THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

CHRIS DUFRESNE’S RANKINGS WITH COMMENTS

*--* Rk School (Rec.) Comment 1 MIAMI (12-0) Players think it is possible not to overlook next opponent and have championship rings fitted 2 OHIO STATE (13-0) Only chance Buckeyes have in Phoenix is if one of the Insight Bowl teams shows up by accident 3 IOWA (11-1) Hawkeye caravan, halfway to California, receives Western Union cable to turn wagons and head for Florida 4 GEORGIA (11-1) Sugar Bowl bills Bowden vs. Richt as “The Game the Orange Bowl Stuck Us With.” 5 USC (10-2) Trojan ticket packages to Miami include free ride to Bermuda Triangle on Jimmy Johnson’s yacht 6 WASHINGTON STATE (10-2) State rejects Jason Gesser’s workman’s compensation injury claim after going over UCLA game stats 7 KANSAS STATE (10-2) Holiday Bowl did the world a favor by not sending new UCLA coach to this potential train wreck 8 OKLAHOMA (11-2) Big battle brewing as to whether Rose Bowl will let the Sooner Schooner loose on historic turf 9 TEXAS (10-2) This couldn’t have worked out better; a trip to the Cotton Bowl that doesn’t involve playing Oklahoma 10 PENN STATE (9-3) Don’t let anyone fool you about the Capital One Bowl. It’s the Citrus Bowl with a new name 11 NOTRE DAME (10-2) Irish lawyers trying to figure out how school got bounced to a Mickey Mouse bowl in Jacksonville 12 MICHIGAN (9-3) Outback Bowl is OK, but players say top goal is winning Big Ten and going to Sony PlayStation Bowl 13 ALABAMA (10-3) You don’t really want to know what Tide fans are doing to Dennis Franchione bobble head dolls 14 FLORIDA STATE (9-4) Bobby Bowden’s New Year’s Eve plans in New Orleans include a warm glass of milk and 10 p.m. bedtime story 15 WEST VIRGINIA (9-3) Memo to coach upset that Notre Dame gets preferential bowl treatment; wake up and smell the Irish coffee 16 COLORADO (9-4) Barnett thinks by the time Alamo Bowl rolls around he’ll have a tailback healthy enough to put on his socks 17 AUBURN (8-4) Again, Rankman wants to make clear, trip to Capital One Bowl is actually trip to the Citrus Bowl 18 NORTH CAROLINA STATE (10-3) Pairing with Notre Dame in Gator Bowl, is one of those bowl matchups you, yawn, dream about 19 BOISE STATE (11-1) If coach ends up with UCLA job, Ed Kezirian says he will be happy to lead team in Humanitarian Bowl 20 MARYLAND (10-3) When you add it up, Peach Bowl matchup against Tennessee equals two teams with seven losses 21 ARKANSAS (9-4) Music City officials tell fans they will not be allowed to do Hog calls on stage of Grand Old Opry 22 FLORIDA (8-4) Zook says media ban worked so well against FSU he might try it again during bowl week 23 PITTSBURGH (8-4) Players looking forward to playing Dec. 26 Insight Bowl just as soon as they return Christmas gifts 24 COLORADO STATE (10-3) Hey, the way things are going in the BCS, Rams could end up in the Rose Bowl next year 25 VIRGINIA TECH (9-4) Coach tells recruit this week “You heard it right, we scored 45 points against Miami.”

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