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About the Top 25
Downtown Magazine's NCAA College Football Top 25 is not a poll like AP or USA Today/Coach's polls, or a computer generated rating system like the BCS, but an objective ranking system based on visual and statistical observations of college football teams in Division 1-A.
The rankings, published weekly - usually on Monday - are representative of what our expert editors believe to be the best teams in college football respective of conference play and strength of schedule leading up to the traditional bowl games. Downtown Magazine strives to present the Top 25 in a manner that is objective, non-political and respectful of the standards of NCAA football. |
Fantastic Finishes Rankle Top 25 College Football Rankings
Football fans glued to their sets Saturday saw some of the best college football action of the season. The day began with Alabama breaking a 10-10 tie with a last-second field goal to topple stubborn Mississippi, a team that gave the Crimson Tide fits all day.
To the north, Boston College needed two touchdowns at the end of the 4th quarter to upend feisty Wake Forest, 35-30 and remain in the Top 10. Meanwhile, West Virginia rallied from a 17 point deficit at halftime to tie up favored Louisville and eventually win the game in the third overtime when the Cardinals failed to convert a two-point conversion, 46-44. The Mountaineers, overlooked for the most part by the major polls, improved to 5-1.
But the craziness was only getting started when USC and Notre Dame took the field in South Bend. In a game that will likely become a classic, the Fighting Irish played possibly their best game of the season (and they've played some good ones) in an attempt to end the nation's longest winning streak (23 games), but eventually fell just short of time as Matt Leinart dove in from the 1 to end the hysterics. The Irish had scored what seemed to be the game winner just moments before, but the Trojans drove relentlessly down the field to set up the dramatic 34-31 win.
At roughly the same time USC was escaping from the wildness of playing at Notre Dame, undefeated Penn State watched their fortunes fold as Michigan scored a touchdown on the final play of the game - with a mere 0:01 on the clock when they snapped the ball - to steal one with a 27-25 buzzer beater.
The madness continued out west, where UCLA came from behind to get into overtime and eventually knock off Washington State, 44-41, but the evening was not so kind to Florida State, as the Virginia Cavaliers, on the 10th anniversary of FSU's first ever ACC loss (delivered by Virginia), ambushed the Seminoles 26-21.
While the USC Trojans did come out on top in their game, it was their 4th in a row in which they have trailed at some point. The Trojans' recent games have set off a fire storm of debate over which is the best football country in the nation and renewed calls for a national playoff system as opposed to the chancy and highly criticized BCS system, which relies on polls, computer rankings, conference and strength of schedule to determine the top eight teams and which two teams play for the national championship. The BCS poll debuts today.
It's a system begging to fail and one which has received more criticism than any before it. The past few years have left college football fans wondering what might have been, as there are usually more than just two teams which deserve a shot at winning it all.
This season may be the most compelling for a national playoff because of the highly charged atmosphere and competitiveness of the games thus far. Texas and USC are not alone in their undefeated status. Virginia Tech, Georgia, UCLA, Alabama and Texas Tech also have no blemishes to this point. And arguments can be made for quite a few teams with one loss, including Florida State, Boston College, Miami, LSU, Penn State, Oregon, Wisconsin and Nebraska. There are also quality teams with two losses, especially Ohio State and Notre Dame, who have proven their ability to play with anybody. And even Michigan, at 4-3, could prove dangerous in a three-or-four-round playoff, having already knocked Penn State and Michigan State from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Unfortunately, it's not going to happen this year, nor next, for that matter, despite the constant calls for a playoff to end all controversy.
The Downtown Magazine rankings have had Texas as #1 and USC at #2 for three weeks running, while the major polls - AP, USA Today and Harris - are showing some dissent at the top, with the Longhorns garnering at least a share of #1 votes, though USC clearly has the lead.
In this week's rankings, Virginia Tech stays at #3 as they were idle, Georgia remains #4 after their win over Vanderbilt, and fellow SEC entrant Alabama moved up to #5. Rounding out the top 10 are Miami, Texas Tech, UCLA, Boston College and LSU.
For the complete Top 25, plus Fearless Rick's college and NFL picks every week, visit the Downtown Magazine web site at http://www.dtmagazine.com.
Rankings are updated every Monday, college picks on Tuesday and NFL picks each Wednesday.
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