Alabama is 9.5 point underdogs to Florida right now. So it’s safe to assume who Vegas thinks is a better team. So it’s really between Texas and Florida in my mind.

However, I do believe Oklahoma has had a slightly (slightly) more impressive season than the Longhorns, who struggled against Okie State and played an even game against Tech (Oklahoma flattened both of them). Yeah, Texas beat up Oklahoma, but their loss to Texas Tech is worse than Oklahoma’s loss to USC.

Florida has steamrolled the SEC since losing to Ole Miss, so I give the nod to the Gators. I actually have USC #2 in my ballot, which I know is not a popular sentiment, anywhere, but there is something similar to the way the two have obliterated their competition since being upset. Too bad no one realizes the SEC is in a bit of a down year like the Pac-10. And I really wouldn’t have a problem with a Big 12 team usurping the Trojans for the NC.

Those other teams are not. I have no problem with “power” rankings early in the season, but in December, I think you have to base it more on results—no matter who you think would win in a hypothetical matchup. Fortunately, that Florida-Alabama matchup isn’t just hypothetical, and we’ll have a clear idea Saturday night who the best and most deserving team from the SEC is.

But the Big-12 is obviously a mess. We can argue all we want, but there is absolutely no reasonable way to clearly distinguish who is better and/or more deserving of a title shot among the top three. Sure, go ahead and throw one-loss USC into the mix, too, even though the Pac-10 clearly hasn’t been as good as the Big 12. And I’d also like to see the other undefeateds (Utah, Boise, and even Letterman State) get a shot.

Obviously, only a true playoff (and not just some half-assed “plus one” system) could fairly sort through all of this. Regardless of how good any of us think these teams are (or not), any squad that has completed a 12-game schedule with one or none losses deserves a shot at the national championship.

Keep up the good work!

Bama is not the best team in the country (well, yet), but they deserve to be #1. Definitely ahead of Florida, given they both played Ole Miss and one team lost, while the other team won. Most likely ahead of any Big XII team just by virtue of being undefeated, in spite of their weak schedule.

The good part is that this does not matter. This is probably the closest to a Plus-One we’re going to see in the near future:

Alabama vs Florida decides the SEC Champion and who plays.
Oklahoma vs Mizzou decides Big XII championship – Ok wins and they’re in, Ok loses and Texas is in.

four-loss team to be #1

Can the people who voted for Texas be forced to watch Mack Brown’s begging from 2004 and be asked to revote?

I, for one, find it especially delicious to find the horns in this position.

That’s my criteria for ranking, and based on that it would have to be U$C. Seriously, their defense is just insane, and I would put them up against Texas, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, and pretty much any other team in the country right now.

Gee … I almost pity the babybruins.