Who Should Be #1 Now?

A couple of weeks ago, I asked this question — after Southern Cal and Florida lost to unranked opponents and eighth-ranked Alabama beat third-ranked Georgia.

Circumstances compel me to ask it again.

• The top-ranked team, Oklahoma, lost to the fifth-ranked team, Texas, by 10 points Saturday. (Barry Tramel conceded, in The Oklahoman, that "the better team won.")
  
  Texas vaulted into the top spot in the polls.
  
  Is that where the Longhorns belong?
  
  Well ...


• Second-ranked Alabama was idle, but third-ranked Missouri lost to 17th-ranked Oklahoma State. David Ubben of the Columbia Missourian says the loss "ended any hope" that Missouri would play for the national title.
  
  Meanwhile, the still unbeaten OSU Cowboys prepare to take on Baylor next week, followed by a showdown with Texas on Oct. 25.
  
  Actually, we should learn a lot about Texas in the next three weeks. The 'Horns are at home against Missouri next Saturday and Oklahoma State on Oct. 25, then they travel to Texas Tech for a Big XII South game on Nov. 1.


• Eleventh-ranked Florida, after being knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten by Ole Miss two weeks ago, absolutely hammered #4 LSU, 51-21. The Gators have two weeks to savor their victory over the defending national champions before returning to action against Kentucky on Oct. 25.


• Seventh-ranked Texas Tech managed to remain unbeaten, but the Red Raiders struggled against unranked Nebraska only to pull off a 37-31 win in overtime.


• And there were some other upsets in college football Saturday, including previously unbeaten #13 Vanderbilt's loss to Mississippi State, 17-14, and unranked Arkansas' victory over #20 Auburn on the road, 25-22.

Even though Alabama was idle yesterday, I still think (as I did two weeks ago) that the Crimson Tide deserve to be ranked #1. I think they might run the table the rest of the way — and that would include victories over Auburn and LSU.

But in the latest AP poll, the Longhorns rode their 45-35 win over the Sooners to the top ranking in the land, while OU fell to #4.

The Tide still isn't getting the recognition I believe it deserves. Alabama remained at #2 in the polls.

Personally, I would be shocked if Alabama doesn't win its next three games (vs. Ole Miss, at Tennessee and vs. Arkansas State) before traveling to Baton Rouge, La., to take on LSU on Nov. 8.