The first Bowl Championship Series rankings of 2008 come out Oct. 19, and this week's Associated Press college football rankings will have no resemblance to that list.
That's because today's games will jumble the national title picture. You can blame the Big 12 Conference, which has a logjam of undefeated teams. Consider that today:
• No. 1 Oklahoma (5-0) is at No. 5 Texas (5-0).
• No. 3 Missouri (5-0) plays host to No. 17 Oklahoma State (5-0).
• And No. 7 Texas Tech (5-0) is at home against Nebraska (3-2).
In addition, two of the Southeastern Conference's top teams, No. 4 LSU (4-0) and No. 11 Florida (4-1), meet in Gainesville, Fla., and the Big Ten's best, No. 6 Penn State (6-0), has to play at Wisconsin (3-2).
All told, five of the top seven ranked teams could lose today.
Oddly, when these heavyweights are done pummeling each other, the winner in this melee could be No. 8 USC (3-1), which many had written off when it fell at Oregon State.
How do the Trojans get a BCS title berth? They are the Pacific-10's best team, so they could run the table; they don't have to play a conference title game as do teams in the Big 12 and the SEC, and they've already beaten one of the Big Ten's best (Ohio State).
It proves again that just when you think USC is out of it, the Trojans weasel their way into the championship picture.
What to watch
College football: Oklahoma vs. Texas, 9 a.m., Ch. 10. The Red River Rivalry is a BCS title game in October.
What to surf
collegefootball.about.com/od/rivalries/a/rivalry-red.htm This site explains the Red River Rivalry best. What to do
College football: Southern Utah at UC Davis, 6 p.m. Enjoy an intimate college stadium on a crisp fall night.
Friday's results
A.L. Championship Series
• Red Sox 2, Rays 0 Red Sox lead series 1-0
N.L. Championship Series • Phillies 8, Dodgers 5 Phillies lead series 2-0
NBA exhibition • KINGS 94, Thunder 85
Weekend poll
How will Kings center Spencer Hawes do this season? • Better than last season. • Same as last season. • Worse than last season. To vote, go to www.sacbee.com/sports.
Friday's poll results
Will the NBA Thunder succeed in Oklahoma City? • Yes. 84% • No. 14% • Too early to tell. 2% Total votes: 43
The last word
What you're saying on the sacbee.com comments: • "Well, fellow Kings fans, let history repeat itself … It looks like it'll be another long season once again." – stephen_m7 on "Kings hope to take frustration out on Thunder"
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