TOP 25
Idle teams take advantage
The best way to move up in the polls last week was to not play. With seven ranked teams losing, there is a dearth of worthy teams in the top 25. With modest victories over UNLV and Tulane respectively, Utah and Houston vaulted seven slots each. With a quality win over South Florida, undefeated Cincinnati vaulted past Boise St. and LSU. Iowa did the same with its comeback win at Wisconsin, jumping three idle teams. Georgia Tech moves from No. 18 to No. 11 with its win over Virginia Tech. There should be less movement this week as few top 25 teams meet.
| No. | Team (Record) | Comment | Pvs. |
| 1 | Florida (6-0) | Schedule is manageable, but still might be a struggle | 1 |
| 2 | Alabama (7-0) | Is there a more complete team — O, D, special teams? | 2 |
| 3 | Texas (6-0) | Do you really need style points when you beat Oklahoma? | 3 |
| 4 | USC (5-1) | Halloween date at Oregon could be for Pac-10 title | 5 |
| 5 | TCU (6-0) | Can the nation’s No. 4 defense shut down Hall and BYU? | 7 |
| 6 | Cincinnati (6-0) | Inexperienced defense leads nation in tackles for loss | 10 |
| 7 | LSU (5-1) | Quite possibly the dullest team in America, by Miles | 9 |
| 8 | Boise St. (6-0) | Tulsa was a chance to impress voters. We’re not impressed | 6 |
| 9 | Iowa (7-0) | Opportunistic Hawks are No. 4 in turnover margin | 14 |
| 10 | Miami (5-1) | Canes face Clemson for first time since 2005, a 36-30 win | 11 |
| 11 | Georgia Tech (6-1) | Win over VT was GT’s first in 47 years over a top-five team | 18 |
| 12 | Oregon (5-1) | With USC looming, could Ducks fall in trap at Washington? | 12 |
| 13 | Oklahoma St. (5-1) | With Texas looming, could Cowboys fall in trap at Baylor? | 13 |
| 14 | Penn State (6-1) | Westfield grad RB Royster had 137 yards vs. Minnesota | 16 |
| 15 | Virginia Tech (5-2) | Best two-loss team in NCAA? But that’s little consolation | 4 |
| 16 | BYU (6-1) | Cougars flunked home test against FSU, now a shot at TCU | 19 |
| 17 | Houston (5-1) | If ex-Cougar Ware could win a Heisman, why not Keenum? | 24 |
| 18 | Utah (5-1) | Tough Oct. games remain at No. 5 TCU and No. 16 BYU | 25 |
| 19 | Pittsburgh (6-1) | Tough stretch includes USF, ND, W. Va, and Cincinnati | NR |
| 20 | Texas Tech (5-2) | At Nebraska, Red Raiders’ defense looked Sharpe | NR |
| 21 | South Carolina (5-2) | Will get their shot at No. 1 Florida on Nov. 14 in Columbia | 22 |
| 22 | West Virginia (5-1) | Freshman QB Smith excelled in Brown’s absence | NR |
| 23 | Arizona (4-2) | Quality wins over Oregon State, Stanford, Central Michigan | NR |
| 24 | Mississippi (4-2) | Ex-Heisman contender Snead hitting less than 50 percent | NR |
| 25 | Ohio State (5-2) | Worthy of a drop out of top 25 after loss at Purdue (2-5) | 8 |
HEATING UP
Texas Tech » No team had a more impressive win last week than the Red Raiders with backup QB and defense in Lincoln.
Also » Georgia Tech,Iowa, Arizona
COOLING DOWN
Ohio State » Buckeyes have all the earmarks of a national powerhouse, except one thing — they’re not very good.
Also » Kansas, Nebraska, South Florida
TOP 25 GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 5 TCU at No. 16 BYU
The Horned Frogs need plenty to go right in order to crash the power school party and make the national championship. But unlike fellow non-BCS school Boise State, TCU has two more ranked opponents on its schedule. One of those is a BYU team that topped Oklahoma in the season’s opening week. One key will be for the defense to limit Cougars quarterback Max Hall. On Saturday, they held Colorado State to just 182 total yards. — Brian Wright
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
It hasn’t been a smooth ride for the Longhorns quarterback. Last week’s encounter with Oklahoma had its share of rough moments. McCoy was suffering through a cold, a painful right thumb and a nagging Sooner defense. Although his numbers weren’t impressive, he did lead Texas to a 16-13 win, keeping them near the top of the BCS standings. The thumb injury won’t stop him from playing at Missouri this Saturday. We’ve yet to see a true breakout performance from this Heisman favorite. A rebound effort, with all his digits healed, against a slumping Tigers team might do the trick. — Brian Wright
STORY LINES
1. Return of the BCS » The Bowl Championship Series standings have premiered for 2009, sure to give many another season of debate. Florida holds the top spot after surviving a close encounter against Arkansas. Despite losing four fumbles, the Gators and Tim Tebow drove for the deciding field goal. If they win out in regular season play, they’ll most likely face Alabama in the SEC Championship. The Crimson Tide, ranked first by the Associated Press, have been impressive on both sides of the ball. Behind those two are other unbeatens: Texas, Boise State, Cincinnati and Iowa. And then there’s one-loss USC. All are looking to make a case for the top two spots and a trip to Pasadena. — Brian Wright
2. Hoos in first? » After a season-opening loss to FCS William & Mary and an 0-3 start, who’d believe that Virginia would be the only team unbeaten so far in Atlantic Coast Conference play? Maybe just a few bowtie-wearing Cavs fans. Nonetheless, the races in both divisions are wide open. Virginia will get a true test when it faces Georgia Tech this weekend. The Yellow Jackets knocked off Virginia Tech when it looked like the Hokies were ready to become the class of the conference. There’s no question that the Coastal Division is the side with the power teams. Miami and the two Techs are the only three ACC clubs ranked in the top 25. — Brian Wright
3. Oh no for OU’s QB » “This can’t be happening to me. This can’t be happening to our team.” That was Sam Bradford’s statement to ABC sideline reporter Lisa Salters after the latest cruel twist in his 2009 season. Last year’s Heisman winner went down on his right shoulder — the same one that he injured on Sept. 5 and kept him out until Week 6. His return was short — and we may not seem again on the field in a Sooner uniform. Bradford passed up a potential No. 1 selection in this past year’s NFL draft to come back and play another year in Norman. Now all for naught, he may be best suited to heal, get surgery if needed and prepare for his pro career. — Brian Wright
AREA INTELLIGENCE
MARYLAND
Coming off a dreadful 20-9 loss to Virginia, the question regarding the Terps (2-5) is whether they are the worst team in the ACC. That could be answered Saturday at Duke (3-3). In four meetings (2001-04), Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen has never lost to the Blue Devils.
NAVY
After a successful Texas two-step (wins over Rice and SMU), Navy (5-2) is in position to claim its fifth straight bowl berth. QB Ricky Dobbs leads the Mids against Wake Forest (4-3) Saturday in Annapolis. The teams split last year with Navy losing in the EagleBank Bowl.
VIRGINIA
After a horrendous start and calls for the departure of coach Al Groh, the resurgent Cavaliers (3-3, 2-0) are in first place in the ACC Coastal. The opportunistic squad will try to keep its three-game winning streak alive against visiting No. 11 Georgia Tech (6-1) Saturday.
VIRGINIA TECH
The Hokies (5-2) were done in by the potent triple-option offense of Georgia Tech, and likely lost their chance to play in the BCS title game. A third straight ACC title, however, is still possible. The Hokies get a bye Saturday, then face slumping UNC (4-2) a week from Thursday.
JAMES MADISON
The Dukes (2-4) were shut out by Villanova Saturday. It was the first goose egg for JMU since losing at Virginia Tech, 43-0, in 2003. Madison will try to get its first Colonial Athletic Association win Saturday at William & Mary (5-1). The Dukes have won the last four meetings.
