Power Rankings - Sept. 22

2) LSU Tigers (4-0, 1-0, +9) - I would love for LSU to be my black horse pick to win the SEC - I definitely believe that they are the second best team in the conference, and have at least a fighter's chance of beating Alabama on Nov. 09, but their brutal schedule prevents it.  They take on Georgia next week, followed by Florida on Oct. 12, and Texas A&M on Nov. 23.  It's very conceivable that the Tigers could beat Alabama, but lose the division by losing 2 of those other 3 games.

3) Michigan Wolverines (4-0, 0-0, +8) - So, as soon as I start talking up the Big Ten, the conference plummets, going 14-7 in non conference games over the past 2 weeks, including 3-7 against BCS opponents! For their part, Michigan has escaped Akron, 28-24, and barely beat Connecticut, 24-21.  However, they haven't lost yet, and I kind of cherish the idea of having a truly mediocre Michigan team going 11-1 or 10-2 and going to, like, the Fiesta Bowl. 

6) Stanford Cardinal (3-0, 1-0, +6) - It's Cardinal, as in the color or the abstract principle, not Cardinals as in birds. One of my co-workers keeps the referring to them as the Stanford Cardinals and it is driving me crazy.  And, while I would be devastated if they beat the Ducks again this year, a Stanford Alabama national championship would be neat if for no other reason than having two teams with nicknames from bizarre abstract concepts vaguely associated with the color red. They play Washington State next week.

16) Oregon Ducks (3-0, 0-0, +3) - The Ducks begin conference play next week at home against Cal.  This means that the Golden Bears will begin their season with games against #17 Northwestern, #4 Ohio State, and #2 Oregon.  They also still get to play #13 UCLA, #16 Washington, and #5 Stanford. But the Bears have a good offense led by an excellent freshman QB Jared Goff, and may end up being the best 4-8 team in the nation.  

21) Fresno State Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0, +1) - Fresno State has now won 2 games by one point: 52-51 in overtime against Rutgers and 41-40 against rival Boise State. The Bulldogs may now be the best chance for a BCS-buster this year. They have two notable opponents left on the schedule - Nevada and San Jose State - plus a make-up game against Colorado. But it would be odd to have a 13-0 Fresno State going to the Fiesta Bowl when Washington -who beat Boise State by 32- is playing in the Las Vegas Bowl.