Dave's Power 10

1. Texas (7-0) - Another convincing win over a good Big XII team. The Longhorns are walking the walk so far. Here's a funny stat: Texas scores the same amount of points/game as their defense allows in rushing yards (48.14).

2. Penn State (8-0) - Michigan played a good game early, but couldn't withstand the second half avalanche. For this reason, I place the Nittany Lions in front of Bama, and also due to the Tide's struggles at home against Ole Miss. PSU put away Michigan with 39 unanswered points.

3. Alabama (7-0) - I watched this game hoping for a Houston Nutt miracle, and it almost happened. The Tide couldn't put the Rebels away, but hung on to win. Bama's passing offense (103rd nationally) needs to somehow compliment their rushing offense (209 yds/game) in order to remain unbeaten. That's two consecutive nail-biters following the Georgia beat-down.

4. Southern California (5-1) - Everyone thought, "There's no way USC wins by 42 points! I'm taking Wazzu to cover." But when it was 41-0 at halftime, we understood the error of our ways. A slightly resurgent Arizona squad (#9 scoring offense, #6 passing defense) could provide some resistance this Saturday in Tucson.

5. Oklahoma State (7-0) - Last week's Baylor game was the first single digit performance for the Cowboy defense (aka the step-child unit of the team). Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant are the straws that stir OSU's drink, and they need to get plastered in order to beat Texas in Austin.

6. Oklahoma (6-1) - Sam Bradford (#4 nationally in total offense) out-dueled Todd Reesing (#7 nationally). The Sooner defense has given up 76 points the last two games. Well, at least they have the 4th best offense in the nation right now (544 yards/game) . . . because they're going to need it.

7. Florida (5-1) - The Gators thrive on field position due to their exceptional return man, Brandon James (21 yds/punt; 29 yds/kickoff). Add to that their ability to hold onto the ball (#3 nationally in turnover margin), and Florida puts tremendous pressure on opponents.

8. Texas Tech (7-0) - The Red Raiders were an amazing 10 of 12 on 3rd down against Texas A&M. That helps when your defense is so average (#51 nationally). Here comes the gauntlet that should either justify their style, or re-expose Tech as the perennial video game team.

9. Boise State (6-0) - The Broncos play in a weak conference against weak opponents. Yeah, yeah, we've heard all that before. But Boise dominates the WAC so well that they deserve recognition, especially when they've beaten a Pac-10 team on the road.

10. Utah (8-0) - The Utes are a product of a weak conference, and fortune (i.e., Michigan's transition to Rich Rodriguez's system). However, their days in the Power 10 may be numbered with upcoming games against TCU and BYU. Fortunately, both games are in the friendly (and non-alcoholic) confines of Salt Lake City.