NCAA Top 25 Rankings: Clemson and Wisconsin climbing steadily

The season so far has been unpredictable and poetic. Who knew football could be so poignant?

This past weekend in college football was what many fans were waiting for. Nebraska learned that the Big Ten isn’t the Big 12, Virginia Tech learned that speed can only get you but so far, Boise State avenged their biggest loss of last season, and Clemson sent the country a message for the second straight week. We still have a lot of season to go, but so far it has been unpredictable and poetic – which is just how we like it.

1. LSU TIGERS (5-0) – Quarterback Jordan Jefferson made a successful return to LSU with a 35-7 pimp slapping of the Kentucky Wildcats. They can’t get happy yet though, because they are getting ready to play a Florida Gators team thirsty for a win.

2. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (5-0) – The Tide manhandled the Florida Gators in a 38-10 gator grilling down in the swamp. They have what seems to be an easier match this weekend with the Vanderbilt Commodores.

3. WISCONSIN BADGERS (5-0) – The Badgers gave Nebraska a royal welcome to the Big Ten with a 48-17 butt kicking. Husker coach Bo Pelini said he was embarrassed by the beating. The Badgers play the Hoosiers of Indiana on October 15th.

4. OKLAHOMA SOONERS (4-0) – The Sooners unsurprisingly smashed Ball State 62-6. They play the Texas Longhorns next, in what might be one of their last conference meetings.

5. STANFORD CARDINALS (4-0) – The Cardinals absolutely crushed UCLA 45-19. Need we say anymore??? They play the Colorado Buffaloes this Saturday, October 8th.

6. BOISE STATE BRONCOS (4-0) – The Broncos exacted revenge on Nevada with a convincing 30-10 win. Last season, Nevada beat the Broncos and knocked them out of National Championship contention. Boise has to play Fresno State next.

7. CLEMSON TIGERS (5-0) – The SEC landed another victory over its cousin, the ACC, with the Clemson Tigers smacking Virginia Tech in the mouth 23-3. Next up is Boston College.

8. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (4-0) – The Cowboys are still undefeated and looking for win number five against the Jayhawks of Kansas. It shouldn’t be that hard.

9. OREGON DUCKS (3-1) – The Ducks have won three straight games since a nail-biter loss against LSU in week one. Oregon has UCal next up in another Pac 12 war.

10. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (5-0) – Most unbiased college football fans don’t want to buy into the Wolverines yet because of the midseason let downs they’ve seen them have in the past, but they are really improving. Against Minnesota, they didn’t rely solely on the running ability of Denard Robinson. They actually spread the running responsibilities among three able halfbacks. The Big Ten is still looking like at Badger domination, but the Wolverines might shake things up. Next up is Dan Persa and Northwestern.

11. TEXAS LONGHORNS (4-0) – The Longhorns beat a very solid Iowa State club to net their fourth win. Next up is a road block called the OKLAHOMA SOONERS. A win could spawn a top 10 ranking.

12. GEORGIA TECH YELLOWJACKETS (5-0) – The Yellow Jackets pulled off a nice win over NC State and are 5-0. They play the ugly uniforms of the Maryland Terrapins this weekend in a major ACC game.

13. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (4-1) – The Razorbacks showed perseverance in their close win over Texas A&M, and their only loss is to a top 3 team. Unfortunately for Arkansas, it never gets easier in the SEC as they prepare to play the defending National Champions, the Auburn Tigers.

14. AUBURN TIGERS (4-1) – They showed poise in winning against the loaded South Carolina Gamecocks (16-13). Now they will have to put the breaks to the Arkansas running arsenal in an unpredictable SEC clash.

15. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (5-0) – The Fighting Illini beat Northwestern (38-35), and they will face the Indiana Hoosiers this weekend.

16. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (4-0) – The Wildcats beat Baylor 36-35, and they play Missouri on Saturday.

17. WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (4-1) – The Mountaineers stomped Bowling Green 55-10, but who didn’t expect it? Next up is UConn.

18. HOUSTON COUGARS (5-0) – The Cougars have had a strong season so far and most recently defeated the Miners of UTEP 49-42. Next up, they play the ECU Pirates, and anybody that knows ECU knows that they lie down for no one.

19. MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (4-1) – The Spartans got a good conference win over the Buckeyes of Ohio State this past weekend (10-7). Their next game will be against in-state rival Michigan, in a game that might go from bad to ugly in the blink of an eye.

20. FLORIDA GATOR (4-1) – The Gators took a tough loss to Alabama this past weekend, but it doesn’t get any better because this weekend they line up against TFT #1 ranked LSU! Ouch!

21. SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCK (4-1) – They lost to the Auburn Tigers 16-13 but are looking to bounce back against Kentucky this weekend.

22. ARIZONA STATE SUNDEVILS (4-1) – Beat Oregon State 35-20 and stand at 4-1 right now. They will be tested this weekend against the Utah Utes.

23. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES (4-1) – Tech was flat-out handled by Clemson this past weekend. The bright side is that Clemson is a grade A team and the Hokies are very young across the board. They play the Miami Hurricanes next in a winnable yet losable game.

24. BAYLOR BEARS (3-1) – Took a heartbreaking loss to the K-State Wildcats. They have a tough game against Iowa State this weekend.

25. NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (4-1) – Bo Pelini described the feeling best after their Big Ten opener: “I’m embarrassed.” Nebraska has lots of weapons but must face the same issues that all option teams face – predictability. Nebraska will have a slightly easier game this week against Ohio State University.

[Photo from Wikimedia Commons]

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