College Football's Top 8 Teams -- Version 4.0
by Matt Carroll

1) Ohio State vs. 2) Michigan: Who needs the BCS? Your National Championship game is right here. The greatest rivalry in the greatest sport. 11-0 vs. 11-0. #1 vs. #2. The Buckeyes and Wolverines have seemed to be in a class by themselves for quite some time now. They both had their closest games of the season on Nov. 4th, and in neither one, did it feel like either team was out of control. A lot of the one-loss teams had a chance to capitalize on that and most of them either looked unimpressive or lost.

The Heisman favorite in Troy Smith going against a defense that already put a black mark on one Heisman favorite campaign. Two great defenses. Two balanced offenses. Two of the best return men in the game between Ted Ginn and Steve Breaston. Tressel. Carr. Smith. Henne. Gonzalez. Manningham. Pittman. Hart. Jenkins. Hall. Laurinaitis. Harris. Pitcock. Branch. Woodley. The only thing this game is missing is Keith Jackson.

3) Arkansas: This team is getting better and better as the season goes on. 6-0 in the best conference in the country (albeit, an overrated one) deserves respect on its own. The defense has given up 21+ points only twice this year. They have the best 1-2 running attack in the nation with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. With a very solid win against Tennessee, you can see that this team is playing with a ton of confidence right now. Although...

4) Florida: ...is still the best one-loss team in the country. They have a lot of talent and have felt like the favorite in every game they have played this year. However, they have looked horrible the past month. Their last three wins have been by a combined 14 points against all unranked teams (Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina). These came after their loss to Auburn. That loss to Auburn looks less impressive now that Georgia and Arkansas were both able to dominate them in their stadium.

5) USC: Just like that, the Trojans are back in the picture. What helps them is their schedule down the stretch. Not only do they have two very good opponents coming up, they are both at home. That will give them the opportunity to show that they can play with anyone. If you like WRs then watch these two games. Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett for USC. DeSean Jackson for Cal and Jeff Samardzija for ND.

6) Rutgers: Rutgers had arguably the best half of defense that any team has played in the country when they shut down Brian Brohm and Louisville to get their biggest win ever. Ray Rice showed why he should be getting at least as much attention as Steve Slaton as the premier RB in the Big East. It would be nice to see a good out of conference win from this team, but they have another great chance to prove themselves at WVU in three weeks.

7) Notre Dame: Anybody who has a problem with Rutgers' ranking based on their schedule need look no further than the schedule for this team. Ty Willingham's team (coached by Charlie Weis) have played two teams that are currently ranked, a tight win at Georgia Tech and a home shellacking by Michigan. They have needed two desperation comebacks to beat Michigan State and UCLA, neither team with a winning record. Their game against USC will show how much they have actually improved. The ND offense is extremely potent, but the Irish secondary will need to play the game of their careers to match Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett.

8) Louisville: A great win against WVU and a tough loss against Rutgers in a span of 8 days. Brian Brohm is back in full swing as the offense showed that they are every bit as explosive as WVU's [offense]. Their ineffectiveness in the 2nd half against Rutgers is a big selling point for the Scarlet Knights. WR Harry Douglas has taken advantage of the attention paid to Mario Urrutia, and now both are solid options for Brohm down the stretch.

On the Radar: Wisconsin, West Virginia, LSU

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Key Games in the Next 2 Weeks
Nov. 18:
#2 Michigan @ #1 Ohio St.
#17 California @ #4 USC
#19 Virginia Tech @ #14 Wake Forest

Nov. 25:
#9 LSU @ #5 Arkansas (Nov. 24)
#14 Wake Forest @ #21 Maryland
#6 Notre Dame @ #4 USC