NCAA College Football 2008 Week 7 Top 25 Rankings

NCAA College Football 2008 Week 7 Top 25

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NCAA College Football Top 25 - Week 7

Rick Gagliano | Through games of October 11, 2008

RANK TEAM RECORD

1 Alabama 6-0

2 Penn St. 7-0

3 Texas 6-0

4 BYU 6-0

5 Oklahoma 5-1

6 Utah 7-0

7 Texas Tech 6-0

8 Florida 5-1

9 USC 4-1

10 Ohio State 6-1

11 Oklahoma St. 6-0

12 Missouri 5-1

13 Georgia 5-1

14 Boise St. 5-0

15 Virginia Tech 5-1

16 Cincinnati 5-1

17 North Carolina 5-1

18 Wake Forest 4-1

19 LSU 4-1

20 California 4-1

21 Florida St. 4-1

22 Pittsburgh 4-1

23 Michigan St. 6-1

24 South Florida 5-1

25 Kansas 5-1

--- Week 1 Notes below ---

Week 7 Notes: Alabama may be #1 (for now), though we're sure to hear dissent from proponents of the programs in Texas, Penn St. and elsewhere, but the real question seems to be, "Who's #26?"

The Top 25 rankings are loaded with unbeaten and one-loss teams, but there are two unbeatens (Tulsa and Ball State) and eight teams with one loss which just can't seem to squeeze into the visible ranks. Among them, Minnesota, at 6-1, and fresh off a win over a solid Illinois team (27-20) looks to be begging for inclusion. The Gophers lone loss was at Ohio State (34-21) and the remaining schedule isn't very tough (at Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan, at Wisconsin, Iowa). How the Gophers managed to evade both Penn State and Michigan State is known only to the Big 10 scheduler.

Other one-loss teams not making the list include UConn, Boston College, TCU, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Northwestern and Western Michigan.

Boston College has already lost to Georgia Tech, so the Bulldogs get a leg up there, and Northwestern lost to Michigan State this past weekend, 37-20, so they don't merit much of a look. TCU's only loss was at Oklahoma, 35-10, and they have BYU coming up this Thursday and play at Utah, November 6. We'll know more about the fat of the Horned Frogs shortly.

Vanderbilt sullied their pristine record with a 17-14 flop at Mississippi State this past Saturday and UConn was idle following a 38-12 thumping at North Carolina. The Huskies have the bulk of their Big East schedule upcoming and there is plenty to sort out in that conference.

That leaves Western Michigan, which has run off six straight wins after an open-day loss at Nebraska (47-24). A showdown at Ball State doesn't occur until November 25, so judgment must be reserved until somebody loses or that date.

With the difficulty sorting out the Top 10, and Top 25, understanding who isn't ranked and maybe should be - or eventually will be - is an even more daunting task.

With losses by #1 Oklahoma, #4 Missouri and #5 LSU the big headlines this weekend, another shakeup occurred atop the rankings. Alabama, which went into the week at #2, should not be penalized for not playing, so they assume the #1 spot, followed by Penn State, Texas, BYU and Oklahoma, which is still a very respectable squad. While the Longhorns' 45-35 win over the Sooners grabbed headlines, one could not help but notice that Oklahoma State was every bit as good - and better - as Missouri, topping the Tigers, 28-23. The Cowboys still have Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma ahead.

Also worthy of mention was Florida's commanding 51-21 win over LSU. The Gators unleashed their offense and the results were devastating, making the LSU team look more like a JUCO tryout squad than a national contender. The Gators may have the most explosive and undefensible offense in the country right now.

There is still plenty of great football to be played, but how the BCS thinks they can actually come up with a national title game between the two best teams this season really takes guts. There are at least 10-12 quality teams out there, each of which could win in a one-game winner-take-all format. Surely, there must be a better way.

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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