What will the AP Poll look like next week? I’ve got the answer for you. Each week we’ll be predicting what each ranked team will do in the upcoming games and how that will impact their rankings. Then, we’ll compare these predictions against what actually happened as the season progresses.

As we move from “Rivalry Week #1” to “Rivalry Week #2”, one thing I want to point out is that college football so rarely disappoints. Whenever we have a huge game on tap over the last couple of years, it always lives up to the hype. Ohio State – Michigan delivered on its promise of becoming “The Game” this year. Who ever put money down on a final score of 42-39 must have some sort of clairvoyant power because that final score was so unexpected it made my jaw drop.

I didn’t expect that final score by any stretch, but a couple of my other predictions came true. First, Ohio State won the game and clinched a trip to Glendale to play for all the marbles. Second, Troy Smith clinched the Heisman Trophy. I know that second item is not official yet, but who really thinks that Brady Quinn or anyone else can catch Smith after that performance? The trip to New York City in a couple weeks and the production that is put on to celebrate the five finalists’ accomplishments is really just a formality at this point.

Let’s see how the rest of my picks turned out. Below is a table showing how I had predicted the poll to look last week lined up against how it looks in reality today. I’ve also added this week’s opponent for each team to the table.



While I was right about Ohio State, I was wrong about Michigan dropping in the rankings because of their loss in Columbus. The Wolverines are still ranked #2 and deservedly so. I don’t believe any of the other one-loss teams deserves to be ranked above Michigan. I don’t think it’s going to stay that way, but for now Michigan sits at the coveted spot.

I was also right about Florida and USC winning. I even predicted the score of the Florida game exactly: 63-0! Maybe I have some of that clairvoyance myself. But I was wrong about Florida staying ahead of USC. I knew USC would look impressive in their win over Cal, but I didn’t think it would be enough to jump a team who had won 63-0. I’m not sure what else Florida was supposed to do against Western Carolina to hold off the Trojans. The season’s far from over, so both teams will have their chance to prove their mettle ever more.

I’ve been singing the praises of Cincinnati all season long and every time I do and pick them to pull off an upset, they disappoint me. So for the first time, I went the other way and picked Rutgers to hold off the Bearcats and of course you can guess what happened. Rutgers’ dream season was taken down a notch. The Scarlet Knights can still win the Big East, but any chance of them going to Glendale is over. Since I’ve been associating Rutgers with Wake Forest all season, I should also point out that I was correct in picking Wake to be tripped up at home while remaining very much in the hunt for the ACC title. I think the ACC Atlantic Division race will be a very interesting series of events to watch this weekend. The winner will face Georgia Tech in Jacksonville next Saturday.

The Big XII South and the Big East are still also up for grabs. All other conferences or divisions have been won at this point. So how about this week? We’ve got a couple games that are absolutely huge. Notre Dame goes to L.A. to play USC where they will lose by at least 7 points. The result will send the Irish down to #11 in the poll and will put USC even closer to taking the #2 spot. I think Michigan holds on to that spot for one more week. If USC and Michigan finish with identical 11-1 records, I think USC will overtake Michigan. But the voters will wait to see if USC can close it out next week against UCLA before declaring the Trojans the second best in the land.

The other huge game this weekend is LSU @ Arkansas. Even though the game is in Fayetteville, I’m going to call for the upset of the weekend. Arkansas will not finish their conference record undefeated but will still be going to Atlanta to play the Florida Gators next Saturday for the SEC title. The Razorbacks only have pride to play for (and maybe an outside chance of going to Glendale which is really outside the realm of possibilities in my opinion) because their trip to Atlanta is already a sure thing. I think the Tigers are as capable as anyone of taking down the Hogs’ magical season.

Aside from those two huge games, there are a few always-great rivalry games on tap. Florida will absolutely destroy Florida State. A lot of fans and pundits are starting to say this game will be closer than we first expected. I don’t know where they’re getting this from. The Gators win by at least three touchdowns because the Seminoles are still just as dreadful as they have been all season. Announcing that you’re firing Jeff Bowden at the end of the season may keep your boosters happy but it doesn’t change the fact that you barely beat Western Michigan at home last week.

Texas will beat Texas A&M easily. As in most rivalries, you can throw out the records in this game every year but I just haven’t been too impressed with A&M this year. I thought they were headed in the right direction, but they just didn’t win the games they needed to to put them over the hump. Staying in the Big XII, Oklahoma will beat Oklahoma State easily. The Cowboys always play the Sooners tough, but this year the game will not end closer than 10 points.

Georgia Tech will finally beat Georgia and will do it in Athens. Georgia was impressive in beating Auburn two weeks ago, but I’m thinking that that game was more about exposing Auburn for being weaker than perceived than it was about showing that Georgia is stronger than we think. The Jackets will stay ranked in the top 20 by winning a close one over their rivals. Staying in the ACC, Virginia Tech will beat Virginia at home by more than three touchdowns. The Hokies may be playing the best football in the ACC right now, but cannot win the conference because of their loss early in the season to Georgia Tech. Their top rated defense may just shut out the Cavaliers in Blacksburg.

Clemson will keep its winning streak intact against their in-state rivals. Spurrier never beat his nemesis Bobby Bowden in Tallahassee and he won’t beat that man’s son in Clemson either. Not this year, anyway. Clemson wins by 9. And who knows? Spurrier may just be off to coach Miami after this season so it may be his last chance as coach of the Cocks to beat the Tigers. No matter what, if you love college football, you love its rivalries. Enjoy!!!! Here’s what the entire poll will look like a week from today: