Week 14 rankings

Not much to say this week- Les Miles remembered how to coach, and I grudgingly moved Southern Cal back into the rankings. The national semi-final is all set for the SEC Championship next week, and there's some small upheval in the top five.

1. Florida (12-0): They had the best performance of any of the three big contenders this weekend. Tim may have cried before the game, but the Gators dominated and never looked back. This team is starting to fire on all cylinders at just the right time.
2. Alabama (12-0): Going down 14 points on the road in a rivalry game isn;t the best way to start off, but Bama showed that even if that does happen, they are prepared to handle it and win the game.
3. Texas Christian (12-0): They just looked better than Texas this weekend. They dominated a very dominate-able team, but like I said, they've often looked better than Texas this season. Rivalry weekend was the straw that broke the camel's back.
4. Texas (12-0): Unlike Florida, they didn't dominate. Unlike Bama, they never seemed like they would need a big comeback. They just played a sloppy game against a rival. You can't do that this late in the season, especially with a very good Nebraska defense up next.
5. Cincinnati (11-0): Remember Tony Pike? He's back. Six TDs on the day makes you wonder, would he have been running away with the Heisman if he hadn't been hurt?

6. Boise State (12-0): Nevada was their last remanining test, and they passed. They have one more chance to run up the score on a relative cupcake and impress the voters. Oklahoma State losing also helps their chances of making a BCS bowl like they deserve.
7. Oregon (9-2): Hey, an off week and some loses mean you climb up, Ducks! Show us what you got this week in the Civil War.
8. Ohio State (10-2): Bleh. See you in January.
9. Penn State (10-2): You too.
10. Iowa (10-2): Sheesh, and you. Ask Central Michigan to join your league and play a championship game, dammit!
11. Louisiana State (9-3): They keep hanging around and around. Also, don't you find it ironic that one week after the Ole Miss debacle, another team's inability to kick a field goal led to an LSU win? Hilarious, I tell you.
12. Georgia Tech (10-2): SEC! SEC! SEC! How is it the best team in the ACC loses to a rebuilding and mediocre Georgia team? The parity in the SEC still means we're better than the other conferences. Don't worry, at least Clemson lost too.
13. Pittsburgh (9-2): This is why rivalrys are so dangerous. I wasn't surprised they lost the Backyard Brawl, but they probably should have pulled out the win, if they were really an elite team. They can still finish in the top ten with a win over Cincinnati and BCS win.
14. Houston (10-2): I love Houston. They absolutely destroyed Rice this weekend. Bet they want mulligans against UTEP and UCF. Either way, they've got a chance to win again when they take on ECU in the C-USA championship.
15. Virginia Tec (9-3): Al Groh, consider your job lost. The Hokies took care of business, and while they won't be playing in the championship game this season, they have positioned themselves to go to the second best ACC bowl (Chic-Fil-A, against South Carolina or Georgia, perhaps?).
16. Oklahoma State (9-3): Looks like Oklahoma still had some fight in em. Say bye bye to your BCS hopes, and hello to the Cotton Bowl, OkState.
17. Miami (FL) (9-3): They are the second best team in Florida. Unfortunately, UF doesn;t have the spine to schedule them very often, so we won't know for sure this year. Still, Miami has set themselves up for a nice bowl.
18. Nebraska (9-3): I'm going to say it again- Nebraska will give Texas all they can handle. The fact that Texas had a sloppy game only makes me feel this is even more true. Their defense is outstanding, and they should probably be 11-1 on the season and in the top 10. Let's see if they prove it this weekend.
19. Oregon State (8-3): Gigantic showdown looming against Oregon. The winner of this game will have a chance to run all over Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Now, who wants it?
20. California (8-3): One more game against the lowly Huskies. Then off to the bowls.
21. Clemson (8-4): SEC! SEC! SEC! The Gamecocks slapped them all over Williams-Brice Saturday, proving the mid-tier SEC teams are better than the ACC's elite. Can they save their season against Georgia Tech Saturday? Maybe. They didn't fare any better against Georgia.
22. Birgham Young (10-2): They defied my expectations and beat cross-state rival Utah. It took overtime, but they got the job done. Perhaps I havent given Young, Unga and co. enough credit this season?
23. Southern Cal (8-3): Man, I dislike ranking this team. The package about them on GameDay did more for them than being UCLA. Just kidding. Still, I need to go vomit, so excuse me.
24. West Virginia (8-3): An upset in the Backyard Brawl vaults them back into the polls, barely. A showdown against Rutgers (who just barely missed the 25 spot) awaits to determine the true #3 team in the Big East.
25. Stanford (8-4): Okay, let's start slow this time and see where you end up, alright Stanford? Also, kudos, for getting Charlie Weis fired! If he stays, the NAACP better be all over that university.

Dropped from the rankings:
Ole Miss (formerly #14): Seems like a far drop, but you lost to one of the two SEC teams that can't go bowling. Being ranked MUST be this team's kryptonite. By the way, great job in year one, Dan Muller. 5-7 at Miss State could be good for the SEC Coach of the Year.
North Carolina (formerly #23): You lost to NC State. Can't happen if you want to remain ranked. Especially when you built up a big lead against a bad team.
Utah (Formerly #24): You made me look like a fool for thinking you were the best team in Utah! Oh well, I was too lazy to post the preview of your game anyways.

Matchups of ranked teams this week:
Finally, another crazy week with thousands of games with ranked teams. Championship week is here!
ACC Championship game: #21 Clemson vs #12 Georgia Tech
Pac-10 Championship game (sort of): #19 Oregon State @ #7 Oregon
Big East Championship game (sort of): #13 Pittsburgh vs #5 Cincinnati
Big-12 Championship game: #4 Texas vs #18 Nebraska
SEC Championship game: #1 Florida vs #2 Alabama

Depending on my workload three weeks before graduation, I may or may not be able to do all these previews.