Ed Bagley's Top 25 Poll - Week 5 - It's Alabama, N

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Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

1) Alabama (5-0) - Whether you like them or not, the Crimson Tide notched their 18th straight win against the 7th-ranked (in the AP Poll) Florida Gators, 31-6. Ouch! That hurt Gator Nation, Urban Meyer,http://www.yotakhon.net/forum/index....4894#msg194894, and the Gator players. Alabama looks absolutely great at the moment,http://friendstash.com/blog.php?user...entry_id=70118, but there are other opponents ahead who might do what Florida could not.

2) Oregon (5-0) - Did I tell you how much I hate the Oregon Ducks? Well, I do. That said, a tip of the hat to the Ducks, who out-scored, out-defensed and out-played a very good Stanford team that is going to win a lot of games this year. In my mind, Oregon is better at No. 2 than Ohio State at the moment. Just ask yourself this question: Who did Oregon beat over the weekend, and who did Ohio State beat over the weekend, and how did each of them get it done? 'Nuff said.

3) Ohio State (5-0) - The Buckeyes may have a better defense than Oregon, but it sure did not look like it against Illinois Saturday. For sure, Oregon's offense is better. Ohio State has beaten just one team worth talking about in its first 5 wins - Miami-FL. Oregon has outrun Tennessee, Arizona State and Stanford.

4) Auburn (5-0) - Auburn kicked Louisiana-Monroe silly, 52-3. Yes, LA-Monroe is a nobody, but who else is such a big deal at this point in the season?

5) Arizona (4-0) - Caught a bye this week. Must win big against Oregon State to remain here.

6) TCU (5-0) - Shut out Colorado State 27-zip on-the-road. Hosts Wyoming next and must dominate to remain here.

7) LSU (5-0) - Lady luck favored the Tigers against Tennessee, and every champion needs some luck to climb to the top. I'll leave the Tigers here until next week, when they travel to Florida. Yikes, I would not want to be LSU at Florida after the Gators got their butt kicked by Alabama.

8) Michigan State (5-0) - Took down No. 11 Wisconsin and whipped Notre Dame at South Bend. We will see if the Spartans can handle Denard Robinson and unbeaten Michigan this week.

9) Michigan (5-0) - The Wolverines give up a ton of points but have Denard Robinson, which no team following has. Can he lead the Wolverines over Michigan State at the Big House in Ann Arbor?

10) Arkansas (3-1) - Caught a bye week. Hosts Texas A&M next. Had better keep winning, and winning big. The Razorbacks are here because they only lost to Alabama by 4 points. Everyone else has lost to Alabama by at least 21 points, and that includes Penn State and Florida.

11) Boise State (4-0) - Away win over Virginia Tech at home looks a little better now that the Hoakies knocked off 23rd-ranked North Carolina State. For the Broncos to get more impressive they must not only win, they must win big, and Virginia Tech must keep winning as well.

12) Utah (4-0) - Gets bye week. Has beaten no one but the Pittsburgh Panthers, who are now 2-2.

13) Nebraska (4-0) - This is one up and down team - a world-beater one week, barely winning the next.

14) Stanford (4-1) - Had Oregon on the ropes early on, and could have finished if not for a late turnover that turned the tide against them. I still believe in the Cardinal, and think they are going to win a lot more games.

15) Florida (4-1) - Got it handed to them by Alabama, but still a team to be reckoned with until they prove different.

16) South Carolina (3-1) - Caught a bye week. Travels to Alabama next and must upset the Crimson Tide to remain here.

17) Iowa (4-1) - Handled Penn State, and has a bye week now before traveling to Michigan the week after.

18) Nevada (5-0) - Has absolutely no defense but can score points like Oregon. Catches another patsy this week in San Jose State, and could set a school scoring record as San Jose State (1-4) is really, really bad.

19) Miami-FL (3-1) - Whipped Clemson and now must host Florida State. Maybe we will finally find out if the rubber meets the road, or if the Florida State Seminoles (4-1) are for real.

20) Oklahoma State (4-0) - Has played no one but is unbeaten.

21) Missouri (4-0) - Has played no one but is unbeaten.

22) Wisconsin (4-1) - Upset by Michigan State, but I think the Badgers still have some life left in them. I hope they beat every team that Michigan State doesn't.

23) Oklahoma (5-0) - Beat Texas in the Red River Rivalry, however, that is not saying much this year. Could only beat Utah State by 7, Air Force by 3 and Cincinnati by 2. And this is a powerhouse? Show me more or stay at 22.

24) Northwestern (5-0) - Yes,http://www.dienacht-ontour.de/cpg141...e.php?pos=-214, I know. The Wildcats have beaten Vanderbilt, AA Illinois State, Rice, Central Michigan and now Minnesota. But they are unbeaten, which is more than 103 other Division I-A teams can say at this point in the season, and that list includes Florida, Arkansas, Stanford, South Carolina, Iowa, Miami-FL,http://acutenightlife.com/blog.php?u...ntry_id=122532, Wisconsin, NC State, USC, well, you get the point.

25) Kansas State (4-0) - Has beaten UCLA, AA Missouri State, Iowa State and Central Florida. Ditto the above.

The rest of the wannabes need to play their way into my poll, or sit on the sidelines and complain. You know, there can be only two results in a football game - results or excuses. The teams and the players decide each week which it will be by the way they play.


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