It was a second straight week of tremendous college football from noon until past midnight. Alabama-South Carolina, Penn State-USC, Ohio State-Oregon, and Ole Miss-LSU were all fantastic games. Texas sits atop the heap and welcomes the Dogs to Austin Saturday. Remember, we do this Top 4 with a team from each of the major conferences in the top four slots, since the four conference champs get CFP byes. Also, No. 12 is the top “mid major” or “Group of Five” team, which gets a berth as well.

1. Texas – It was a mighty impressive and sweet Red River Saturday for the Longhorns, who took care of Oklahoma, improving to 6-0 on the season. The stage is set for a big showdown with Georgia in Austin Saturday night. Texas has a lot of firepower.

2. Oregon – In what has been arguably the game of the year thus far, the Ducks won in instant classic over Ohio State 32-31 in Eugene, which hasn’t rocked that hard since the Toga Party at the Delta House. Be careful Ducks, Purdue has a lot of wins over No. 2s.

3. Miami – Coming off a pair of improbable wins over Virginia Tech in south Florida and then at California, the Hurricanes had this past Saturday off. Miami is 6-0 and 2-0 in ACC play. This week, the ‘Canes hit the road again, taking on the Louisville Cardinals.

4. Brigham Young – The Cougars played their most complete game of the season Saturday, taking Arizona apart 41-19. LaVell Edwards Stadium gets a Friday night prime time event, as the Oklahoma State Cowboys head to Provo for a Big XII battle.

5. Ohio State – The Buckeyes are surely smarting from their one point loss at Oregon, but in this new era of college football, their big hopes are still very much alive. Ohio State is off this week, then improved Nebraska heads to the Horseshoe.

6. Penn State – It was a tremendous win for the Nittany Lions on the road, as they went to the Coliseum, came back and beat USC 33-30 in overtime. They’ll take their second open date of the season this week, then head to Wisconsin to start a tough stretch.

7. Alabama – The Crimson Tide edged South Carolina 27-25 to make it 5-1. Bama jumped out to a 14-0 lead, fell behind and then hung on in Tuscaloosa. It should be a great game in Knoxville, as the Tide takes on Tennessee, which won the last Neyland meeting.

8. Georgia – The Bulldogs beat Mississippi State Between the Hedges 41-31 to make it 5-1 on the year. Now comes the mega showdown in Austin with Texas, which is rolling. Georgia has won 51 of its past 54 games, and will be a rare underdog at DKR Saturday.

9. Clemson – The Tigers continue to blister the ACC. Clemson smoked Wake Forest 49-14 in Winston-Salem to make it 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the ACC. Clemson hosts Virginia Saturday and is a heavy favorite. The Tigers offense is playing lights out.

10. LSU – In an instant classic from a fantastic old rivalry, the Bayou Bengals came back and beat Ole Miss 29-26 in overtime. It wasn’t quite Billy Cannon, but electric in Baton Rouge. LSU will have another fight on its hands Saturday at Arkansas, which was idle.

11. Texas A&M – The Aggies were off this past week, enjoying their 41-10 win over Missouri. Texas A&M is 5-1 and 3-0 in the SEC. Next up is Mississippi State, as Texas A&M can take a big step. Every SEC schedule is tough. The Aggies schedule is manageable.

12. Boise State – The Broncos took down Hawaii 28-7 on the island, improving to 5-1 on the year. Their only loss was a three-point heartbreaker at Oregon. Boise State is off this week, then it’s off to Vegas to take on the Running Rebels.