And then there were 10.
Seven weeks of the 2008 college football regular season are history and only 10 schools remain unbeaten. There's still a half a season left and if this year compares to last, it's highly likely that nobody will go the distance unscathed.
Even though Southern California has one blemish on its ledger, the oddsmakers at Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the company that provides more than 90 percent of the lines to casinos in Nevada, still believe that Pete Carroll and company are the best team on paper.
The Trojans had their annual hiccup two weeks ago when they were upset by Oregon State 27-21 on Oct. 25. Since the setback, USC has posted back-to-back victories and covers over Oregon (44-10) and Arizona State (28-0).
The school stands at No. 6 in the latest AP poll and fourth in the USA Today rankings. The Bowl Championship Series poll will be released for the first time next week.
Even though LVSC has USC as the best team in the country, the school still might not get a shot at a national championship due to a lack of competition. The Pac 10 is very down this year and you can see it just by looking at this week's lines. The Trojans were installed as 42-point road favorites against Washington State, who is a miserable 1-6 on the season with the lone victory over Portland State.
Texas moved up to the second spot in the LVSC poll after stopping Oklahoma 45-35 in the Red River Shootout. Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide are ranked second in the AP and USA polls but are listed seventh in the oddsmakers' poll.
Alabama's schedule is set up nicely, with only two road games (Tennessee, LSU) remaining. If the Tide can run the table, a potential battle against Florida or Georgia in the SEC Championship would be very intriguing.
One conference that will get a little more exposure this week will be the Mountain West, when TCU hosts BYU in a primetime battle on Thursday. Even if the Cougars get past the Horned Frogs on the road, the schedule still has three of the final games outside of Provo including a finale at Utah. The Utes are listed No. 17 in the LVSC poll and should only move up with a pair of cupcakes on deck.
Below is a complete listing of this week's Top 30 along with notes from LVSC's Chief Operating Officer Kenny White.
| 1 |
Southern Cal |
113.2 |
2 |
Look who's back on top. |
| 2 |
Texas |
111.5 |
4 |
Colt and company score immense win. |
| 3 |
Florida |
111.1 |
5 |
Revenge is sweet……Tigers got sunk. |
| 4 |
Oklahoma |
110.9 |
1 |
Long day for Sooners D. |
| 5 |
Penn State |
109.6 |
6 |
Host Michigan then showdown at Ohio St. |
| 6 |
Missouri |
108.6 |
3 |
Get chased from title picture. |
| 7 |
Georgia |
107.8 |
9 |
Bulldogs easily dispense of Tennessee. |
| 8 |
Alabama |
107.5 |
7 |
Rebels pay a visit this week. |
| 9 |
Texas Tech |
106.6 |
8 |
Red Raiders dodge a bullet in overtime. |
| 10 |
Ohio State |
106.1 |
10 |
Not dead just yet. |
| 11 |
Brigham Young |
105.6 |
12 |
Snow was a bigger obstacle last week. |
| 12 |
LSU |
105.0 |
11 |
Still have time to rebound. |
| 13 |
Oklahoma State |
104.9 |
15 |
Cowboys have been in this poll from Day 1. |
| 13 |
California |
104.9 |
13 |
Rested for visit to Arizona. |
| 15 |
Kansas |
104.5 |
14 |
Solid performance against Colorado. |
| 16 |
Texas Christian |
102.4 |
16 |
Nearly rolled over versus Rams. |
| 17 |
Utah |
102.2 |
18 |
Blowout win over Wyoming. |
| 18 |
South Carolina |
102.0 |
24 |
Score road win at Kentucky. |
| 19 |
West Virginia |
101.7 |
17 |
Escape with win over lowly Syracuse. |
| 20 |
Boise State |
101.6 |
23 |
Post solid road win at So. Miss. |
| 21 |
Oregon |
101.5 |
NR |
Musical QB's get Ducks back in the game. |
| 22 |
Michigan State |
101.2 |
30 |
Spartans knock off unbeaten Northwestern. |
| 23 |
Virginia Tech |
101.0 |
24 |
Tough test upcoming against Eagles. |
| 23 |
South Florida |
101.0 |
24 |
Cupcake should get them back on track. |
| 25 |
Boston College |
100.9 |
28 |
Both BC and Virginia Tech off bye week. |
| 26 |
Arizona |
100.8 |
21 |
Outsmarted by Stanford. |
| 27 |
Tulsa |
100.6 |
22 |
Got away with one against SMU |
| 28 |
Oregon State |
100.5 |
NR |
Still worthy after USC win. |
| 28 |
North Carolina |
100.5 |
NR |
Tar Heels wear down Irish. |
| 30 |
Cincinnati |
100.0 |
29 |
Bears barely got by Rutgers. |
| The next ten: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Illinois, Wake Forest, Iowa, Houston, Nebraska, Pittsburgh |
| Dropped out: Clemson (19), Wisconsin (19), Auburn (24) | |
Chris David can be reached at cdavid@vegasinsider.com
