Of Polls And Buckeyes And Ducks

Ohio State is is ranked No. 1, which I suppose is nice. But as an Buckeye fan, at this point I would just as soon not be No. 1.

Being No. 1 in the middle of October is no predictor of a championship season. Here are the teams that have been No. 1 at this point in recent years, along with the eventual BCS champion and where they ranked in Week 7 of The Associated Press poll:

2009 — Florida; Alabama (2)

2008 — Oklahoma; Florida (11)

2007 — LSU; LSU (1)

2006 — Ohio State; Florida (2)

2005 — USC; Texas (2)

2004 — USC; USC (1)

2003 — Oklahoma; LSU (6)

2002 — Miami; Ohio State (5)

One interesting note: In 2007, LSU was ranked No. 1 at this point, but suffered two losses between there and winning the title.

Anyway, while the Buckeyes are atop the polls, people who understand such things say Boise State would be No. 1 if the BCS standings were released now. Oregon would be No. 2.

The Ducks are No. 2 in the polls, eyeing the first No. 1 ranking in school history. With Ohio State playing at Wisconsin on Saturday, and Oregon having a bye, at this time next week we could be talking about a top-ranked Oregon squad.