UCLA, Texas Tech assume proper places in top 10

Maurice Drew and the Bruins must wait until Dec. 3 to face off with rival USC. John Biever/SI

As I set about filling out my ballot on Saturday night, I looked back at last week's rankings and asked myself, "Why do I still have two undefeated teams behind a bunch of one-loss teams?"

I don't know if I honestly believe that UCLA and Texas Tech are better than, say, LSU or Miami -- the Bruins have been teetering on the edge for three straight games now, and the Red Raiders have played just one notable opponent (Nebraska) and barely survived -- but that's neither here nor there. They've won all the games put before them, they deserve the higher ranking ... for now.

Texas Tech's case will likely be moot by this time next week, anyway. The Red Raiders visit No. 2 Texas and will either rise or fall accordingly. UCLA, meanwhile, has few chances to prove itself in the coming weeks, and I have a feeling that even if the Bruins keep winning, most observers will be reticent to jump on the bandwagon until the USC game at the end of the year.

Not that you'll find these rankings to be in strict order of record. Notre Dame now has two losses, which conventional wisdom says should keep the Irish out of the top 10. I'm not buying it. Notre Dame did more in defeat to legitimize itself last Saturday than several other top-10 teams have done in their victories. I did drop the Irish this week ... but not that far.

NCAA Football Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 USC Trojans (6-0) Last week I raised the question of whether Texas should surpass USC. Maybe next week, but I can't punish a team that pulls off a win like that. It's clear, though, that the Trojans (particularly their corners) are vulnerable. Only Reggie Bush is truly untouchable -- both by tacklers and officials. Next game: Saturday at Washington. 2 2 Texas Longhorns (6-0) Texas' swarming defense currently ranks third in the nation, but Saturday's matchup with Texas Tech's second-ranked offense will be the unit's toughest test to date. Coach Mike Leach has caused the 'Horns fits in the past, though last year Texas held the Raiders to 21 points and 386 yards. Next game: Saturday vs. Texas Tech. 3 3 Virginia Tech Hokies (6-0) They don't call it Virginia Polytechnic Institute for nothing. According to the Washington Post, students in Tech's engineering department have been assigned to design a more modern brace for RB Cedric Humes' broken forearm, which would allow him to return to action. Next game: Thursday at Maryland. 4 5 Georgia Bulldogs (6-0) It's a pretty strong testament to your defense when you give up 17 points, as the Dawgs did to Vanderbilt, and it's your worst performance of the season. Georgia's D has been absolutely dominant, though it may be without injured DT Kedric Golston for the next three weeks. Next game: Saturday vs. Arkansas. 5 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0) QB Brodie Croyle summed it up best: "After the catch -- that's where [Tyrone] Prothro made his money," the quarterback said of his missing receiver. Alabama is a very good team, but without its gamebreaker, last Saturday's low-scoring nailbiter against Ole Miss was likely a hint of things to come. Next game: Saturday vs. Tennessee. 6 10 UCLA Bruins (6-0) You've got to love the way QB Drew Olson is playing right now. The senior was 31-of-43 for 383 yards and five touchdowns against Washington State, completing passes to 10 players. What's not to like? The Bruins' defense, which has allowed 1,044 yards in its past two games. Next game: Saturday vs. Oregon State. 7 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-0) No question Cody Hodges and the offense are on fire, but the Red Raiders' once-awful defense is much improved this season. Against Kansas State last week, safety Dwayne Slay set the tone for Tech's second-half onslaught with two bone-jarring hits on Wildcats ballcarriers. Next game: Saturday at Texas. 8 9 LSU Tigers (4-1) Les Miles was furious with his offense for turning the ball over five times against Florida, but he has to be pleased with the continued improvement of his defense. The Tigers allowed the Gators just 206 yards, forcing QB Chris Leak into arguably the worst performance of his career. Next game: Saturday vs. Auburn. 9 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-2) While Charlie Weis' impact on the Irish offense has been well-documented, I came away from last Saturday's game surprised and impressed by the performance of ND's defensive line. Led by DE Victor Abiamiri, the Irish continually stuffed USC's power running game and pressured Matt Leinart. Next game: Saturday vs. BYU. 10 11 Miami Hurricanes (5-1) C'mon, 'Canes. You couldn't break 34 points against Temple? And 34 rushing yards on 33 attempts?? Granted, Kyle Wright threw the ball at will in the first half, but Miami, currently 64th nationally in rushing offense, can't expect to beat Virginia Tech with a one-dimensional attack. Next game: Saturday vs. Georgia Tech. 11 6 Penn St. Nittany Lions (6-1) Happy Valley must be somewhat morose this week. Losing another controversial heartbreaker at Michigan is one thing (the Nittany Lions still control their own destiny in the Big Ten), but losing Derrick Williams for the season is a serious downer. Will JoePa start using Justin King on offense more often? Next game: Saturday at Illinois. 12 13 Ohio St. Buckeyes (4-2) Last Saturday's win over Michigan State may have been a turning-point performance for talented but erratic QB Troy Smith. He connected on three long touchdown passes to Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr., and shook off a potentially costly fourth-quarter fumble to lead the go-ahead drive. Next game: Saturday at Indiana.

Read on for teams 13-25 ...