1. Oregon - The SEC, for the past five years, has been the best conference in America and certainly the most competitive but this year the Pac-10 is better and no one has more impressive wins, in conference and out, than Oregon.

2. LSU - Any national championship matchup that doesn’t include Les Miles and the Bayou Bengals would be something of a disappointing. Their defense is swarming and stifling but their offense is a little stagnant and boring and it really shouldn’t be given their personnel. This team is far from the unbeatable juggernauts many thought them to be early in the year.

3. Oklahoma -  Malcolm Kelly, DeMarco Murray and an up-and-coming quarterback in Sam Bradford is enough of a reason to feel good about Bob Stoops’ Sooners. But you really have to wonder how Oklahoma would compete against an explosive, quickstrike offense like Oregon’s given that they gave up 450 yards of total offense last week… to Baylor. I fully expect the Sooners to completely obliterate the Jayhawks should Kansas make it to the Big 12 Championship game and have a tougher go of things if Chase Daniels and Mizzou makes it to Kansas City in December.

4. Kansas -  No quality wins, none, zero. It is really hard for me to include Mark Mangino’s undefeated Jayhawks in the top 5 but given that they are the nation’s only remaining undefeated team, I feel obligated. I don’t believe in this team, not yet. One could argue that the only thing that closely resembles a quality win was their win on the road last week against an unranked Oklahoma State team. I don’t see the Jayhawks getting past Missouri this week in the Border War and should they luck their way into the Big 12 Championship, they have to play Oklahoma, still very much a contender for the national championship. Forget about it, KU fans.

5. Georgia - Some people might think I’m crazy for catapulting the two-loss Bulldogs ahead of so many other one-loss teams but I think Georgia’s for real. A team that was somewhat struggling to find its identity at the beginning of the year, dropping two bad losses to South Carolina and Tennessee, has come together in a big way. Matthew Stafford has developed into a fine quarterback, a little interception prone but fine and Knowshon Moreno is one of college football’s best running backs. If I were LSU, I would much prefer to see Tennessee cruising into Atlanta than Mark Richt and the resurgent Bulldogs defending the Georgia Dome.

1. Ohio State - I’m a believer, a hesitant believer but I believe in this Ohio State team. A young offense is counterbalanced by a tough, consistent, solid veteran defense. While it could certainly be argued that coach Jim Tressel could do no wrong in the state of Ohio, he does have to redeem himself and the program after last year’s national championship no-show.

2. Oregon - Beat USC, Arizona State and Michigan and you get to be number 2. The Ducks appear to be all contender as they continue to dominate every opponent standing in their way. It doesn’t hurt that they have the Heisman trophy frontrunner under center and that Johnathan Stewart is having the breakout year that most expected.

3. LSU - Perhaps the luckiest team in college football, the Bayou Bengals survived a trip to Tuscaloosa thanks to John Parker Wilson’s butterfingers, still have a shot at the national championship. Obviously, the road gets a little easier from here for Les Miles’ Squad with Ole Miss and Arkansas remaining and then the SEC Championship game in Atlanta the week after. I don’t think the Tigers, who have now won at least two games they probably should have lost, deserve the nod over Oregon.

4. Kansas - I still think the Jayhawks are pretenders. A laughably weak non-conference schedule, a conference schedule that doesn’t include Oklahoma are all the evidence you need to explain Kansas’ poll position. I see them possibly losing to Oklahoma State this weekend in Stillwater, definitely losing to Missouri in Kansas City the last week of the season and, if they make it there, getting obliterated by Okahoma in the Big 12 Championship. Play somebody and then come talk to me.

5. Oklahoma - You never know what Oklahoma team is going to show up week to week and that’s why I can’t put them above a Kansas team that I think they will inevitably beat. Oklahoma will end up winning the Big 12 but not without some challenges. They have a trip to Lubbock next weekend to face Graham Harrell and that explosive Texas Tech offense before finishing the game with Bedlam game against Oklahoma State in Norman.

Let me just go on record as saying that Rutgers and Louisville have officially gotten on my nerves. I get it, guys. You schedule your games for Thursday and Friday night to get some national airtime but I am not at all interested in seeing Louisville beat up on the mighty Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State University. Ditto for Rutgers thumping Navy on Friday night. It’s not good football or good television, it’s just annoying. Given how weak the Big East is, you would think one of these schools (lump in West Virginia for kicks) would schedule someone of some import to gain some credibility for those teams, the conference and the Heisman candidacies of the league’s top players. But who wants to play USC, Texas, Oklahoma or LSU when you can line up against Middle Tennessee State, Marshall and Navy? They can play those games but I’m not watching them.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Virginia Tech at LSU - 9:15 ET - ESPN

What was billed at the beginning of the year as the best non-conference matchup of the season, which it still very well may be, has turned into a game of reluctant excitement for most college football fans after less than spectacular week one performances by both teams.

For LSU, they managed to turn on the afterburners and leave Mississippi State in the dust after an average-to-poor performance in the first half in Starkville. For Virginia Tech, they couldn’t seem to close the door in Blacksburg on Saturday against ECU, beating the Pirates by just 10 points, seven of which came on an interception return for a touchdown toward the end of the first half.

The matchup is intriguing but if you’re LSU, you have to feel better about this game than the Hokies do. Given the monsters that the Tigers have up front, you have to figure Bo Pelini is going to throw a number of blitz packages at Sean Glennon, who looked like a deer in headlights at certain moments against ECU, and force him to make bad decisions, leaving Jonathan Zenon, Chevis Jackson and Craig Steltz to do what they do best: intercept the football.

On offense, new offensive coordinator Gary Crowton will have to prove that this offense has some depth, dimension and creativity after a stagnant performance against Mississippi State Thursday night. Running the ball could be difficult given who the Hokies have playing linebacker and the cornerback/receiver matchups in this one are intriguing.

O.G.I. - OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST

Oregon State at Cincinnati - Thursday - 7:30 ET - ESPN

Oregon State running back Yvenson Bernard may be the nation’s best kept secret at tailback and he will get a chance to show out Thursday night when the Beavers take on the Bearcats in Cincy. Last week, Bernard hung 165 yards and 2 TDs on a pretty good Utah team and will look to do the same on national TV Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Bearcats come into the game from a week where they scored 59 against Southeast Missouri State, including more than 300 yards on the ground. On the other side of the ball, Oregon State held the Utes to 20 yards rushing. I’d expect the Beavers to roll big in those and for Bernard to have a huge game.

Miami at#8 Oklahoma - 12:00 ET - ABC

Two or three years ago, this would have been the game of the week, nay of the season, but with Randy Shannon rebuilding Miami football, the game manages a small blip on the radar on this week. I’m expecting Oklahoma to hang a big number on The U but the game could be worth a watch if you didn’t buy third season of The Office, which came out this week.

#20 Nebraska at Wake Forest - 12:00 ET - ESPN

Hats off to teams like Oklahoma and Miami, Wake and Nebraska for scheduling early season games that are worth checking out. Wake quarterback Riley Skinner is not likely to play in this game after separating his shoulder against BC last week and that could make a difference. If you haven’t gotten a chance to see Sam Keller and Nebraska, this game presents a good opportunity to do so and it’s certainly a better game than Oklahoma/Miami.

Oregon at Michigan - 3:30 PM - ABC

This game is interesting for a couple different reasons. The most obvious being that many people, myself included, want to see how Michigan will respond after suffering the greatest upset in the history of the sport last week at home. My guess is that the Michigan faithful will yell and cheer and get rowdy and show that they are still behind their team, that is unless they lose again at home to a team they should be. It will also give people a chance to see Oregon, a team not many people are familiar with. The Oregon offense against the Michigan defense is a matchup worth watching regardless of the game’s backdrop

South Carolina at #13 Georgia - 5:45 ET - ESPN2

Certainly the most intriguing SEC matchup of the week (sorry Vandy/Alabama). The game will serve as a test to see just how much the new and interception-free Matthew Stafford has matured. I expect Georgia, based on how they played last week against Oklahoma State, to win big but it’s a regional and SEC rivalry and anything could happen. One thing that will happen in this content, win or lose, we will find out just how far Matthew Stafford has come.

#22 TCU at #4 Texas - 7:00 PM ET - Fox Sports Net

Only the second game this week between ranked teams, TCU and Texas’ matchup will be watchable… at least until LSU/VT comes on. I’m not really sure what to make of TCU but Texas is ranked that high for a reason and they’re awfully good. TCU defensive end Tommy Blake will need to get in Colt McCoy’s face early and often if the Horned Frogs are to have a chance in Austin.

UNDER THE RADAR GAME OF THE WEEK

South Florida at #18 Auburn - 8:00 ET - ESPN2

The Tigers, fresh off a solid if unconvincing win, over Kansas State play host to South Florida and the Bulls are certainly upset-minded. For most of America, it will be one of their first exposure to USF quarterback Matt Grothe, who has Big East coaches singing his praises. The multi-talented Grothe is as dangerous with his legs as he is with his arm. I’m not sure we’ll see an upset in this one but USF could give Auburn a game that is worth checking out while the VT/LSU game is at commercial.

This is my first official post for the 2007 college football season and I thought I’d start out a little simple. Here’s five players that are poised to have a breakthrough in ‘07 and become household names.

Keith Rivers - LB - USC

Watching some of the USC games it was difficult to miss Keith Rivers. The kid plays sideline-to-sideline, loves to hit, is very athletic and pretty good in pass coverage. Rivers led the Trojans as a senior last year with 85  tackles and 47 solo tackles. My beef with Rivers in watching him last season was that he had a great motor but sometimes played a little undisciplined. Hopefully playing with what has to be the best linebacking corps in the nation with Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing will settle him down some. Expect Rivers to be a Butkus Award finalist along with teammates Maualuga.

Jonathan Stewart  - RB - Oregon

Making an appearance on the Maxwell Award watchlist, Jonathan Stewart could become a big-time playmaker for Mike Bellotti and the Ducks this season.  Though he finished with less than 1,000 yards last year, look for Stewart to exceed last year’s numbers and then some. He’ll also likely be featured more in the pass game. Though the Pac-10 is still USC’s to lose, stopping Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson will be essential if the Trojans are to make it out of Eugene on Oct. 27.

Earl Bennett - WR - Vanderbilt

The first college football game I watched last season was Vandy’s week 1 trip to The Big House to play Michigan. What I saw was a feisty, young and exciting team led by Bennett and quarterback Chris Nickson hang around the Wolverines much longer than they should have. Last season, Bennett proved that maybe he didn’t need Jay Cutler to be a potent offensive weapon and caught an SEC-best 82 balls for 1,146 yards and 6 TDs as a sophomore. As a junior, Bennett is on pace to set the SEC career record for both receptions and yards. If the Commodores are to get to their first bowl game in more than 20 yards, they’re going to get there on the back of Earl Bennett.

Andre’ Woodson - QB - Kentucky

It’s hard not to feel good about last season if you’re a Kentucky football fan. The team not only made it to a bowl game but beat a pretty heavily favored Clemson team along the way. Riding that high the Wildcats come into the ‘07 season with an offense featuring three of the SEC’s most electric offensive playmakers in Woodson, RB Rafael Little and WR Keenan Burton. If UK is to continue their winning ways and find six wins in a schedule that features road games against Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia and tilts at home against Florida, LSU and Tennessee, they’re going to need Woodson to show the consistency he did last year when he completed 63 percent of his passes. Limiting turnovers will also be essential for the UK offense, who’ll need to put up points on the board to counteract a defense that was 108th and 118th in the country against the run and the pass. If Woodson can repeat his 2006 campaign, where he threw for more than 3,000 yards with 31 touchdowns and just 7 INTs, Rich Brooks could become the Vince Lombardi of Lexington.

Dan Connor - LB - Penn State

This might seem like kind of an obvious choice but I firmly believe that Dan Connor will step out of the shadow of Paul Posluszny and make a name for himself. There are some that believe, like I do, that Connor was actually the better, more athletic player of the two and actually led the Nittany Lions with 113 tackles (70 solos) and two interceptions. With his move from outside linebacker to middle to fill in for Posluszny, who graduated last year, Connor is bound to draw comparisons to his predecessor but utilizing his great closing speed, an excellent nose for the ball and diagnosing plays and that Penn State, Linebacker U toughness, Connor will have little problem making the transition inside after three seasons at outside linebacker. Connor, along with Maualuga and Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo are my early favorites for the Butkus award.