Clean slate

With preseason order scrapped, Georgia falls to No. 8, Auburn rises to 3

Here's the fundamental problem with preseason rankings: You're stuck with them. If, for example, Georgia starts out No. 3, and it wins its first three games, the conventional wisdom says it can't move down. But does anyone really think the Dawgs are the third-most impressive team so far? At what point do you stop ranking teams on potential and start ranking them on production?

So, this week, I'm doing something never before attempted in the Power Rankings, perhaps even the history of college football polls: I'm throwing mine out and starting from scratch. Having seen USC, Miami, Florida State, LSU and Auburn in person, and having seen everyone else on TV at least once, I've re-ranked the teams based on what I've seen with my own eyes, not what I saw happening back in July. To avoid confusion, I'm not even including last week's rankings, because they had no bearing whatsoever on this week's edition.

One thing I quickly came to realize: So far at least, there's USC and Oklahoma, then there's everyone else.

NCAA Football Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 -- USC Trojans (3-0) The Trojans' offense has jelled quickly, putting up 527 yards against BYU. WR Dwayne Jarrett is becoming a factor, and Reggie Bush is downright scary. Their only potential weakness: cornerback. But to exploit it, you have to first get the pass off against that pressure up front -- no small feat. Next game: Saturday at Stanford. 2 -- Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) It's official: Adrian Peterson is this year's Maurice Clarett (without the baggage). Defenses must now blitz Jason White at their own risk. The only reason I'm going with USC at No. 1 is concern over OU's defense, which is still very good sans Dusty Dvoracek but not as dominant as in years past. Next game: Oct. 2 vs. Texas Tech. 3 -- Auburn Tigers (3-0) This is exactly the team Tigers fans thought they had last year, only with a twist: Not only do they have a dominant running game, but they now seem to have a quarterback and an offensive system that isn't one-dimensional. The biggest surprise Saturday was the play of their mostly starless defense. Next game: Saturday vs. The Citadel. 4 -- Miami Hurricanes (2-0) How ridiculous is the 'Canes' defense? Against La. Tech, they had six sacks, 22 tackles for loss and three forced turnovers, and they've yet to allow a touchdown. Unfortunately, Brock Berlin is still Brock Berlin, throwing a pick on his first series and badly misfiring on what would have been an easy touchdown. Next game: Thursday at Houston. 5 -- Texas Longhorns (2-0) I know, I know, wait until Oklahoma. As of now, though, this team has fewer questions than any 'Horns squad in about five years (granted, for three years, it was the same question -- Chris Simms). QB Vince Young is maturing and Cedric Benson is running better than ever. The defense is talented but not without holes. Next game: Saturday vs. Rice. 6 -- Purdue Boilermakers (2-0) It's going to be awfully hard for the Boilermakers not to look past this weekend's game at Illinois. Looming in two weeks is a trip to Notre Dame, which not only looks much improved but has beaten Purdue in four of the past six years. Next game: Saturday at Illinois. 7 -- Virginia Cavaliers (3-0) Admittedly, the Cavs haven't played much of anyone (Temple, UNC and Akron), but they've taken care of business with ease. As expected, both the O-line and D-line have been dominant, producing 11 sacks while allowing none. Next game: Saturday vs. Syracuse. 8 -- Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) Either Mark Richt is going out of his way not to give LSU anything to scout, or the Dawgs' offense has some serious problems. They're producing few big plays and constantly sputtering. Fortunately, their defense has been superb. Next game: Oct. 2 vs. LSU. 9 -- Ohio St. Buckeyes (3-0) "You've heard our formula many times," Jim Tressel said after his team's latest ugly win. "You ... need superior special units, relentless defense, mistake-free and opportunistic offense." With a 28-2 record since 2002, why question this approach? Next game: Oct. 2 at Northwestern. 10 -- Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-0) The Gophers survived a scare -- QB Bryan Cupito's head injury is not believed to be serious. Meanwhile, the Marion Barber/Laurence Maroney show was in full swing against Colorado State, with the pair combining for 333 yards. Next game: Saturday vs. Northwestern. 11 -- Tennessee Volunteers (2-0) There was one significantly bad piece of news to come out of the Florida game: Star LB Kevin Simon is likely lost for the season. Otherwise, it was arguably the Vols' most important victory since winning at the Swamp in 2001. Next game: Saturday vs. Louisiana Tech. 12 -- LSU Tigers (2-1) The frustrating thing about watching LSU's offense right now is that you can see the talent -- JaMarcus Russell, Early Doucet, Xavier Carter -- but it's just not clicking yet. When it does, look out, because the defense is exceptional. Next game: Saturday vs. Mississippi State. 13 -- California Golden Bears (2-0) The Bears are in a holding pattern. After their game at Southern Miss last Thursday night got cancelled due to Hurricane Ivan, Cal will wind up going three weeks between games. Not ideal after getting off to such a hot start. Next game: Oct. 2 at Oregon State. 14 -- Florida St. Seminoles (1-1) I can't in good faith put the 'Noles near the top 10 until it can be determined just how much of a detriment Chris Rix plans to be. Against UAB, though, FSU exhibited a strong running game (251 yards) and dominant defense (eight sacks). Next game: Saturday vs. Clemson. 15 -- West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0) Yay, the Mountaineers got their big win over Maryland, but does anyone who watched it really think this is a top-10 team? Kay-Jay Harris is a stud, and Pac Man Jones is a definite playmaker, but I'm still far from sold on Rasheed Marshall. Next game: Saturday vs. James Madison. 16 -- Utah Utes (3-0) It's fun to give the non-BCS teams their props, as I did with Fresno State last week, but the Utes are the only one I believe belongs here. As evidenced last week, Texas A&M is not nearly as bad as the Utes made them look. Next game: Saturday vs. Air Force.

On the cusp: Florida, Fresno State, Arizona State, Boise State.

Stewart Mandel updates his Power Rankings every Monday during the season. They also serve as his ballot in the Football Writers Association/Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll.