Each week, State News football reporter Ethan Conley offers his own college football Top 10 rankings.
No. 1 — Ohio State (3-0, No. 1 AP)
You look at the schedule and think, "They look great, but they still have to go to Iowa City and East Lansing in the next four weeks." Then you remember the hurting they put on Texas in Austin two weeks ago.
No. 2 — Auburn (3-0, No. 2 AP)
Saturday's war against LSU showed why teams from the Southeastern Conference have the most difficult path to the national championship game: They absolutely beat the hell out of each other. Every tackle was like the "Hit Stick" in Madden. Forget the Big Ten — the toughest, nastiest, hardest-hitting defenses in the nation are in the SEC.
Unfortunately, you can't have bone-bruising defensive battles week after week and keep all your players healthy, and when games are that low-scoring, you're only one mistake away from losing. It'll take a miracle to finish the conference season without a loss.
No. 3 — Southern Cal (2-0, No. 3 AP)
Rule No. 326 of the college football fan guide states, "Always remain skeptical of a quarterback with three names." So if you're a Trojans fan, don't place all your bets on John David Booty. He's following a precedent set by the likes of Billy Joe Toliver and Jim Bob Cooter.
No. 4 — Florida (3-0, No. 5 AP)
Attention, Urban Meyer: If Chris Leak is your man, quit messing with his head.
Let's see, I've got a senior quarterback who's had an up-and-down career, but he finally seems to be hitting stride. How should I show my confidence in him? I know, I'll replace him with my highly touted freshman quarterback on crucial fourth-and-one situations! That'll make sure he's not looking over his shoulder!
No. 5 — LSU (2-1, No. 10 AP)
Still in the Top 5? You bet. If the Tigers can hold the No. 2 team in the nation to just seven points and 182 yards of total offense, they obviously can play with anybody. The offense will get better as the season progresses, especially with Early Doucet and Dwayne Bowe becoming more and more comfortable with JaMarcus Russell each week.
(Hypothetical question: If LSU head coach Les Miles took a week off and asked Kurt Russell to pace the sidelines in his place, would anyone notice? Let's try this the next time the Tigers have a cupcake on their schedule.)
No. 6 — West Virginia (3-0, No. 4 AP)
Here's an interesting situation: The Moutaineers run a gimmicky offense that can only be stopped by a fast, hard-hitting, disciplined defense. But there isn't a team in the Big East that can hang with them because of the gap in talent and coaching. So where do you rank a team that might run the table, but has zero chance of beating the best teams from the other BCS conferences? LSU or Auburn would tear the Mountaineers' offense apart, and West Virginia's defense shoots itself in the foot too often to carry it to victory. I'm eagerly anticipating an undefeated regular season for West Virginia, followed by a thrashing at the hands of a one-loss SEC team in a BCS bowl.
No. 7 — Michigan (3-0, No. 6 AP)
I tried to convince myself to leave the Wolverines out of my top 10, but Lloyd Carr called me and told me his team deserved better.
No. 8 —Texas (2-1, No. 7 AP)
My apologies — in last week's rant about Mack Brown, I forgot to mention that he had to endure three hours of close-up shots on national television while sporting a cold sore on his lower lip. Maybe Tarell Brown isn't the only Longhorn enjoying the lifestyle afforded to Texas jocks.
No. 9 — Louisville (3-0, No. 8 AP)
Big, big win over Miami (Fla.) on Saturday. But I hold the Cardinals in the same light as West Virginia. In what other conference could you lose your starting running back in your first game, then lose your starting quarterback in your third game and still not be the least bit concerned? You guessed it — the Big East.
No. 10 — Notre Dame (2-1, No. 12 AP)
Wow. I expected the Irish to take a hit eventually, but not like that. It looked like Nike's "Briscoe High" football commercials, with U-M playing the part of the team with NFL superstars on the roster. I really don't care if Notre Dame loses every game or wins the national title — all the hype doesn't bother me. But I have to admit I enjoyed seeing a visibly shaken Tom Hammond fighting back tears during NBC's halftime show. It looked like a scene out of "The Big Lebowski."
"Are you surprised by my tears, sir? Strong men also cry. Strong men … also cry."
Get a grip, Tom. This isn't 'Nam — it's sports broadcasting.
No. 26 — MSU
Just a hair out of the Top 25. The defense is improving, the offense is dynamic and Drew Stanton keeps making big plays. A win against Notre Dame (even if the Irish are on the slide) will put the Spartans on the map.
Ethan Conley can be reached at conleyet@msu.edu.
