Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: Florida stepped up its game in a big-time rivalry battle against Georgia and could easily be up here. The Big 12 stinks, and it's not that big of a deal that Texas is rolling its way through it, but the level of play is stepping up to a high level.

Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: Florida stepped up its game in a big-time rivalry battle against Georgia and could easily be up here. The Big 12 stinks, and it's not that big of a deal that Texas is rolling its way through it, but the level of play is stepping up to a high level. The run defense is No. 1 in America, and the scoring offense is also on top.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Yes ... that's the Florida we've all been waiting to see. The defense was great, Tim Tebow played extremely well, and the Gators won easily in a nasty rivalry battle.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Yes ... that's the Florida we've all been waiting to see. The defense was great, Tim Tebow played extremely well, and the Gators won easily in a nasty rivalry battle.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: Georgia stinks. It's not that big of a deal to whip the 'Dawgs at the moment, and Alabama could easily be in the No. 2 spot, if not higher.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: The Tide is rested from its two weeks off, and they're ready for the big showdown against LSU. As shaky as some of the recent performances have been, 'Bama is still No.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: The Tide is rested from its two weeks off, and they're ready for the big showdown against LSU. As shaky as some of the recent performances have been, 'Bama is still No. 2 in run defense and fourth in total D. The Tennessee win looks a lot better after the Vols blew out South Carolina.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: The quarterback situation. Tebow, McCoy, McElroy ... which of these things just doesn't belong? With the way Oregon is playing at the moment, how confident would you be if the Tide had to go to Autzen (or if the Ducks traveled to 'Bama)?

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Whoooooooo ... 391 rushing yards and four touchdowns, along with 222 passing yards, against USC. U-S-C. In several ways, that might have been the most dominant big-game performance this year. Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: Beyond the weekly reminder of the Boise State loss, there's not much to criticize.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Whoooooooo ... 391 rushing yards and four touchdowns, along with 222 passing yards, against USC. U-S-C. In several ways, that might have been the most dominant big-game performance this year.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: Beyond the weekly reminder of the Boise State loss, there's not much to criticize. A case could be made that no one in America has played better over the last five weeks.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Alright, there's something to be said for mental toughness and the ability to come back from the abyss and for making magical things happen, but ... Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ...

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Alright, there's something to be said for mental toughness and the ability to come back from the abyss and for making magical things happen, but ...
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ... you don't have that many problems at home against Indiana. Yeah, Iowa turned the game around, but it got very, very lucky on a few plays, too (that was a touchdown, and it shouldn't have been overturned). The Michigan State close call looks worse now that the Spartans lost to Minnesota.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: 404 rushing yards and six touchdowns against a strong Vanderbilt defense is nice, and no one's going to stop this running game the rest of the year, but ... Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ...

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: 404 rushing yards and six touchdowns against a strong Vanderbilt defense is nice, and no one's going to stop this running game the rest of the year, but ...
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ... Vanderbilt can't score, and it got 28 first-half points. Yes, the Tech defense put the clamps down in the second half, but the D really isn't that good.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Daryll Clark is playing as well as anyone in the Big Ten. The offensive line is getting better and better each week, but ... Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ...

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Daryll Clark is playing as well as anyone in the Big Ten. The offensive line is getting better and better each week, but ...
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ... the 34-13 win over Northwestern isn't as good as it looked. It took a second-half run to pull away in way too much of a struggle. The Nittany Lions can either show they're for real or get exposed next week against Ohio State.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: It shouldn't be. The Trojans are up this high mostly by brand name and potential, but the blasting at Oregon was ugly coming on the heels of a rough win over Oregon State and a near-miss against Notre Dame. Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: You and 10 friends could crank out yards on a Trojan D that suddenly decided that tackling isn't important.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: It shouldn't be. The Trojans are up this high mostly by brand name and potential, but the blasting at Oregon was ugly coming on the heels of a rough win over Oregon State and a near-miss against Notre Dame.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: You and 10 friends could crank out yards on a Trojan D that suddenly decided that tackling isn't important.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Yeah, it was only Tulane, but combine the win over the Green Wave with a win over an Auburn team that looked strong against Ole Miss, and LSU has won its last two games by a combined score of 73-10.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Yeah, it was only Tulane, but combine the win over the Green Wave with a win over an Auburn team that looked strong against Ole Miss, and LSU has won its last two games by a combined score of 73-10.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: Tulane is awful. If LSU is the real deal, it battles well at Alabama. The Tigers can lose and not drop too much, if at all, but the team has to play better offensively than it did against Florida.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Even with a backup quarterback in, Cincinnati is first in the nation in passing efficiency. The defense leads the nation in tackles for loss and is second in sacks.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Even with a backup quarterback in, Cincinnati is first in the nation in passing efficiency. The defense leads the nation in tackles for loss and is second in sacks. This is a scary-good, aggressive team.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: Yawwwwn. Nice win over Syracuse after blowing out Louisville. The South Florida win looks better now, but the real work is still to come.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: While other teams are struggling and sputtering, TCU is dropping a hammer, beating Colorado State, BYU and UNLV over the last three weeks by a combined score of 123-13.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: While other teams are struggling and sputtering, TCU is dropping a hammer, beating Colorado State, BYU and UNLV over the last three weeks by a combined score of 123-13.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: Beating BYU isn't any big deal, and Colorado State and UNLV are awful. The team might be humming at the right time, but is it really a top-10 team? (The answer, actually, is yes … this ranking is too low.)

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: The run defense had a few problems against Kansas State, but it's still third in the nation. Landry Jones had a terrific game against the Wildcats, but ...

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: The run defense had a few problems against Kansas State, but it's still third in the nation. Landry Jones had a terrific game against the Wildcats, but ...
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ... yeeeesh. Kansas State made it way too close, and the OU defense suddenly looked mediocre. This is an inconsistent team that needs to keep proving itself.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Forget about the dominance over a miserable New Mexico State team; the defense really is terrific. The Purdue loss a few weeks ago appears to be a total aberration.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Forget about the dominance over a miserable New Mexico State team; the defense really is terrific. The Purdue loss a few weeks ago appears to be a total aberration.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: The Buckeyes lost to a Purdue team that just got shut out and blown out by Wisconsin. If OSU is for real, it shows up big next week at Penn State. Win at home, move up, beat Iowa, go to Pasadena. It's that simple.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: With two weeks off, Wisconsin looked revitalized and recharged after losing to Ohio State and Purdue. The offensive line appeared to be as healthy and as effective as it had been all season long, and it showed with the running game.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: With two weeks off, Wisconsin looked revitalized and recharged after losing to Ohio State and Purdue. The offensive line appeared to be as healthy and as effective as it had been all season long, and it showed with the running game.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: The passing attack still is a bit shaky after a rough few weeks and Purdue helped the cause with a ton of dropped passes. There's still a prove-it factor; the best win is over Michigan State.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Boise State 19, Oregon 8 ... Boise State 19, Oregon 8 ... Boise State 19, Oregon 8. The Oregon team that just punked USC didn't get a first down in the first half against the Broncos.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Boise State 19, Oregon 8 ... Boise State 19, Oregon 8 ... Boise State 19, Oregon 8. The Oregon team that just punked USC didn't get a first down in the first half against the Broncos.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: The close call to Tulsa looks miserable right now. If the Broncos blow away Idaho and Nevada over the next few weeks, then yes, they deserve to be much higher.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Losing to Texas right now is no big deal. Getting whacked by the No. 1 team in the nation, even at home, is no reason to drop. Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: The secondary will get ripped up by almost everyone.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Losing to Texas right now is no big deal. Getting whacked by the No. 1 team in the nation, even at home, is no reason to drop.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: The secondary will get ripped up by almost everyone. The Missouri win is the best of the season, and that includes the victory over Georgia. The Big 12 is awful; anything done in the conference this year has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Golden Tate might be the best receiver in America, and the passing game continues to hum. Notre Dame did what it was supposed to do against a bad Washington State team.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Golden Tate might be the best receiver in America, and the passing game continues to hum. Notre Dame did what it was supposed to do against a bad Washington State team.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: How bad does the Michigan loss look now? After close calls with Purdue and Michigan State, who also don't appear to be that big a deal, the Irish have to come up with a win over a strong team at some point. The next chance is at Pitt in a few weeks.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Winning at Arizona State is better than it might appear. The offense has picked it back up again while the defense has settled down a bit over the last few weeks.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Winning at Arizona State is better than it might appear. The offense has picked it back up again while the defense has settled down a bit over the last few weeks.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: The secondary is playing as bad as any in America. Part of it is because most teams need to bomb away to keep up the pace, but part of it is because the secondary is struggling. Watch out for Oregon State and Nick Foles' Arizona team over the next few weeks.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Case Keenum threw for 559 yards and five scores, and the running game tore off 191 yards and a score. Do you want to deal with this offense at the moment? Oh yeah, and there's that little matter of a win at Oklahoma State, but ... Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ...

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Case Keenum threw for 559 yards and five scores, and the running game tore off 191 yards and a score. Do you want to deal with this offense at the moment? Oh yeah, and there's that little matter of a win at Oklahoma State, but ...
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ... Southern Miss cranked out 360 passing yards and three touchdowns, along with 248 rushing yards and three scores. Don't you want to deal with this defense at the moment? The UTEP loss looks more and more miserable by the week, and it offsets the win over Oklahoma State.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Very quietly, this is one of the nation's hottest teams. The obliteration of South Florida looks nice now after the Bulls rumbled past West Virginia. Pitt leads the nation in sacks.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: Very quietly, this is one of the nation's hottest teams. The obliteration of South Florida looks nice now after the Bulls rumbled past West Virginia. Pitt leads the nation in sacks. Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: The N.C. State loss is an anchor that will keep weighing the ranking down until Pitt proves itself. Notre Dame, at West Virginia, and Cincinnati are coming up after Syracuse.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: The Vols are playing well at the right time. After the loss to Auburn, Tennessee blew away Georgia, pushed Alabama to the wall and whacked a good South Carolina team.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: The Vols are playing well at the right time. After the loss to Auburn, Tennessee blew away Georgia, pushed Alabama to the wall and whacked a good South Carolina team. The defense is rocking, and the O is playing well.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: It shouldn't be. The ranking is this low based on the early part of the season, but Tennessee is playing like a top-15 team.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: It shouldn't be. With two losses and close wins over Kentucky and Vanderbilt over the last four games, this is a gift of a ranking. Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: The best win, Ole Miss, doesn't appear to be any big whoop, while the loss to Georgia is looking worse and worse.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: It shouldn't be. With two losses and close wins over Kentucky and Vanderbilt over the last four games, this is a gift of a ranking.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: The best win, Ole Miss, doesn't appear to be any big whoop, while the loss to Georgia is looking worse and worse. Do you really think the Gamecocks will win at Arkansas next week?

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: The win over Virginia Tech might be a program-changer. The defense stopped the Hokie offense and showed the talent and athleticism that everyone has been waiting to see unleashed.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: The win over Virginia Tech might be a program-changer. The defense stopped the Hokie offense and showed the talent and athleticism that everyone has been waiting to see unleashed.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: Call this a one-week wonder. The ranking is based on the belief that the team will finally play up to its overall potential, but the resume is rocky. Watch out for Duke next week.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: If Ryan Williams doesn't fumble the ball, Virginia Tech probably beats the Tar Heels and is still in the hunt for the ACC title. The defense is still strong and the ground game is too, even with the problems against UNC.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: If Ryan Williams doesn't fumble the ball, Virginia Tech probably beats the Tar Heels and is still in the hunt for the ACC title. The defense is still strong and the ground game is too, even with the problems against UNC.
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: Is beating Miami that big of a deal? Is beating Nebraska anything to get excited about? If this really is a top-15 team, it blows through its last four games (at East Carolina, at Maryland, N.C. State, at Virginia) without breaking a sweat.

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: The Tigers might have just stopped their slide. It took one big win over Ole Miss to get back up this high, but... Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ...

Why The Ranking Should Be Higher: The Tigers might have just stopped their slide. It took one big win over Ole Miss to get back up this high, but...
Why The Ranking Should Be Lower: ... it's a wait-and-see ranking. The ugly, three-game losing streak with a home loss to Kentucky is still too fresh. Auburn will whack Furman, but it has to be strong against a weak Georgia team to stay in the top 25.