| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Florida |  2 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 3 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 8 |
| 4 | Boston College | 2 |
| 5 | LSU |  4 |
| 6 | South Carolina | 2 |
| 7 | California | 5 |
| 8 | Oregon | 2 |
| 9 | Arizona State | — |
| 10 | Texas Tech | 10 |
| 11 | Kentucky | 12 |
| 12 | Kansas | 2 |
| 13 | Virginia Tech | 5 |
| 14 | Boise State | 1 |
| 15 | Missouri | 11 |
| 16 | West Virginia | 1 |
| 17 | Cincinnati | 10 |
| 18 | Florida | 8 |
| 19 | Hawaii | 7 |
| 20 | Texas | 6 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 5 |
| 22 | Michigan | 4 |
| 23 | Auburn | 1 |
| 24 | Southern Cal | 2 |
| 25 | Virginia | 1 |
Dropped Out: Illinois (#13), Florida State (#16), Indiana (#19), Wisconsin (#21), Texas A&M (#22), Wyoming (#25).
Aghhhhhhhh. In some respects: best season ever to go a-road-trippin’. In others, like the fact that I just can’t watch that many games on TV… well, I feel like I’m missing out on the mayhem. Then again: I’ve seen 9 of my Top 25 live.
I guess the biggest question here is: why do I have South Florida number one and not, say, Ohio State (who’s just been destroying people) or Boston College (featuring a QB I can’t help but have a mancrush on) or Arizona State (a team I suspect as being sorta kinda meandering along fooling us into thinking “Top 10 material!!!”) or anyone else? Because South Florida’s defense scared the living bejeebus out of me. They were so impressive it’s made a huge lasting impression resulting in me ranking them above Ohio State for several weeks now. This will all be rectified by this coming Thursday when the Bulls play Rutgers and I see what’s up. Also: I’ll be at the Wisconsin-Ohio State game and the Va. Tech-BC game. So that should cast light on any lingering doubts.
And aaaaaagh PSU and Michigan. What to do with you? I still believe in Morelli’s inherent inability despite the Wisconsin beat down, so there you go: when in doubt, side with Hart.
Road trip update: I think I’m sitting at 7,000 miles, give or take a few hundred here or there. States visited are in this order: California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana. I have gained a good 10 lbs., which is unsurprising given that my main three exercise routines are drinking, eating and driving. And walking to towing companies.
And for anyone unsure what my schedule is:
ALL TIMES EASTERN
Saturday, September 1st
Colorado State at Colorado (Denver, CO, Mile High Stadium); 10:00 AM
Saturday, September 8th
Miami (Fla) at Oklahoma (Norman, OK); 12:00 PM
Saturday, September 15th
USC at Nebraska (Lincoln, NE); 8:00 PM
Thursday, September 20th
Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee State (Murfreesboro, TN); 7:00 PM
Saturday, September 22nd
Georgia at Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL); TBA
Friday, September 28th
West Virginia at South Florida (Tampa, FL); 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 29th
Auburn at Florida (Gainesville, FL); TBA
Thursday, October 4
Kentucky at South Carolina (Columbia, SC); 7:30 PM
Saturday, October 6
Virginia Tech at Clemson, (Clemson, SC); TBA
Wednesday, October 10
Navy at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA); 8:00 PM
Saturday, October 13
Wisconsin at Penn State (State College, PA); 3:30 PM
Saturday, October 20
USC at Notre Dame (South Bend, IN); 3:30 PM
Thursday, October 25
Boston College at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA); 7:30 PM
Saturday, October 27
South Carolina at Tennessee (Knoxville, TN); TBA [First choice?]
OR
Florida at Georgia (Jacksonville, FL); TBA [Second choice? Agh. Get back to me on this one.]
Sunday, October 28
UCF at Southern Miss (Hattiesburg, MS); 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 3
Wisconsin at Ohio State (Columbus, OH); TBA
Tuesday, November 6
Central Michigan at Western Michigan (Kalamazoo, MI); 7:30 PM
Wednesday, November 7
Ohio at Akron (Akron, OH); 7:30 PM
Thursday, November 8
Louisville at West Virginia (Morgantown, WV); 7:30 PM
Saturday, November 10
Auburn at Georgia (Athens, GA); TBA
Saturday, November 17
Ohio State at Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI); TBA [First choice]
OR
LSU at Ole Miss (Oxford, MS); TBA [Second choice]
OR
Maryland at Florida State (Tallahassee, FL); TBA [Larger data sample=more credibility]
Thursday, November 22
USC at Arizona State (Tempe, AZ); 8:00 PM
Saturday, November 24
Notre Dame at Stanford (Palo Alto, CA); TBA
Saturday, December 1
UCLA at USC (Los Angeles, CA); 4:30 PM
States covered:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia
82 Sluggo Win 
If you want one night of family-style comfort – a room to yourself, shower and toilet nearby, and dinner with the fam, you are still welcome in Charlottesville on your swing toward Blacksburg.
Well, you’d have to drive past Bburg to get to us, but whatever. You’re invited. I’ll tell my wife later.
Your October 27 games aren’t TBA. Florida-Georgia is at 3:30 PM on CBS. Tennessee-South Carolina is at 7:45 PM on ESPN.
Come to Knoxville!! If the Vols and Cocks both win this weekend, the Fulmer-Spurrier Bowl will be a battle between the only two teams in the SEC East that control their own destinies.
Oh yeah, and I live here. Drop me a line if you decide to come to town – irishtrojan [at] gmail.com.
They were TBA when I made my schedule. I haven’t bothered to look the TBAs up until the week of the game.
I will certainly drop you a line when in Knoxville.