College Football Top 25

By Matt Smith

The teams that can actually win a national title have been narrowed down.

1. Ohio State (9-0): The Buckeyes had their biggest challenge of the year and stepped up big time in Happy Valley.

2. Boston College (8-0): The Eagles got past a big hurdle against VT and did so behind the grit of Matt Ryan. They were lucky to survive, but survive they did.

3. Oregon (7-1): The Ducks look good and USC didn’t have a chance. They are one fumble at the goal line away from being the team to beat in college football.

4. LSU (7-1): After a bye week, Saturday’s game with Alabama might be the Tigers last test before the SEC title game.

5. Oklahoma (7-1): The Sooners had a week off to get ready for Texas A&M. If they get past that game, the Big 12 championship game is almost a certainty.

6. West Virginia (7-1): The South Florida game is looking more and more like a hiccup. The Mountaineers are for real.

7. Arizona State (8-0): They made it through one test, now the big one comes against Oregon on Saturday.

8. Michigan (7-2): Despite missing Henne and Hart, the Wolverines didn’t skip a beat in dominating the Golden Gophers.

9. Missouri (7-1): With an end of the season showdown with Kansas looming, the Tigers took care of business against Iowa State.

10. Hawaii (8-0): They are moving up in the rankings by default.

11. Georgia (6-2): The Dawgs showed up on Saturday and showed that they, and the rest of the SEC, are something to be dealt with.

12. Texas (7-2): The Longhorns took Nebraska’s best punch in a big rivalry game and came out on top.

13. Florida (5-3): Even though they have three losses, I still think they are a very good team that nobody would want to play.

14. Kansas (8-0): They stood tall against a tough Aggie defense and the 12th man at College Station. Their defense is very good.

15. Alabama (6-2): They had a week off to get ready for the showdown with LSU.

16. USC (6-2): They gave a very good Oregon team their best shot. The fact is, USC is a good team, just not very good.

17. Virginia Tech (6-2): Had Frank Beamer ran the ball with just over four minutes, VT likely would have been up 13-7 and wouldn’t have left enough time for BC to score a touchdown. They got what they deserved.

18. Kentucky (6-3): The Wildcats learned that in the SEC, you better bring your A game every week.

19. Auburn (6-3): Battling through a tough SEC schedule with a tough win over Ole Miss.

20. Connecticut (7-1): Is there a bigger surprise in College Football? Who knew the UCONN/WV game would be the Big East showdown?

21. Illinois (6-3): Looked sluggish against Ball State, but they should still be a handful for any Big Ten team.

22. Wake Forest (6-2): After a rough start to the season, the Deacons are starting to live up to the pre-season hype.

23. South Florida (6-2): Their true colors are starting to show.

24. Penn State (6-3): They are still a good team, but as we saw with them getting blown out by Ohio State, they are not an elite team.

25. Cal (5-3): Three straight losses have turned a season of promise into one of desperation.