CHRIS DUFRESNE’S TOP 25

1. Florida State (8-0): Rankman cuts plea bargain with attorneys to keep Seminoles in top spot.

2. Penn State (8-0): Paterno thinks Kramer’s BCS is the worst idea since FDR’s WPA.

3. Florida (6-1): Look out, Georgia, Spurrier is messin’ with his QB’s head again.

4. Tennessee (5-1): Rankman thinks Vols may be better this year than last.

5. Virginia Tech (6-0): Third place in BCS rankings is sort of like third guy on a two-man bobsled team.

6. Georgia Tech (5-1): School’s new promoter, Don King, demands a rematch with Florida State.

7. Kansas State (7-0): This team has more heart, guts . . . jeez, what is Rankman saying?

8. Nebraska (6-1): Third consecutive loss to Texas has Cornhuskers seeing red-headed Major Applewhite.

9. Marshall (7-0): School buys sophisticated equipment in attempt to become blip on BCS radar screen.

10. Mississippi State (7-0) BCS schedule rank of 90 a great selling point to recruits.

11. Georgia (6-1): QB Quincy Carter pitched a complete game last week against Kentucky.

12. Texas (6-2): Looks like those “one year away” projections may have been 12 months off.

13. Wisconsin (6-2): Runaway Dayne lumbers his way back into Heisman race.

14. Alabama (5-2): Loss to Vols turns team into Alexander’s Ragtime band.

15. Brigham Young (6-1): Looks from here as if Cougars are playing King of the Mountain (West).

16. Michigan (5-2): Probably not a good week to be Indiana on the Wolverines’ schedule.

17. Purdue (5-3): Death march update: Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State and, this week, at Minnesota.

18. Southern Mississippi (5-2): Coach warns squad that Alabama “really used to be good.”

19. Ohio State (5-3): Buckeyes still two wins and cab fare from next bowl appearance.

20. East Carolina (6-1): Nothing but Ws left on schedule for bowl-bound Pirates. 21. Miami (3-3): “Nice comeback, guys, but it will never make up for 1984.” Regards, D. Flutie (Buffalo).

22. Oklahoma (4-2) Forty points a game? What did you expect from a team with Steve Spurrier Jr. as receivers coach?

23. Stanford (5-2): Four linebackers, three defensive ends and two bricks short of a load.

24. Texas A&M; (5-2): Reacts to worse loss in 98 years by cutting legendary 12th man from squad.

25. Notre Dame (4-3): Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines? Irish load up against Navy this week.