Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida
2	Texas
3	Southern Cal
4	Alabama
5	Oklahoma State	1
6	Penn State	1
7	California	2
8	Mississippi	2
9	Brigham Young	15
10	Boise State	1
11	Ohio State	3
12	Georgia Tech	2
13	LSU
14	Notre Dame	7
15	Miami (Florida)	7
16	Oklahoma	11
17	Virginia Tech	5
18	North Carolina	1
19	TCU	1
20	Georgia	5
21	Florida State	5
22	Clemson	1
23	Oregon State
24	Kansas
25	Utah
Last week’s ballot

Dropped Out: Illinois (#17), Iowa (#20), Oregon (#25).

Moving Up (and In): BYU obviously gains the most in this week’s ballot, by virtue of their 14-13 upset of last week’s #5 squad, Oklahoma. Overshadowed by the injury to Sooner QB Sam Bradford is the fact that BYU thoroughly outplayed Oklahoma, outgaining them 357-265 despite not having their starting running back. If not for a couple untimely turnovers near the Sooner goal line, BYU may have won this one by double digits.

It was tough not to be impressed by Jimmy Clausen’s 15-18, 315 yard, 4 TD performance against Nevada, despite the fact that the Wolf Pack were the worst team in the NCAA against the pass last year. His throws were pinpoint, and receivers Michael Floyd and Golden Tate look even more dangerous than they were last year. Michigan is going to have to get pressure on Clausen this week.

Maybe it’s the afterglow immediately following (by far) the most exciting game of the week, but I like Miami after their 38-34 instant classic victory over Florida State. Jacory Harris looked like the real deal at quarterback, and the ‘Canes have some big time athletes on offense, especially receiver Travis Benjamin and tailback/returner Graig Cooper.

Oregon State, Kansas, and Utah all move into the top 25 for taking care of business in Week One. It was really hard to find teams worthy of a top 25 ranking (I strongly considered Michigan State, but still want to see that new offensive backfield against an FCS opponent before I pass judgment), and I am going to wait until Michigan has a real test against the Irish before I completely trust what my eyes are telling me is a solid football team.

Moving Down (and Out): I had a hard time figuring out what to do with squads that lost games to other top-25 teams. Oklahoma hangs around at #16, as they are still one of the more talented teams in the country, and BYU is a very good team in their own right. It’ll be interesting to see how they manage without Bradford for at least the next couple weeks; if the Sooners can’t get some offense going, they are in danger of dropping off the ballot completely.

Virginia Tech, Georgia, and Florida State all lost close games to good teams. I was especially impressed with what I saw out of the Seminoles, especially QB Christian Ponder’s ability as a dual-threat playmaker (not so much Bobby Bowden’s ability to manage the clock, however).

Ohio State drops a couple spots because I was a bit skeptical of them to begin the season and beating Navy by four points did nothing to ease my skepticism. Also, LSU doesn’t drop, but they don’t gain any ground since they were substantially outgained by a Washington squad one season removed from going 0-12 (albeit mostly without QB Jake Locker). The Bayou Bengals have some creampuffs coming up, but I have a hard time believing they’ll be able to navigate one of the country’s toughest conference schedules.

Illinois, Iowa, and Oregon are all off the ballot for obvious reasons. I was especially disappointed in the Illini’s play in their blowout loss to Mizzou, as I really expected Juice Williams and Co. to take the next step this year (or at least get back to their 2007 level). Iowa has got a lot to prove after barely beating (and getting outgained by) an FCS squad in Northern Iowa. Oregon just plain sucked against Boise State, and now are without their best offensive player in LaGarrette Blount.

Games Watched: South Carolina-NC State (unfortunately), Boise State-Oregon, Michigan-Western Michigan (in person, obvs.), Oklahoma-BYU, Alabama-Virginia Tech, Miami-Florida State.

Similar Posts:

• Blogpoll Ballot: Week Eleven (Draft)
• Blogpoll Ballot: Week Six (Draft)
• Blogpoll Ballot: Week Seven (Draft)
• Blogpoll Ballot: Week Eight (Draft)
• Blogpoll Ballot: Week Five (Draft)