College Football saw a lot of teams lose their first games last weekend now that cupcake time is over.  Conference play has started and this is when College Football gets really good.  Here is a look at my rankings for Week #5 of the 2011 season:

1. LSU (5-0) - LSU seemed to take it a little easy last weekend in beating the Kentucky Wildcats 35-7.  Don’t look for them to be as nice to the Florida Gators this weekend on their visit to LSU.

2. Alabama (5-0) - Alabama beat up the Florida Gators at the Swamp 38-10 last weekend.  This week Vanderbilt will be the next victim in Alabama.

3. Oklahoma (4-0) - Oklahoma had a breather last weekend at home against Ball State as they ripped them 62-6.  It won’t be near as easy against my #10 ranked Texas Longhorns this weekend in the Red River Shootout at the Cotton Bowl.

4. Boise State (4-0) - Boise State cruised to a 30-10 home victory over Nevada last weekend.  They might encounter a bit of a trap game at Fresno State this Friday Night.

5. Oklahoma State (4-0) - The Cowboys got last weekend off.  That gave them two weeks to prepare for their home game against Kansas.  Look for them to continue rolling along.

6. Wisconsin (5-0) - The Wisconsin Badgers welcomed the Nebraska Cornhuskers to the Big Ten by whipping them 48-17 at Camp Randall Stadium last weekend.  They are off this Saturday and they will travel to Indiana on October 15th.

7. Stanford (4-0) - Stanford blasted UCLA at home 45-19 last weekend.  They will host the Colorado Buffaloes this weekend in a game that will likely be another romp for the Cardinal.

8. Clemson (5-0) - The Clemson Tigers are a fast riser this year.  They thumped Virginia Tech 23-3 on the road last weekend in one of the most impressive victories of the week.  They are hosting Boston College this weekend in what is likely to be a very ugly game this Saturday.

9. Oregon (3-1) - Oregon did not play last weekend.  That gave them two weeks to get ready for their home tilt with the California Bears this weekend.

10. Texas (4-0) - The Texas Longhorns thrashed Iowa State 37-14 on the road last weekend.  They are ready for a real challenge this weekend against my #3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Shootout.

11. Georgia Tech (5-0) - Georgia Tech outscored the NC State Wolfpack 45-35 on the road last weekend.  They have a home game against Maryland this weekend and they better be ready.

12. Michigan (5-0) - Michigan thrashed the Minnesota Golden Gophers 58-0 at the Big House last weekend.  They will have a tougher challenge at Northwestern this Saturday.

13. Houston (5-0) - Houston beat the UTEP Miners 49-42 on the road last week.  They will host East Carolina this weekend and they better come to play.

14. Kansas State (4-0) - Kansas State got a big home win last weekend, 36-35 over Baylor.  They have a home tilt against Missouri this weekend and they better bring their A-Game as they are a 3-point underdog.

15. Texas Tech (4-0) - Texas Tech outgunned Kansas 45-34 on the road last weekend.  They are in for their first test of the season with Texas A&M dropping by for a visit this Saturday.

16. Illinois (5-0) - Illinois held off Northwestern 38-35 at home last weekend.  They are traveling to Indiana for what should be a easy win this Saturday.

17. Virginia Tech (4-1) - Virginia Tech suffered a shocking 23-3 loss at home to Clemson last weekend.  The Miami (FL) Hurricanes are coming in for a visit this weekend, so the Hokies better be ready for a fight.

18. Auburn (4-1) - Auburn beat South Carolina 16-13 on the road last weekend in a very impressive win.  They are playing at Arkansas this weekend who are ranked #24 by me.  To really get the respect they deserve, Auburn needs to win this game.

19. Arizona State (4-1) - Arizona State came back and smacked Oregon State 35-20 at home last weekend.  They are playing at Utah this weekend in a trap game.

20. USC (4-1) - USC won 48-41 at home against Arizona last weekend.  They will be off this weekend and have two weeks to prepare for a road game with the California Bears.

21. South Carolina (4-1) - The Gamecocks lost a tough one 16-13 to Auburn at home last weekend.  They will look to rebound at home against Kentucky this weekend.

22. Baylor (3-1) - Baylor lost a heartbreaker 36-35 at Kansas State last weekend.  They will look to rebound at home against Iowa State this Saturday.

23. Michigan State (4-1) - The Spartans turned up the D last weekend by beating the Buckeyes 10-7 at the Horseshoe.  They are off this weekend and will have two weeks to prepare for Michigan’s visit.

24. Arkansas (4-1) - Arkansas got a huge win at home (42-38) over Texas A&M last weekend.  They have another tough game this weekend at home against my #18 ranked Auburn Tigers.

25. West Virginia (4-1) - The Mountaineers bounced back from the beatdown LSU put on them last weekend as they pounded Bowling Green 55-10 at home.  They will host Connecticut this weekend.

Now we are getting to the meat of the NCAA Football season as conference play is going to begin this weekend.  Cupcake time is over.  Here is how I would have voted on the teams heading into this weekend’s college football schedule:

1. LSU (4-0) - The LSU Tigers battered the Mountaineers last weekend.  They play at home against Kentucky this weekend and they are going to thrash them.

2. Alabama (4-0) - Alabama has really been dominating on defense as they are only giving up 8.0 points per game so far this year!  They are going to get a stout challenge from the Florida Gators at the Swamp this Saturday.

3. Oklahoma (3-0) - The Sooners got challenged by Missouri last weekend before finally putting them away.  They won’t have to work too hard to beat Ball State at home this weekend.

4. Boise State (3-0) - Boise State continues to just roll along and win football games impressively.  Nevada might challenge the Broncos a little bit this weekend, before they are put away in the end.

5. Oklahoma State (4-0) - Oklahoma State came from way back to beat Texas A&M on their field last weekend in a very impressive win.  They are off this weekend before dealing with Kansas at Oklahoma State.

6. Wisconsin (4-0) - The Wisconsin Badgers are outscoring teams by an average of 48.5 to 8.5 so far this year!  They will welcome Nebraska to the Big Ten at Camp Randall Stadium this Saturday!

7. Stanford (3-0) - Stanford is outscoring their opponents by an average of 37 points per game so far this year!  They will play at home against UCLA this weekend, which should be another blowout win for the Cardinal.

8. Virginia Tech (4-0) - Virginia Tech has been whipping up on the cupcakes so far this year.  That will change this weekend as they are going to have a home tilt with Clemson this weekend.

9. Florida (4-0) - The Gators are off to a good start this year, but they haven’t played any really good teams yet.  That will change this weekend when the Alabama Crimson Tide comes to the Swamp for a visit this Saturday.

10. Nebraska (4-0) - Nebraska has been cleaning up on some meatballs so far this year.  That will change with a visit to Camp Randall Stadium in their Big Ten debut this Saturday.

11. Baylor (3-0) - Baylor is averaging 51.3 points per game so far this year, which is impressive.  But they are in for a fight this weekend at Kansas State.

12. South Carolina (4-0) - South Carolina is scoring a lot of points (36.5 per game) but they are also giving up a lot of points (25.8 per game) so far this year.  So they better be ready this Saturday when the high scoring Auburn Tigers pay a visit.

13. South Florida (4-0) - South Florida has been beating up on cupcakes since the season opening win over Notre Dame.  That will chance with a trip to Pittsburgh this Thursday Night.

14. Oregon (3-1) - Oregon has drilled every team that they have played since their season opening loss to LSU.  They are off this weekend.

15. TCU (3-1) - TCU has also been thrashing teams since their season opening loss to Baylor.  They will have a home game against SMU this weekend.

16. Texas (3-0) - The Longhorns are winning with defense as they are only giving up 15.0 points per game so far this year.  They have a trap game at Iowa State this weekend.

17. Clemson (4-0) - Clemson is a high scoring (37.8 points per game) team that will be going on the road for a showdown with Virginia Tech on the road.

18. Georgia Tech (4-0) - Georgia Tech is averaging 53.3 points per game this year as they have a powerful offense.  They are taking their show on the road for a tilt at North Carolina State this weekend.

19. Michigan (4-0) - The Wolverines have beaten Notre Dame and a bunch of meatballs so far this year.  They have a home game against Minnesota in their Big Ten opener this Saturday, it what should be an easy win.

20. Houston (4-0) - Houston is a high flying team that wins by lighting up the scoreboard as they are averaging 44.3 points per game so far this year.  They are hitting the road to El Paso to deal with UTEP this weekend.

21. Kansas State (3-0) - Count me as very impressed by Kansas State’s road win over the Miami Hurricanes last weekend.  They are only allowing 10.3 points per game but that is going to be tested at home this Saturday against the Baylor Bears who are averaging 51.3 points per game so far this year.

22. Texas Tech (3-0) - Texas Tech is a high flying scoring machine as they are averaging 48.0 points per game so far this year.  They have a home date with Kansas this Saturday.

23. Illinois (4-0) - Illinois hasn’t had the toughest schedule around but they are undefeated and they are outscoring opposing teams by 19.3 points per game.  They will host Northwestern in the home Big Ten opener this Saturday.

24. Iowa State (3-0) - Iowa State has beated the odds so far this year and they will try to do so again at home against Texas this Saturday.

25. Temple (3-1) - Temple could easily be 4-0 on the year as they lost a tough one against Penn State earlier this year.  They are averaging 32.8 points per game so far this year while only allowing 7.8 points per game.  Temple is hosting the high flying Toledo Rockets this Saturday.

If I had a vote in the College Football Rankings, here is how it would look heading into Week #3 of the season:

1. LSU (3-0) - LSU got a nice SEC road win over Mississippi State, 19-6 last Thursday Night.  They have outscored their opponents 108-36 on the season!

2. Alabama (3-0) - Alabama completely shut down North Texas in a 41-0 win last Saturday.  They have now outscored their opponents 116-18 on the year.  They have a big challenge tomorrow against Arkansas.

3. Oklahoma (2-0) - I would have moved Oklahoma up a spot if Alabama didn’t look so dominant last Saturday.  The Sooners got a huge 23-13 win last Saturday at Florida State.  They have now outscored their opponents 70-27.

4. Boise State (2-0) - Boise ripped Toledo 40-15 on their field last Friday Night.  They have now outscored their opponents 75-36 on the year.

5. Oklahoma State (3-0) - Oklahoma State won 59-33 last weekend over Tulsa.  They are the funnest team to watch as they throw the ball all over the field as they have scored 157 points already this season!

6. Wisconsin (3-0) - The Badgers rolled 49-7 over Northern Illinois last weekend.  Wisconsin has scored 135 points this year while only giving up 24 points.

7. Stanford (3-0) - Stanford beat Arizona 37-10 on the road last weekend.  They have outscored their opponents 138-27 this year.

8. Virginia Tech (3-0) - Virginia Tech beat Arkansas State 26-7 last weekend.  They have a super soft schedule which is going to help them move up this list as teams ahead of them start to lose.

9. Arkansas (3-0) - The Razorbacks beat Troy 38-28 last weekend as they were likely looking ahead to this weekend’s game at Alabama.

10. Florida (3-0) - The Gators passed their first big test of the new regime last weekend in beating Tennessee 33-23 at the Swamp.  They have now outscored their opponents 113-26 on the year.

11. Nebraska (3-0) - Nebraska held off Washington 51-38 last weekend.  They have given up 74 points so far this year, so they might have troubles with good offensive teams this year.

12. Baylor (2-0) - Baylor won 48-0 against Stephen F. Austin, which they should have.

13. South Carolina (3-0) - South Carolina won a hard fought battle 24-21 against Navy last weekend.  They have only outscored their opponents 125-100 so far this year.

14. South Florida (3-0) - The South Florida Bulls punished the Florida A&M Rattlers 70-17 last weekend.  They have outscored their opponents 130-44 so far this year.

15. Oregon (2-1) - Oregon punished Missouri State 56-7 last weekend, as expected.  They are going to continue to climb back up this list this year.

16. TCU (2-1) - TCU beat UL-Monroe 38-17 last weekend.  They are starting to rebound after the season opening loss at Baylor.

17. Florida State (2-1) - Florida State lost a tough home game 23-13 to the Oklahoma Sooners last weekend.  They still have outscored their opponents 109-33 so far this year.

18. West Virginia (3-0) - The Mountaineers beat Maryland 37-31 last weekend.  They have now outscored their opponents 126-56 so far this year.  LSU is coming to Morgantown this weekend and it will be interesting to see if West Virginia is up for that challenge.

19. Texas (3-0) - The Longhorns destroyed UCLA 49-20 last Saturday.  They have now outscored their opponents 97-42 this year as they are showing off a suddenly dominating defense.

20. Texas A&M (2-0) - The Aggies outscored the Idaho Vandals 37-7 last weekend.  The Aggies face their first real challenge of the season as they will have to deal with Oklahoma State tomorrow.

21. Georgia Tech (3-0) - Georgia Tech rolled again last weekend as they outscored Kansas 66-24.  They have outscored their opponents 178-66 so far this year.

22. Michigan (3-0) - Michigan beat Eastern Michigan 31-3 last weekend at the Big Ditch.  Brady Hoke better watch it this weekend as he is playing against his old team (San Diego State) and they are also 3-0 on the season.

23. USC - (3-0) - USC beat Syracuse 38-17 last weekend.  I give USC credit for not scheduling any meatballs as they have beaten Minnesota, Utah and Syracuse so far this year.

24. Houston (3-0) - Houston nipped Louisiana Tech 35-34 last weekend.  The bottom line though is that they keep winning.  They have outscored their opponents 121-91 so far this year.

25. Clemson (3-0) - Clemson got a huge home win, 38-24 over Auburn last weekend.  They are a team on the rise in the ACC.

My top 25 will change every week, so an unimpressive win will not allow a team to hold it’s ranking in my eyes.  With that in mind, here is how I would rank the teams heading into this weekend:

1. LSU (2-0) - LSU cruised to an easy win over Northwestern State last weekend (49-3).  They have now outscored their top two opponents by a combined score of 89-30!  The impressive win over Oregon is still fresh in my head.

2. Alabama (2-0) - The Crimson Tide rolled into Happy Valley and they beat Penn State 27-11 in a very impressive win.  Alabama looks primed to make another run at the National Title in 2011.

3. Oklahoma (1-0) - The Sooners got last weekend off.  They have had two weeks to get ready for the Florida State Seminoles in a National Title elimination game this Saturday in Tallahassee.

4. Boise State (1-0) - Boise State got last weekend off.  They are going to play the Toledo Rockets in Ohio tomorrow night.  The Rockets almost beat the Buckeyes at the Horseshoe last weekend, so this game isn’t likely to be an easy one.

5. Oklahoma State (2-0) -The Cowboys were very impressive last week when they beat Arizona 37-14.  Oklahoma State has outscored their opponents by a combined score of 98-48 as the offense as been unstoppable so far this year.

6. Florida State (2-0) - Florida State has not been challenged yet as they have outscored UL-Monroe and Charleston Southern by a combined score of 96-10.  They will be challenged this weekend as the Oklahoma Sooners come calling to Tallahassee.

7. Wisconsin (2-0) - The Wisconsin Badgers made easy work of Oregon State last week as they shut them out 35-0.  The Badgers have now outscored their opponents 86-17 so far this year.

8. Stanford (2-0) - Stanford beat Duke 44-14 on the road last weekend.  They have now outscored their opponents by a combined score of 101-17.

9. Virginia Tech (2-0) - Virginia Tech had a tough game at East Carolina last week as they won 17-10.  The Hokies have now outscored their opponents 83-23 so far this year.

10. Arkansas (2-0) - Arkansas has outscored New Mexico and Missouri State by a combined score of 103-10 so far this year.  It’s hard to judge them because of an utter lack of competition.

11. Florida (2-0) - The Gators have looked good on both sides of the ball against UAB and Florida Atlantic as the have outscored them 80-3.  It gets a lot tougher this weekend with the Tennessee Volunteers coming in for a visit.

12. Nebraska (2-0) - The Cornhuskers beat Fresno State 42-29 in the tough game at home last weekend.  They have now outscored their opponents 82-36 so far this year.

13. Baylor (1-0) - Baylor didn’t play last week after beating TCU in the season opener.  That has given them two weeks to get ready for Stephen F. Austin.

14. South Carolina (2-0) - South Carolina got a nice win in beating Georgia last weekend 45-42 on the road.  They have outscored Georgia and East Carolina by a combined score of 101-79.  Give them credit for not playing any cupcakes so far.

15. Michigan State (2-0) - The Spartans beat Florida Atlantic 44-0 last week.  They have outscored their competition 72-6 so far this year, but they have a tough game at Notre Dame this weekend.

16. South Florida (2-0) - The Bulls dominated Ball State 37-7 last weekend.  They didn’t have a letdown after beating Notre Dame in the season opener and that bodes well for them this year.

17. Oregon (1-1) - Oregon got back of the mat last weekend as they throttled Nevada 69-20!  This was a good sign for the Ducks who are much better than they looked against LSU in the season opener.

18. TCU (1-1) - Just like Oregon, TCU bounced back from a tough loss in the season opener to win last weekend.  They won 35-19 at Air Force last weekend and that was a quality win.

19. Central Florida (2-0) - The Knights destroyed Boston College 30-3 last week at home in a very impressive win.  The Knights have outscored their first two opponents by a combined score of 92-3!

20. West Virginia (2-0) - The Mountaineers had a rough time in the first half with Norfolk State before pounding them in the second half.  West Virginia prevailed 55-12 over Norfolk State in the end.  West Virginia has now outscored their first two opponents 89-25.

21. Texas A&M (1-0) - Texas A&M got last weekend off.  They have had two weeks to get ready to play Idaho at home in what could be a very ugly game.

22. Texas (2-0) - The Longhorns nipped BYU 14-13 last weekend in a nice win over a quality team.  They have now outscored BYU and Rice by a combined 48-22 as they are winning with defense.

23. Georgia Tech (2-0) - Georgia Tech pushed around Middle Tennessee State last weekend as they beat them 49-21.  They have now outscored their first two opponents by a combined 112-42 so far this year.

24. Michigan (2-0) - Michigan pulled out an amazing 35-31 over Notre Dame last weekend.  They have now outscored their first two opponents 69-41.

25. Auburn (2-0) - Auburn won a very tough battle with Mississippi State in a impressive game (41-34).  Auburn rebounded from a tough fight against Utah State in the season opener two weeks ago.

I don’t care who you were playing, if you lost in the first game of your season….you aren’t going to make my rankings.  If I had a vote, this is how I would rank the teams heading into this week:

1. LSU - That was an impressive beatdown of the Oregon Ducks.  They didn’t even need their starting QB who was suspended.  They look awesome.

2. Alabama - Alabama also looked very impressive in their season opener against Kent State.  It looked like a glorified practice between a varsity team against their walk-ons.

3. Oklahoma -  The Sooners buried Tulsa, as was expected.

4. Boise State - Boise State was very impressive in beating the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta last Saturday Night.

5. Virginia Tech - The Hokies destroyed Appalachian State, never letting them have an hope of competing last Saturday.

6. Stanford - Stanford destroyed San Jose State as Andrew Luck was on his game.

7. Wisconsin - The Badgers throttled UNLV last Thursday Night, as they physically abused them with their running game all night long.

8. Oklahoma State - The Cowboys put up 61 points on UL-Lafayette, but they also gave up 34 points.

9. Nebraska - Nebraska won a rather easy game last week against an inferior Chattanooga team.

10. West Virginia - The Mountaineers dispatched in state rival Marshall last Saturday.

11. Florida State - Florida State took it easy on Louisiana-Monroe by beating them only 34-0.

12. Baylor - I was thoroughly impressed by the Baylor Bears who dropped 50 points on TCU last Friday.

13. Arkansas - The Razorbacks did what they were supposed to in beating Missouri State 51-7.

14. Mississippi State - The Bulldogs dropped Memphis 59-14 on the road last weekend.

15. South Florida - The Bulls stunned Notre Dame on their own field last Saturday.

16. Houston - The Houston Cougars pulled off a nice home win over UCLA to start out their season.

17. South Carolina - South Carolina finally put away the pesky East Carolina Pirates late in the game last Saturday.

18. Texas A&M - Texas A&M destroyed SMU last weekend.

19. Florida - The Gators dropped Florida Atlantic in the Swamp by a score of 41-3.

20. USC - USC won a tight battle with Minnesota last weekend.

21. Central Florida - The Knights pounded Charleston Southern 62-0 last week.

22. Texas - The Longhorns started the season right with a 34-9 win over Rice in the season opener.

23. Georgia Tech - The Yellow Jackets lit up the scoreboard with 63 points in their first game of the year.

24. BYU - It wasn’t pretty, but BYU got a nice road win in Mississippi last weekend.

25. Penn State - I’m not so sure that Joe Paterno still calls the shots in Happy Valley, but they looked good in beating up on Indiana State 41-7 last weekend.