The current Associated Press Top 25 poll has Alabama, Oregon, Clemson, Ohio State, Stanford, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, Texas A&M and LSU in its top 10. There's little debate about the top two teams in the country through six weeks of play -- the Crimson Tide and the Ducks -- but the discussion becomes trickier as voters dissect the merits of other unbeaten teams such as Stanford, Ohio State, Clemson, and Florida State and talented one-loss teams such as Georgia and Texas A&M.
This week's debate: From glaring omissions to undeserving teams, what is the biggest mistake in the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 poll?
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- Daniel Jeremiah NFL.com
Noles deserve to leap Stanford, Ohio State
Based on what we witnessed this past weekend, I'd move Florida State to No. 4, behind Alabama, Oregon and Clemson. Quarterback Jameis Winston is playing out of his mind, and the Seminoles' defense has incredible speed and depth at all three levels. Stanford is very physical, but I think they would struggle to match up with the speed of the Noles on both sides of the ball. I also believe FSU has more reliable quarterback play than Ohio State, and their defense would be able to slow down the Buckeyes' rushing attack. Of course, this will all settle itself out over the remainder of the season. I can't wait for the Clemson-Florida State game!
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- Charles Davis NFL.com
Jury is still out on Louisville
Since I hold a vote in the AP Top 25 each week, let's just make this simple. Here's my top 10 for this week:
- Alabama
- Stanford
- Oregon
- Ohio State
- Clemson
- Georgia
- Oklahoma
- Louisville
- Texas A&M
- UCLA
The team that I agonized over the most in my top 10 was Louisville. I love QB Teddy Bridgewater and WR DaVante Parker, and head coach Charlie Strong has done a remarkable job building the best team in the American Athletic Conference. Can the Cardinals play with just about anyone in the country? They proved that in their BCS appearance last season, when they thumped Florida from the big, bad SEC. This season, Louisville is doing what it needs to do, crushing the not-up-to-snuff opponents on its schedule, but it has not been close to tested yet. Perhaps that begins to change this Thursday night, when they host Rutgers. I voted UCLA No. 10 and think the Bruins have a great chance to be ranked much higher before the season is over. QB Brett Hundley and LB Anthony Barr are as good as anyone in the country at their respective positions, and head coach Jim Mora has done a fantastic job getting his team to believe it is dangerous on the field.
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- Dan Greenspan College Football 24/7
Georgia headed out, Baylor headed in
Georgia has outstanding wins over South Carolina and LSU and a narrow loss to Clemson on its resume, but in its injury-riddled state, the Bulldogs will struggle to maintain their top-10 ranking. Just one more injury could be the tipping point for a collapse, especially with games against Florida and Auburn still on the schedule. Conversely, Baylor needs to be getting far more respect from the pollsters. The Bears are averaging 779.5 yards of total offense per game to lead the FBS, outpacing No. 2 Oregon by 149 yards. In their first game against BCS conference opposition, BU had 56 points at halftime and finished with 864 yards, even after calling off the dogs by sitting starting quarterback Bryce Petty following one drive in the second half.
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- Mike Huguenin College Football 24/7
Buckeyes' schedule doesn't justify ranking
Ohio State is talented and well-coached, but is it the fourth-best team in the country? Considering their schedule so far, I think No. 4 is too high. And against the two best teams the Buckeyes have played so far -- a 31-24 win over Wisconsin and a 40-30 win over Northwestern -- they haven't exactly been dominant.
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- Chase Goodbread College Football 24/7
Hurricanes should take LSU's spot
The resurgent Hurricanes have a strong case to claim the spot being occupied by LSU. The Tigers are currently No. 10 in the AP poll, but they have a loss and don't have a victory more impressive than Miami's win over Florida. LSU will have that chance this weekend when they face the Gators, but until then, Miami has the more impressive win, plus it is unbeaten, unlike the one-loss Tigers. The LSU offense has been impressive and, at times, unstoppable, and by the end of the season, LSU might rightfully be ahead of the 'Canes. But through six weeks, Miami has done more with its schedule.
