Rogers Rankings is back after a catastrophic meltdown of the rankings computer, Ace, to release the last football rankings before the Bowl season begins.

Thanks to good data backup, Ace lives again (despite some operator difficulty in figuring out what the problem really was.)

And now, the shakedown!

This Week's Top Ten

1. Oklahoma(11-2)

   Many of you may be really surprised to see that Oklahoma takes the top spot at the end of the regular season, but if you would have had the chance to see last weeks (unpublished) rankings, you would not be as surprised. They entered the weekend ranked third, then beat top ranked Missouri for the second time this season. They most likely would have been top ranked even if West Virginia (second last week) had won.

2. LSU (11-2)

   Unlike Oklahoma, previously #4 LSU would not have likely been able to make up the distance over West Virginia had they been able to take care of business against Pittsburgh. Lucky for LSU that WVU lost. The Tigers now have a date with Ohio State in the BCS National Championship, carrying their 18th placed strength of schedule with them.

3. West Virginia (10-2)

   Despite losing to Pittsburgh, West Virginia only slips back to third in the final regular season rankings, thanks mostly to being otherwise undefeated against teams ranked worst then 10th. It also doesn't hurt that they could have lost to a worse team than Pittsburgh, who is only one game out of bowl eligibility.

4. Missouri (11-2)

   Four teams in the top ten with two losses? Yep. If you want to talk technically, Missouri has only lost to one team this year; it just so happens that they lost to them twice. Their schedule rank checks in at 30th, and that certainly doesn't hurt them, either.

5. Kansas (11-1)

   Finally, a one loss team, but surprise again, it is not Ohio State. Buckeye fans will have to keep reading, I'm afraid. Jayhawk fans can take pride that right now we think that they are the best one loss team in the nation. In a normal year, that might get you into a National Championship game. Not this year, my feathered friends.

6. Florida (9-3)

   (Keep reading, Ohio State fans.) Three is a big number for Florida this year. Not only is it how many losses they have, it is also their strength of schedule ranking. Three of their four weakest opponents were Western Kentucky (99), Vanderbilt (80), and Florida Atlantic (63), all of which they destroyed. Their losses were to Auburn (20), LSU (2), and Georgia (7). Not exactly cupcakes.

7. Georgia (10-2)

   (Keep reading, Ohio State fans.) Wait, didn't we just say that Florida lost to Georgia? Realize, however, that Georgia did lose to South Carolina (59) at home. If you put the Florida-Georgia game in The Swamp, and Florida most likely wins that game.

8. Virginia Tech (11-2)

   (Keep reading, Ohio State fans.) Virginia Tech above Ohio State? I know you are thinking that. Again look at who Virginia Tech lost against: LSU (2) and Boston College (21). Then they beat BC in the conference championship rematch. Combine that with half of their opponents being ranked better than 50, and that checks them in at a solid 8th.

9. Ohio State (11-1)

   I can hear the Buckeye fans now yelling about all of the teams they are ranked behind, but the fact is they only played one team ranked in the top 25. That team was Illinois (25), and they lost to them. Combine a weak non-conference schedule with a very down year for the Big Ten, and it is hard to get much respect for an 11-1 season.

10. South Florida (9-3)

    Rounding out the top 10 this week is South Florida. They took the Florida route into the top ten; win 9 games and have a pretty good schedule rank. That schedule rank, by the way, checks in at 31st.

Upset of the Week

Who would have guessed that Pittsburgh, ranked 80th, last week, would have been able to knock off West Virginia? For that BCS monkey wrench win, Pittsburgh wins the award for the Upset of the Week. Honorable mention goes to Stanford for their defeat of California.

About Rogers Computer Rankings

Rogers Computer Rankings is a computer ranking system for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. For current and future rankings, be sure to check back on Sportales.

So how good of a week was it? By our measure, it was about 81% good. That just so happens to be the percentage of teams ranked higher than their opponents that won this weekend. This marks the best weekend the rankings have ever had. If you have been following the rankings, you will know that early in the season, we were hoping to get to 80% by the last week of the year. So sorry if we were a few weeks early.

And now, with an "I-told-you-so" grin on our faces, it is time for the shakedown!

This Week's Top Ten

As mentioned above, only one team, South Florida (16) falls out of the top ten spots this week. Their place is taken over by Connecticut (9). Interestingly enough, their rankings were opposite last week before the Huskies were able to defeat South Florida.

The top spot this week is again LSU, despite having one loss on the season. Their 18th ranked strength of schedule more than makes up for that. The Tigers were idle this week, but take the show on the road this week to take on Alabama (28).

Undefeated Arizona State and Ohio State take up the second and third spots. Arizona State gets the chance this week to show what they are really made of, traveling to Oregon (6) to take on the Ducks. Meanwhile, Ohio State returns home after a big win in Happy Valley over Penn State (23) to take on Wisconsin (30). Oklahoma and Kansas round out the top five.

One-loss West Virgina hangs tough at seventh, one spot down from their original week two ranking of sixth. The biggest gainer of the top ten is Boston College (8), up 27 spots from its season's worst ranking of 35. Tenth goes to Florida, and so does the rank of fourth toughest schedule.

Top Twenty-Five Notables

As we come out of the final turn of the season, it is time to start looking at how the rest of the top teams rank. The most interesting ones, anyway. Undefeated Hawaii (12) continues to move slowly but steadily up the rankings to its highest on the season. Boise State also checks in with its best of the season at 14. USC, meanwhile, is heading in the other direction, down to a season-worst 19.

Weekly Awards

Upset of the Week

So it was not exactly a huge upset weekend like the rest of the season has been, but there were a few that might have sneaked under the radar. This week's Upset of the Week award goes to North Carolina State (79) for knocking off Virginia (18). Honorable Mention goes to Mississippi State (60) for their defeat of Kentucky (17).

Most Improved - Biggest Fall

What do you do when you are ranked 116th in week two? Well, if you are Troy (27), you bust your hump the rest of the season and climb as far as you can. They are this week's Most Improved Award winner, having gained 89 spots and positioned themselves to break into the top 25. Biggest Fall Award this week goes to Washington (78), having fallen 67 spots from their season best ranking of 11.

This Week's Rankings

About Rogers Computer Rankings

Rogers Computer Rankings is a computer ranking system for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. For current and future rankings, be sure to check back on Sportales.

And now, the shakedown.

This Week's Top Ten

1. LSU (7-1)

   As we were running the early numbers on Saturday afternoon, we were surprised to see LSU creeping back up the rankings, despite last week's loss to Kentucky (12). By the time the final came in on Sunday night's Southern Miss, Marshall game, LSU was solidly back in control of the field, helped along the way by their 17th ranked strength of schedule. LSU will take week 9 off before a tough week 10 road game against Alabama (32). Provided they can come home with a win, the remainder of the seasons favors the Tigers, with home games against Louisiana Tech (103) and Arkansas (52), and a trip to Mississippi (92) in week 12.

2. Arizona State (7-0)

   Up one spot from last week, Arizona State takes over second spot with its so far perfect record and help from their opponents. The first eight week's biggest challenge was Colorado (35). The rest of the season does not look so inviting. Of the five remaining opponents, three are in the top 25, and UCLA is 26th. If Arizona State can get to their week 14 game against Arizona (90) and still be undefeated, they should have a ticket to the last dance.

3. Ohio State (8-0)

   Everyone else seems to have the Buckeyes in the top spot, but we are a little more reserved. Sure, they are undefeated, but by our calculations, their strength of schedule is very middle of the road, checking in at 60th. As of this week, the only top 25 team on Ohio State's schedule is Penn State (17). Should Ohio State be able to defeat them this week in Happy Valley, Penn State will likely be knocked out of the top 25.

4. Oklahoma (7-1)

   Oklahoma keeps a death grip hold on the number four spot this week, with the three-point loss to Colorado (35) the only dent in their armor. The Sooners will take week 9 off before their final four regular season games, three of which are at home. The biggest challenge remaining on their schedule is the trip to play Texas Tech (25) in week 12.

5. Kansas (7-0)

   Strength of schedule finally caught up with Kansas, down from the top spot last week to number five this week. So, exactly how bad is Kansas's schedule? We now have it at 99th in the country. Three of their opponents are ranked higher than 100, and less than half check in under 50. Their most difficult test on the season to date will come this week against Texas A&M (27) on the road.

6. Oregon (6-1)

   On the other hand, strength of schedule is starting to really pay off for Oregon. The Ducks are number ten in the schedule rankings, and 6th overall. With a win this week against USC (11), which we think will happen, they could make a pretty big statement. Should they also win next week's game against Arizona State (2), something we consider less likely, they should look good for the rest of the season.

7. West Virginia (6-1)

   So far this season, the Mountaineers have only played one game against a top 50 opponent, a road game against South Florida (9). That also happens to be their only loss. In the five games that remain to be played on their schedule, three of them are against top 25 teams. It could be a long Autumn for West Virginia.

8. Boston College (7-0)

   Boston College took the week off, but still managed to gain two spots over their last week's ranking. Hopefully for Boston College they rested up. The rest of their schedule consists of road games against Virginia Tech (18), Maryland (59), and Clemson (29), and home games against Florida State (43) and Miami (42).

9. South Florida (6-1)

   South Florida fell from the ranks of the undefeated against Rutgers (22), just a week after starting to get some love from the BCS. With upcoming contests against Connecticut (16) and Cincinnati (23), their fall might be far from over. If they are able to escape the next two weeks with wins, the rest of the season looks relatively easy.

10. Florida (5-2)

    Rounding out the top ten this week is Florida, despite losses to LSU (1) and Auburn (33). Of the top ten, the Gators have the best schedule strength, ranked 4th. The rest of their season looks manageable and winnable, with their most difficult test remaining coming in week 11 against South Carolina (24).

Most Improved / Worst Fall

We change gears a little bit this week, and in place of the traditional “Upset of the Week” award, we start looking at the body of work as a whole and see who has made the biggest improvement and who has had the worst fall, as determinded by their rankings.

For the week, Troy (37) wins the Most Improved Award, having gained 79 spots on their worst ranking of the season, 116th in week two. Runner up for the award this week goes to Michigan (39), who have gained 64 spots since week two.

The Worst Fall Award for the week goes to Washington (77). Ranked 11th in week two, they have dropped 66 spots since. Runner up goes to Minnesota (111), down 63 spots from their best ranking of 48th.

This Week's Rankings

About Rogers Computer Rankings

Rogers Computer Rankings is a computer ranking system for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. For current and future rankings, be sure to check back on Sportales.

What's next? We are working on trying to answer that, but with the way this year is playing out, it is tough to say. We took a beating in the predictions this week, checking in at just under 64% on the week. Good thing the Rogers Computer Ranking motto is “Pick the favorite, but root for the underdog.” After all, how fun would it be if the favorite won every time?

And with that nugget of thought provoking joy, it's time for the shakeout.

THIS WEEK'S TOP TEN

(1) Kansas

With the fall of LSU (5) and a convincing 58-10 win over Baylor (81), the Jayhawks move back into the top spot this week, up from third last week. Sure their strength of schedule is awful, but the one thing that you can do to combat a horrible strength of schedule is absolutely destroy the teams that you do play, and that is exactly what Kansas is doing this year. Their scoring offense and defense are among the best in the nation.

Up Next: Kansas at Colorado (34)

(2) Ohio State

Speaking of teams that are not letting their opponents score a lot of points, Ohio State also moves up two spots this week to second after defeating Kent State (87) by forty-five points. The Buckeyes are giving up about 6.6 points per game, which leads the nation. That's five touchdowns, three field goals, and a safety in seven games. Always remember what coach used to say: Defense wins championships.

Up Next: Michigan State (23) at Ohio State

(3) Arizona State

How do you win a game, remain one of only six unbeaten teams, and still drop from second to third in the rankings? It does not help when your strength of schedule rank doubles, dropping from twenty-first to forty-second. The Sun Devils will get the chance during the second half of the season to show what they are really made of, with games against California (12), Oregon (8), and USC (15) still ahead of them.

Up Next: California (12) at Arizona State (on 10/27)

(4) Oklahoma

Oklahoma retains the “Best of the One Loss” title winner this week, but now that will earn them a fourth ranking, up from seventh last week. The Sooners come off a 41-31 win over Missouri (16), a game that we did not think they would win. Guess what happens when you beat teams ranked higher thank you? You move up.

Up Next: Oklahoma at Iowa State (115)

(5) LSU

We have been telling you all season that Kentucky (7) is good. Maybe now you will believe us. They were able to tame the mighty Tigers in overtime this week, knocking LSU out of the number one spot after a short, one-week stay. LSU only drops back to fifth this week, helped by their thirteenth ranked strength of schedule. That will also give them the chance to get back in the title hunt by the end of the season. Too bad they play in the SEC, statistically the best conference of them all.

Up Next: Auburn (25) at LSU

(6) South Florida

In the first BCS rankings of the season, South Florida is ranked second. We do not have them quite that high, but they do check in at a respectable sixth, up from the tenth spot last week. Their strength of schedule checks in at sixty-seventh, but unlike top ranked Kansas, they are not exactly destroying their opponents. Still, they are a pretty solid team.

Up Next: South Florida at Rutgers (28)

(7) Kentucky

Did we mention that we have been telling you all season that Kentucky is good? All they did this week was knock off last week's number one, LSU (5), in an overtime thriller. That, in combination with only one loss on the season, is enough to put them solidly into the seventh spot this week.

Up Next: Florida (20) at Kentucky

(8) Oregon

In their test this week against Washington State (90), Oregon was able to hold them scoreless in the first half while scoring forty. With their only loss on the season coming at the hands of California (12), the Ducks are looking strong. Something else that makes the Ducks look strong is their elevnth ranked strength of schedule, which is currently the best of the top ten teams.

Up Next: Oregon at Washington (70)

(9) West Virginia

West Virginia took it to Syracuse (105) this week, beating them 55-14 in their house. The Mountaineers are winning the old fashion way: with a strong rushing game, led by Steve Slaton. When they have had to pass, quarterback Patrick White has been very accurate, connecting on must over 71% of his passes.

Up Next: Mississippi State (62) at West Virginia

(10) Boston College

Boston College rounds out the top ten this week after winning the “Catholic School Bowl” against Notre Dame (101). Still undefeated on the season, Boston College keeps doing just enough to keep winning games. While only ranked tenth right now, if the Eagles do this for the rest of the season, you can bet they will be in the title hunt.

Up Next: Boston College at Virginia Tech (22) (on 10/25)

UPSET OF THE WEEK

The Upset of the Week award goes to Oregon State (40) this week for their 31-28 defeat of California (12). Honorable Mention goes to Iowa (66) for taking the show in the road and knocking off Illinois (30).

THIS WEEK'S RANKINGS

Rogers Computer Rankings is a computer rankings system for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. For current and future Rogers Polls, be sure to check back on Sportales.

Meanwhile across town, Notre Dame was pulling off a little underdog magic of their own. Many, including us, had figured that the Irish would have to wait until week nine or ten before they would be able to get their season's first win. However, Saturday was special in Los Angles. It was special all across the nation, too.

In an attempt to add our own little bit of special to the week that was, be sure to see the new “Strength of Schedule” column in the rankings. Now for the shakeout.

THIS WEEK'S TOP TEN

(1) LSU

Finally, LSU's time has come, as now the accepted consensus number one across the nation, but while most polls and rankings have the Tigers moving up due to the slide of USC, we here at Rogers Rankings have them jumping over last week's number one, Kansas. The leap was due to the performance by LSU in their game this week against Florida, where despite being down ten points going into the fourth quarter, were able to pick up a pair of touchdowns while holding the Gators scoreless in the fourth.

Up next: LSU at Kentucky (18)

(2) Arizona State

We took a lot of grief from readers last week when we ranked Arizona State fourth. I can only imagine how much more we are going to get this week after Arizona State's last minute field goal to beat Washington State bumps them up to the second spot vacated by rising LSU. Sorry, folks, but those are the numbers, and speaking of numbers, how about tied for 21st. That's where Arizona States strength of schedule checks in.

Up Next: Washington (60) at Arizona State

(3) Kansas

Here is another ranking we caught some feces for last week. While we no longer have Kansas in the top spot, we do have them in third after they go on the road to Kansas State and beat the Wildcats despite three Todd Reesing interceptions. Maybe now everyone will start seeing that Kansas is a legitimate top five team, but we're not holding our breath.

Up Next: Baylor (7) at Kansas

(4) Ohio State

In the first rankings released this year, we had the Buckeyes just sneaking in the top 25 at 21st. That was week two, and no one was talking about Ohio State. With every crazy play this year, people started to whisper, and in defeating previously undefeated Purdue 23 to 7, most are now shouting some love for the Scarlet and Grey. In reality, the game was not as close as the score suggests, considering Ohio State's Boeckman threw three interceptions and the seven points scored by Purdue with only ten seconds of junk time left in the game.

Up Next: Kent State (77) at Ohio State

(5) California

Cal took the week off after a hard fought game last week at Oregon. Despite watching football instead of playing it, the Golden Bears were able to make up two spots over their last week ranking of seventh. Within the next three weeks, California will get the chance to sit on top of the Pac 10 standings if they can defeat Arizona State and UCLA, but first they have to complete the State of Oregon sweep this weekend.

Up Next: Oregon State (66) at California

(6) Missouri

Missouri continues to climb slowly up the rankings again this week, helped by an undefeated record and the 33rd ranked strength of schedule. What really helped them gain four spots on the week was taking Nebraska behind the woodshed for a football lesson.

Up Next: Missouri at Oklahoma (7)

(7) Oklahoma

Oklahoma? Is there an echo in here? Did we just mention Oklahoma? While we usually just stick to recapping the games (Oklahoma beat Texas, by the way, to become the highest ranked one-loss team), the upcoming Missouri - Oklahoma game should be a hoot. Don't miss this one. You heard it here first.

Up Next: Missouri (6) at Oklahoma

(8) Cincinnati

Cincinnati took the show on the road last week to take on Rutgers in what would start out as a close game that had Cincinnati playing catch-up until 47 seconds left in the third quarter. That's when Cincinnati took their first lead of the game on a Ben Mauk touchdown pass. After an interception and 19 seconds, Mauk again connected on a touchdown pass for the knockout punch.

Up Next: Louisville (59) at Cincinnati

(9) Connecticut

The Huskies bust into the top ten. Yes, in football. No, we're not smoking crack. Seriously, they beat Duke. Duke beat Northwestern. Northwestern beat Michigan State. Michigan State's ranked 33rd. Why not?

Up Next: Connecticut at Virginia (22)

(10) South Florida

We will make the job of the Trolls easy this week, as we have Connecticut ranked ninth, and South Florida tenth, despite both being 5-0 and South Florida having a better strength of schedule. What can we say besides there are other calculations in the formula besides strength of schedule and record? Not that it's going to help.

Up Next: Central Florida (49) at South Florida

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Stanford was ranked 93rd last week, while USC was punching in at 9th and defending a 35-game home winning streak. This game wasn't even on our radar. “Upset of the Week” does not really even cover this one. Maybe “Upset of the Year… So far.” Stanford leaves the weekend at 69th. USC drops to 15th.

Honorable mention this week goes to Notre Dame (99) taking it to UCLA (37).

THIS WEEK'S RANKINGS

Rogers Computer Rankings is a computer rankings system for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. For current and future Rogers Polls, be sure to check back on Sportales .

Now for the shake-up.

THIS WEEK'S TOP TEN

(1) Kansas - Bye

Oklahoma has been number one all season. LSU has been number two all but one week, when they were three and Florida was two. So, a week after both Oklahoma and Florida lose, LSU is a shoe in for the top spot, right? Well, we thought so too, but the numbers have the final say, and the numbers point the number one finger at Kansas, who is was ranked fourth last week and was in a bye week this week.

Up Next: (1) Kansas at (26) Kansas State

(2) LSU 34, Tulane 9

Getting the “number two” finger this week is LSU. Tulane would hang with LSU for the first half of this game, forcing the Tigers to punt four straight times before an LSU holding penalty in the end zone, followed by a 58 yard drive that would leave the Green Wave up 10-9. Unfortunately for Tulane, LSU would take the lead for good with a field goal just before halftime. The second half would belong to LSU, with the only real miscue, an interception in the third quarter, negated by another interception on the ensuing drive. Tulane would be held to just 88 yards on 33 rushing attempts in the loss.

Up Next: (107) Tulane at (83) Army, (14) Florida at (2) LSU

(3) Kentucky 45, Florida Atlantic 17

A second quarter full of Kentucky touchdowns and a total of 514 yards in offense was enough to propel the Wildcats over the visiting Florida Atlantic Owls. Quarterback Andre Woodson completed 78% of his passes and chalked up a passing rating of 131 in the winning effort. Combine that with a +1 team turnover ratio, and Kentucky climbs back into the top five.

Up Next: (8) South Florida at (67) Florida Atlantic, (3) Kentucky at (32) South Carolina

(4) Arizona State 41, Stanford 3

The Stanford Cardinal was only able to put three points on the board in this one, which was five more than the number of yards for which they rushed. Meanwhile, Arizona State scored 41 and rushed for 174, lead by Ryan Torain's 103 yards on 16 carries.

Up Next: (93) Stanford at (9) USC, (4) Arizona State at (74) Washington State

(5) Ohio State 30, Minnesota 7

Ohio State continued its slow rise this week, up two more spots to number five. Minnesota, meanwhile, continued to tumble, down three spots to 85. Ohio State ran as a team for 250 yards, lead by Chris Wells with 116. Quarterback Todd Boeckman threw to nine different receivers for 209 yards.

Up Next: (85) Minnesota at (31) Indiana, (5) Ohio State at (13) Purdue

(6) Cincinnati 52, San Diego State 23

By the time that San Diego State broke into the twenty's on the scoreboard, it was already too late in the fourth quarter to make any difference. Cincinnati led the time of possession battle by almost ten minutes. San Diego State only rushed 24 times for 65 yards in the loss.

Up Next: (100) San Diego State at (109) Colorado State, (6) Cincinnati at (28) Rutgers

(7) California 31, Oregon 24

California and Oregon collided for possibly the most exciting game of the week. California entered the fourth quarter with the ball, down by a touchdown. Less than a minute into the fourth, the Golden Bears tied the score and, after holding Oregon to a three and out, California scored again on a Nate Longshore pass to go up by seven. Oregon tied the game back up with a ten play, 91 yard scoring drive, but Cal when up for good with just over three minutes left in the game. The last three Oregon possessions ended on two interceptions and a fumble in the end zone.

Up Next: (18) Oregon - Bye, (7) California - Bye

(8) South Florida 21, West Virginia 13

This one was one of the weekend's “big” upsets, although this one was smaller than most, with South Florida ranked 17th last week. West Virginia led in time of possession by over nine minutes, led in rushing and passing (and therefore overall) yardage, first downs, and just about every other stat you can imagine, except for turnovers and final score. South Florida, on the other hand, played patient football and gets out of the game with a big win.

Up Next: (19) West Virginia at (99) Syracuse, (8) South Florida at (67) Florida Atlantic

(9) USC 27, Washington 24

Speaking of teams that looked sloppy, USC played this weekend, too. The good news for the Trojans is that their sloppy play did not result in a one in the loss column. Despite three turnovers and 16 penalties, USC had just enough tank in the gas to recover the Washington on-side kick with 34 seconds remaining in the game. USC leaves Washington with their winning streak, if not their assumed dominance, in tact.

Up Next: (62) Washington - Bye, (93) Stanford at (9) USC

(10) Missouri - Bye

Missouri took the week off and was still able to jump from twenty to the top ten, due mostly to the shake out of previously undefeated teams punching in on the one loss time clock.

Up Next: (20) Nebraska at (10) Missouri

UPSET OF THE WEEK

As we were watching the games this week and saw the upset scores coming across the score crawl, we were thinking about this section. How could you pick an "Upset of the Week" in a week where Oklahoma, Florida, Rutgers, Oregon, and West Virginia (previously ranked 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8) all lost. Well, throw out West Virginia and South Florida, as the Bulls were ranked 17 last week. Get rid of Oregon and Cal: the Golden Bears were 16 last week. Those two games really should not have snuck up on anybody.

From a pure stats point of view, the Upset of the Week goes to Maryland for knocking off last week's fifth ranked team, Rutgers. Honorable mention this week goes to Colorado's stunner over Oklahoma.

THIS WEEK'S RANKINGS

Rogers Computer Rankings is a computer rankings system for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. For current and future Rogers Polls, be sure to check back on Sportales .

But enough about us. Let's talk some football.

THIS WEEK'S TOP TEN

1. Oklahoma 62, Tulsa 21

Oklahoma went into Friday night ranked first in our computer rankings. They left little doubt by the end of the night that they would remain number one this week. Tulsa came into the Friday night feature ranked 30th, and left with a 66th place ranking and a sore backside.

Tulsa's was able to intercept a pass on Oklahoma's opening drive and turned the opportunity into a touchdown just over two minutes later. On Oklahoma's next possession, they were forced to punt without chalking up a first down. With the ball back, Tulsa finally woke the players from Oklahoma up on a fourth down attempt that was unsuccessful. Oklahoma scored a touchdown on its next five possessions. In the same amount of time, Tulsa was only able to punch the time clock once, effectively ending the Golden Hurricane's hopes.

Up next for Tulsa is their conference opener against UAB (90). Oklahoma opens up its conference schedule next week with a visit to Colorado (53).

2. LSU 28, South Carolina 16

Had it not been for a pair of interceptions, a lost fumble, and South Carolina turning the ball over on downs twice, once deep inside its own half of the field, this would have been an even closer game than the score suggests. Then again, it would not have been nearly this close if LSU had cashed in on all of those opportunities, having missed a field goal after the fumble, going three and out after one interception, and going only six yards in six plays after an unsuccessful South Carolina 4th down attempt.

LSU was able, however, to steal two touchdowns, one after each of the remaining interception and failing 4th down attempt. That was enough to turn a would be 14 to 16 loss into a 28 to 16 win.

South Carolina continues its SEC schedule this week with a date with Mississippi State (40). LSU takes a week off from the SEC with a trip to Tulane (99).

3. Florida 30, Ole Miss 24

Every time you watch a game like this, you will typically hear it. “Let a team like Ole Miss hang around, and they will end up beating you.” Florida, slipping back one spot this week to third, got off to a slow start and let the Rebels hang around, but they did not end up losing this game. Tim Tebow was a huge factor in this game, going 20 of 34 for 261 yards passing and tallying up 166 of Florida's 246 rushing yards. Combine that with good ball protection, and Florida escapes a game they should have dominated.

Mississippi's road does not get much easier next week with a trip to Georgia (31). Florida has Auburn (46) come to town, who is still looking for its first SEC win of the year.

4. Kansas 55, Florida International 3

Florida International was able to notch a field goal with just over five minutes left in the first quarter. Unfortunately for FIU, that was the only score in the 52-point rout Kansas threw down in Memorial Stadium. In a game wrought with turnovers (five by FIU, three by Kansas), Kansas was still able to double up the Golden Panther's total yards. Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing completed 23 passes to 11 different receivers for 368 yards.

Florida International will continue to search for the season's first win with a visit to Middle Tennessee State (114). Kansas takes the week off before traveling to Kansas State (35) on October 6th.

5. Rutgers - Bye

Rutgers gains three spots this week without even lifting a finger. Two of last week's top ten team, Michigan State and Kentucky, dropped back to 12th and 13th in spite of winning, allowing Rutgers to gain two of the spots. The third spot gained was over Oregon, who remains in spot six.

Rutgers returns to action this week, hosting Maryland (67).

6. Oregon 55, Stanford 31

Holy halftime adjustments, Batman! Stanford went into the clubhouse for halftime up 31 to 24 after a second quarter where Oregon allowed two rushing and two passing touchdowns. Oregon, however, was able to score 31 unanswered points in the second half, vaulting them into the win column, and leaving the Cardinal 0-2 in the Pac 10 so far this season.

The road for Stanford grows even longer this week with a home date against Arizona State (11). Oregon looks to stay undefeated on the season and in the Pac 10 against fellow 4-0 California (16).

7. Ohio State 58, Northwestern 7

Zero rushing yards. Even saying it makes your stomach turn into a knot. Combine that with only 120 yards in rushing, and you are going to lose a game. That is what happened to Northwestern when it visited Columbus this week to take on the Buckeyes. The only score for the Wildcats came on the opening kickoff of the second half, when Stephen Simmons returned the Ohio State kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Ohio State, on the other hand, scored early and often, led by the Boeckman to Robiskie connection, who threw/caught three of the eight Ohio State touchdowns.

Northwestern invites surging Michigan (64) to Ryan Field. Ohio State travels to the Metrodome to take on Minnesota (82).

8. West Virginia 48, East Carolina 7

The story of this game was West Virginia Heisman hopeful Steve Slaton, who ran for a buck ten, including a one yard touchdown run, and caught 3 for 42 yards. West Virginia's other would be candidate, White, also looked sharp, throwing 18 for 20 in his 181 yard performance. The only time East Carolina made the heart monitor move was with just under a minute left, when they removed the goose egg off the scoreboard with a three yard Chris Johnson run.

East Carolina gets back into Conference USA play this week against Houston (57). West Virginia heads to South Florida (17) to open their Big East season.

9. Cincinnati 40, Marshall 14

The most exciting play in football: the punt. Kevin Huber, Junior punter for Cincinnati, smacked the ball with his foot three times for 179 yards. That is an average of 59.7. His long was 62. That's some big league kicking. The rest of the Bearcats played well, too. The team had a very balanced 219 yards passing and 217 yards rushing in the effort.

Marshall travels to Memphis (107) in search of the season's first win. Cincinnati makes the trip across the country to visit San Diego State (84).

10. USC 47, Washington State 14

USC jumps up two spots this week to round out the top ten after a home field stomping of Washington State. Heisman candidate John David Booty completed 80% of his passes for 279 yards, four touchdowns, and just one interception thrown with just over a minute left in the first half. The stat of the game, however, would be USC's zero punt attempts.

Washington State keeps the road trip alive this week, heading to Tucson to take on Arizona (85). USC travels for a date with Washington (51).

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Who would have guessed before the season that Michigan would get the Upset of the Week award in week four by defeating Penn State? Knowing what we know now, this is a slightly more shocking upset. Michigan, ranked 83rd last week, hosted the Pittance Lions, ranked 7th last week, and sent them home with a broken heart. After the affair, Michigan climbs to 64th and Penn State falls to 24th.

Honorable Mention this week goes to Syracuse's stunner over Louisville.

WHO'S IN?

South Florida leaps to 17th after tripling up North Carolina (92). Clemson hops to 22nd after doubling up North Carolina State (92). Hawaii steps to 23rd after sextupling up FCS Charleston Southern.

WHO'S OUT?

Texas A&M slips back to 26th after a slip to Miami (32). Indiana slides back to 29th after sliding against Illinois (28). South Carolina skids to 30th after they skid into LSU (2).

THIS WEEK'S RANKINGS