I was fortunate enough to come into some nice tickets to today's Bengals game with my brother-in-law. Beautiful weather, hadn't been all year, free tickets, so why not? So as we got to our seats, a very enthusiastic Bengals fan in front of me kept turning around yelling that today was the day. I did not believe him. After the Bengals scored on their first series (the first time that's happened all year), he turned to me and said, today IS the day. Then when the Bengals went up 14-0, he said the same thing. Leading at halftime, same thing. I was starting to believe the guy. As the game tightened to within one score on an absolute screw up by Glenn Holt on special teams, I thought, here we go. Typical Bengals. Lose it late. That guy in front of me even seemed worried. Then Jacksonville got within a 2-pt. conversion of tying the game. Nobody was confident. Then Marvin White and Jonathon Joseph deflected David Garrard's pass attempt and sealed the win. The guy in front of me high fived and said, see I told you, today is the day. He was right and I was glad to be there. Let's not be foolish, the team is still 1-8 and going nowhere, but today they showed a lot of fight. The offesnive line had their best game of the year. They gave Fitzpatrick time to throw and created big holes for Cedric Benson to run through (over 100 yards!). So, if this team can keep it up and perform this way, they might move out of laughing stock level into just average. And, where has this team been all year? Either way, today was the day all of us Bengals fans have been waiting for, it's just sad it took 8 long weeks.

Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia - 28/43, 349 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int
The Eagles began the day in last place in the tough NFC East but finish it right in the thick of it. Philly took care of business against a poor Seattle team thanks to a big game from McNabb. The ground game never really got going as Brian Westbrook finished with just 61 rushing yards. But it didn't matter as McNabb hooked up with 10 different receivers on the day. The best performance was by tight end Brent Celek who finished with 131 yards from six catches.

Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore - 21 carries, 154 yards, 3 catches, 22 yards
For many years, including the current one, the Ravens have been known for having a really good defense. Well on Sunday they decided to flex their offensive muscles as well. Along with the big game from Rice, Le'Ron McClain added 34 rushing yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns. And veteran Derrick Mason caught nine balls for 136 yards and a score. And the defense? Well, they sealed the game with a late interception for a touchdown by Terrel Suggs.

Rod Bironas, K, Tennessee - 4 FG, 1 XP
Sometimes even the best teams don't play well and can use a little luck. That was the case for the Titans on Sunday. At home against the Packers their defense was not at it's best as they gave up over 400 yards. The offense sputtered as well with just 180 passing yards and a struggling ground game. And then Bironas missed a field goal that could have won the game late in the fourth quarter. But they got their second chance in overtime and Bironas kept the Titans undefeated.

Tim Hightower, RB, Arizona - 22 carries, 109 yards, 1 TD
The passing of the torch at the running back position for the Cardinals took place on Sunday. Hightower got the start in place of an ineffective Edgerrin James and made the most of it. James did not even get into the game and J.J. Arrington was second on the team in rushing with 62 yards. Kurt Warner had another 300+ yard game with 2 TDs and no interceptions. Both Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald had six catches for 85 and 81 yards respectively.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota - 25 carries, 139 yards, 1 TD
Once again on Sunday Peterson showed why he is among the elite backs in the NFL. Sure, the Texans aren't exactly a brick wall versus the run, but 'stud' running backs are supposed to put up big numbers against the weaker defenses and carry their team to victory. And that's just what Peterson did. It was the third game in a row he finished with triple digits in rushing and the fifth time this season.

Chad Johnson, WR, Cincinnati - 5 catches, 37 yards, 2 TD
The Bengals won a game. Just pause and think about that for a while. The Bengals won a game. If a year ago someone would have told you that the Bengals wouldn't win a game in the 2008 season until November, you would have told them they were nuts. And there is no way anyone would believe that Cedric Benson would have run for 100 yards and scored his first touchdown of the year. Cedric Benson? And forget about Ryan Fitzpatrick leading the team to victory. CRAZY! As for Ocho-Cinco, he doubled his touchdown total for the season in one game. And he actually did it with some class, particularly his second one. He handed the ball to the ref and headed to the sideline for some kind words (and maybe a kiss?) for the coach. Yeah, this is nuts.

Rex Grossman, QB, Chicago - 9/19, 58 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int, 1 rush TD
What would be a season be like for the Bears without a change at quarterback? On Sunday the issue was forced thank to an injury to Kyle Orton. And Grossman really didn't look all that great. But he led his team to a comeback victory running for the game winning touchdown. And for that he deserves credit. Maybe not the starting job, but at least some credit.

The Game Used Sock Award
Terrell Owens, WR, Dallas - 5 catches, 36 yards, 1 TD
Any time I get a chance to rip on an NFC East team I'll take it, especially the Cowboys. And there is no bigger Cowboy than T.O. Sure he led the team with five catches and 36 yards and a score which is not horrible even in fantasy football standards. But it is the fourth game in a row that Owens finished with under 40 yards and his season high this year is just 89. Sure, Brad Johnson is no Tony Romo or Drew Bledsoe or Donovan McNabb or Jeff Garcia. But Hall of Famers are supposed to step up their game when their teammates are down. So for now T.O. can forget about wearing that yellow jacket in Canton and firgure out how to get the stink out of his socks.

With just a few weeks left in the college football season, its really time to start the Heisman consideration. Yes, its been talked about all season, but now most players have had the chance to play in big time games. To me, that's what should define the Heisman winner. Can you put up big numbers all season? And even more so, can you put up solid numbers in games against tough/ranked opponents?

Here are my top five (dominated by QBs) complete with their stats from their last game and season stats along with an explanation as to why I have them ranked where they are.

1. Graham Harrell (QB - Texas Tech) - Last game vs. Texas: 36/53, 474 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs. Season stats: 3,621 yards, 36 total TDs (6 rushing), 5 INTs, 70.7% completion rate. Harrell looked amazing on Saturday night against Texas. He made precision passes and his game-winning pass to Michael Crabtree was just ridiculous. The slogan in Red Raider nation is, "Guns up!" Harrell, no doubt, is a gun-slinger but the touch he puts on the ball and the placement he has on his passes are, in my opinion, the best in the country. He has a tough stretch in his next two games against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. If he can continue to put up these solid numbers in those two games, even if Texas Tech were to stumble and lose, he should be, in my opinion, the top vote getter in the country.
   
2. Michael Crabtree (WR - Texas Tech) - Last game vs. Texas: 10 rec, 127 yards, 1 TD. Season stats: 70 rec, 921 yards, 15 TDs. His game-winning catch against Texas this week alone puts him in the Heisman talk I feel. But his solid numbers for the season should get him more consideration than they currently are. He's not a flashy receiver, but he's without a doubt the best in the country at his position. He'll get the recognition he deserves after the game he had against Texas, but I doubt he'll move up into anyone's top three, and here I have him at No. 2. I'll admit, I may be ranking him a little too high considering the guys that I have behind him, but to me, he embodies exactly what the winner of the Heisman Trophy should be.
   
3. Sam Bradford (QB - Oklahoma) - Last game vs. Nebraska: 19/27, 311 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT. Season stats: 3,086 yards, 37 total TDs (3 rushing), 6 INTs, 68% completion rate. To say Bradford lit up the Nebraska defense on Saturday would be an understatement. Even in Oklahoma's only loss of the season, to Texas, he still threw for 387 yards and 5 TDs. He's only had two games this season where he threw for less than 300 yards and has thrown for over 400 yards twice, almost three times as he threw for 395 yards against Cincinnati. If Oklahoma can somehow run the table and win the Big 12 title, I could definitely see him winning the Heisman over a few other QBs within the same conference.
   
4. Colt McCoy (QB - Texas): Last game vs. Texas Tech - 20/34, 294 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. Season stats - 2,579 yards, 30 total TDs (7 rushing), 5 INTs, 79% completion rate. McCoy is without a doubt one of the best players in the country. I could easily swap him and Harrell in my rankings, but after this last week's game, I think a No. 4 ranking fits. He's had a tough stretch of games in his last four having to face Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. McCoy has fared well though in those games, throwing for 1299 yards (almost half his season total), 7 TDs and just 2 INTs. Even if Texas had beaten Texas Tech, I think I'd still have McCoy here at No. 4, maybe No. 2 because that would mean Crabtree didn't have that game-winning catch.
   
5. Tim Tebow (QB - Florida) - Last game vs. Georgia: 10/13, 154 yards, 5 total TDs (3 rushing). Season stats: 1,569 passing yards, 14 TDs, 2 INTs, 266 rushing yards, 8 TDs. The reinging Heisman winner isn't putting up jaw-dropping numbers by any means, but he is efficient and I wouldn't want any other QB in the country to run my goaline offense, that's for sure. The Gators have been lighting up the scoreboard lately, thanks in large part to Tebow.

On the bubble: Chase Daniel (QB - Missouri), Knowshown Moreno (RB - Georgia), Donald Brown (RB - UCONN), Javon Ringer (RB - Michigan State), and Kendall Hunter (RB - Oklahoma State)

With Texas losing to Texas Tech last night, Alabama has now acquired the No. 1 spot in the country. They are the fifth team to stake claim to the top position this season. They are not, however, the unanimous No. 1 team in college football. 'Bama received 46 of the 65 first place votes. The other 19 first place votes were split amongst three other teams.

Texas Tech leaped over Penn State to become the new No. 2 team in the country. They received 12 first place votes. Penn State was on a bye this week and remained in the No. 3 spot and got six first place votes. Florida, after the 49-10 butt whoopin' they laid on Georgia, moved up to No. 4 and received one first place vote.

Texas, after suffering their first loss of the season, fell to No. 5. That's about where they should be considering the loss came at the hands of a strong Red Raiders team. The ESPN/USA Today poll has them at No. 7 and has Texas Tech at No. 3. I can see Texas Tech being ranked No. 3, but Texas shouldn't have fallen any lower than No. 5 considering who they lost to and what teams are ranked below them that also have one loss.

Four teams dropped out of the top 25: Tulsa, Minnesota, Oregon and South Florida. With four dropping out, four have to join. Those teams would be: West Virginia, California, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh.

Here's a look at the complete AP Top 25 rankings:

1. Alabama 9-0
2. Texas Tech 9-0
3. Penn State 9-0
4. Florida 7-1
5. Texas 8-1
6. Oklahoma 8-1
7. USC 7-1
8. Oklahoma State 8-1
9. Boise State 8-0
10. Utah 9-0
11. TCU 9-1
12. Ohio State 7-2
13. Missouri 7-2
14. Georgia 7-2
15. LSU 6-2
16. Ball State 8-0
17. BYU 8-1
18. Michigan State 8-2
19. North Carolina 6-2
20. West Virginia 6-2
21. California 6-2
22. Georgia Tech 7-2
23. Maryland 6-2
24. Florida State 6-2
25. Pittsburgh 6-2

The BCS rankings will be released later tonight. I expect those rankings to mirror the AP Top 25 rankings, at least as far as the top five go.

As posted on YourTeamStinks.com:

The Texas Tech Red Raiders pulled off the win last night in of the greatest college football games I have ever seen. Just when it looked like the Red Raiders were going to pull away, ahead 19-0 at one point, the Texas Lonnghorns picked themselves up off the mat and came all the way back and took the lead 33-32 with 1:29 left in the game.

Texas Tech would not give up however, and rather than setting up a game winning field goal attempt by a kicker they pulled out of the crowd last week, quarterback Graham Harrell went for it all with a on a beautiful pass to the best wide receiver in the country, Michael Crabtree. It wasn't so much the catch that was amazing as it was Crabtree breaking two tackles (he was being double teamed prior to the pass) and staying in bounds and running it in for the score with one second left.

It was an instant classic. But what does it mean for the rest of the college football season going forward? First off it means that Alabama will take over the No. 1 spot in the polls and in the BCS rankings. It means Penn State will likely be No. 2 now and Texas Tech should move up to No. 3. But even more than that, it means certain teams with one loss are now back in the national title picture. Those teams include Florida, Oklahoma and USC. Florida crushed a really good Georgia team yesterday afternoon, 49-10. Oklahoma smoked Nebraska 62-28 and USC blanked Washington 56-0.

If Alabama and Texas Tech win out, its very likely they will be the two teams playing for the national title, sorry Penn State fans...your conference just isn't tough enough to make a case to be in the national title game should you stay undefeated. Alabama has games left at LSU and at home against Mississippi State and Auburn. Its not out of the realm of possibility that there could be one loss in there, possibly against LSU. Texas Tech has a really tough end of the season as they get Oklahoma State at home, then travel to Norman to take on Oklahoma and then wrap up the season at home against Baylor. In addition to the games both teams have left on their schedule, both may also have to play in their conference title games.

Nobody was happier that Texas Tech won than the Red Raiders themselves. But the one loss teams of Florida, Oklahoma and USC have to be rejoicing right now as well.