Week 14 Top 25

Sorry about the lack of update last week, but we're back now after the holiday.  Not much has changed near the top.  I still have Oregon in the third spot based on the entire body of work, but a win in the SEC title game would surely launch the dogs ahead of the Ducks into the second spot (so keep your red panties in your lap).  Of course, none of that matters because my vote means nothing.  After teams 15-21 all lost last week, I am stopping at 15 this time because going beyond that would be pointless.

Week 14
1. Notre Dame	Notre Dame has finished the season undefeated and will play in the National Championship game.  I repeat, Notre Dame has finished the season undefeated and will play in the National Championship game.  Notre Dame versus SEC for the title…ESPN just spontaneously combusted.
2. SEC	The Tide have clearly not lost focus after their loss to aTm.  They've taken care of two 1-AA caliber opponents as a warm up for the SEC title game to earn a trip to play Notre Dame in Miami.
3. Oregon	The Ducks rebounded just fine from their OT loss to Stanford by running away from Oregon State in the second half.  It was a close game for a while, but Oregon did what everybody was waiting for them to do last week.  Unfortunately for NikeU, there is no chance of climbing back into the title game.
4. SEC	It's really a wonder why Aaron Murray hasn't been in the Heisman discussion.  He leads the nation in pass efficiency and is a win away from leading his team to the BCS title game.  This isn't to say that he has had a more spectacular season than Johnny Manziel or Collin Klein, but he has exceeded expectations.  Of course, the big game monkey still looms, and he has a chance to end that in a big way on Saturday.
5. SEC	The Gayta have somehow played their way into an almost certain Sugar Bowl berth.  Nick Saban apparently takes exception to this, since it will knock the loser of the SEC championship game down to the Citrus Bowl, or worse.  Will Muschamp, your response?  "We'll switch places if Nick doesn't like it."
6. SEC	I think it's officially time to 5150 the Hatter.
7. SEC	Johnny Manziel continues to be ridiculous.  Clearly, I love Collin Klein as much as anybody, but Johnny Football is my leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman.
8. Collin Klein	Speaking of Collin Klein, he got a much needed week off to rest after a terrible outing against Baylor.  Clearly, the shot he took against OK State had a lingering effect, as he just wasn't the same in the ensuing two games.  Hopefully he has fully recovered and can finish strong against Texas to clinch the Big?.
9. Stanford	Stanford took care of business against UCLA to clinch their spot in the Pac-12 title game against…UCLA.  The Pac-12 title game is off to a rough two-year start.
10. SEC	The Gamecocks have once again finished remarkably without Marcus Lattimore.  This time it was without Connor Shaw as well.  As happy as they are to have beaten Clemson for the fourth straight year, Gamecock fans have to be frustrated by what could have been yet again.
11. Oklahoma	The Sooners won a wild one against OK State to stay alive in the Big? title race.  It's really getting old seeing this same story year after year with OU.  They certainly have the athletes, but something is just not right.  OU may be the biggest proponent of a playoff, because it affords them the chance to choke away a regular season game every year and still play for a title, which they certainly could win.
12. Florida State	E.J. Manuel is the Oklahoma of college QBs.  He passes the eyeball test.  He has all the physical ability you could dream of.  He makes spectacular plays and puts up huge numbers…when it doesn't matter.  Despite all his talent, he finds a way to lose in the big games, and he did it again against the Gayta.  FreeShoesU looked like they were about to run away after coming back from a 13-3 hole.  Then, just like that, they started turning the ball over again, and it was 37-20 almost instantly.
13. Nebraska	Nebraska has quietly turned in a strong season after a rocky start.  Taylor Martinez is still frustratingly inconsistent, but he has really matured a lot this year.  An ugly victory over a terrible Iowa team is not the strongest way to go into the B1G title game, but at least they weren't 3rd in their division like their opponent Wisconsin.
14. Clemson	Yet again, Clemson falls to a tougher team.  The Gamecocks have clearly gotten in their heads, as Clemson should have run the wounded chickens off the field.  But no, the vaunted Tiger offense folded under pressure again, and their defense remained incapable of stopping anybody in a big game.  This makes them a virtual lock to return to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl.
15. Kent State	Fresh off a College World Series appearance, the Golden Flashes are in position now to make a BCS game.  All they need to do is beating Northern Illinois and finish higher in the BCS standings than the Big East champ.  Kent State would almost certainly land in the Orange Bowl in this scenario.  That means we could see an Orange Bowl featuring Kent State and 7-6 Georgia Tech.  Actually, that's not true, nobody would actually see that as long as anything else is on TV that night.