College football rankings

Well now, that was quite an interesting day. #1, or #2 Alabama, depending on which poll one believes in, came back from a late deficit to barely eke out Mississippi State. But at least they won.

Meanwhile, #2, or #1 Georgia, along the same line of poll logic, was getting smoked at Auburn. See ya Dawgs. Yer going down.

Notre Dame, generally regarded as the #3 team in the country, got trashed in Miami. Any team that names itself the Fighting Irish when the real Notre Dame has always been a cathedral in Paris -- see France -- should never be taken too seriously.

Penn State fell out of national contention with recent losses.

Not long ago, Clemson, defending national champs, somehow manage to roll over and play dead at a game at Syracuse. Syracuse? REALLY? How the heck did that happen?

Ohio State has two losses, including a severe recent whipping at unranked Iowa. The Buckeyes don't appear worthy, though the trashing they put on Michigan State today was rather impressive.

So OK. Nick the (fill in the blank) -rick of Alabama and his team will be #1 by default.

After that, good luck sorting them out. The TV talking heads, and their supporting cast of "experts" and stat geeks will no doubt be hyperventilating over which team belongs where in the next go-around of the sacred "rankings".

What's comical is the even more so sacrosanct, and mysterious "committee" will be tasked with picking only four teams to participate in a national championship playoff.

If ever there was a valid argument to expand such a field to at least eight, if not sixteen, this is the time.

After all, college teams are done playing their regular seasons in late November, early December at latest. Then they spend a few weeks waiting around to play in a bowl game somewhere.

Tell me these "student athletes" are busy studying for final exams at the time, and I'll laugh in your face. That was mailed in when they got full ride jock scholarships in the first place. Who's kidding who?

So why not let sixteen of them compete in a playoff throughout the month of December, instead of the always questionable "final four" -- never more so than this year? Every other sport does it -- at every level. And two more games to whittle the field down to four would keep them game sharp as well. What else do they have to do?

For now, the Crimson Tide of Tuscaloosa is the undisputed #1 team in the land. No doubt a slam dunk for making the above-mentioned "final four". But they'e hardly an unbeatable juggernaut, hence vulnerable.

Beyond Nick's boys, the rankings have officially become a crap shoot. Wisconsin's still unbeaten. Defending champ Clemson is clawing their way back into contention. The Canes in Miami are coming on strong. The Huskies of Washington aren't out of the question. Neither are the Okie Sooners and the TCU Horned Frogs.

With still a month to go, who knows which teams will go up -- or down -- before the regular season ends?

Even Bama could get knocked off.

How interesting -- or confusing -- would THAT make things?