STB College Football Rankings

1. Boise State (Broncos could easily score 60+ points a game if they kept starters in at least through the entire 3rd quarter)
2. Oregon (barely squeaked by Cal--but still undefeated)
3. Auburn (all the Cam Newton controversy distractions seemed to disappear by the 2nd quarter vs. Georgia, toughest test yet to come still--in Tuscaloosa November 26)
4. TCU (allowing 35 points to San Diego State at home after pummeling BCS #5 Utah, coupled with Utah getting embarrassed at Notre Dame and Auburn's 18-point win over Georgia dropped the Horned Frogs a spot)
5. Ohio State (beat a quality, pumped-up Penn State team by 24)
6. LSU (dear Les Miles, don't brag about "playing everybody" and having such a "quality schedule" and then go play Louisiana-Monroe days later, which came two weeks after the Tigers played McNeese State by the way)
7. Wisconsin (I know what you're thinking, "The Badgers beat Ohio State earlier in the year and just crushed Indiana 83-20." Impressive, but I still say they're the 7th best team in the land. Oregon and Boise St. could hang 100 on Indiana if they played starters the whole game and TCU would shut 'em out. As for Ohio State, I say the Buckeyes would go 2-0 if they had the Badgers two more times. Just a hunch I guess, sorry Wisconsin fans.)
8. Stanford (survived a close one at Arizona State, I predict the Cardinal lose at Cal this week)
9. Alabama (4-2 vs. ranked opponents this year, both losses were on the road--Boise State, Oregon and TCU combined have only played 6 ranked opponents this year--2 each)
10. Nebraska (Cornhuskers have got to be kicking themselves for not being undefeated--only loss was at home against under-achieving Texas)
11. Arkansas
12. Oklahoma State
13. Virginia Tech
14. Michigan State
15. Oklahoma
16. Nevada
17. Missouri
18. South Carolina
19. Texas A&M
20. USC
21. Iowa
22. Utah
23. Miami
24. Arizona
25. Northwestern

Who Will it Be?

Alabama went down to Les Miles and the Bayou Bengals of LSU--not a huge shock, but a little one. With that, my National Championship game prediction needs a replacement. Question is, who?

The nominees are: Auburn, Boise State, TCU and LSU

Auburn: 10-0 and definitely in control to face Oregon for the BCS National Title. The Iron Bowl at Alabama will be the true test for the Tigers--they win that and then the SEC title, they're in. Should 'Bama win, that'd put Auburn down too far, too late in the polls to reach the Title game. These Tigers control their own destiny every bit as much as Oregon--in fact, I'd all but guarantee they jump the Ducks should they win out.

Boise State: Pounded Hawaii by 35 to make it 22 straight wins. Included in that streak is TCU, Oregon, Oregon State and Virginia Tech. The Broncos last loss--a 17-16 let down in the 2008 Holiday Bowl vs. TCU. These Broncos are 2-0 vs. Oregon in the last two seasons too. Keep in mind too Boise State was preseason #3 and have done nothing but embarrass everyone they play, yet the BCS poll allows other teams to jump them. Yeah, I'm kinda scratching my head too.

TCU: Just beat #5 Utah by 40--at Utah. Just like Boise State's only loss in the last three seasons is to TCU in 2008 Holiday Bowl, TCU's only loss in the last three seasons is to Boise State in last year's Fiesta Bowl. Is the Horned Frogs schedule more difficult enough than Boise State's to put them ahead of the same team that beat them less than a year ago and has been ranked ahead of them all season? Tough to say immediately after watching TCU dismantle Utah, but I'd have to give the slight edge to Boise State still.

LSU: Preseason #21, but just knocked off the defending national champs and it's only loss so far was at Auburn by 7. Is a one-loss SEC team more deserving than an undefeated Boise State or TCU? Auburn is all but guaranteed to win the SEC West, so could the LSU Tigers jump to #2 in the BCS rankings without even going to the SEC Championship should Auburn slip up at Alabama? Crazy stuff ahead in the SEC. I say the SEC, as good as it is, is out of the National Title game unless Auburn finishes undefeated, then I'll give them the nod. LSU will likely go to a BCS game though.

The Answer: Undefeated Auburn gets the first nod, Boise State second and TCU third. As for LSU--great season, but there's not much they can do to convince me they deserve a shot at the National Title this year. Auburn has one of the toughest schedules in the country, so should it finish unbeaten, we'll just let them play for the title and brace for controversy impact! If they lose even one game though, how can you take it away from Boise State after all they've proven over the past few years? You can't. Plain and simple. They've done four seasons in a row what is expected of an SEC team for just one season to be deemed worthy of the title game--give them a chance!

That's BCS talk though, here's the latest STB Rankings:

1. Boise State
2. Oregon
3. TCU
4. Auburn
5. LSU
6. Ohio State
7. Wisconsin
8. Stanford
9. Nebraska
10. Arkansas
11. Alabama
12. Oklahoma State
13. Iowa
14. Mississippi State
15. Virginia Tech
16. Michigan State
17. Utah
18. Nevada
19. Oklahoma
20. Arizona
21. Florida
22. Missouri
23. South Carolina
24. North Carolina
25. San Diego State