College Football Rankings – The Rise and Fall of Week 4

1. Florida Gators (4-0)
And on the sixth day, God got a concussion. Despite the late loss of Tim Tebow, the Gators romped Kentucky 41-7 and protected their top ranking. Now if they can just protect their quarterback from getting molested on the open side…

2. Texas Longhorns (4-0)
Great. They beat UTEP. Whoop-dee-freeaking-do. Texas always gets off to a hot start, only to loss a pivotal matchup that derails their BCS chances. If you’ve bought in to the hype, then good for you, but I’d be more worried about Oklahoma on October 17th, where Sam Bradford looks scheduled to return.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0)
Credit Greg McElroy for giving the Tide exactly what they’ve lacked in recent years – a big play quarterback. McElroy had two passes of 50-yards and 80-yards to score touchdowns in his 291-yard, three score performance. You think defensive end Taylor Wyndham of Kentucky, the same man who just knocked God’s illegitimate son in to the next dimension, is licking his chops at taking out another Heisman candidate?

Next Game: Alabama (-16.5) vs. Kentucky

4. LSU Tigers (4-0)
Uh…what? LSU barely hung on to beat Mississippi State on the road and are ranked fourth? I guess that’s what happens when so many teams in the top-10 lose. The premier losses is the gain of the Tigers, but they have to prove they belong, especially with a tilts with Georgia and Florida just around the corner.

Next Game: LSU vs. Georgia (-2)

5. Boise State Broncos (4-0)
Jesus, a win over Bowling Green is that awesome? The Broncos sliced and diced the second quarter behind Kellen Moore’s 17-of-21 completions for 247 yards and two touchdowns. A strong home record, including a 5-0 ATS streak at home, should be good to go against UC Davis this weekend.

Biggest Risers – #12 Houston Launches To Perfect Season
At 3-0 SU, the Cougars rode Case Keenum’s back to a big win over Texas Tech vaulting them up five spots to twelfth in the nation. It’s a big tip of the hat from the associated press because Houston has not been an accredited football school in years. Both Keenum and Houston have to keep racking up huge wins because their patty cake schedule is going to do them no favors. In terms of betting, be wary of a team that is 2-7 ATS on the road too.

Next Game: Houston (-16.5) vs. Texas El Paso

Biggest Tumbler – Penn State Nittany Lions and Mississippi Rebels
The Penn State betting faithful were steamrolled this weekend when their team was romped 21-10 by unranked Iowa in their own building. Count that as the second time in two years that the Hawkeyes have crushed the hopes and dreams of all those Penn State alumni who want to see their team finally get a ticket to the big dance.

Daryll Clark, the quarterbacking senior for Penn, has no excuses for his 3-pick effort that helped Iowa stay in range. A blocked punt turned in to a score sealed the deal for Iowa and sending Penn State all the way down to fifteenth in the nation.

Next Game: Penn State (-6) vs. Illinois

But Penn State was not alone as Cal and Miami also took big blows to their chances. However, Ole’ Miss was the biggest victim of the weekend, dropping from fourth overall to twenty-first after a rousing loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks. Credit South Carolina’s defense for the win, but if you’re going to be a top-5 team, then you have to find a way around great defenses.

Next Game: Mississippi (-9) vs. Vanderbilt