Power 22

There's some major changes going on this week.

1. Texas - I have seen Baylor play twice now, and its defense is not a pushover. I give style points for the absolute dismantling of the Bears.

2. USC - There is no really great reason to drop USC from the 1-slot, but the defense did give up 21 points to Stanford.

3. Penn State - This team just continues to look great. I would love to see Penn State vs. Miami sometime down the road.

4. Miami - Great win over a very good football team. Miami is now kicking itself for the opener, but may get a chance for redemption in the ACC title game.

5. Ohio State - The offense continues to click and the defense is still fantastic. With Northwestern and Michigan coming up, I'm looking forward to some great football.

6. Virginia Tech - And welcome back to reality. At times, VaTech played like the best team in the country. Unfortunately, it wasn't this week.

7. Notre Dame - The offense is still awesome, but giving up 21 to Tennessee calls the secondary into question, even moreso than before the game (and that's hard to do).

8. Wisconsin - The Badgers are still good, just not great. Penn State dominated Wisconsin and proved that the Badgers live and die by RB Brian Calhoun, who was limited to 38 yards on 20 carries.

9. Michigan - The Wolverines get a breather next weekend with Indiana before they take on the Buckeyes in the regular season finale. That should prove to be a very good game.

10. Texas Tech - Six passes of over twenty yards, 433 yards passing, and 627 total yards of offense. Not a bad day for Texas Tech. The defense even forced three turnovers. Too bad they can't win the big ones.

11. Oregon - Somehow Oregon pulled out a win against Cal in overtime with third-string QB Brady Leaf. You got guts, Ducks, and that's worth a number eleven ranking in my book.

12. Colorado - The Buffs continue to play some very good football. They should win the Big 12 North without too much difficulty, but I'd watch out for a hot Iowa State team next weekend. That could be trouble.

13. LSU - I would rank LSU higher if they would play to even 3/4 of the potential everyone talks about. I have yet to see it. The defense is good; it's the offense that continues to struggle. If LSU can make a statement against the Bama defense, then I'll start moving them up.

14. Bama - Yes, the defense is still good. Unfortunately, the offense hasn't scored a touchdown in a month of sundays. Bama is gonna need some of those touchdown things if they plan on beating LSU or Auburn.

15. Auburn - Auburn turned in a big win over Kentucky this weekend but allowed a season high 27 points to the Wildcats. That's gonna give Tommy Tuberville and crew something to think about before they head to Georgia next week.

16. Georgia - The final SEC team in the bunch, Georgia drops because the offense is not good when D.J. Shockley isn't in the game. Even with Shockley, the offense has been inconsistent at times. The Dawgs need to step it up a knotch if they plan on beating Auburn.

17. Northwestern - Northwestern moves up after the comeback win against Iowa. This team refuses to die, and I like that. They have potential to give Ohio State hell next week. I'm looking forward to it.

18. Iowa - Iowa is still playing well right now, they just relaxed a little too soon. They may give Wisconsin problems next week, but I don't think the Iowa defense is quite good enough to do what Penn State did to Brian Calhoun.

19. California - They tried to be good again and fell short. They proved they can still play, though. The Bears may make it close next week against USC solely because they usually do. We shall see.

20. West Virginia - Big win over mediocre team. Such is life in the Big East.

21. Minnesota - The Gophers bounced back against Indiana with RBs Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell carrying the load. A slight test next week in Michigan State and then a dangerous game at Iowa.

22. Georgia Tech - They get a pity vote into the Power 22 since I've been dogging them all year. And they became bowl eligible, which I thought may only be a slim possibility going into this year. My other prediction was that they would be .500 in conference. I still have a chance at that one.

Honorable Mention: Arizona, Iowa State, Florida State, TCU, Kansas, and UCLA.