Buckeyes enjoy consensus top ranking, but ND looms

If it was up to me, there would be no Power Rankings this week (I'm pretty sure I'd get docked pay for that). That's because the rankings are likely to look almost completely different by this time next week.

Amazingly, there are eight games on Saturday in which 16 of my current Top 25 teams will face off against one of the others. Even more amazing, there are five -- No. 6 LSU at No. 4 Auburn, No. 8 Florida at No. 12 Tennessee, No. 9 Michigan at No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 14 Oklahoma at No. 10 Oregon and No. 15 Nebraska at No. 3 USC -- in which two top 15 squads face one another. The other three matchups are No. 22 Clemson at No. 17 Florida State, No. 23 Miami at No. 16 Louisville and No. 24 Texas Tech at No. 18 TCU.

The beauty of all this is that by the end of the day Saturday, the BCS pecking order will come into focus earlier than I can ever remember. Ohio State laid its claim to No. 1 last weekend, but will Notre Dame solidify itself as a worthy adversary with another Big Ten beatdown? Which of the SEC powers (there are currently five SEC teams in my top 12) will emerge as the early divisional front-runners? Will USC make another statement about its reloading status? Or will Nebraska pull off the upset and insert itself into the national-title discussion?

Is that enough story lines for you?

NCAA Football Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) The new stars of the Buckeyes' rebuilt defense began to take shape last Saturday night in Austin: LB James Laurinaitis and CB Malcolm Jenkins. Laurinaitis had 13 tackles and two key turnovers, while Jenkins locked down Texas WR Limas Sweed, breaking up a potential TD catch. Next game: Saturday vs. Cincinnati. 2 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0) If you're a tight end, you've got to love playing in Charlie Weis' offense. He helped turn Anthony Fasano into a star last year, and against Penn State, 6-foot-6, 256-pound John Carlson had six catches for 98 yards. "He's a big muchacho running down that field," said Weis. Next game: Saturday vs. Michigan. 3 4 USC Trojans (1-0) Pete Carroll loves playing his highly touted freshmen early. With safety Taylor Mays, he has no choice. Mays, a Seattle product, is the likely replacement for standout Josh Pinkard, who was lost for the season against Arkansas. Defending Nebraska QB Zac Taylor is no easy first assignment. Next game: Saturday vs. Nebraska. 4 5 Auburn Tigers (2-0) Kenny Irons is unquestionably the Tigers' workhorse, but Brad Lester is turning into a pretty darn productive complement. Lester, who had five carries for 40 yards, a 12-yard reception and two touchdowns against Mississippi State, has now scored TDs on 11 of his 72 career touches. Next game: Saturday vs. LSU. 5 6 West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0) Steve Slaton has a bone to pick with Maryland, which pulled a scholarship offer from him after he'd committed. "Hopefully, every carry is a touchdown against them," Slaton told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He came close against Eastern Washington: eight carries, 105 yards, two TDs. Next game: Thursday vs. Maryland. 6 10 LSU Tigers (2-0) Arizona might not be the class of the Pac-10, but the extent of the Tigers' domination in a 45-3 win last Saturday night was still astounding. LSU's blitzing defense held the Wildcats to 45 total yards through the first three quarters, sacking QB Willie Tuitama three times and intercepting him twice. Next game: Saturday at Auburn. 7 3 Texas Longhorns (1-1) Contrary to the sky-is-falling perception I heard in Austin, the 'Horns did not play that badly against the Buckeyes. By the time of the Oklahoma game, however, QB Colt McCoy is going to have to become comfortable enough to have some semblance of a vertical passing attack. Next game: Saturday vs. Rice. 8 7 Florida Gators (2-0) The one-spot drop was in no way a reflection of last Saturday night's UCF game, in which the Gators' offense exploded for an Urban Meyer-high 637 yards. I just didn't feel comfortable dropping Texas, which lost to the No. 1 team, below Florida, which hasn't played a BCS-conference foe. Next game: Saturday at Tennessee. 9 9 Michigan Wolverines (2-0) The Wolverines rolled over Vanderbilt and Central Michigan, but Big Blue Nation is freaking out over the lack of production from QB Chad Henne, who threw for only 111 yards against the Chippewas. I'd say that the bigger problem is that Steve Breaston is not a No. 1 receiver. Next game: Saturday at Notre Dame. 10 12 Oregon Ducks (2-0) Outside of USC, the Ducks have been the Pac-10's most impressive team, pulling out a 31-24 win at Fresno State (where visiting teams rarely fare well) with some bold chicanery. Instead of kicking a chip-shot 21-yard field goal to take the lead late in the game, they ran a fake for the TD. Next game: Saturday vs. Oklahoma.

Read on for teams 11-20 ...