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1. Texas 13-0 (Last poll: 2)
Vince Young was a one-man wrecking crew and would
not be stopped against the Trojans. Young had all
day to throw on the Trojans’ defense and it showed.
With Reggie Bush gaining 82 yards rushing on only 13
carries, you have to wonder why he was always on the
sidelines at key points in the game. USC blew this
one just as much as Texas won it.
2. USC 12-1 (1)
The
streak was bound to end sometime, but USC’s stunning
collapse in the final minutes will be talked about
forever. In a game that was sloppily officiated,
especially for a national championship, it seemed
most breaks went Texas’ way. Matt Leinart and
LenDale White played well, but the Trojans were a
bit off most of the night.
3. Penn State 11-1 (3)
Joe
Paterno and Bobby Bowden met in one of the most
thrilling games of the year, with Penn State finally
outlasting the Noles 26-23. However, the woeful
kicking by both sides was very disappointing.
4. Ohio State 10-2 (6)
The
Buckeyes looked great against Notre Dame, beating
the Irish worse than the score (34-20) indicated. I
would not be shocked to see Ohio State ranked either
first or second to start the 2006 season. The
Buckeyes will enter next year on a 7-game winning
streak.
5. LSU 11-2 (10)
What a strange year for the Tigers! How can a team
lose at home to a poor Tennessee team, get blown out
by Georgia in the SEC championship game, and then
put a 40-3 whipping on Miami in the Peach Bowl?
LSU’s huge win over Miami was one of the bowl
season’s most stunning moments.
6. Virginia Tech 11-2 (11)
The
Hokies appeared to be sleepwalking against
Louisville and its backup QB, but finally kicked
things into gear in the fourth quarter for the win.
The 11-2 record is great but Virginia Tech fans have
got to be disappointed after the perfect 8-0 start.
7. West Virginia 11-1 (12)
The
Mountaineers took advantage of a horrendous effort
by Georgia and held off the Bulldogs 38-35 in the
Sugar Bowl. West Virginia deserves credit for the
victory but it would’ve been nice if Georgia had
shown up looking interested and ready to play.
Considering the game was in Atlanta, a better effort
by the Bulldogs should have been expected.
8. Alabama 10-2 (NR)
Brodie Croyle and company did things in their bowl
game just as they have all season. They won ugly.
The last-second field goal to beat Texas Tech was
one of the uglier kicks of the year but it managed
to wobble just inside the uprights and cap a nice
comeback season for the Tide.
9. Oregon 10-2 (4)
The
Ducks would have easily won the Holiday Bowl if
Kellen Clemens had remained healthy. While the loss
to Oklahoma was tough to swallow, Ducks fans should
be happy with the 10-win season after not even
playing in a bowl last year. Oregon should be a
preseason Top 10 team in 2006.
10. UCLA 10-2 (NR)
The
Sun Bowl comeback win over Northwestern was
stunning. After getting pummeled 66-19 by USC in
the final game of the regular season, the Bruins
found themselves down 22-0 to the Wildcats in the
bowl’s opening moments. Credit Karl Dorrell and his
staff with getting things turned around quickly. A
lot of teams would have melted down at that point.
11. Wisconsin 10-3 (NR)
Where was this Badgers defense all season? The fact
that it was Barry Alvarez’ last game probably had
something to do with it, but Wisconsin played its
best game of the year, particularly on defense in
beating Auburn.
12. Boston College 9-3 (NR)
The
Eagles stormed to a 27-0 lead over Boise State in
the MPC Computers Bowl and held on to win 27-21.
That victory was no small task. It ended the
nation’s longest home winning streak, as the Broncos
had won 31 straight on their infamous blue field.
Dropped out: Georgia (5), Notre Dame (7),
Auburn (8), Miami, Fla. (9). |
Rob Rochholz is a Fresno
State (TheOtherFSU) alum and San Francisco Giants
fan who works in graphic design and lives in San
Francisco. He's a former sportswriter at The Fresno
Bee, where he covered the WAC, Pac-10 and Big West
conferences. A fan of snowboarding and reality TV,
Rob correctly predicted in his August 2004
Outsports.com College Football Preview that USC
would defeat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl some five
months later. 
Richie Weldon has been
following college football since 1995, his freshman
year at Virginia Tech. An avid Hokies fan, Richie
tries not to let that influence his opinions on
other teams (most of the time). Seattle is the place
he calls home now, and almost every Saturday during
the fall he gets together with other Hokies to watch
the games. Richie is a software developer. 