It's about time things got back to normal...

If college football had continued the course it was gravitating toward less than three weeks ago, South Florida would still be in the Top 5, Florida would have lost to Kentucky, Nebraska would still be in the Top 25 while Michigan was not, and Illinois might be the team to beat in the Big 10.
Fortunately for myself and many other fans around the country, some normalcy has returned to the world of college football. Yes I call it a world. College football has more fans than the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB. If you don't think I'm correct, think about this: there are 119 teams in what I will still consider Division 1A. Of those 119 teams, 32 have stadiums than seat 70,000 or more. Of those teams, consider some of these numbers: Nebraska has not had an empty seat since November 1962, an NCAA-record sellout streak of 288 home games. In 2005, the Huskers added more than 6,000 seats to their stadium, igniting some fears that the sellout streak might end. Not so fast, my friend, as Lee Corso would say. The tickets sold out in less than six hours. Michigan's Big House, the largest stadium in the country, holds more than 110,000 fans on gameday. The largest stadium in the NFL, FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins, holds just over 80,000 and doesn't sell out nearly as often as most college stadiums. Even South Florida, who has to use Tampa Bay's professional stadium as their own when they play their home games, was able to sell out the stadium for their "home game" against West Virginia earlier this year.
But yes, the world of college football has definitely returned to what some might call "normal." Sure, Boston College is somehow still in the Top 10, Arizona State is undefeated, and Kansas is the talk of the Big 12. However, to say things are as odd as they were less than a month ago would be just ludicrous.
At that time, South Florida was No. 2. Nebraska was blown out by Missouri in Columbia. Again. Oklahoma lost to Colorado while Texas lost to Kansas State. Again. LSU survived Florida only to lose to Kentucky (and watch Kentucky lose to Florida a week later). Florida State and Miami are both unranked. Notre Dame was still looking for its first touchdown (and, really, they are still kind of looking for their second one). USC lost to Stanford. California ascended to No. 2 before falling to the giant-killers of the PAC 10, Oregon State. The list goes on, of course, and is highlighted by the biggest thriller of all, App. State taking down Michigan in the Big House to start this season of upset and uncertainty.
It almost looked like Boston College might be headed for the also-ran status of the No. 2 spot in the country last night with under two minutes left in their game, but Matt Ryan put his name again and again in the Heisman bucket late in the game, lifting the Eagles to a 14-10 victory over a very good defensive Virginia Tech team. Thus, as of this weekend, they will still be the No. 2 team in the country. Or will they be No. 1? A team from the ACC has not been No. 1 in any major poll since Florida State was No. 1 in 2000. Miami had a good run, but they were still in the Big East in 2001 and 2002.
With Penn State looking to be the third team this month to take down a No. 1 team, Ohio State needs to watch out. They have the best scoring defense in the country, allowing just under 8 points per game, but Penn State has scored more than 33 points in its home games this season.
If Ohio State loses, West Virginia beats Rutgers, Oregon somehow gets past USC in Eugene, Kansas is able to overcome the 12th Man at Texas A&M, and Arizona State hands Cal their third straight loss, your Top 10 could look like this come Monday morning:
1. Boston College
2. LSU
3. Arizona State
4. Oregon
5. Oklahoma
6. West Virginia
7. Ohio State
8. Kansas
9. South Florida
10. Florida (who SHOULD beat Georgia)
Oh, what a crazy, crazy world in college football...