ARIZONA WILDCATS (6-3, 4-2)
LAST WEEK: 24-16 loss @ Cal
NEXT GAME: Sat vs #8 Oregon
Five teams from the Pac-10 make it into the Rant Rankings this week. Half of the conference finds itself in the top 20 in the nation. Are they the best conference or the conference with the most parity?