AROUND THE NATION
Games to watch Keep an eye on these matchups
TENNESSEE VS. ALABAMA
The volunteers head into Tuscaloosa, Ala., with hopes of derailing the undefeated Crimson Tide. Don't count on it happening. Alabama should have no problem with Tennessee this year. However, Tennessee hung with Florida this season and could surprise the Crimson Tide.
BOISE STATE VS. HAWAII
The Broncos take a long flight to Hawaii to play the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday night. If they can avoid getting distracted by the palm trees and great weather on the beach, they should be able to improve to 6-0 and move one step closer to a potential BCS bowl.
O OREGON VS.
WASHINGTON
The Ducks hope to keep rolling as they head north to play the Washington Huskies. USC found out that Washington can be a tough place to play at, so Oregon has to be careful. The Ducks have the inside track to the Pac-10 title, but they can't afford to lose this one.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUBURN VS. LSU
Auburn has lost two straight games after going 5-0 to start the season. LSU is 5-1 and still has hopes of winning the SEC West Division. A loss to Florida ended a streak of 32 victories in a row in night games in Death Valley, so LSU is eager to get another streak started on Saturday night.
Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark, left, runs with the ball as Minnesota defender Brandon Kirksey moves in during the first half of their game last Saturday in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions won 20-0.
PENN STATE VS. MICHIGAN
Wolverines looking for a quality win against Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions will have to play well in front of more than 100,000 fans in the Big House to win this one. It's never an easy task to win at Michigan, and Penn State is still looking for a big victory after losing at home to Iowa. The Wolverines had lost two straight games before defeating
Delaware State last week, so they will be looking for their first quality win in three weeks. Tate Forcier leads a Michigan offense that could pose some problems for the Penn State defense. The Nittany Lions would prefer to play a grind-it-out game, so tempo will be key in this one.
APTOP25
Team (First-place votes) Record Total Votes Prev. Rank
1. Alabama (39) 7-0 1447 2
2. Florida (20) 6-0 1434 1
3. Texas 6-0 1365 3
4. USC 5-1 1213 6
5. Cincinnati 6-0 1163 8
6. Boise State 6-0 1156 5
7. Iowa 7-0 1092 11
8. Miami (FL) 5-1 1056 9
9. LSU 5-1 1014 10
10. TCU 6-0 1001 12
11. Georgia Tech 6-1 861 19
12. Oregon 5-1 849 13
13. Penn State 6-1 753 14
14. Oklahoma State 5-1 690 16
15. Virginia Tech 5-2 684 4
16. Brigham Young 6-1 601 18
17. Houston 5-1 478 23
18. Ohio State 5-2 373 7
19. Utah 5-1 350 24
20. Pittsburgh 6-1 330 NR
21. Texas Tech 5-2 286 NR
22. West Virginia 5-1 205 NR
23. South Carolina 5-2 159 22
24. Kansas 5-1 120 17
25. Oklahoma 3-3 117 20
Dropped from rankings: Nebraska 15, South Florida 21, Notre Dame 25
Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 61, Mississippi 59, South Florida 57, Nebraska 52, Michigan 41, Central Michigan 39, Arizona 25, California 9, Arkansas 8, Oregon State 5, Missouri 4, Navy 4, Wisconsin 4, Idaho 4, Auburn 3, Boston College 3
The Wave's Top 25 Wave editor Scott Toland ranks the nation's best teams
1. Florida - Some think Alabama is the better team, but the Gators are still tops until they get knocked off.
2. Alabama - The Crimson Tide have dominated more than any other team so far this season.
6. Cincinnati - The nation's second-most surprising team so far this season has improved to 6-0.
3. Texas - The Longhorns didn't win by much, but any victory in the Red River Rivalry is huge.
7. lowa - The nation's most surprising team so far this season has improved to 7-0 and continues to impress.
4. Boise State - The Broncos
shouldn't lose a game, but they might need some help to make a BCS bowl game.
11. Miami - The Hurricanes have a win against Georgia Tech and are trying to win the ACC Championship.
8. USC – The Trojans hung on for a close victory against Notre Dame to improve to 5-1 for the season.
5. TCU - The Horned Frogs will get some more respect if they win at BYU this weekend.
12. Georgia Tech - The
*Georgia Tech* - The Yellow Jackets defeated Virginia Tech to stay in the hunt for the ACC title.
9. Oklahoma State - The
Cowboys have one loss,but they still have a chance to make some noise.
13. LSU - If the Tigers play up to their potential, they can hang with anyone in the country.
16. Penn State - The Nittany Lions are preparing for a big trip to the Big House to take on Michigan.
10. Oregon - The Ducks have a chance to run the table in the wild Pac-10 Conference.
14. Virginia Tech - The
21. West Virginia - The Mountainare are still hoping to make a run at the Big East championship.
Hokies dropped a tough game at Georgia Tech, but could still win the ACC.
17. Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh has surprised a lot of teams in the Big East by starting 6-1 this season.
15. BYU - The Cougars can make a big statement this weekend with a win against TCU at home.
18. Utah - The Utes are still capable of winning the tough Mountain West Conference.
22. Kansas - The Jayhawks have a big chance to prove their worth in this weekends matchup with Oklahoma.
19. Houston - The Cougars
23. Texas Tech - No one
19. Houston - the Cougars had a big chance of going undefeated if they hadn't lost to UTEP.
23. texas tech - No one wants to play the Red Raiders when their offense is clicking.
24. Oklahoma - The
Sooners are the greatest 3-3 team in the history of college football.
20. Ohio State - Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes are trying to get over last week's upset loss to Purdue.
25. South Florida - The
Bulls lost to Cincinnati, but they are still off to a 5-1 start this season.
THE WAVE OCTOBER 23, 2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN