Rank Monday

The Saints completely laid an egg yesterday against a previously winless St. Louis team. The Saints D could make Tara High School look like a high-powered offense.

Enough about that, though, let’s get to the Rank news:

• LSU moved up to #1 in the AP, Harris, and Coaches polls, and #1 in the BCS as well. The move was not unexpected with Ohio State’s loss, but the gap between LSU and Oregon is narrow. And undefeated Kansas lurks at #3 with games against Mizzou and probably Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game. If Kansas wins out, they will be in. And they will deserve it.
• Those who want a playoff will be getting their wish, of sorts. Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri are ranked 3-5 in the BCS and will have a mini-playoff series among them. The Jay Hawks and Tigers will kick it off in Kansas City on November 24th, and the winner of that game will probably face the Sooners in San Antonio for the Big 12 title. Like it or not, that is as close to a playoff as I-A football gets these days.
• After losing to Illinois, Ohio State dropped all the way to 7th in the BCS, and will play BCS #21 Michigan this week for the right to go to the Rose Bowl.
• Hawaii is up to 13 in the BCS, with a games still to play against Nevada, Boise State, and Washington, all potential losses. To add to that, Colt Brennan suffered a concussion in the 4th quarter of the Warriors game against Fresno State the other night. He should be back for this week’s game against Nevada, though.

In Louisiana State football news:

• ULL got a very good win against Middle Tennessee State, 34-24. Michael Desormeaux led the way with 152 yards passing, 175 yards rushing, and 2 touchdowns as the Cajuns rolled up 528 yards in total offense.
• ULM played Grambling, and won 28-14. The Warhawks held the Tigers to -4 yards rushing and 169 total yards, while rolling up 390 yards themselves.
• Nicholls state exploded for 4 touchdowns in the opening quarter and then put it on cruise control for the rest of the game and beat Texas State 52-28.
• SLU lost to Sam Houston State, 20-16. One bright spot for the Lions was the running of Jay Lucas, who had 147 yards on just 16 carries and scored SLU’s lone touchdown.
• McNeese beat Northwestern State, 37-21, to remain undefeated. The Cowboys held on, despite giving up 14 points to the Demons in the 4th quarter.
• Southern lost a close one to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Jags fell behind 20-0, but scored three touchdowns to take the lead before John Heflin’s kick at the end. The Jags also dominated the stat sheet, but still must deal with a loss that drops them three games behind Grambling for the SWAC’s West lead with only the Bayou Classic remaining.

Ok, enough of all of that, let’s get to the rankings:

Top 5 teams in the land:

1. Oregon – They were number 1 last week, and I don’t have a reason to move them down, since they were off this week. Games remaining: at Ariz, at UCLA, Oregon State
2. LSU - Tech Tonic was just what they needed. Games remaining: at Ole Miss, Ark, SEC CG
3. Kansas – the Jay Hawks just keep rolling along. Games remaining: Iowa State, Missouri, possible Big 12 CG
4. Oklahoma – Just keep chugging along, winning and looking forward to Big 12 title game showdown, and hoping for an LSU or Oregon loss. Games remaining: at Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, possible Big 12 CG
5. Missouri – 41-31 loss to OU on October 13th was Tigers’ lowest point output of the year – 31. Games remaining: at Kansas State, at Kansas, possible Big 12 CG

I know these rankings mirror the BCS, but I think these are the best teams? Whattaya want, Hawaii in the top 5?

Heisman candidates:

1. Timmy Tebow – His numbers are better than Dixon’s, and UF’s 3 losses are not the fault of the Double T.
2. Chase Daniel – team keeps winning and putting up impressive offensive numbers
3. Dennis Dixon – team is havng a great year, but is he really the best player in college football?

D-Mac, and Matt Ryan are pretty much out of this, I think, though either or both may get an invite to New York.