First rankings of the year

We have four weeks of football behind us. Most teams have gotten into their conference slate, and most teams have four games under their belt. My rankings don't look much like ESPN's, and the reason for that is I don't rank teams until they've actually, you know, played enough games for a decent sampling size.
This does a couple things. It keeps everything in perspective, it prevents poll inertia, and I can see who's actually played a good schedule.
So without further ado, here are my rankings.
*One quick note, Southern Cal won't be showing up in these rankings, because they are dirty rotten cheaters and cannot play in the postseason, so they won't be taking a poll spot from a team that can.
**Another quick note- no, I did not forget Texas. Texas sucks. They played and beat cupcakes in an unimpressive fashion, and then lost to a medicore UCLA team at home. Deal with it.

1. Alabama (4-0)
So much for these rankings not looking like ESPN's. The Tide have played well this year, and though Arkansas gave them all they could handle, they still managed to pull out a win on the road. However, they did show that they're mortal, and Florida finally seems to have found it's offense heading into Tuscaloosa.

2. Ohio State (4-0)
I swear, these are NOT the same rankings as the AP and Coaches' polls! Ohio State has played very well this year though. They were great against Miami, and none of the other teams they have faced have been able to slow them down much. As much as I hate to say it, the Buckeyes look like they're for real.

3. Auburn (4-0)
I told you that these we're the same as ESPN's rankings! Auburn has been great this year. Cam Newton is a large reason why. They're 4-0, and have already played two SEC teams, as well as Clemson. Nothing to sneeze at. If Alabama weren't playing like they didn't lose anyone to the draft, and Ohio State weren't cruising as well, the Tigers would be number one. And hell, they're close as it is. Their win against South Carolina showed that these guys are for real.

4. Boise State (3-0)
I hate Boise State. But when you've beaten two teams that are better than their combined 3-4 record indicates (VT and Oregon State) you deserve some props. That said, expect to see the Broncos fall as teams from larger conferences remain undefeated against tough conference opponents.

5. Florida (4-0)
The Gators have played a pretty tough schedule to this point (opponents record is 9-6), and while the defense has looked good, the offense has obviously struggled. Their performance against Kentucky and the emergence of Trey Burton snagged this spot for them. It's a good thing the Gators have found their groove too, with Alabama looming.



6. LSU (4-0)
LSU hasn't looked great in many of their games- they're a lot like Florida in that the defense looks good but the offense has its troubles. Well, even though that may be the case, when you've got two SEC wins and two wins against non-conference BCS teams, you get ranked this highly. If the Tigers can get it together offensively, Alabama should be concerned.

7. Oklahoma (4-0)
So was their piss poor performance against USU an anomaly? It sure looks like it. Cincy kept it close for a little while, but these guys absolutely blasted Florida State a few weeks ago. Landy Jones and DiMarcy Muarry will keep this team in a national title hunt, especially with the rest of the league down.

8. Stanford (4-0)
No, you're not seeing things. Andrew Luck has been lights out, and Stanford has rolled some pretty good teams. Much better teams than Oregon has rolled. We'll see who's better this weekend.

9. Oregon (4-0)
But they have rolled nonetheless. Still, when your toughest game was against a crappy Tennessee team, Arizona State gave you some trouble, and the other two team you've played are basically JuCo squads, don't expect me to be overly impressed. Win against Stanford, and then we'll see.

10. Nebraska (4-0)
Four games, four solid wins against four unspectacular, but not particularly terrible teams. Their offense looks to be better running through Martinez, and the defense is the same blackshirt defense that Bo Pelini has brought back into vogue in Lincoln. Things should be smooth sailing all the way to a Big 12 title tilt against Oklahoma.

11. TCU (4-0)
Two wins over BCS teams, a win over a good mid-major, and a beatdown on a cupcake lands the Horned Frogs just outside the top ten. Since they play some decent teams, you can expect them to eventually a) move past Boise State and b) fail to crack the top five unless some of the big boys lose multiple games. Thems the breaks- the Mountain West was never the Big East, and they're probably closer to C-USA in this down year.

12. Denard Robinson/Michigan (4-0)
Can you rank one player? Not really? You should be able to- this man has been insane for Michigan. Even last week, he had almost 200 yards before he went out with an injury... IN THE FIRST QUARTER! As long as he's healthy and Michigan continues to roll, the Wolverines will probably keep climbing the rankings.

13. Arizona (4-0)
Beaten some good teams, they have. But they also struggled against Cal. They can stay here for now, especially since they have a bye this week.

14. Arkansas (3-1)
They looked so promising for three quarters. Mallet had it going, but then Alabama took over in the fourth quarter. Still, they've been pretty impressive to this point, and when your only blemish is a loss against the best team in the country, you can only fall so far.

15. South Carolina (3-1)
Poor Gamecocks. They went to Auburn and gave the Tigers all they could handle for the second week in a row. In the end, poor play at quarterback (Stephen Garcia, as well as Connor Shaw) doomed them on the road. Still, they were incredibly resilient, and this will only help to strengthen their resolve when they hit the road for some other big games (here's looking at you, Gators).

16. North Carolina State (4-0)
Wow, the Wolfpack is good. For real. They've played good competition (yes, UCF is good!) and looked impressive in winning (ask Georgia Tech). However, when you're the conference's top ranked team at 16, it doesn't bode well for your chances to move up in the rankings.

17. Wisconsin (4-0)
Kentucky would be embarrassed by Wisconsin's schedule so far. I almost forgot to rank them. That's all they get.

18. West Virginia (3-1)
Well, they looked good until they had to play a real (aka SEC) team. They're still a good enough team, and have enough weapons, to win the Big East. Which is down. Which makes it more like the MAC than a BCS conference. But it is what it is.

19. Utah (4-0)
There is opportunity for advancement here. The Utes are a good program, and so far, they've looked impressive in their wins. The MWC doesn't suck so horribly, but they must beat TCU if they want to join the big boys in the top ten.

20. Kansas State (4-0)
Some cupcakes, a couple decent teams (yes, I mean UCLA and UCF), but undefeated. If they can beat some Big 12 teams, look for the 'Cats to make a big jump in the rankings.

21. Penn State (3-1)
Haven't looked very impressive in wins over teams they should blow out (think South Carolina) but their only loss was to Alabama. And considering Alabama only put up 24 on them, and they were at home, there's something to be said for the defense. Namely that JoePa is still good at building good ones.

22. Iowa (3-1)
Pretty much the same as Penn State, but instead of Alabama they lost to Arizona.

23. Michigan State (4-0)
Cupcakes are bad for your figure, and they're bad for your ranking when they're all you've played. Notre Dame is still not good. Your wins are relatively unimpressive. We'll see how good you are once we get into the meat of the schedule.

24. Florida State (3-1)
Grudgingly. They've looked good in all their games, except for their thrashing at Oklahoma. We'll see who drops out of the rankings when they play Miami.

25. Miami (FL) (2-1)
Lost to Ohio State on the road, killed a cupcake, and beat a BCS team on the road. It's still tough to gauge where the Canes are, but they've definitely looked like a top 25 team so far. We'll see if they actually are when they play Clemson.

Matchups of ranked teams this weekend
#5 Florida vs #1 Alabama
#8 Stanford vs #9 Oregon
#17 Wisconsin vs #23 Michigan State (here's a hint- after this, only one of the teams will be ranked)
#21 Penn State vs #22 Iowa (here's another hint- the same is true for this game!)