The Bankroll Sports Picks Top 25 Rankings As of 10/19/06

1.  Ohio State – Ohio State continues to tear through its schedule with an impressive win in East Lansing.  The Buckeyes have been remotely tested only once vs. Penn State, and will not be tested again until Michigan.  This team may be a wire to wire National Champion.

2. Michigan – The Michigan Wolverines proved they may have the best rush defense in the country Saturday night in Happy Valley.  Michigan held the Nittany Lions to negative total rush yards throughout the game in a 17-10 win.  We may be headed for a 1 vs. 2 match-up between Ohio State and Michigan, which will be the biggest game of the century for both teams.

3.  Southern Cal – USC got another tested victory on Saturday night against Arizona State.  The Trojans were tied late in the game after John David Booty’s pass got returned for a touchdown.  While the Trojans have not been very impressive, they have remained undefeated into their stretch run in the Pac 10.

4. Texas – The Texas Longhorns may have one loss, but it came in Colt McCoy’s second game as a starter.  Since that night the Longhorns have been rolling and remain undefeated in the Big 12.  If Texas’s offense continues to rack up the yardage, this team will be headed for a BCS game.

5.  West Virginia – While the Mountaineers have not played any ranked teams yet, they have one of the speediest offenses in the country.  If Pat White and Steve Slaton continue to rack up the yardage they have been accustomed to, this team may be headed for the National Championship.

6.  Louisville – The Louisville Cardinals remain undefeated in the Big East.  Brian Brohm hopes to get back to form and shake all the rust off before their battle with the undefeated West Virginia Mountaineers in what will be the biggest game ever played at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

7. Auburn – The Auburn Tigers bounced back nicely Saturday Night with an impressive 10 point win over the second ranked Florida Gators.  The Auburn defense totally dominated the Gators offense, scoring a defensive touchdown and a Special Teams touchdown.  If Auburn continues to roll, they may find themselves in the National Championship game after all.

8.  Florida – The Florida Gators lost a tough one at Auburn against the fierce Tiger defense on Saturday, dropping them out of the top 5 and taking a serious hit to their National Championship hopes.  Chris Leak was not on his game, leaving many in Gainesville to wonder whether he should be quarterback or to turn to freshman Tim Tebow.

9.  Tennessee – The Tennessee Volunteers are arguably the best one loss team in the country, and will have their chance to prove it down the road.  Their only slip-up came by one point to the Florida Gators, and they have been very impressive against the likes of Cal and Georgia.  One thing is for sure, however, the Vols are back.

10.  Notre Dame – Notre Dame continues to win after falling to the Wolverines in week three.  They will continue to win until their battle with USC, but because of their schedule, it will most likely be unnoticed.  Notre Dame doesn’t play a ranked team until they face off with USC in the final week of the season, and unless they get some help it will be tough for them to reach the National Championship.

11.  California – The Cal Bears have one of the most impressive offenses in the country…when playing against Pac 10 defenses.  However, nobody will give them the credit they feel they deserve until they do it against a team outside of the Pac 10.

12.  Georgia Tech – The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have a bottle with conference rival Clemson this Saturday which will determine which team is on the fast track to a BCS Game.  If Georgia Tech can continue to get great play from its defense as well as big plays from Calvin Johnson, there is no reason a victory is out of reach for Yellow Jacket fans.

13.  Clemson – The Clemson Tigers continue to roll in ACC.  With one of the most explosive offenses in the country, Death Valley will be host to a great battle come Saturday evening.  The Clemson Tigers play host to Georgia Tech, as all the Clemson faithful will get a true perspective of how good their offense truly is.

14.  Nebraska – The Nebraska Cornhuskers seemed to have returned to the form that Husker Nation enjoyed during the mid 90’s.  Nebraska has only one loss and will be playing host to the Texas Longhorns in Lincoln on Saturday afternoon.  If Nebraska can pull off the upset, Lincoln may be crying BCS Bowl yet again.

15.  LSU – The LSU Tigers may be the best two loss team in recent memory.  Although they got defeated by both Florida and Auburn, both were on the road in a conference where nobody is going to go undefeated.  If LSU can win out, a BCS berth may not be such a far cry after all. 

16.  Arkansas – The Arkansas Razorbacks are undefeated since turning to true-freshman quarterback Mitch Mustain.  With an impressive victory over then second ranked Auburn under his belt, the sky is the limit for this sensational quarterback.  If the Razorbacks continue to play the way they have been, this team will be headed to the SEC Championship.

17.  Rutgers – Respect, anyone?  For years the Scarlet Knights have been the laughing stock of the Big East; those days are over.  Rutgers came into last week’s gave vs. Navy as 3 point underdogs and blanked the Midshipmen 34-0.  While not many around the country are talking about what is arguably the best backfield in the nation, folks in New Jersey are vastly recognizing this dynamic duo.

18. Oregon – The Oregon Ducks have one of the most explosive offenses in the Pac 10 behind stellar play from quarterback Dennis Dixon.  And although Oregon got trounced to Cal in Berkley, they will defiantly be one of the major hurdles in the way of USC’s National Title hopes.  If Oregon can continue to play well on offense they will be in contention for a Pac 10 title.

19.  Boise State – Jared Zabransky and the Boise State Broncos continue to remain undefeated, and will most likely remain unbeaten for the remainder of the season.  The big question for the Broncos is whether or not they can crack the top 12 of the BCS rankings and gain a BCS berth.

20. Wisconsin – The Wisconsin Badgers are quietly one of the best teams in the Big 10.  With their only loss coming to second ranked Michigan in the Big House, the Badgers have a realistic chance at remaining with only one loss and gaining a BCS berth.  If running back P.J. Hill continues to put up award-caliber numbers, the Badgers will continue to roll.

21. Oklahoma – The Oklahoma Sooners are on the fast-track out of the top 25.  After losing Adrian Peterson for the season, they officially have no bright spot in their team.  Their defense is worse than it’s been in years, their quarterback play has been shoddy, and their offensive line hasn’t been as dominant as once thought.  If Oklahoma doesn’t put it together soon it will be another sub-par season in Norman.  

22. Boston College – The Boston College Eagles are one of the most inconsistent teams in the country.  While they seem to be unbeatable at home, you never know what kind of effort you are going to get from them on the road.  If Boston College can knock of Florida State in Tallahassee this weekend, we will know this team is for real.

23.  Texas A&M – After knocking off previously unbeaten Missouri this Saturday, Texas A&M once again finds its way into the top 25.  Texas A&M has quietly run off a 6-1 mark to earn its way into second place in the Big 12 South behind arch-rival Texas.  If the Aggies can find a way to win out until their match up with the Horns, this will be one of the biggest showdowns in a long, long time.

24. Wake Forest – After a crushing loss in which the Demon Deacons gave up a huge lead in the 4th quarter to the Clemson Tigers, Wake Forest bounced back nicely to knock off the North Carolina State Wolfpack on their own home turf.  Wake Forest only has one loss, yet not many people around the country, or the ACC, seem to be taking notice.  If Wake Forest continues to play the way they have been they will be giving a lot of the typical ACC power-houses battles they weren’t expecting.

25.  Missouri – The Missouri Tigers had any aspirations of a perfect season slashed last Saturday in College Station.  Missouri gave up 127 yards on the ground to tail-back Javorskie Lane and lost the battle 25-19.  Missouri will have a chance to bounce back at home against Kansas State this weekend, a game that will go a long way for Missouri’s psyche.

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