...even though I'm not certain we should be. After last night's thrilling conclusion to the Texas-Texas Tech game, Alabama is #1 in the AP, USA Today, and Harris Polls. I expect the Tide to be #1 in the BCS standings whenever they come out. My Top 10 plus a few thoughts are below the fold.

If I were voting, here's how I would rank them:

1. Alabama. A few second-half meltdowns notwithstanding, the Tide has left little to question this season and didn't seem to notice the loss of Mount Cody against Tennessee and Arkansas State. LSU might be a test, but after having their heads handed to them by Georgia and Florida, I'm not convinced the Bayou Bengals have what it takes to beat Alabama. The SEC Championship Game looks like it will be 12-0 Alabama against 11-1 Florida for a spot in the BCS title game against either Penn State or the Big 12 Champion.

2. Texas Tech. They've steamrolled almost everyone they've played, dominated Texas in the first half, and pulled it out at gut-check time. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma stand between the Red Raiders and the Big 12 Title Game, where they would probably play Missouri. The only reason they're not a clear #1 is that they would have lost to Texas if that one guy had intercepted that one pass in the closing seconds.

3. Texas. Ran a tough gauntlet of Oklahoma, Missouri, and Oklahoma State and came oh-so-close to beating Texas Tech.

4. Oklahoma. Very impressive so far with their only loss coming against Texas. Blowout non-conference wins over 6-2 Cincinnati and 9-1 TCU help their case.

5. Penn State. PSU is #5 because they're undefeated. My Dad suggested a few weeks ago that not having a conference championship game hurts the Big 10 and the Pac 10. Conference title games strengthen SEC and Big 12 schedules, add an extra hurdle for these teams, and ensure that a conference's top two teams play each other at some point. The apparent weakness of the Big 10 and Pac 10 doesn't help, either. Presumably Big 10 and Pac 10 teams should be able to make up for this shortcoming through their non-conference schedules, but PSU's non-conference slate of Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, Syracuse, and Temple is underwhelming even in spite of OSU's win over USC and their 5-3 record.

6. Utah. The fact that they're ranked behind USC is kind of strange. They're undefeated, they beat Oregon State, and they play in a conference that has proven its superiority to the Pac 10 on the field.

7. Oklahoma State. See "Oklahoma" without the marquee non-conference wins.

8. Florida. Would be undefeated (and ranked #1) without what looked like a suspect play call at the end of the Ole Miss game.

9. USC. They jackhammered Ohio State in one of the season's marquee non-conference games and pounded the snot out of Oregon. The loss at Oregon State was really bad, especially since they were dominated in the first half. They've beaten up on a few other Pac 10 teams, but then again, so has virtually the entire Mountain West Conference.

10. Boise State. Beat Oregon, but nothing like USC did.

Sad Fact of the Weekend: It's probable that Utah, Boise State, and Ball State will finish the season undefeated. At least one of them (Ball State, most likely) will be on the outside looking in while the ACC and Big East champions will get BCS bowl bids with two and three losses each. Florida State (6-2) v. Maryland (6-2) will probably determine the ACC Atlantic and Georgia Tech has the inside track to win the ACC Coastal, but Florida State and Georgia Tech will get their heads handed to them by Florida and Georgia at the end of the season. This will set up a rematch between 9-3 Florida State v. 9-3 Georgia Tech to see who gets to thumb their nose at an undefeated and probably more deserving Utah, Boise State, or Ball State team. In the Big East, West Virginia has the inside track for the conference title and will finish a respectable 10-2 record if they win out.

I know, I know, don't quit my day job. College football sure is fun, though.