Lorenzo Booker and the 'Noles ended the Miami hex, but they still lack a decent QB. Bob Rosato/SI

Sometimes, you have to call a spade a spade. Throughout Monday night's four-hour Miami-Florida State snoozefest, the ABC graphics kept referring to the 'Canes and Seminoles as No. 9 and No. 14, respectively. Did anyone outside of the state of Florida actually feel like they were watching two teams in or near the nation's top 10?

Sure, there were top-10-caliber athletes flying all over the field. But what were they doing most of the time? Muffing punts, botching snaps, dropping passes, throwing interceptions (and should-have-been interceptions) and getting called for stupid penalties. Brent Musburger tried to spin it as an old-school defensive struggle, but give me a break. That Florida State won the game despite some of the most inept quarterback play imaginable -- and despite failing to score after taking over at Miami's 1-yard line -- was certainly a testament to the 'Noles' dominant defense, but it also helped that the opponent was similarly incompetent to the point that it couldn't score even a game-tying field goal after driving all the way to the FSU 2 in the final minutes.

And the fact is, it's been much the same way for the past four meetings of these rivals, ever since Ken Dorsey departed Coral Gables and Jeff Bowden decided to send FSU's offense into the stone age. Both teams have so much raw talent that they can beat eight or nine of their opponents simply by showing up to the stadium, but neither team has been a legitimate national title contender the past two seasons, and neither showed any indication Monday night it will be this year, either. So no, you will not see either anywhere near this pollster's top 10.

NCAA Football Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 USC Trojans (1-0) The Trojans left Hawaii with a 63-17 victory -- and their first sign of potential disharmony. RB LenDale White was not pleased about the coaches employing Reggie Bush in goal-line situations, which were formerly White's domain. "I have no clue at all what's going on," he vented to the L.A. Daily News. Next game: Sept. 17 vs. Arkansas. 2 2 Ohio St. Buckeyes (1-0) The Miami of Ohio game featured everything the Buckeyes hoped for: a dominant defensive effort, a seemingly improved running game (Antonio Pittman had 100 yards on 14 carries) and big plays by both Ted Ginn Jr. and Santonio Holmes. What happens when you add Troy Smith? Next game: Saturday vs. Texas. 3 3 Texas Longhorns (1-0) After the media spent the offseason talking about the Longhorns' tailback tandem of Selvin Young and Ramonce Taylor, true freshman Jamaal Charles stole the show against Louisiana-Lafayette with 14 carries for 135 yards, both game highs. It was the best running debut in school history. Next game: Saturday at Ohio State. 4 6 Virginia Tech Hokies (1-0) Don't read too much into Tech's unimpressive offensive stats (232 total yards) -- N.C. State's defense, No. 1 in the country last year, is that good. Down 13-10, the Hokies put Marcus Vick in the shotgun more often in the second half, and he delivered with several clutch plays. Next game: Saturday at Duke. 5 14 Georgia Bulldogs (1-0) Was Georgia that good or Boise State that bad? Probably a little bit of both, but it is hard to find fault with QB D.J. Shockley's performance, and new starting rover Tra Battle and freshman LB Dannel Ellerbe both played key roles in the Dawgs' surprising defensive dominance. Next game: Saturday vs. South Carolina. 6 4 Florida Gators (1-0) QB Chris Leak put up gaudy numbers against Wyoming, but all Urban Meyer could talk about afterward was Florida's "pathetic" running game. DeShawn Wynn's return from suspension might help, but clearly the Gators' O-line needs to improve at Meyer's gap-running schemes in a hurry. Next game: Saturday vs. Louisiana Tech. 7 8 Michigan Wolverines (1-0) The Wolverines' powerful offense was as advertised against Northern Illinois, with the Chad Henne-Michael Hart tandem combining for 344 yards and three touchdowns. The defense? We'll find out everything we need to know this week when the Charlie Weis Express comes to town. Next game: Saturday vs. Notre Dame. 8 9 Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0) It's hard to deduce anything when you're playing a bad MAC team that had to suspend 13 players the day before the game, but considering the Hawkeyes' running woes last season, it had to be encouraging to put up 241 rushing yards. True freshman Shonn Greene led the way with 116. Next game: Saturday at Iowa State. 9 5 Tennessee Volunteers (1-0) Seventeen points against UAB? Where were all those offensive playmakers we heard about all spring? The Vols have two weeks to iron out the kinks for Florida, and while Erik Ainge's potential is hard to resist, perhaps turning over the reins for now to steady senior Rick Clausen will help. Next game: Sept. 17 at Florida. 10 11 LSU Tigers (0-0) LSU fans have spent months anticipating a potential SEC or national title run, but with the Katrina destruction affecting numerous players' families and causing the Tigers to postpone their first game and move their second to Arizona, it's hard to imagine how they can even focus on football. Next game: Saturday at Arizona State. 11 -- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-0) The Jackets showed something special against Auburn. QB Reggie Ball looked more mature, RB P.J. Daniels appeared to be healthy and young CB Jamal Lewis stood out on a dominant defense. Tech beat Auburn in 2003, too -- but later got blown out by Duke. Will this team finally be consistent? Next game: Saturday vs. North Carolina. 12 16 Arizona St. Sun Devils (1-0) ASU beating Temple 63-16? Not surprising. A Dirk Koetter offense running for 300 yards? A tad bit surprising, yes, considering tailback was the Sun Devils' biggest question mark entering the season. True freshman Keegan Herring provided the answer, gaining 134 yards on 12 carries. Next game: Saturday vs. LSU

Who cracked the rest of the top 25? Read on ...