I didn't submit a blogpoll this week because I was busy. Sorry about that everyone. Just one of those weeks. Besides, there were no seismic shifts in the football landscape, so it's all just reshuffling the deck chairs. But let's take a look at the poll I would have submitted, broken up by tier.
TIER ONE: Yeah, we're awesome
1 LSU
2 Alabama
3 Oklahoma
4 Wisconsin
I'm reluctant to put Wisconsin in this group not because I doubt their quality, I really don't, but I do question their resume. It's pretty darn thin after their win over Nebraska. Still, they pass the eyeball test along with the others. It's hard to imagine a BCS Title Game without some combination of these four teams. LSU and Alabama are poised to play a de facto elimination game, which means OU and Wisconsin have to avoid the dreaded letdown game.
TIER TWO: Don't forget, we're pretty darn good, too
5 Oklahoma St.
6 Clemson
7 Stanford
8 Boise St.
If three or the top four manage to lose, these are the teams which will take advantage. I think it's fair to say they are all very much in the title race, but I'm just not a complete believer in them, whether it's due to their schedule (Boise) or actual talent (Clemson). OSU can join the top group by beating Oklahoma. No biggee, right? A lot of pundits put Stanford on that elite tier, I'm just not buying it. Maybe I'm wrong, but they just seem like a slight tier below the true contenders. It's an eyeball test thing.
TIER THREE: Not title contenders, but they look pretty good
9 Oregon
10 Michigan
11 Georgia Tech
12 Arkansas
13 Illinois
14 West Virginia
Oregon, Arkansas, and WVU all have a double digit loss to an actual contender which exposed the gap in quality, but at the same time, they all look like good teams outside that one game. It seems to say more about LSU and Alabama than these three. Particularly Oregon. Michigan and Illinois have unblemished records so far, but neither look like they'll be able to navigate the Big Ten schedule without a loss. Illinois needed a comeback to beat Northwestern. I know I risk offending all the Georgia Tech fans, but this is a team that has struggled to put away some pretty marginal teams. The offense is great, but they will drop a game this season, probably more than one.
TIER FOUR: The question marks
15 Arizona St.
16 Virginia Tech
17 Houston
18 Florida
19 Kansas St.
20 UNC
21 Nebraska
Pretty much each of these teams can see their season go one of two ways. They could be quietly building a good season and maybe even a January 1 bowl, or they are about to see the bottom fall out. I have no idea. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I can see the future. Though I do really like this Arizona St team, I also wouldn't be shocked if they finished the year 6-6.
TIER FIVE: I've got to rank somebody here
22 Auburn
23 Michigan St.
24 Baylor
25 Texas
Each of these teams have had their moments, high and low. I would happily drop any of them from the poll if there was an unranked team "forcing" me to rank them. But there really isn't. Maybe Georgia, but I'm not sold on that one either. I don't think anyone is confusing these teams for the elite.
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