Daniel’s Life

Welcome to the last DL Top 25 before the bowls begin. And I’m rushing to get this out because they start tomorrow. After this poll, there will be one more at the end of the season with recaps for all 25 teams.

1. Alabama (13-0) Previous: 1
Best win: Florida | Good wins: Virginia Tech, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas | Losses (best to worst): None
Dear college football poll voters: I called this number one a good four weeks ago. Granted, this poll is still just a reflection of past accomplishment and not a prediction. Sometimes that just happens to work out. My question, though, is if this is a good argument for ranking teams based on their accomplishments and not preconceived ideals of what they are capable of. The list of teams Florida had beaten was not as impressive as Alabama’s list. Anyways. Alabama took care of Florida in the SEC Championship Game. Next comes Alabama’s biggest test – the Texas Longhorns. To those of you who think this game will be a piece of cake for the Crimson Tide, think again. And it’s no advantage that Alabama is sitting around for a month thinking about a big win and Texas is sitting around for a month thinking about a near-miss.

2. Texas (13-0) Previous: 3
Best win: Oklahoma State | Good wins: Nebraska, Texas Tech, Missouri, Oklahoma, UCF | Losses (best to worst): None
After going through a stretch of not being sure if Texas would be the team to reach number 2, I did some tinkering to further refine the statistical output I use to help put together my poll. That pushed Texas to the top, along with a big but scary win over Nebraska. As stated above, don’t expect McCoy, Shipley, and company to show up in Pasadena just to lay over.

3. Florida (12-1) Previous: 2
Best win: LSU | Good wins: South Carolina, Tennessee, Troy, Arkansas, Georgia | Losses (best to worst): Alabama
C’mon, it’s not like Florida lost to a bad team. And let’s not kid ourselves. On a good day, they beat Alabama in the same fashion Alabama beat them. No chance they won’t be focused during Tebow’s last game after an embarrassing loss in the SEC Championship Game.

4. Cincinnati (12-0)  Previous: 4
Best win: Pittsburgh | Good wins: West Virginia, Oregon State, Fresno State, Rutgers | Losses (best to worst): None
At the end of the day, Cincy just didn’t play enough good teams to make the cut, in spite of an undefeated season in a BCS conference. That’s not fair, and it’s another reason why we need a bonafide playoff (and not just a plus one because most people think they know who deserves to be there).

5. Boise State (12-0) Previous: 6
Best win: Oregon | Good wins: Nevada, Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None
Ya. Boise moves up to 5th. That Oregon win just looks really good. They’ll get their shot to prove it against TCU.

6. Georgia Tech (11-2) Previous: 8
Best win: Virginia Tech | Good wins: Clemson (twice), North Carolina | Losses (best to worst): Miami, Georgia
Surprise! Tech moves back up to 6th. While the ACC is a little bit down, they aren’t as bad as most people think they are.

7. TCU (12-0) Previous: 5
Best win: BYU | Good wins: Clemson, Utah | Losses (best to worst): None
Sorry, TCU. It’s not that I don’t buy you. You just haven’t proven it to me. Not that you had a chance this year. Another reason we need a playoff. In the mean time, all we can go on is what we have. Sure, you didn’t lose to Miami and Georgia. You didn’t play them either. You did beat Clemson. So did Georgia Tech…twice.

8. Oregon (10-2) Previous: 7
Best win: Oregon State | Good wins: Arizona, Utah, USC, California | Losses (best to worst): Boise State, Stanford
The Ducks still appear to be mighty, with their last win being their best win. Now they get a shot to defend Pac 10 pride in the Rose Bowl.

9. Iowa (10-2) Previous: 9
Best win: Penn State | Good wins: Wisconsin, Arizona | Losses (best to worst): Ohio State, Northwestern
Credit to the BCS for putting Iowa and not Penn State in the Orange Bowl. There is no question the Hawkeyes deserved it more. Now, let’s see if they can make the Big Ten proud. They are usually a good bowl team.

10. Ohio State (10-2) Previous: 10
Best win: Iowa | Good wins: Penn State, Wisconsin, Navy | Losses (best to worst): USC, Purdue
I know. Ohio State still beat Iowa. They also still lost to Purdue. But why should they care if I ranked them lower? They get to go to the Rose Bowl.

11. Penn State (10-2) Previous: 13
Best win: Northwestern | Good wins: Temple | Losses (best to worst): Ohio State, Iowa
Three Big Ten teams in the top 11 is a little surprising, isn’t it? Granted, this probably won’t happen when they expand to twelve teams and actually have to play a slightly tougher schedule. The Nittany Lions have an intriguing bowl game this year against LSU. Neither team has a “great” win this year. However, someone will have one after this one is over.

12. Virginia Tech (9-3) Previous: 11
Best win: Miami | Good wins: Nebraska, East Carolina, Boston College | Losses (best to worst): Alabama, Georgia Tech, North Carolina
I don’t have the Hokies behind Penn State by very much. Tech does have more losses, but they also have more quality wins.

13. Miami (9-3) Previous 12
Best win: Georgia Tech | Good wins: Oklahoma, UCF | Losses (best to worst): Virginia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina
And how about 3 ACC teams in the top 13? The Hurricanes get to challenge the Big Ten in the Champs Sports Bowl – the other Orlando bowl.

14. BYU (10-2) Previous: 20
Best win: Utah | Good wins: BYU | Losses (best to worst): TCU, Florida State
How did BYU end up here? The new formulation I’m doing helps the weaker conference teams some by giving everyone more credit for the less-than-stellar opponents. That loss to Florida State still looks pretty bad.

15. West Virginia (9-3) Previous: 22
Best win: Pittsburgh | Good wins:  East Carolina, Rutgers | Losses (best to worst): Cincinnati, Auburn, South Florida
The Mountaineers get a boost from two big wins to close out the regular season. Now they get a ridiculous match up against Florida State in the Gator Bowl. Not saying it’ll be easy. I’m just saying it’s ridiculous.

And now, the rest of the top 25:

16. LSU (9-3) Prev: 14
17. Pittsburgh (9-3) Prev: 17
18. Oklahoma State (9-3) Prev: 18
19. East Carolina (9-4) Prev: NR
20. Wisconsin (9-3) Prev: 19
21. Nebraska (9-4) Prev: NR
22. Villanova (14-1) Prev: 25 – Congrats to ‘Nova – 2009 FCS Champs. They did beat Temple, who is bowling this year
23. Arizona (8-4) Prev: 23
24. Houston (9-3) Prev: NR
25. USC (8-4) Prev: 15

Dropped: California, Oregon State, Arkansas

Next in: Utah, Stanford, California, Texas Tech, Clemson

Ooops. Super-abbreviated version this week. Don’t think the outcome of the Western Kentucky/Arky State game ongoing right now will have a huge impact on my poll.

Oh, and I’m somewhat amused at how my “what you’ve done” poll is magically falling into line with some of the “predictive” polls – without overrating the flavor of the week teams.

1. Alabama (12-0) Previous: 1
Best win: Virginia Tech | Good wins: LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, South Carolina, Auburn | Losses (best to worst): None

2. Florida (12-0) Previous: 2
Best win: LSU | Good wins: Arkansas, Troy, South Carolina| Losses (best to worst): None

3. Texas (12-0) Previous: 4
Best win: Oklahoma State | Good wins: Texas Tech, Missouri, UCF, Oklahoma | Losses (best to worst): None

4. Cincinnati (11-0)  Previous: 3
Best win: Oregon State | Good wins: West Virginia, Rutgers, South Florida, Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None

5. TCU (12-0) Previous: 5
Best win: BYU | Good wins: Clemson, Utah | Losses (best to worst): None

6. Boise State (12-0) Previous: 10
Best win: Oregon | Good wins: Nevada, Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None

7. Oregon (9-2) Previous: 11
Best win: USC | Good wins: California, Utah, Arizona | Losses (best to worst): Boise State, Stanford

8. Georgia Tech (10-2) Previous: 6
Best win: Virginia Tech | Good wins: Clemson, North Carolina | Losses (best to worst): Miami, Georgia

9. Iowa (10-2) Previous: 8
Best win: Penn State | Good wins: Wisconsin, Arizona | Losses (best to worst): Ohio State, Northwestern

10. Ohio State (10-2) Previous: 9
Best win: Iowa | Good wins: Penn State, Wisconsin, Navy | Losses (best to worst): USC, Purdue

11. Virginia Tech (9-3) Previous: 7
Best win: Miami | Good wins: Nebraska, East Carolina, Boston College | Losses (best to worst): Alabama, Georgia Tech, North Carolina

12. Miami (9-3) Previous 12
Best win: Georgia Tech | Good wins: UCF, South Florida | Losses (best to worst): Virginia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina

13. Penn State (10-2) Previous: 13
Best win: Northwestern | Good wins: Temple | Losses (best to worst): Iowa, Ohio State

14. LSU (9-3) Previous: 20
Best win: Arkansas | Good wins: Auburn | Losses (best to worst): Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss

15. USC (8-3) Previous: 17
Best win: Ohio State | Good wins:  Oregon State, California | Losses (best to worst): Oregon, Stanford, Washington

And now, the rest of the top 25:

16. California (8-3) Prev: 18
17. Pittsburgh (9-2) Prev: 15
18. Oklahoma State (9-3) Prev: 14
19. Wisconsin (8-3) Prev: 21
20. BYU (10-2) Prev: NR
21. Oregon State (8-3) Prev: 22
22. West Virginia (8-3) Prev: NR
23. Arizona (7-4) Prev: 25
24. Arkansas (7-5) Prev: 19
25. Villanova (11-1) Prev: NR

Dropped: North Carolina, Clemson, Ole Miss

Next in: South Carolina, Houston, Stanford, Texas Tech, Clemson

I’m getting this out there are little earlier for the week of Thanksgiving. More of the shuffling at the top has to do with shifting schedule strengths than this past week’s results.

1. Alabama (11-0) Previous: 1
Best win: Virginia Tech | Good wins: LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas | Losses (best to worst): None
Alabama shut out Chattanooga Saturday in what amounted to a live tune-up for the Auburn game coming up Friday. They should be able to beat their in-state rival, as long as they don’t get caught looking ahead to…

2. Florida (11-0) Previous: 2
Best win: LSU | Good wins: Arkansas, Troy, Georgia | Losses (best to worst): None
Much like Alabama, Florida had a live scrimmage against a far inferior opponent in the form of Florida International Saturday. Rivalry weekend bring the Seminoles to Gainesville, but this game shouldn’t prove to be interesting.

3. Cincinnati (10-0)  Previous: 4
Best win: Oregon State | Good wins: South Florida, West Virginia, Rutgers, Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None
It was a bye week for Cincy last weekend. A matchup against a mediocre Illinois awaits Friday afternoon before a much more important showdown against Pitt next weekend.

4. Texas (11-0) Previous: 3
Best win: Oklahoma State | Good wins: Texas Tech, Missouri, UCF, Oklahoma | Losses (best to worst): None
Did you know the Big 12 is 4-7 in non-conference games against BCS opponents this year? That’s 38.5% – worst among BCS conferences, and less than one percent better than the Mountain West (all of the Mountain West, including the likes of New Mexico and UNLV). Texas won Saturday against an over-matched Kansas State team, but it doesn’t mean very much, because the Big 12 North is weak. The Texas A&M game is next on Thanksgiving Day. It’ll be interesting to see how both teams play with just five days to prepare.

5. TCU (11-0) Previous: 6
Best win: Clemson | Good wins: BYU, Utah | Losses (best to worst): None
Clemson has been consistently making an otherwise marginal TCU schedule into an impressive one. That’s why TCU rises into the top 5 – not that thrilling win over Wyoming last weekend.  Next up is New Mexico, who just collected their first win last weekend.

6. Georgia Tech (10-1) Previous: 5
Best win: Virginia Tech | Good wins: Clemson, North Carolina | Losses (best to worst): Miami
Georgia Tech got a much-deserved week off (11 games in a row would be rough on any team). Now they face off against in-state rival Georgia. The Bulldogs are down this year, but you never know what will happen in these games.

7. Virginia Tech (8-3) Previous: 9
Best win: Miami | Good wins: Nebraska, Boston College, East Carolina | Losses (best to worst): Alabama, Georgia Tech, North Carolina
As Virginia Tech’s losses continue to look more acceptable, and some of their wins against middle-of-the-road teams look a bit better (East Carolina is now listed as a “good win”), their ranking continues to improve. The Hokies cruised to an easy win over North Carolina State Saturday. Next, they take part in rivalry weekend as they face Virginia.

8. Iowa (10-2) Previous: 7
Best win: Penn State | Good wins: Wisconsin, Arizona | Losses (best to worst): Ohio State, Northwestern
The loss to Northwestern doesn’t smart quite as bad anymore. The Hawkeyes finished up the season on a positive note with a shutout win over Minnesota. Now the big question is whether they’ll get into a BCS bowl. Or will Penn State, whose best win is over Temple?

9. Ohio State (10-2) Previous: 8
Best win: Iowa | Good wins: Penn State, Wisconsin, Navy | Losses (best to worst): USC, Purdue
In spite of an impressive resume, Ohio State remains ranked behind the team they beat just a couple weeks ago. Still because of Purdue. But the Buckeyes shouldn’t care, because they’re headed to the Rose Bowl next, likely to play Oregon. Which is ironic since Boise State might not get into a BCS bowl. We need a limited form of playoff so bad.

10. Boise State (11-0) Previous: 10
Best win: Oregon | Good wins: Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None
Boise State remains in 10th coming off an easy win at Utah State (well, easy after the first quarter and a half). The Broncos will face their last real challenge of the season Friday night when they host the run-happy Nevada Wolfpack.

11. Oregon (9-2) Previous: 11
Best win: Utah | Good wins: USC, California, Arizona | Losses (best to worst): Boise State, Stanford
The Ducks have completed their two-week conquest of the state of Arizona with a thrilling overtime win Saturday night against the Wildcats. (Sidenote: I missed the thrilling end of that game…on TV at least – ESPN 360 was an annoying alternative…thanks to the fact that ABC chose to not switch some of us over who were instead forced us to sit through the post Texas/Kansas State game Colt McCoy love fest. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Texas or Colt McCoy, but I’d rather watch the more interesting game.) Oregon has to remain behind Boise State as BSU remains undefeated. Otherwise they would be in my top ten.

12. Miami (8-3) Previous 15
Best win: Georgia Tech | Good wins: UCF, Oklahoma | Losses (best to worst): Virginia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina
The win over Georgia Tech still looms large, and none of those three losses look particularly bad. After a win over Duke last weekend, South Florida awaits the Hurricanes this coming Saturday.

13. Penn State (10-2) Previous: 16
Best win: Temple | Good wins: Northwestern | Losses (best to worst): Ohio State, Iowa
Penn State is obviously having a good year (ten wins is good for a program at any level), but they remain somewhat unproven. More unproven than Iowa, who at least beat Penn State and a decent Arizona team. Can you tell which Big Ten team I think deserves any at-large BCS bid? The Nittany Lions will get a shot to prove me wrong next in a bowl game.

14. Oklahoma State (9-2) Previous: 13
Best win: Texas Tech | Good wins: Missouri, Georgia | Losses (best to worst): Texas, Houston
Whether I would put Penn State or Oklahoma in 13 or 14 or visa versa…it was sort of a toss-up. I gave the nod to Penn State by the slightest of margins because the Big Ten is probably actually a little stronger than the Big 12 this year. The Cowboys struggled last week without top QB Zac Robinson, but were able to come away with a victory over Colorado. Robinson will be back for the big in-state rivalry game in Norman. Will Mike Gundy ever get a better opportunity to beat Oklahoma?

15. Pittsburgh (9-1) Previous: 12
Best win: Navy | Good wins:  South Florida, Rutgers | Losses (best to worst): North Carolina State
I still think Pitt is a bit overrated in most major polls. Besides the obvious penalty for losing to NC State, the Notre Dame win doesn’t seem as impressive either. The beautiful thing is that Pitt gets a golden opportunity to prove it on the field over these next two weeks. Wins against both West Virginia and Cincinnati would change some minds.

And now, the rest of the top 25:

16. North Carolina (8-3) Prev: 22
17. USC (7-3) Prev: 18
18. California (8-3) Prev: 24
19. Arkansas (7-4) Prev: 25
20. LSU (8-3) Prev: 17
21. Wisconsin (8-3) Prev: 14
22. Oregon State (8-3) Prev: 20
23. Ole Miss (8-3) Prev: NR
24. Clemson (8-3) Prev: 21
25. Arizona (6-4) Prev: 23

Dropped: Navy

Next in: Navy, Villanova, South Florida, Houston, West Virginia

Ooops almost forgot. Here is the DL Top 25 for Week 11 of college football.

1. Alabama (10-0) Previous: 1
Best win: LSU | Good wins:Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Arkansas | Losses (best to worst): None
Alabama remains in the top spot with a convincing win over Mississippi State. Now it’s a week off against Chattanooga before the big rivalry game against Auburn.

2. Florida (10-0) Previous: 2
Best win: LSU | Good wins: Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Troy | Losses (best to worst): None
Florida won in a somewhat competitive game against South Carolina and the head ball coach (or whatever they call him these days). They keep edging closer and closer to Alabama, but it doesn’t really matter, because the two teams will face off in the SEC Championship Game anyhow.

3. Texas (10-0) Previous: 3
Best win: Oklahoma State | Good wins: Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Missouri | Losses (best to worst): None
Texas took care of an out-manned Baylor team last weekend. Next up, the Longhorns host a Kansas team in shambles right now. It would be shocking if Kansas could overcome the off-field issues and give Texas any real fight. Oh, and I continue to content that Texas does not control their own destiny…yet. The Big 12 isn’t strong enough for that to be the case this year, especially with all of these undefeated teams.

4. Cincinnati (10-0)  Previous: 5
Best win: Oregon State | Good wins: Rutgers, South Florida, West Virginia, Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None
With Saturday’s win over West Virginia, Cincy jumps into 4th and very very close to the number 3 spot. As things stand now, if Cincinnati (and Texas) were to win out, they wouldn’t pass Texas in my rankings. However, the value of each win changes as past opponents get better or worse, so that’s still subject to change. The Bearcats get a week off before a Friday game against Illinois.

5. Georgia Tech (10-1) Previous: 4
Best win: Virginia Tech | Good wins: Clemson, North Carolina | Losses (best to worst): Miami
The Yellow Jackets made easy work of Duke. They get a week off before their big rivalry game against Georgia on Thanksgiving weekend.

6. TCU (10-0) Previous: 7
Best win: BYU | Good wins: Clemson, Utah | Losses (best to worst): None
TCU picked up a big win over Utah over the weekend. The buzz in the media is as loud as ever. As long as there’s no playoff in college football, they can all get over it. The Horned Frogs can kick into cruise control the rest of the season with dates at a typically-mediocre Wyoming and at home against an embarrassing New Mexico left to play.

7. Iowa (9-2) Previous: 6
Best win: Wisconsin | Good wins: Penn State, Arizona | Losses (best to worst): Ohio State, Northwestern
I’m sure this one has you scratching your head. Head-to-head matchups? They matter only if a team is undefeated or hasn’t lost to a lower-ranked team. I guarantee you no one has Ohio State ranked below Purdue… or Iowa ranked below Northwestern for that matter. Though teams tend to change through a season for any myriad of reasons, I don’t think it’s fair to focus more on what’s happened lately than what happened earlier on (nor visa versa). College football always prides itself in making the regular season count. Why should the end of the regular season count more than the beginning or the middle? Next up for the Hawkeyes: a Minnesota team that struggled to beat an FCS team last weekend.

8. Ohio State (9-2) Previous: 12
Best win: Iowa | Good wins: Wisconsin, Penn State, Navy | Losses (best to worst): USC, Purdue
No team has moved up as quickly in this poll over the last few weeks as Ohio State has. Clutch wins against Penn State and Iowa will do that. As to why the Buckeyes are behind a team they just beat. Again, Purdue. If you want me to put you ahead of Iowa, I have to put you behind Purdue. That close game against USC isn’t looking quite as impressive now either, is it? Up next for Ohio State is one of the biggest rivalry games in college football…at the big house this year.

9. Virginia Tech (7-3) Previous: 14
Best win: Miami | Good wins: Nebraska, Boston College | Losses (best to worst): Alabama, Georgia Tech, North Carolina
Virginia Tech is coming off an easy win over Maryland. Suddenly, the loss to North Carolina isn’t stinging quite as bad. Obviously, the losses against ‘Bama and Georgia Tech are forgivable. Next up, the Hokies host Tom O’Brien’s team on Saturday.

10. Boise State (10-0) Previous: 13
Best win: Oregon | Good wins: Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None
Well, I was obviously wrong about Idaho. I guess it was a little too much hype to deal with in their first ‘good’ season. Boise State did cover that huge spread, and with points to spare. Next up is a Friday night game against WAC weakling Utah State.

11. Oregon (7-2) Previous: 14
Best win: USC | Good wins: Utah, California | Losses (best to worst): Boise State, Stanford
The Ducks got an easy win over Arizona State Saturday night. Oregon’s ranking continues to be limited by whatever Boise State is able to accomplish through the remainder of the season, as the Broncos remain undefeated and have the edge head-to-head. Up next, Oregon has a big game against Arizona.

12. Pittsburgh (9-1) Previous: 16
Best win: Navy | Good wins:  Rutgers, South Florida, Notre Dame | Losses (best to worst): North Carolina State
How on Earth did Pitt lose to North Carolina State earlier this season? That result is the only reason I haven’t ranked the Panthers as high as some other polls. They got a big win against Notre Dame this past weekend. Now they have a week to rest up. The last two weeks of the regular season should prove difficult with games against West Virginia and Cincinnati upcoming.

13. Oklahoma State (8-2) Previous: 18
Best win: Texas Tech | Good wins: Georgia, Missouri | Losses (best to worst): Texas, Houston
Oklahoma State sneaks into the top 15 with a hard-fought win over Texas Tech last week. Of course, ironically they are struggling against Colorado in a Thursday night game as I type this. (No, the current game has no impact on this ranking.) Looking ahead to Oklahoma Thanksgiving week, anyone? Well, it’s worth noting they are without QB Zac Robinson this week.

14. Wisconsin (8-2) Previous: 11
Best win: Fresno State | Good wins: | Losses (best to worst): Ohio State, Iowa
Wisconsin is quietly having a decent season, but their biggest problem is the line above this one. The only good win was an overtime victory against Fresno State. Plus, they didn’t have to play Penn State this year. Coming up Saturday, a potentially tricky game at Northwestern.

15. Miami (7-3) Previous 9
Best win: Georgia Tech | Good wins: Oklahoma | Losses (best to worst): Virginia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina
Well, 9 games in a row without a week off finally bit Miami. And an improving North Carolina team picked off the ‘Canes last weekend. That win over Georgia Tech still means a lot, though. Miami will host Duke this weekend.

And now, the rest of the top 25:

16. Penn State (9-2) Prev: 17
17. LSU (8-2) Prev: 8
18. USC (7-3) Prev: 15
19. Navy (8-3) Prev: 22
20. Oregon State (7-3) Prev: 24
21. Clemson (7-3) Prev: 25
22. North Carolina (7-3) Prev: NR
23. Arizona (6-3) Prev: 21
24. California (7-3) Prev: NR
25. Arkansas (6-4) Prev: NR

Dropped: Houston, Auburn, South Florida

Next in: Rutgers, Houston, South Florida, Auburn, Utah

See posts below for my poll manifesto. It’s unconventional, but it’s more fair — at least according to me.

Here is the DL Top 25 for Week 10 of college football.

1. Alabama (9-0) Previous: 2
Best win: LSU | Good wins:Virginia Tech, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, Ole Miss| Losses (best to worst): None
As Iowa falls out of the top spot, Alabama moves in. Though, they likely would have jumped them even if Iowa had won with the win at LSU. Alabama is also helped this week by the improvement of Tennessee and Arkansas, who are now in the “good win” category. Next week, the Tide rolls into Starkville for the first time since Dan Mullen took over the reigns there. Don’t be shocked if this game is closer than you expect. The Bulldogs should be well-rested coming off a bye week and an upset victory over Kentucky the week before.

(Sidenote: I agree with most people who believe Alabama got more favorable calls than LSU, but make no mistake about it. It’s unfair to project that it affected the outcome of the game any more than other factors like play-calling, injuries, etc. Of course the most controversial call was the interception attempt by LSU’s Patrick Peterson. Call it an excuse, but does it not appear that Julio Jones touched the ball while he was out-of-bounds? That would make it an incomplete pass whether Peterson maintained possession with both feet in bounds or not – which I happen to believe he did. And even still, there’s no guarantee they would have driven the field for a touchdown. Also, I hear that major national columnists are still barking about Terrance Cody removing his helmet in the middle of the last play of the Tennessee game. Dude, that’s so three weeks ago, and did you not do enough investigating to realize that even though that penalty should have been called, it would have had no baring on the outcome of the game, because it is a dead-ball penalty, which would not have prompted a re-kick? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the lack of attention to detail in the national media. It’s all about stirring the pot anyways.)

2. Florida (9-0) Previous: 3
Best win: LSU | Good wins: Tennessee, Troy, Arkansas, Georgia | Losses (best to worst): None
Florida remains just behind Alabama – but just barely. The Gators also got a boost this week from teams they’ve already played improving. Because let’s be honest – Vanderbilt didn’t help the schedule any. If the Gators beat South Carolina next weekend, it’s possible they could move to the top as Alabama plays a weaker Mississippi State team. South Carolina is making their annual nosedive at the end of the season, so theoretically this should be sure-win for Florida. Given the bigger focus on defense for the Gators this year, it might be a bit of a struggle early on, but they should be able to outlast the Gamecocks over 60 minutes.

3. Texas (9-0) Previous: 4
Best win: Oklahoma State | Good wins: Texas Tech, Oklahoma | Losses (best to worst): None
Texas continues to win, with UCF being the latest victim. Strength of schedule continues to hurt the Longhorns, and that’s why they remain in 3rd. Saturday will take the Longhorns to Baylor, where the Bears are coming off an upset win over Missouri. Don’t expect another upset, though.

4. Georgia Tech (9-1) Previous: 5
Best win: Virginia Tech | Good wins: Clemson, North Carolina | Losses (best to worst): Miami
Georgia Tech won another game by the skin of their teeth, but they still have one of the most impressive resumes among one-loss teams, and a better resume than some undefeated teams. In fact, if I just used the statistical methods I use to create my poll without modifying them to account for head-to-head matchups, Georgia Tech would be ranked ahead of Texas (and not as much because of those three best wins I list above, but more because of some of the other games). Of course, then you have the whole paradox of Tech being ahead of the Miami team they lost to, but Miami surrendered any claim over Georgia Tech when they lost to lower-tier Clemson (although Clemson is coming on strong…). Up next is another potentially tricky game against Duke, then a week off.

5. Cincinnati (9-0)  Previous: 6
Best win: South Florida | Good wins: Rutgers, Oregon State, Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None
Last weekend’s game was a thriller against UConn. And since UConn isn’t in my poll, I use this space. As big of a roller coaster as that team is going through with the death of a player and so many close losses, I have tremendous amount of respect for Coach Edsall. Connecticut is 4-5 this year, but all of the losses have been close with only a total of 15 points separating the Huskies from an undefeated season right now. And that includes teams like North Carolina, Pitt, West Virginia, and now Cincy. I can’t say anything would make me much happier than to see the Huskies go to South Bend and take out Notre Dame in two weeks. And that’s not just because I’m not very fond of Notre Dame. Anyways, Cincinnati. As things stand now, if Texas and Cincinnati both win out, there’s a distinct possibility I move the Bearcats above the Longhorns. But things will probably change between now and then, so that’s not a guarantee. I’m just saying. Cincinnati’s resume is a heck of a lot better than they get credit for. They have STILL been winning these games without Tony Pike. Though that Collaros guy isn’t bad at all. Pike is supposed to be back for a big game against West Virginia tonight.

6. Iowa (9-1) Previous: 1
Best win: Wisconsin | Good wins: Penn State, Arizona | Losses (best to worst): Northwestern
Well, it finally happened. Iowa got stuck in a close game they couldn’t overcome. Obviously the loss of quarterback Ricky Stanzi early in the game (and probably the rest of the season) hurt a lot. Sure, he wasn’t perfect, but there was obviously a pretty big drop off from him to James Vandenberg. So why did the Hawkeyes only fall to sixth? I think part of it was projecting a loss against Ohio State Saturday. And I almost get the impression the media was so thrilled to have an excuse to drop Iowa, they went all out. But the fact of the matter is, in spite of this loss against Northwestern, wins against Wisconsin and Arizona keep looking better and better. Sure, if they lose to the Buckeyes, they’ll have to fall some more. But this poll is against overreacting to losses.

7. TCU (9-0) Previous: 7
Best win: Clemson | Good wins: BYU | Losses (best to worst): None
As expected, TCU blew out San Diego State last weekend. All of a sudden, I’m hearing several national columnists talk up TCU for consideration for the BCS National Championship Game. With all due respect to them, I don’t think it’s a coincidence they all started talking at the same time after a TCU win over San Diego State. Media campaign anyone? I’ll hear nothing of it. The Clemson win is looking better and better. The only game remaining on the TCU schedule that will help much this season is this weekend’s game against Utah, and that won’t even be nearly enough to get TCU into my top 2. Utah is down this year (for Utah), so TCU should be fine in this game, especially since it’s at home. Don’t get me wrong about TCU. I like them. Their schedule just isn’t strong enough to prove they deserve to be closer to the top. We won’t have much to gauge them on until their bowl game.

8. LSU (7-2) Previous: 12
Best win: Auburn | Good wins:  Georgia | Losses (best to worst): Alabama, Florida
This is where things begin to get screwy in my poll. There is a large cluster of teams with comparable records who have beat up on each other, and it’s difficult to distinguish who goes where. So, LSU rises four spots even after losing. It doesn’t matter, because Florida and Alabama are ranked higher. Still, the Tigers need to prove they can beat some better teams. Wins over Ole Miss and Arkansas will go a long way. First, Louisiana Tech awaits on Saturday.

9. Miami (7-2) Previous 13
Best win: Georgia Tech | Good wins: Oklahoma, Florida State | Losses (best to worst): Virginia Tech, Clemson
Similar to LSU, Miami is benefiting from a strong schedule and teams losing ahead of them. That win over Georgia Tech earlier in the season looms oh so large. After some questionable games, the Hurricanes got back on track on Saturday with an easy win over Virginia. They have a big game this weekend in Chapel Hill.

10. Virginia Tech (6-3) Previous: 14
Best win: Miami | Good wins: Boston College, Nebraska | Losses (best to worst): Alabama, Georgia Tech, North Carolina
The Hokies were back in the win column with a Thursday night victory over East Carolina. Though they have three losses, and it seems like 10 is too high, they also have some big wins, and in reality I’m holding them down a bit. Really, I’m tempted to have them ahead of Miami, and honestly, it’s harder and harder to keep Virginia Tech behind Miami if I’m not going to hold Miami behind Clemson. Looking ahead, the last three games of the regular season are against inferior opponents. I can’t imagine a loss against anyone except possibly in-state rival Virginia.

11. Wisconsin (7-2) Previous: 24
Best win: Fresno State | Good wins: | Losses (best to worst): Iowa, Ohio State
I held Wisconsin down below Ohio State over the past several weeks, but upon further review, I feel Ohio State surrendered that right when they lost to Purdue a couple weeks ago. Wisconsin is cruising along to a successful season under the radar, but much like LSU, they haven’t really beaten anyone that good, and they’ve lost to the decent teams they’ve faced. A faltering Michigan team will visit Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday. Sadly, even a win over the Wolverines won’t look that impressive. It’s just another one of those years for the Big Ten.

12. Ohio State (8-2) Previous: 23
Best win: Wisconsin | Good wins: Penn State, Navy | Losses (best to worst): USC, Purdue
Ohio State gets a major boost this week coming off a dominating performance against Penn State. The Buckeyes are now in the driver’s seat to win the Big Ten if they can beat a Ricky Stanzi-less Iowa this weekend. That would also set them up for another decent boost in my rankings. Just imagine where they would be if they hadn’t lost to Purdue.

13. Boise State (9-0) Previous: 9
Best win: Oregon | Good wins: Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None
Boise State won a closer-than-it-should’ve-been Friday night game against Louisiana Tech. They didn’t fall four spots because of the closeness of that game. It’s only because their schedule is weak, and as other teams win bigger games, they’ll continue to hop them. Oh, and that Oregon loss against Stanford didn’t help. This weekend, a big game against Idaho looms, though the odds makers aren’t giving the Vandals much of a chance. Though I won’t pick Idaho to win either, I do find the 31 1/2 point spread suspect.

14. Oregon (7-2) Previous: 10
Best win: USC | Good wins: Utah, California | Losses (best to worst): Boise State, Stanford
Oregon remains a spot below Boise State, because Boise is undefeated and they beat Oregon. Obviously, the Ducks weren’t able to live up to the hype after the big win at USC, but they still have a rather impressive resume for a 2-loss team. With LeGarrette Blount now back on the team, they have a big Saturday night matchup against Arizona State.

15. USC (7-2) Previous: 11
Best win: Ohio State | Good wins: Notre Dame, Oregon State, California | Losses (best to worst): Oregon, Washington
No, I’m not one of the moron pollsters who have USC ranked ahead of Oregon. There’s no excuse to, even though Oregon lost to Stanford. 47-20! The odd thing is, Pete Carroll’s boys came out flat again last weekend, in a struggle of a win over Arizona State. They better be ready for Stanford this weekend.

And now, the rest of the top 25:

16. Pittsburgh (8-1) Prev: 17
17. Penn State (8-2) Prev: 8
18. Oklahoma State (7-2) Prev: 16
19. Houston (7-1) Prev: 15
20. Arizona (6-2) Prev: 19
21. Auburn (7-3) Prev: 20
22. Navy (7-3) Prev: NR
23. South Florida (6-2) Prev: 18
24. Oregon State (6-3) Prev: NR
25. Clemson (6-3) Prev: NR

Dropped: Boston College, Texas Tech, West Virginia

Next in: Texas Tech, Boston College, West Virginia, Arkansas, Notre Dame

Back again…for the second week in a row! Remember, it is my firm belief that a poll should not be a prognostication – just a reflection of what has happened so far. Also, I believe a win is a win regardless of margin. A loss is also a loss, though not all losses are created equal, and that philosophy might be used to help distinguish separate teams with similar records. Basically, once you lose a game, I reserve the right to place you below teams that beat you. One more thing. Last week’s Top 25 has zero impact on this week’s. It’s not always good enough to keep winning, because the teams you played in the past can get worse or better, and that can change the influence of those wins on your ranking. As a result, there will be wild fluctuations from week to week, especially in the bottom of the poll. But, it will all work out in the end.

Oh, and I screwed up last week by placing Oregon ahead of Boise State. My bad, Boise.

Here is the DL Top 25 for Week 9 of college football.

1. Iowa (9-0) Previous: 1
Best win: Penn State | Good wins: Arizona, Wisconsin | Losses (best to worst): None
Iowa continues to do what it takes to win, though it’s far from pretty. But remember, I don’t care about style points. Regardless, if Alabama beats LSU next week, they’ll likely move ahead of Iowa as the weaker Big Ten schedule begins to take a toll. Oh, and how about Indiana getting out to a comfortable lead and then blowing it for a second week in a row? Iowa gets Northwestern at home next week. Will we see another exciting 4th Quarter comeback?

2. Alabama (8-0) Previous: 2
Best win: Virginia Tech | Good wins: South Carolina, Ole Miss| Losses (best to worst): None
Alabama is coming off a much-needed bye week and preparing for LSU to come to town, so there’s not much to say here. Obviously, this game has major implications on the post-season. LSU is a tough team that tends to play up…or down to the talent of their competitor, so this game should be a good one. Oh, and as far as Alabama is concerned, that game last week isn’t looking quite as bad now, is it? Tennessee still isn’t quite good enough to make the “Good wins” list yet, though.

3. Florida (8-0) Previous: 3
Best win: LSU | Good wins: Troy | Losses (best to worst): None
Though Florida remains in the 3 spot this week, they gained quite a bit of ground on Alabama with a blowout win over Georgia. Florida awaits Vanderbilt next week. Though Vanderbilt doesn’t have the talent to compete for a full four quarters, they have a scrappy defense that could make the Gators get off to a slow start. There’s no reason Florida should lose, though.

4. Texas (8-0) Previous: 4
Best win: Oklahoma State | Good wins: Texas Tech, Oklahoma | Losses (best to worst): None
Texas is coming off their strongest win of the season (thus far) over Oklahoma State. Of course, I told you last week that Okie State is a bit overrated. Now I guess what remains to be seen is if I was right or if Texas is just that good. The fact that the Big 12 is down continues to hurt the Longhorns. Though Kansas and Texas A&M should be easy wins, those games will help Texas’ strength of schedule, and therefore, Texas’ ranking here. Of course, the Big 12 Championship Game will help too. But first, a week off against UCF.

5. Georgia Tech (8-1) Previous: 6
Best win: Virginia Tech | Good wins: Clemson, North Carolina, Florida State | Losses (best to worst): Miami
So you’re probably looking at this one and scratching your head. This has less to do with Georgia Tech’s game against Vandy this weekend, and is more about the results for some of their previous opponents impacting the impressiveness (or unimpressiveness) of those outcomes. In this case, it’s the fact that Clemson’s stock has vastly improved since they beat Miami. Which is ironic, since Georgia Tech lost to Miami. Anyhow. The Yellow Jackets were actually in quite the battle with Vanderbilt through the first half of the game. They were then able to pull away late.

6. Cincinnati (8-0)  Previous: 5
Best win: South Florida | Good wins: Rutgers, Oregon State, Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None
The Bearcats didn’t necessarily make easy work of Syracuse, but they continue to win without star quarterback Tony Pike. The only reason they fell off here is because of schedule strength. A win over West Virginia in two weeks would bolster their ranking considerably. First, a scrappy UConn squad on Saturday night.

7. TCU (8-0) Previous: 9
Best win: BYU | Good wins: Clemson | Losses (best to worst): None
As was the case with Georgia Tech, the win over Clemson is looking better for TCU right now. Last weekends blowout over UNLV means little to nothing. And unfortunately for the Horned Frogs, Utah is the only game on the remaining schedule that could give them much of a boost. No way this team will reach the top. San Diego State is the next sacrificial lamb.

8. Penn State (8-1) Previous: 13
Best win: Temple | Good wins: Minnesota | Losses (best to worst): Iowa
The Nittany Lions back-door their way into the Top 10 this week. A win over Ohio State this weekend will go a long way in making this position more legitimate…and solid.

9. Boise State (8-0) Previous: 11
Best win: Oregon | Good wins: Fresno State | Losses (best to worst): None
The Broncos continued their winning ways with a rout over San Jose State on Saturday. The win over Oregon continues to look better and better, but one big win isn’t going to be enough to push Boise over the top. The best games on the remaining schedule are Idaho (yeah, Idaho; they’re pretty good this year) and Nevada. This week, it’s a Friday night WAC matchup against Louisiana Tech.

10. Oregon (7-1) Previous: 10
Best win: USC | Good wins: Utah, California | Losses (best to worst): Boise State
Dear Oregon: I’m sorry. I’m otherwise inclined to place you up around 6th. But you lost to Boise State, who hasn’t lost to anyone else. Therefore, it’s unfair for me to place you any higher than them. And that’s bad news for you, because it’s unlikely they will be moving up much for the rest of the season and I’m not going to boost their ranking just on your behalf. Pray that Boise State loses. Just think, had you not lost that first game, you would likely be sitting at the top right now. Crazy. In the mean time, you have to take care of your own business. This weekend’s game against Stanford could be tricky, especially coming off such a big win over USC.

11. USC (6-2) Previous: 8
Best win: Ohio State | Good wins: Notre Dame, California, Oregon State | Losses (best to worst): Oregon, Washington
Again, this is going to look weird, because USC was handed an impressive shellacking by Oregon. But remember, Oregon would be ranked higher if it wasn’t for the whole undefeated Boise State thing. Oh, and it’s a good thing USC decided to place some good teams this year, because that’s the only reason the Washington loss isn’t stinging them so bad right here. This week, the Trojans try to rebound against Arizona State.

12. LSU (7-1) Previous: 15
Best win: Auburn | Good wins:  | Losses (best to worst): Florida
I hesitate to put LSU this high until they get some wins against better teams. The game against Florida was very competitive and within reach, but there is no such thing as a moral victory. Obviously, a win over Alabama this weekend changes all of that.

13. Miami (6-2) Previous 12
Best win: Georgia Tech | Good wins: Oklahoma, Florida State | Losses (best to worst): Virginia Tech, Clemson
Last week, I was joking about what a loss against Wake Forest would mean for Miami, and we got very close to finding out. But, a win is a win is a win. And Virginia Tech’s loss is now enough for Miami to jump them (even though Miami was blown out by them earlier this year). Darn ACC. The Hurricanes now get a visit from another team from Virginia.

14. Virginia Tech (5-3) Previous: 7
Best win: Miami | Good wins: Boston College, Nebraska, Marshall | Losses (best to worst): Alabama, Georgia Tech, North Carolina
Ouch, Hokies. We surely didn’t see that one coming. Even the wins that were keeping you afloat in the poll (in spite of your losses) aren’t looking as great these days. This week, there’s another Thursday night match up at East Carolina.

15. Houston (7-1) Previous: 18
Best win: Oklahoma State | Good wins: Texas Tech | Losses (best to worst): UTEP
That loss against UTEP still looks reaaaally bad, but the good wins from earlier in the year still mean quite a bit. Saturday’s victory over Southern Miss was a thrilling game that went down to the wire. Hey, Southern Miss isn’t really that bad of a team. Tulsa, who is currently on a three-game losing streak, awaits this Saturday.

And now, the rest of the top 25:

16. Oklahoma State (6-2) Prev: 19
17. Pittsburgh (7-1) Prev: 24
18. South Florida (6-2) Prev: NR
19. Arizona (6-2) Prev: 17
20. Auburn (6-3) Prev: NR
21. Boston College (6-3) Prev: NR
22. Texas Tech (5-3) Prev: NR
23. Ohio State (7-2) Prev: 20
24. Wisconsin (6-2) Prev: 21
25. West Virginia (6-2) Prev: 22

Dropped: Notre Dame, Oklahoma, California, South Carolina

Next in: Notre Dame, California, Oklahoma, Florida State, South Carolina, Utah

So how is this for a blog feature that disappeared in the middle of last season and suddenly reappeared mid-season this year?

Here is the DL Top 25 for Week 8 of college football.

Ranking. Team (Record)
1. Iowa (8-0) I’m just going to throw this one out there. What, Iowa is in the Big Ten and the Big Ten is down this year? True. Huh, Iowa won four of those eight games in ugly fashion by a combined margin of only eight points? Also true. But they’ve done what was necessary to win, and in my mind, that’s really all that matters. And let’s not kid ourselves. There aren’t any dominant, blow-everybody-out teams in college football this year. Period. So, until the end of the regular season, when (if) it becomes necessary to pick between undefeated teams at the top, I’m going to go along with a mantra of “winning is all that matters”. If that is the case, then why Iowa? Iowa has remained undefeated against a stronger schedule of teams than the other undefeated teams. Iowa’s SOS is 4th. The next closest team is Florida at 10th. The weakest schedule belongs to Boise State. Iowa has beaten more teams with a winning record (6) than the other undefeated teams. Only Alabama has beaten more teams ranked in the current BCS Top 25 than Iowa. Hawkeyes number one. They should continue to win next week against the Hoosiers.

2. Alabama (8-0) See everything in the Iowa discussion. Alabama has the next best resume, and as I mentioned above, has beaten more Top 25 teams than any other undefeated team. They get a much-needed week off before the Hat comes to Tuscaloosa.

3. Florida (7-0) There’s been a lot of talk about Florida not being the same team they were last year. Yet, they’ve won in all of the the so-called trap games (assisted by SEC referees or not). Bottom line, Florida and Alabama can win as ugly as they want for the rest of the year. Both teams control their own destiny going forward. Now the big (but probably not very big this year) showdown with Georgia  (a.k.a. the artist formerly known as the World’s Largest Cocktail Party) looms next weekend.

4. Texas (9-1) If Texas had a stronger schedule, I would have them ahead of the Gators right now. Clearly, it hurts that Oklahoma is down this year. The Longhorns are coming off a big victory over Missouri. But again, it all goes back to strength of schedule, and unfortunately for Texas, the Big 12 teams that should normally be bolstering their schedule are hurting it right now. They’ll face perhaps their toughest test of the year next week in Stillwater, though honestly, I think even Okie State is a bit overrated.

5. Cincinnati (7-0) What’s not the like about the Bearcats right now? Sure, they don’t play very many good teams, and that’s why they’re 5th right now, but they have a legitimate shot at going undefeated in the regular season. With West Virginia and Pitt coming on strong, we should get a better idea just how good this team is in a few weeks. In the mean time, Greg Paulus and company await the Bearcats next week.

6. Georgia Tech (7-1) Why aren’t the polls showing the ACC any love? It probably has something to do with the chaos that has ensued in the conference…again. When it comes to putting the ACC teams in the correct order, you can throw basic logic out the window. Clemson beat Miami who beat Georgia Tech who beat Clemson and Virginia Tech who beat Miami. Riiiiight. At this point in the season, I think you have to put Georgia Tech at the top, just because they have the best record among the three ACC teams that stand out right now. I will also add that the win against Virginia on Saturday seems pedestrian on the surface, but the Cavaliers were much improved after a horrible start to the season, so Tech deserves credit for making it look easy. Up next is a game that should be easy at Vanderbilt.

7.Virginia Tech (5-2) What? A two-loss team in the Top 10? That’s irrelevant since Alabama is 2 and Georgia Tech is 6. Wins over Miami and Nebraska are still impressive, though not as impressive as they looked before this weekend. Plus the wins over Boston College and Marshall deserve some credit. Coming off the loss at Georgia Tech last week, the Hokies had a week off to sort things out before a Thursday night matchup against North Carolina. As the Tarheels continue to reel, this should be an easy game for Virginia Tech, but this is the ACC we’re talking about after all.

8. USC (6-1) Pete Carroll can get over it. I have one word for him: Washington. It would be different if USC were a one-loss team with that loss coming against Ohio State or Notre Dame, or heck, even Oregon State who USC struggled against for a second year in a row this weekend. But no, it was Washington. And Washington keeps getting worse, so that loss is hurting USC more. Having said all that, redemption awaits in Eugene. A win over Oregon would propel USC ahead of the ACC teams and possibly ahead of Cincinnati.

9. TCU (7-0) Though the Horned Frogs have virtually no chance at reaching the top of this poll with an undefeated season, they are coming off their biggest win of the year over BYU. BYU is down this year, but TCU won the game impressively. But its back to the cupcakes next week against UNLV.

10. Oregon (6-1) Nipping at the heels of USC in the Pac 10 is the Mighty Ducks of Oregon. In the same way USC can make a big statement next weekend, Oregon can too as they have improved in each game since the opening week flop against Boise State. Wins over Utah and Cal still stand out as impressive.

11. Boise State (7-0) Boise State picked up an impressive win over Hawaii this weekend, and nobody cares. Seriously, Boise State. The best you’ll be this year is a BCS buster. If you want a national title shot (in this system), you’re going to have to join the Pac 10 and play USC every year. Next week’s powder-puff match: San Jose State, who has only one win this season, but it was against the UC Davis team who gave Boise all they wanted. So maybe the Broncos shouldn’t rest too easy.

12. Miami (5-2) The Canes were dealt a devastating blow to their NC hopes this weekend by Clemson in a thrilling upset. Though Miami now joins the two-loss club, you can’t ignore the wins over Georgia Tech and Oklahoma earlier this year…unless the Demon Deacons win next weekend.

13. Penn State (7-1) The Nittany Lions are coming off their most impressive win of the year over Michigan in the Big House. What’s killing Penn State’s ranking is how weak their schedule has been so far. Aside from this game, their best win is against, get this…Temple. Yeah, Temple is doing pretty good for Temple this year if you haven’t heard. And the win over Minnesota last week helped some. But otherwise, the schedule has been way too patty-cake. Northwestern awaits Joe Pa’s squad next weekend.

14. South Carolina (6-2) The loss over Georgia doesn’t look great right now, but the one against Bama is excusable. Wins over Ole Miss and Kentucky still loom large. And believe it or not, the win over South Carolina State deserves appreciation (the Bulldogs are otherwise undefeated and would definitely beat lower-end FBS teams). On the other hand, the win over Vanderbilt Saturday night was definitely ugly, and the Gamecocks will have to step up their game to beat the Vols next weekend.

15. LSU (6-1) LSU is ranked in the Top 10 in the AP poll, but the only teams they have beaten are Georgia and Auburn. They have a chance to impress me later in the season against Alabama, Ole Miss, and Arkansas. Next weekend, they have Tulane.

And now, the rest without any special chatter:

16. Notre Dame (5-2)
17. Arizona (5-2)
18. Houston (6-1)
19. Oklahoma State (6-1)
20. Ohio State (6-2)
21. Wisconsin (5-2)
22. West Virginia (6-1)
23. Oklahoma (4-3)
24. Pittsburgh (7-1)
25. California (5-2)

Next in: Navy, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Utah, Michigan

Ha! Work on this post began Saturday, and has some how continued well into Sunday night. It’s starting to look like War and Peace. Sorry for the length, but it was truly a day that was worthy of this many words.

Talk about a crazy day Friday. The game plan, which was ditched early in the day, went something like this. We leave Asheville around 8am, get to Mt Mitchell (the highest point east of the Mississippi River) by 10am. Leave Mt Mitchell in time to get to Boone by around 2pm. Theoretically, we could reach Boone before that. Theoretically.

I started out in a rough mood because I didn’t eat breakfast. I had planned to stop somewhere before we left Asheville, but my assumptions that there would be something along I-240 at our exit was wrong. Then, before I knew it, we were going up mountains. Town Mountain Rd took us across to the Blue Ridge Parkway. My mood quickly improved as we drove along the parkway and I began to catch sight of the amazing scenery. Things seemed to be going just fine until “Road Closed“. I didn’t really think about checking for road closures before we left. So, we turned around, and went back down BRP to east of Asheville at US 70. In the first dose of irony for the day, it did give us a chance to get the breakfast I was missing earlier.

At first, I decided to let Mom and Dad’s GPS give it a go. After going east on I-40 for around 20 miles, it took us through the town of Old Fort, then north on Curtis Creek Road. From the very beginning, I was wary of this road. It was bumpy and curvy. At some point, it turned to gravel. Uh oh. Well, I’ve been through that before, and the GPS said we only had around 3 more miles to go before the next road, which would surely be better, right? We would never find out. There were a few scary one-lane bridges, a sign that said “End State Maintenance” then a sign announcing the entrance to a forest campground – one that is allegedly closed for the winter. We discovered this when we got to the gate across the road. (it turns out, this route would have taken us to the part of BRP that was closed anyways) So, for the second time, we turned back. If my mother hadn’t been in the car, there’s little doubt I would have been yelling out profanities at the GPS.

Our next shot. NC Highway 80. It was a long winding road(see the image below). There were a ton of 180+ degree curves. As the road got higher in elevation, we began to see more snow along the road, and at some points, some ice. Finally, we reached the Blue Ridge Parkway again. Less than 20 more miles away was the entrance to Mt Mitchell State Park.

The fun, winding Highway 80 near the Blue Ridge Parkway intersection.

The park was very empty. We encountered very few cars along the way. I guess a lot of people were deterred by the whole road block thing. Snow covered all of the ground at the top of the mountain. The park road actually takes you very close to the summit. There’s a parking lot there. Then, you have to walk a fairly short distance to the overlook on the summit of the mountain. Though it is a short distance, you do go up another 100 feet in elevation. And we had to make the trip through the snow. That was interesting, to say the least. There were some clouds around. On occasion, some would whiz by. It seemed like they were going a lot faster than they actually were. I guess that’s just something you don’t see very close up. Anyways, finally we got to the mountain. Of course, the sights were breathtaking. And now we could resume our trip without a hitch.

That hill over my shoulder is the summit of Mount Mitchell. I did try to take a picture of myself on the peak (since Mom didn't go that far), but it was pretty goofy, so I'll just let you go find it in the Flickr album.

For the next leg of the journey, we were to follow the Blue Ridge Parkway almost to Boone. We retraced our steps back to the BRP/Highway 80 interchange. Things seemed to be going well. How much longer could it last? Well, until we rounded the next curve. There, we were greeted with this:

And this was the reason we faced a third detour that day.

Now, if I had encountered this anywhere below, say, 2,000 feet and not dangling over a cliff, I would have probably insisted on trudging through it. We had four wheel drive. But, not under these circumstances. So, it was time to go back to trusty old Highway 80. This time, we were going to take it north – down the mountain. This seemed like a fairly innocent journey. We went down into the interestingly-named Toe River Valley. This was about as backwoods as it gets. Once in the valley as we were heading along NC 80, I began to notice the Durango shimmying a bit. At first, I just attributed it to a rough roadway. But it persisted after we turned onto US 19E in Micaville. I talked to Dad on the phone. He was concerned that a lug nut(s) could be coming loose, so I quickly pulled over. All of the lug nuts seemed to be on securely, but we noticed that the front right wheel felt very hot and there was a burning smell. Great. What else could this day behold? We were afraid to ask.

Thank God for the advent of the GPS, mobile Internet, cell phones, etc. We had just driven through the town of Spruce Pine, so there were several car repair options nearby. The first two were very nice but very booked. This made us become very concerned. It was a Friday afternoon. What were the chances that someone would be able to check things out that afternoon? Thankfully, three is still a charm. Boone Automotive would give us the first glimmer of hope by ensuring they would take a look at the Durango – and they would do it within an hour. Of course, there was still the concern about availability of any needed replacement parts. All three places had made a first guess that there was a problem with a brake caliper (whatever that is). We were far from out of the woods, but it was a step in the right direction.

This gave us an opportunity to walk around downtown Spruce Pine – not because we wanted to at all initially. We had bigger issues on our minds. But in the second big irony of the day, this detour gave us a chance to experience one of the nicest little towns we’d been to. There are two “main” streets through downtown – an upper street and a lower street. The town is situated along the North Toe River, and it was built around railroad tracks that parallel the river. During our walk around town, we noticed a foot bridge over the river and decided to explore. There were several fisherman fishing in the river (fly fishing? I don’t really know what it is) as far as the eye could see. Next, we visited an excellent coffee shop called DT’s Coffee Shop & Cafe. They had great food, and despite the small size of the town, the cafe had a very modern feel to it. To be in the situation we were in, this charming little town was somehow comforting to us. Sure, we were still anxious to hear about the car, but in the mean time, they were nurturing us almost as though we were one of them. Okay, so that’s getting too sappy. On with the story…

Fisherman in the South Toe River in Spruce Pine

I got a call while we were sitting in DT’s. There’s nothing wrong with the brakes? Don’t need any parts? It’s almost ready to go? Wooohooo. That was seriously a best-case scenario for us. The brakes had overheated coming down the mountain. I probably should have shifted into a lower gear for our descent. There was a warped rotor problem, but they machined it to flatten it out. We escaped with a working vehicle and a charge of just $45. We felt fortunate that that’s all it was and left the guy a tip for taking care of us.

So, the journey rolls on. Somehow, after all of this crap, I was still going to make it to Boone before the tux rental place closed at 5:30. When we arrived in Boone, I dropped Mom off at her hotel, then we ran over to the neighborhood Ingles (I had never heard of Ingles until I saw one in Asheville the day before) to pick her up a few groceries for the weekend. Then, I got directions from Roger (the groom) to the rental shop and got there before 5. They did have to make some minor alternations to the tux, so I was there until almost 6. My Blackberry battery died while I was waiting there (Vacation Lesson#5,039,482: Either buy a car charger for my Blackberry or bring a power inverter so I can use my other charger). Well, guess when rehearsal dinner was to start. Yes at 6, and guess who was waiting on me so they could show me how to get to the church. Right, the groom, who was in the process of trying to tell me something on the phone when it died. This turned out not to be a huge deal. We arrived at the church about 5-10 minutes late. But, it was decided that we would eat first anyways.

It was good to meet up with everyone at the church. Of course, I saw a lot of familiar faces like Todd, Jackie, Matt, Christy, Roger and Jenny (the happy couple). But I also got to meet some great new people. Everyone was incredibly nice. A local BBQ joint, Bandana’s, catered the rehearsal dinner. The food was excellent. And the rehearsal went well. Afterwards, several of us went back to Roger’s place (where I would be staying) to watch a few episodes of The Office. I’ll be honest. I love that show, but I was exhausted and really just struggling to stay awake at that point. Still, Roger and I stayed up pretty late. I was doing my nightly catching up with the Internet routine, and I know he was nervous about Saturday.

Geez, I still have to talk about Day 3 and Day 4 of the trip. You can see several more pictures on my Flickr account (including some from Days 3 and 4): http://www.flickr.com/photos/bamaweather/sets/72157614852755898/

To be continued…

Just a (relatively) quick post here. My good friend Roger is getting married Saturday in Boone, North Carolina. I’m in the wedding, so I was planning to go to North Carolina this weekend. But since I haven’t been on a legitimate trip anywhere somewhat far away from my house, I decided to make a whole vacation out of it. My brother was going to come with me, but he had to cancel last minute, so Mom is filling in his place in a pinch, or at least making that a good excuse to get away from work.

This morning, we drove to Asheville. We made it here in just under 6 hours, which was better than I thought it would be. This afternoon, we visited the Biltmore Estate. That house is just…big. And the size of the entire property is crazy. Tonight for supper, I decided we need to eat something different, something local. I’m ashamed to admit that I remembered an episode of 40 Dollars a Day in Asheville. So, yes, I confess to consulting the annoying Rachael Ray. As it turns out, she did a pretty good job. We ate at Tupelo Honey Cafe. RR actually ate breakfast there, but it was good for supper too. They pride themselves in growing their own ingredients locally. The fruits and veggies are organic and the meat is all free range stuff. Everything was made fresh, and the kitchen was open right next to the dining area so you could watch the cooks make your food. The atmosphere was a comfortable mix of formal and informal. I had the Charleston Chicken Sandwich, which was quite good. The bread was all toasted, and the chicken was cooked just right. They served biscuits and raspberry jam with our meal. Now, I must say. I don’t do jam. But I think this place made me a believer in jam. It was so great! I really thought about buying some to bring home. Also, they had this Buttermilk Cheesecake that was completely out of this world! I really wish we had more restaurants around Huntsville like this one. Good stuff!

Oh, and I should add one nerdy thing for the weather people who are reading. I did drive by NCDC. I got a picture of the front of the building.

Here are our pictures from the trip. I’ll try to add more over the next few days, Internet access permitting.

On tomorrow’s agenda: A trip in the morning to Mount Mitchell, then on to Boone by the afternoon to get ready for the wedding. I’ll post more frequent updates to my Twitter feed over there on the right side of the page.

So obviously I haven’t posted in a while. For once I have a good excuse. I’ve been blogging the heck out of the Collaborative Weather Blog. It’s a joint venture between our office and some of the other agencies housed at the NSSTC. But I’m sort of the unofficial editor-in-chief, or something like that. So, I probably won’t blog here that often, especially about weather. But, I still want to keep this site for experimenting and spouting off random jabber every once in a while.

Tonight, music is on my brain. I have such a weird taste in music. For the past few years, I’ve been embracing older music for the first time in my life. Why? Oh, it’s because I think most new music is utter crap (with a few exceptions). It’s the type of attitude toward popular music that I swore I’d never have. But alas, things change. So, old music. Lately, I’ve become addicted to things like…
The Who. I love Baba O’Riley and Who Are You, and I just recently realized they sang “Behind Blue Eyes”. Stupid Fred Durst trying to screw it up…
The Doobie Brothers. Okay just sort of. I really like Black Water and Listen To the Music
Fleetwood Mac. Dreams and Go Your Own Way
The Steve Miller Band.
Even though I’d heard it before countless times, I’ve really gotten in to the version of “Layla” from when Eric Clapton was with Derek and the Dominoes. Great stuff.
Ozzy Osborne. Crazy Train
Tears For Fears. Head Over Heels and Everybody Wants to Rule the World

And now for some other completely random songs I really like right now…
311. Beautiful Disaster (thanks, Guitar Hero World Tour)
Flyleaf. All Around Me
Paramore. Misery Business. I’ve listened to some of their other songs but I can’t really get into them yet.
The Submarines. You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie
Orba Squara. Perfect Timing
(the last two are from iphone commercials. You’d think I’d be sick of them, but I really got to liking them.)
The Killers. Pretty much anything but especially When You Were Young and All These Things That I’ve Done
David Cook. Light On. I wanted to dismiss this guy as AI hype, but I really like this song for whatever reason.
Over Christmas I really enjoyed both TSO’s and Relient K’s versions of O Holy Night (which is my favorite Christmas song). Both have a very soft, relaxing take on the song.
Kevin Rudolf. Let It Rock. Okay, most over played song ever, but really addictive, right? And it just sounds cool. I’m listening to that song, and it just gives you this air of confidence. (No?)
And now for something completely random…
TI and Rihanna. Live Your Life. Yeah, really. TI used to really get on my nerves, but for whatever reason I can’t help but like some of his more recent stuff.
And I still love my old stand-bys Switchfoot, Relient K, and Falling Up. I never get sick of their songs.

Okay. That is all. Be sure to bundle up Thursday!