Trojans hold down top spot after impressive shellacking of Virginia

The opening-week opponents for last week's top 25 teams included Eastern Washington, Coastal Carolina, Northern Arizona and Chattanooga. Less than a third of my ranked teams faced foes from the six major conferences.

Therefore, it was a no-brainer to reward one of those select few, USC, for not only going on the road to face a reigning New Year's Day bowl team, but also beating the living snot out of that team. It may well turn out that Virginia is closer to 4-8 than its 9-4 record of a year ago, but it was still darn impressive for Mark Sanchez and the Trojans to rout the Cavaliers by much the same score (52-7) that Ohio State, Oklahoma and Georgia did their FCS foes.

Suffice it to say, USC earned my new No. 1 ranking.

The decision was made easier by the fact that Ohio State can't possibly be viewed as the top team with the health of its Heisman-caliber tailback, Beanie Wells, still in limbo. So I simply swapped the Trojans -- previously No. 4 -- with the Buckeyes. That ranking may well prove generous if Wells misses an extended part of the season. If it turns out he's fine, OSU has an opportunity to win back its No. 1 designation when it meets USC in two weeks.

Besides that, my biggest challenge this week was how to treat the two most revealing results to date: Alabama's beatdown of Clemson and UCLA's stunning upset of Tennessee. It's always dangerous to read too much into one game -- but the Tide and Bruins deserve to be rewarded, and it's pretty clear both the Tigers and Vols were vastly overrated. 'Bama debuts at No. 13 and UCLA at No. 20, while Clemson (formerly 10th) and Tennessee (formerly 11th) plummet into the 20s. (Chime in here.)

NCAA Football Power Rankings

1 Last Week: 4	USC Trojans (1-0) While teams like Clemson and Pittsburgh got burned by rebuilt offensive lines Saturday, USC trotted out a younger, leaner line against Virginia -- no starter above 300 pounds -- and powered its way to 7.2 yards per carry and no sacks allowed. Last game: Beat Virginia, 52-7. Next game: Sept. 13 vs. Ohio State.
2 Last Week: 2	Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) Not surprisingly, Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray shredded Chattanooga for seven straight touchdown drives before retiring for the evening. But how's this for dominance: The Sooners' defense held the Mocs to 36 yards of offense. Last game: Beat Chattanooga, 57-2. Next game: Saturday vs. Cincinnati.
3 Last Week: 3	Georgia Bulldogs (1-0) With the exception of DT Jeff Owens' injury, it was a beautiful day at Sanford Stadium: Matthew Stafford threw for a career-high 275 yards, Knowshon Moreno scored three TDs, and both RB Caleb King (95 yards) and Uga VII made shining debuts. Last game: Beat Georgia Southern, 45-21. Next game: Saturday vs. Central Michigan.
4 Last Week: 1	Ohio St. Buckeyes (1-0) So what's the plan if Wells can't go against USC? Yes, we'll see a healthy dose of Maurice Wells, Brandon Saine and Daniel Herron ... but what about Terrelle Pryor? The lack of a power-runner may necessitate OSU going to more of a spread. Last game: Beat Youngstown State, 43-0. Next game: Saturday vs. Ohio.
5 Last Week: 5	Missouri Tigers (1-0) Considering star receiver Jeremy Maclin left the Edward Jones Dome on crutches Saturday night, his diagnosis was of great relief to Tigers fans. Maclin suffered a strained peroneal tendon in his ankle and could return in time for Saturday's game. Last game: Beat Illinois, 52-42. Next game: Saturday vs. Southeast Missouri State.
6 Last Week: 6	LSU Tigers (1-0) As was the case three years ago, football has been put on hold in Baton Rouge pending the effects of Hurricane Gustav. Most LSU activities are canceled until later in the week, and the status of Saturday's game against Troy is unknown. Last game: Beat Appalachian State, 41-13. Next game: Saturday vs. Troy.
7 Last Week: 7	Florida Gators (1-0) The Gators don't have much to worry about against rebuilding Miami, but WR Louis Murphy didn't need to fuel the fires. "If the 'U' is for university and winning and championships, we're the 'U,'" he said. "They are Miami, and that's what I call them." Last game: Beat Hawaii, 56-10. Next game: Saturday vs. Miami.
8 Last Week: 8	Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-0) Graham Harrell and the offense put up their 639 yards, but there was little evidence of Tech's purportedly improved defense Saturday. Eastern Washington scored 17 second-quarter points and racked up 341 yards through the air. Last game: Beat Eastern Washington, 49-24. Next game: Saturday at Nevada.
9 Last Week: 9	Auburn Tigers (1-0) The debut of Tony Franklin's spread offense against drew mixed reviews. The Tigers gained 400 yards against Louisiana-Monroe, but QBs Kodi Burns and Chris Todd were non-factors, leading Franklin to rethink his rotation plan. Last game: Beat Louisiana-Monroe, 34-0. Next game: Saturday vs. Southern Miss.
10 Last Week: 14	Texas Longhorns (1-0) 'Horns QB Colt McCoy has never looked better than he did Saturday night against FAU, hitting his first 13 passes and finishing 24-of-29 for 222 yards and three TDs while also running 12 times for 103 yards. So long, sophomore slump. Last game: Beat Florida Atlantic, 52-10. Next game: Saturday at UTEP.
11 Last Week: 12	Wisconsin Badgers (1-0) You can't stop P.J. Hill -- especially if you're Akron. The Badgers' junior tailback -- who you would swear has been around far longer than three years -- ran for 210 of Wisconsin's 404 rushing yards. The Badgers attempted 10 passes. Last game: Beat Akron, 38-17. Next game: Saturday vs. Marshall.
12 Last Week: 13	West Virginia Mountaineers (1-0) Bill Stewart pledged Pat White would pass more in 2008 -- and Villanova proved perfect for target practice. The Mountaineers' Heisman hopeful went 25-of-33 for five touchdowns. This week brings a stiffer challenge -- ask Virginia Tech. Last game: Beat Villanova, 48-21. Next game: Saturday at East Carolina.
13 Last Week: --	Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) QB John Parker Wilson (22-of-30, 180 yards, two TDs) appeared in total command of new offensive coordinator Jim McElwain's controlled offense against Clemson, while freshman RB Mark Ingram (17 carries, 96 yards) made a huge splash. Last game: Beat Clemson, 34-10. Next game: Saturday vs. Tulane.
14 Last Week: 19	Oregon Ducks (1-0) Welcome back, Jeremiah Johnson. The Ducks' big-play tailback -- who missed the second half of last season with a knee injury -- juked his way to 124 yards and two touchdowns (and had a sensational 55-yard score called back) against Washington Last game: Beat Washington, 44-10. Next game: Saturday vs. Utah State.
15 Last Week: 15	Kansas Jayhawks (1-0) Though the score against FIU was predictably lopsided, there was concern in Lawrence on Saturday night about the Jayhawks' lack of productivity on the ground. Jake Sharp and Jocques Crawford combined for just 61 yards on 20 carries. Last game: Beat Florida International, 40-10. Next game: Saturday vs. Louisiana Tech.
16 Last Week: 16	Penn St. Nittany Lions (1-0) Penn State's coaches and players said they held off using much of their new offensive packages against Coastal Carolina. It didn't stop the Nittany Lions from racking up their highest yardage total in a game (594) since 1995. Last game: Beat Coastal Carolina, 66-10. Next game: Saturday vs. Oregon State.
17 Last Week: 17	Arizona St. Sun Devils (1-0) ASU's first game went just fine; its brand new $8.4 million practice facility did not fare as well. A severe storm Thursday night shredded the dome's roof, rendering the building inoperable for the rest of the season. Last game: Beat Northern Arizona, 30-13. Next game: Saturday vs. Stanford.
18 Last Week: 18	Brigham Young Cougars (1-0) The Cougars' 41-17 rout of Northern Iowa would have been an even bigger laugher if not for four second-half fumbles that allowed the Panthers to get within 10. But QB Max Hall was nearly perfect, going 34-of-41 for 486 yards. Last game: Beat Northern Iowa, 41-17. Next game: Saturday at Washington.
19 Last Week: 20	South Florida Bulls (1-0) USF's uneventful opener against Tennessee-Martin had barely ended before talk turned to Saturday's rivalry game against UCF -- whom the Bulls beat 64-12 last year. "We were the better team last year," said QB Matt Grothe. "... We're expected to win." Last game: Beat Tennessee-Martin, 56-7. Next game: Saturday at UCF.
20 Last Week: --	UCLA Bruins (1-0) Norm Chow strikes again. How else to explain the astonishing in-game turnaround of QB Kevin Craft, who looked completely befuddled while throwing four first-half interceptions, only to go out and shred Tennessee's defense the entire second half. Last game: Beat Tennessee, 27-24 (OT). Next game: Sept. 13 vs. BYU.
21 Last Week: 11	Tennessee Volunteers (0-1) It's hard to say which was the bigger disappointment for the Vols on Monday: That their veteran offensive line got manhandled by UCLA's defensive tackles for much of the night, or that their defense completely wilted at the hands of a third-string QB. Last game: Lost to UCLA, 27-24 (OT). Next game: Sept. 13 vs. UAB.
22 Last Week: 10	Clemson Tigers (0-1) We knew there was the possibility that Clemson's offensive line would be its undoing -- but what happened to the Tigers' defense? A unit that ranked in the top 20 nationally the past three seasons could not get Alabama's offense off the field. Last game: Lost to Alabama, 34-10. Next game: Saturday vs. The Citadel.
23 Last Week: 25	Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-0) You don't want to read too much into a win against Baylor, but the Deacons were dominant enough (winning 41-13 on the road) and Clemson and Virginia Tech bad enough to wonder whether Wake will end up as the ACC's best team. Last game: Beat Baylor, 41-13. Next game: Saturday vs. Ole Miss.
24 Last Week: 21	Illinois Fighting Illini (0-1) Saturday's Missouri game showed that while Juice Williams is still prone to his share of miscues (two INTs), he's become all the more dangerous as a passer (451 yards, five TDs). Now if only the Illini's overrated defense can catch up to him. Last game: Lost to Missouri, 52-42. Next game: Saturday vs. Eastern Illinois.
25 Last Week: --	East Carolina Pirates (1-0) No Chris Johnson? No problem for the upstart Pirates, which beat Virginia Tech with defense (243 yards allowed) and special teams (T.J. Lee's game-winning punt block for touchdown). Now, if ECU's defense can hold down Pat White ... Last game: Beat Virginia Tech, 27-22. Next game: Saturday vs. West Virginia.
Dropped out: Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech. Stewart Mandel's Power Rankings also serve as his ballot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.