The Times’ college football top 25 rankings

Rankman’s stance when it comes to predictions has always been “Fire, ready, aim.� Alabama starts in “A� position but “B� is OK, especially since that’s short for Oklahoma anyway. Don’t get caught up in the early rankings. Auburn won last year’s Bowl Championship Series title after starting No. 23 in the USA Today coaches’ poll. That Auburn team had Cam Newton and Nick Fairley. This year, without Newton and Fairley, Auburn starts No. 19 in the coaches’ index. See? Nobody really knows anything. And if you don’t see your school here, they were No. 26.

1; Alabama; Saban reportedly once screamed at Muschamp’s mom. Who hasn’t?

2; Oklahoma; Stoops’ best chance to win BCS since … every year since 2000.

3; Oregon; Team is so fast one player on defense recently clocked at 118 mph.

4; Boise State; Winn-Dixie is market in South and also what you want to do in Georgia.

5; Florida State; Can’t wait to see highlights on school’s “Jimbo� tron scoreboard.

6; Stanford; Five years ago we’d have picked San Jose State to win Saturday’s opener.

7; Nebraska; Just accidentally on purpose deleted game notes sent for Chattanooga opener.

8; Wisconsin; UNLV game Thursday should wallop “Name that Cheese� in local ratings.

9; Oklahoma State; Try the No. 1 combo — Weeden to Blackmon — at Stillwater food joint.

10; Louisiana State; State troopers who normally escort coach off field reassigned to players.

11; Notre Dame; “Luck of the Irish� has never applied to hard-luck QB Dayne Crist.

12; South Carolina; It’s all or nothing this year for Spurrier, or maybe something in between.

13; Texas Christian; Rules for Friday night at Baylor: football, frolic … but no dancing.

14; Texas A&M; Aggies picking out SEC drapes to match their future drubbings.

15; Virginia Tech; Loss to another FCS school could leave team in uneasy Appalachian State.

16; Florida; Gators don’t leave state again for three nonconference games. Shocking!

17; Michigan State; Success in East Lansing this year is all relative to Cousins.

18; USC; Giving up fewer than 588 yards in this year’s opener … would be improvement.

19: Ohio State; Lineup card change: Fickell for Tressel, Bauserman for Pryor.

20; Auburn; Life without Newton and Fairley begins, whew, against Utah State.

21; West Virginia; Limerick Dept. can’t find words that rhyme with Holgorsen.

22; Arizona State; Rank comes with warning: “This team may self destruct in five seconds.�

23; Arkansas; Will leave SEC for Big 12 when Fayetteville, or hell, freezes over.

24; Georgia; Lead-up to Boise so intense “interim Uga� slept only 20 hours Tuesday.

25; Texas; Longhorn Network might win Emmy for “Brown names Gilbert starter.�

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