The Only Poll That Matters
Posted September 25, 2005, 11:29 AM ET

If you haven't figured it out by now...I love college football.

But my favorite sport has some serious flaws. The biggest problem is the BCS and the endless amounts of politics at play that prevent a true playoff format for Division 1-A football. It is criminal that we can't determine the real national champion on the field.

Another problem with college football is the actual polling system itself. I know preseason polls are fun for fans because it gives us something to talk about in the short-term before the start of the season. But the polls in ranking college football teams should be produced for the first time once the month of September comes to a close. Many teams ranked in the Top 15 are there because they were good last year....what you did in 2004 should have absolutely no bearing on your status in 2005.

You need at least three or four weeks of play to determine which teams can really play. Throw in the idiotic AP Poll, Coaches' Poll, the Harris Interactive Poll, the NY Times Computer Poll...well, you understand how the game of ranking teams can get so confusing and watered down. Basically, the system stinks.

So, I'm going to give you the official college football rankings...keep in mind this is a list based on games played through September 24th...and yes, the outcome of the Tennessee-LSU game on September 26th will influence my poll next week.

But here it goes...and remember this is based on performance only....no hype, reputation or conference-affiliation....these are the best 10 teams in college football:

1.	Southern Cal	Will the Trojans lose a game? They are a dynasty in the making.
2.	Texas	Win over the Buckeyes elevates Mack Brown and the Horns.
3.	Virginia Tech	Hokies are rolling and Beamer is the most underrated coach in the USA.
4.	Florida	Forget Urban and his offense....it is all about the defense.
5.	Ohio State	Despite the losing to Mack Brown at home, the Buckeyes are the Big Ten's best.
6.	Florida State	If the offense continues to improve, watch out.
7.	Miami	Read FSU's tagline.... the Canes can play with anybody.
8.	Alabama	Huge showdown with Florida this week...a possible SEC title preview?
9.	Michigan State	Best team in Michigan.
10.	Georgia	They're unbeaten and continue to tease.

There are a number of teams that could crack the Top 10...like LSU. But the Tigers have only played one game and the outcome of their home opener against Tennessee could vault them into the Top 10....Even Notre Dame has impressed with the 3-1 start.

But after one month we have weeded out some pretenders...teams like Michigan, Louisville, Iowa...and possibly Tennessee, if they lose Monday night to LSU at Tiger Stadium.

But October is my favorite month, and the college football season will really take shape....I can't wait.