The USC Trojans opened up the college football betting weekend with a bang by losing to Oregon State and their tattooed quarterback. Georgia had the door wide open to take the top spot in the country, only to have the door slammed in a bloody nose by the Crimson Tide. Then Florida, of all teams, loses to Mississippi. So who\u2019s on top of the mountain now? <\/p>\n
1. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0 SU, 3-0 ATS)<\/strong><\/p>\n Sam Bradford and the Sooners rise to top after all the other teams decide to phone it in. Oklahoma has rewarded their betting faithful by going undefeated against the spread, but still have to survive Missouri before the voters take them genuinely serious. Bradford better be ready to hurl fireballs if the Sooners are expected to stay ahead of the pack. Nobody expects this run to last, but betting against a talented Bradford and a solid Sooners program has not been profitable thus far. Let\u2019s see how they do now that they have a big, fat target on their chest.<\/p>\n Next Game: Oklahoma -27 vs. Baylor<\/em><\/p>\n 2. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS)<\/strong><\/p>\n Well that\u2019s how you get on the board. I still don\u2019t trust Nick Saban, but you can\u2019t deny his coaching ability. The Tide demolished the Bulldogs this weekend and deserve the nod, but have some stiff games coming up and still sit in one of the toughest divisions in football.<\/p>\n Next Game: Kentucky vs. Alabama -17<\/em><\/p>\n 3. LSU Tigers (4-0 SU, 1-2 ATS)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Tigers stayed steady-eddy as they trounced Mississippi State in a 34-24 victory. They\u2019ve still been a questionable team to bet on, and while I don\u2019t think they have the appropriate firepower to gun their way in to the BCS picture, it does appear like they\u2019re going to put up one hell of a fight before they start sliding down the pole.<\/p>\n Next Game: BYE<\/em><\/p>\n 4. Missouri Tigers (4-0 SU, 2-1 ATS)<\/strong><\/p>\n As good as the Tigers are, it\u2019ll be all for naught if they can\u2019t get past the rival Sooners. Either way, it\u2019s going to be a showdown between Chase Daniel and Bradford for the Heisman, and the BCS votes. Their 53.8 points per game has them as the second most prolific offense in the league, and this train won\u2019t slow down as they hit the road to Nebraska.<\/p>\n Next Game: Missouri -10 vs. Nebraska<\/em><\/p>\n 5. Texas Longhorns (4-0 SU, 4-0 ATS)<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to continually knock the Longhorns for their ineptitude when they\u2019ve done a perfect job of protecting their bettors\u2019 dollars and their win-loss record. Colt McCoy has proven to be erratic at best down the stretch, but a 17-for-19 completion performance with three touchdowns and 185 yards passing is enough to calm anyone down. <\/a>Texas has a soft schedule, but they have to win decisively throughout the season to be taken seriously. They have to be careful of the spread busting Colorado Buffaloes this weekend.<\/p>\n Next Game: Texas -13.5 vs. Colorado<\/em><\/p>\n 6. Penn State (5-0 SU, 3-1 ATS)<\/strong><\/p>\n The kids in Happy Valley certainly have something to be cheerful about now. Derrick Williams is finally living up to the hype that he generated when he arrived at the school in 2005. With Penn State amassing 422 yards against Illinois, these Nittany Lions are roaring straight towards the BCS.<\/p>\n Next Game: Penn State -10.5 vs. Purdue<\/em><\/p>\n 7. USC Trojans (one big, fat loss)<\/strong><\/p>\n When you lose to Oregon State twice like that, you have to wonder. But the Trojans are still one of the most feared teams in the league and you have to credit them for that. Texas Tech and BYU may be ahead of them in the standings, but one loss isn\u2019t going to hurt the Pac-10 favorites as much as you might think. Don\u2019t give up on these guys yet\u2026unless they cough up another loss.<\/p>\n