Note:  Remember, poll is updated every 3 weeks.  The poll will be updated next week.

1. USC
The Trojans were ambushed by the Beavers in Corvallis.  They play Oregon in LA.

2. Oklahoma
The new number 1 team in the polls defeated a good TCU team in Norman on Saturday.  The Sooners play a Baylor team coming in with a bit of a swagger in Waco.

3. Florida
The Gators were caught off guard Saturday against Ole Miss in Gainesville.  The will most likely be very “upset” when they play at Arkansas on Saturday.

4.  Georgia
The ‘Dawgs got knocked around against Alabama in Athens, but the rallied only to fall short. They get Tennessee at home and will be looking to take out their frustrations on one of the most disappointing teams so far this season.

5.  LSU
The Tigers beat Mississippi State on Saturday and get the week off before traveling to Gainesville to take on Floriday on October 11.  The Tigers running game continues to roll, and they may have found the perfect complement in the passing game with Jarret Lee who passed for 261 yards against Mississippi State.

6.  Missouri
Mizzou sat at home last week watching Tyrod Taylor and the Virginia Tech offense tear up their next opponent, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Chase Daniel will be ready.  The game is in Lincoln.

7.  South Florida
The Bulls haven’t been particularly impressive, but all they have done is win.  The may have put it all together last week when they routed NC State.  This week they host Pitt on national TV.

8.  Oregon
I thought that the Ducks would struggle with Boise State, and they did losing close.  This week the Duck travel to USC.  Oregon is playing with a back up QB, and we all know how that worked out last year.

9.  Auburn
The Tigers have a highly anticipated game against a ranked and undefeated SEC East team who is also in first of the SEC East standings.  No, it’s not Florida, or Georgia.  Auburn travels to Nashville to play the SEC East leading Vanderbilt Commodores.  Vandy is ranked at 19th too.  What’s next, Ball State will be undefeated too?

10.  Texas
The Razorbacks were no match for the Longhorns Saturday, and the Buffaloes better bring some defense if they want to beat the Horns.  Will Muschamp has the Texas defense playing better, and Colt McCoy looks like a career passing leader for Texas.

AP Top Ten

USA Today Poll

We will preview week three of college football

Games to Watch

USC vs. Ohio State, 8:00 PM ET
Before the year started I would have predicted Ohio State to win this game, but they looked awfully shaky against the Ohio University last week minus “Beanie” Wells.  The big question I have is, “Was Ohio State playing opossum?”  That seems like a silly question, but I suppose it could be legit.  More than anything, “Was Ohio State trying to as little as possible to in the game?”  There is something to be said for not wanting to show USC everything.  It seemed that the problem was offensively.  Certainly, Ohio State is better with “Beanie” Wells in the game, but what about Senior QB Todd Boeckman?  He looked pretty good against LSU last year in the BCS game when his team trailed and they put him in the shotgun.  I expect that Ohio State was trying to win without doing too much.  Does that mean they’ll beat USC?  Not necessarily.  Also, how good is USC?  We don’t really know.

Kansas vs. South Florida, Friday, 8:00 PM ET
Todd Ressing has been great for Kansas thus far this year.  South Florida has struggled.  This is the first chance for Kansas to show that last year was no fluke.  Will South Florida help redeem the reputation of the Big East, or will Kansas carry the Big 12 banner?

Wisconsin vs. Fresno State, Saturday, 10:30 PM ET
A lot of people were talking about this game before the year started because it has a legitimate BCS team in Wisconsin traveling to California to play at Fresno.  Give Wisconsin credit for answering the bell.  Last year Wisconsin almost got upset at UNLV, but they are willing to go wherever.  Fresno has already created a stir by beating Rutgers in Piscataway.

Ike is Coming

Ike is doing some interesting stuff with college football this week.  Hurricane Ike that is.  Ike appears to be headed for the Texas coast.  The Texas vs. Arkansas game in Austin (2:30 PM CT) appears to be in jeopardy with officials exploring the option of postponing or moving the game.  TCU has already announced that it is moving its game with Stanford in Fort Worth to 12:00 PM CT in stead of the scheduled start of 6:00 PM CT.

LSU seems to be intent with playing its game in Baton Rouge with North Texas on Saturday (7:00 PM CT).  There is also no word from Waco about a change in the Baylor game (11:30 AM CT).  The Houston Cougars are moving their game with Air Force to SMU’s Ford Stadium at 2:30 PM ET.  It will be a windy, wet mess throughout Southern, Central and North Texas.

I have worked the past few weeks narrowing down the teams that we debut in the CFTT Preseason Poll.  Of course, we narrow it down to the Durty Dozen, and now it is narrowed down to the top ten.  Just like the last couple of years, we will list the teams in descending order, numbers 10 through 6 in the first post, and then numbers 5 through 1 in the final post.

My philosophy is trying to decide who I think is the best team as the season starts based on a number of factors.  So, without any further chatter, here we go.

10.  University of South Florida–These guys burst on the scene in 2008 winning 6 straight to debut number 2 in the BCS Rankings.  That’s right, I said number 2.  They eventually stumbled down the stretch to finish with 9 wins which were the same as the year before.  The Bulls return QB Mike Grothe and CFTT Defensive Player of the Year George Selvie.  A little more experience (62 returning lettermen) just might put USF in a place to win the Big East title.

9.  Missouri–The Tigers return Heisman Trophy candidate Chase Daniel to a team that drilled the Razorbacks in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on New Year’s Day.  They also have among the most talented receivers in Jeremy Maclin and TE Chase Coffman.  You can learn more about Missouri football here and here.  Follow Inthebleacher’s podcast preview of the Big 12 here.

8.  Oregon–The Ducks were on their way to a national championship game appearance and a Heisman Trophy presentation when QB Dennis Dixon went down.  Oregon struggled to find a QB, but finally, one emerged and the Ducks went on to beat USF in the Sun Bowl.  The Ducks have made the switch completely to the Spread Offense led by Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly and have been explosive.  Their secondary begins the season as one of the best.

7.  LSU–The Tigers are the reigning National Champions, and they return a lot that could help them be a top ten team.  Most notably, the offensive (Ciron Black) and defensive lines are among the best, not just in the SEC, but the entire country.  That should be helpful in easing in a new QB.  The defense just might be nasty.  While they lose Glen Dorsey, they return DE’s Tyson Jackson and Kirston Pittman along with DT Ricky Jean-Francoise who was a monster in the BCS Title Game.  They are deep in the backfield, and LSU will find an adequate QB when they name either Jarrett Lee or Andrew Hatch the starter.  You can keep up with the Tigers here, here and here.

6.  Clemson–Tommy Bowden’s Tigers are the favorites to win the ACC, and with good reason.  Everyone thinks that Clemson’s skill positions are as loaded as any in the country.  They return a very good duo at RB and QB Cullen Harper came on to be one of the most dependable in the country.

To Be Continued

Here it is. The top 4 magazines’ preseason top ten. You can buy each magazine at your local Borders.