THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

CHRIS DUFRESNE’S RANKINGS AND COMMENTS:

*--* Rk Team (Rec.) Comment 1 MIAMI (9-0) Doctor who cut on Coker’s left knee Monday boasted he’d gone 31straight surgeries without a loss 2 OHIO STATE (11-0) Kicker Mike Nugent, no relation to guitarist Ted, has made all 21 field-goal attempts this year 3 TEXAS (9-1) Team takes refuge in Mack Brown’s bunker and plans to stay there until all the BCS dust clears 4 WASHINGTON ST. (9-1) Cougars may be No. 3 in other polls, but Rankman doesn’t want success going to team’s head 5 OKLAHOMA (8-1) Board of hexes says it’s too late to blame first loss on Sports Illustrated’s cover (preseason) jinx 6 IOWA (10-1) How can BCS be equal-opportunity employer when a team this good could end up in the Citrus Bowl? 7 USC (7-2) Rah-rah Pete Carroll told to save his voice or risk becoming Trojan hoarse during UCLA week 8 GEORGIA (9-1) With team depleted of wide receivers, look for Uga on an end-round against Auburn 9 ALABAMA (8-2) Jar-heads wonder what might have been had school not got hand caught in NCAA cookie jar 10 KANSAS STATE (8-2) On the payback front, Nebraska once beat Kansas State 29 straight times from 1969 to 1998 11 NOTRE DAME (9-1) Irish use open date to scrape barnacles off hull in wake of near naval disaster 12 MICHIGAN (8-2) Coach hunches over caldron this week cooking up ways to ruin another perfect Ohio State season 13 FLORIDA STATE (7-3) Team makes good on promise to have same record this week as head coach’s age 14 PENN STATE (7-3) The Happy Valley Tattler reports Joe Paterno went to Halloween party dressed as a Big Ten official 15 VIRGINIA TECH (8-2) After second loss, Hokies demoted to Wednesday Night Football slot (Nov. 20) against West Virginia 16 COLORADO (7-3) Coach breaks news to Jeremy Bloom that the Sugar Bowl is a football game, not a ski resort 17 LOUISIANA ST. (7-2) Coach thinks that last-second, Hail Mary, three-deflection pass could work again this week 18 MARYLAND (8-2) Cancel that missing team report, Bob, we’ve just located the Terrapins in the AP rankings 19 OREGON (7-3) It’s always a fun week when Rick Neuheisel’s team slips into town between rain storms 20 COLORADO ST. (8-2) Sonny Lubick’s new contract includes one new snowmobile for each win over Colorado 21 PITTSBURGH (8-2) Players kill time before showdown against Miami by putting together 1,000-piece BCS jigsaw puzzle 22 FLORIDA (7-3) Zook told Spurrier he couldn’t trade Jacquez Green back to Gators for another receiver 23 N.C. STATE (9-2) E-mail much easier to manage now that Wolfpack backers have quit telling Rankman where to go 24 BOWLING GREEN (8-1) Urban Meyer is such a hot coaching prospect he is now wearing fire-proof trousers 25 UCLA (7-3) Rankman doesn’t understand why his Uncle Bob’s Bruins aren’t getting any love in those other rankings

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